Sleuthic

The Black Files · September 29, 2026 · Difficulty: Rookie

Black File #110 — SolutionManifest

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The case

Carl Sato, newsstand owner, was found dead at Union Station at 12:50 AM. Seven people were at the scene. Exactly one of them was alone with Carl in the same zone.

The evidence (8 clues)
  1. Dominic was in the Ticket Hall.
  2. Florence was sitting on the sofa.
  3. Gail was sitting on the sofa.
  4. Beth was sitting in a chair.
  5. Florence was the southernmost person at the scene.
  6. Anthony and Florence were in the same zone.
  7. Evelyn was the easternmost person at the scene.
  8. Gail was the westernmost person at the scene.

The answer

The killer: Beth Vaughn, alone with Carl Sato in the Concourse.

Fixing rows and columns from the extreme-position clues cascades through the board and leaves Beth alone with Carl in the Concourse.

Step-by-step deduction

  1. Before placing anyone, each clue eliminates cells:
  2. • Anthony: was in the same zone as Florence, and Florence can only be in the Baggage Room; row 7 already belongs to Florence; column B already belongs to Florence; row 4 already belongs to Gail; column A already belongs to Gail; row 6 already belongs to Evelyn. Only C5 is left.
  3. • Beth: was sitting in a chair; column B already belongs to Florence; row 4 already belongs to Gail; column A already belongs to Gail; column C belongs to Anthony; column D belongs to Dominic. Only E2 is left.
  4. • Carl: Carl cannot be in the Ticket Hall: the crime zone holds exactly two people and Dominic and Gail are already there, and with Carl that would be more than two; Carl cannot be in the Baggage Room: the crime zone holds exactly two people and Anthony and Florence are already there, and with Carl that would be more than two; row 7 already belongs to Florence; row 4 already belongs to Gail; row 2 belongs to Beth; row 3 belongs to Dominic; column D belongs to Dominic; column G belongs to Evelyn; nobody else can occupy row 1, so it must be Carl. Only F1 is left.
  5. • Dominic: was in the Ticket Hall; column B already belongs to Florence; row 4 already belongs to Gail; column A already belongs to Gail; column C belongs to Anthony. Only D3 is left.
  6. • Evelyn: was the easternmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column G: that is Evelyn; row 7 already belongs to Florence; row 4 already belongs to Gail; row 2 belongs to Beth; row 3 belongs to Dominic; only Carl and the killer were in the crime zone (the Concourse), and those are already Beth and Carl. Only G6 is left.
  7. • Florence: was sitting on the sofa; was the southernmost person of all, and since there is one person per row somebody occupies row 7: that is Florence. Only B7 is left.
  8. • Gail: was sitting on the sofa; was the westernmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column A: that is Gail. Only A4 is left.
  9. That already places Florence at B7, Gail at A4, Beth at E2, Carl at F1, Dominic at D3, Evelyn at G6 and Anthony at C5.
  10. With all seven placed, the only people in the Concourse are Carl and Beth: Beth was alone with the victim.
Solved map of Black File #110: Anthony C5, Beth E2, Carl F1, Dominic D3, Evelyn G6, Florence B7, Gail A4
The solved map: Anthony C5, Beth E2, Carl F1, Dominic D3, Evelyn G6, Florence B7, Gail A4.

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