Sleuthic

The Black Files · November 4, 2026 · Difficulty: Rookie

Black File #146 — SolutionShift Change

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The case

Evelyn Kim, private nurse, was found dead at The Aldridge Residence at 11:15 PM. Seven people were at the scene. Exactly one of them was alone with Evelyn in the same zone.

The evidence (10 clues)
  1. Evelyn was standing on the floor.
  2. Gina was sitting on a sofa.
  3. Cynthia was standing on stairs.
  4. Felix was standing on stairs.
  5. Alvin was sitting in a chair.
  6. Diane was standing on the floor.
  7. Beth was sitting on a sofa.
  8. Gina was in the Back Garden.
  9. Diane was the westernmost person at the scene.
  10. Felix was the easternmost person at the scene.

The answer

The killer: Gina Hoffman, alone with Evelyn Kim in the Back Garden.

Fixing rows and columns from the extreme-position clues cascades through the board and leaves Gina alone with Evelyn in the Back Garden.

Step-by-step deduction

  1. Before placing anyone, each clue eliminates cells:
  2. • Alvin: was sitting in a chair; row 4 already belongs to Gina; column C already belongs to Gina; column A belongs to Diane; column G belongs to Felix; nobody else can occupy column E, so it must be Alvin; only Evelyn and the killer were in the crime zone (the Back Garden), and those are already Evelyn and Gina. Only E7 is left.
  3. • Beth: was sitting on the sofa; row 4 already belongs to Gina; column C already belongs to Gina; column A belongs to Diane; nobody else can occupy row 2, so it must be Beth. Only B2 is left.
  4. • Cynthia: was on the stairs; row 4 already belongs to Gina; column A belongs to Diane; column G belongs to Felix; nobody else can occupy column F, so it must be Cynthia. Only F3 is left.
  5. • Diane: was standing on the floor; was the westernmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column A: that is Diane; row 7 already belongs to Alvin. Only A6 is left.
  6. • Evelyn: was standing on the floor; column C already belongs to Gina; column A belongs to Diane; column G belongs to Felix; nobody else can occupy column D, so it must be Evelyn; nobody else can occupy row 5, so it must be Evelyn. Only D5 is left.
  7. • Felix: was on the stairs; was the easternmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column G: that is Felix; row 3 already belongs to Cynthia. Only G1 is left.
  8. • Gina: was sitting on the sofa; was in the Back Garden. Only C4 is left.
  9. That already places Gina at C4, Alvin at E7, Beth at B2, Cynthia at F3, Evelyn at D5, Diane at A6 and Felix at G1.
  10. With all seven placed, the only people in the Back Garden are Evelyn and Gina: Gina was alone with the victim.
Solved map of Black File #146: Alvin E7, Beth B2, Cynthia F3, Diane A6, Evelyn D5, Felix G1, Gina C4
The solved map: Alvin E7, Beth B2, Cynthia F3, Diane A6, Evelyn D5, Felix G1, Gina C4.

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