Sleuthic

The Black Files · November 11, 2026 · Difficulty: Investigator

Black File #153 — SolutionThe Dark Gallery

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The case

Floyd Gallagher, curator, was found dead at Whitmore Museum at 6:05 AM. Seven people were at the scene. Exactly one of them was alone with Floyd in the same zone.

The evidence (10 clues)
  1. Calvin was sitting on a sofa.
  2. Denise was standing on the floor.
  3. Esther was standing on stairs.
  4. Alvin was in the East Gallery.
  5. Denise was in the Curator's Office.
  6. Alvin was standing on the floor.
  7. Alvin and Beth were in the same zone.
  8. Beth was the westernmost person at the scene.
  9. Esther was the easternmost person at the scene.
  10. Gail was the southernmost person at the scene.

The answer

The killer: Esther Farrell, alone with Floyd Gallagher in the Great Hall.

Fixing rows and columns from the extreme-position clues cascades through the board and leaves Esther alone with Floyd in the Great Hall.

Step-by-step deduction

  1. Before placing anyone, each clue eliminates cells:
  2. • Alvin: was in the East Gallery; was standing on the floor; column A belongs to Beth; row 5 belongs to Denise; row 7 belongs to Gail. Only B4 is left.
  3. • Beth: was in the same zone as Alvin, and Alvin can only be in the East Gallery; was the westernmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column A: that is Beth; row 5 belongs to Denise; row 7 belongs to Gail; nobody else can occupy row 6, so it must be Beth. Only A6 is left.
  4. • Calvin: was sitting on the sofa; row 3 already belongs to Esther; column G already belongs to Esther; column F belongs to Denise; row 7 belongs to Gail; nobody else can occupy row 2, so it must be Calvin. Only C2 is left.
  5. • Denise: was standing on the floor; was in the Curator's Office; column G already belongs to Esther. Only F5 is left.
  6. • Esther: was on the stairs; was the easternmost person of all, and since there is one person per column somebody occupies column G: that is Esther. Only G3 is left.
  7. • Floyd: Floyd cannot be in the East Gallery: the crime zone holds exactly two people and Alvin and Beth are already there, and with Floyd that would be more than two; row 3 already belongs to Esther; column G already belongs to Esther; column A belongs to Beth; row 5 belongs to Denise; column F belongs to Denise; row 7 belongs to Gail; nobody else can occupy row 1, so it must be Floyd; nobody else can occupy column E, so it must be Floyd. Only E1 is left.
  8. • Gail: was the southernmost person of all, and since there is one person per row somebody occupies row 7: that is Gail; column G already belongs to Esther; column A belongs to Beth; column F belongs to Denise; nobody else can occupy column D, so it must be Gail. Only D7 is left.
  9. That already places Esther at G3, Alvin at B4, Beth at A6, Calvin at C2, Denise at F5, Floyd at E1 and Gail at D7.
  10. With all seven placed, the only people in the Great Hall are Floyd and Esther: Esther was alone with the victim.
Solved map of Black File #153: Alvin B4, Beth A6, Calvin C2, Denise F5, Esther G3, Floyd E1, Gail D7
The solved map: Alvin B4, Beth A6, Calvin C2, Denise F5, Esther G3, Floyd E1, Gail D7.

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