cases/seeds/tutorial.json

{
  "case_id": "tutorial-gilded-aerie",
  "seed": 1989,
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "title": "The Gilded Aerie",
  "briefing": "1924. On the rooftop of the Gilded Aerie supper club, owner Cornelius Vane is found dead in his office, struck down with his own brass award. The club was full; everyone had a reason to resent him. Four people could have slipped away during the murder hour. Question them, search the rooms, and present what you find. One of them is lying about where they were - catch that lie, and you have your killer.",
  "knobs": {
    "setting_hint": "rooftop supper club",
    "era_hint": "1924",
    "tone_hint": "jazz-age noir",
    "n_suspects": 4,
    "n_red_herrings": 3,
    "alibi_tightness": 0.6,
    "difficulty": "gentle"
  },
  "setting": {
    "name": "The Gilded Aerie",
    "description": "A rooftop supper club above the city.",
    "locations": [
      {
        "loc_id": "L1",
        "name": "The Lounge",
        "description": "The main club floor.",
        "adjacent_to": [
          "L2",
          "L3",
          "L5"
        ]
      },
      {
        "loc_id": "L2",
        "name": "The Kitchen",
        "description": "",
        "adjacent_to": [
          "L1"
        ]
      },
      {
        "loc_id": "L3",
        "name": "The Terrace",
        "description": "The open rooftop stage.",
        "adjacent_to": [
          "L1"
        ]
      },
      {
        "loc_id": "L4",
        "name": "The Office",
        "description": "Vane's private office.",
        "adjacent_to": [
          "L5"
        ]
      },
      {
        "loc_id": "L5",
        "name": "The Cloakroom",
        "description": "",
        "adjacent_to": [
          "L1",
          "L4"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "murder_window": {
      "start_min": 1260,
      "end_min": 1320
    }
  },
  "victim": {
    "vic_id": "V1",
    "name": "Cornelius Vane",
    "role": "club owner",
    "found_at_loc_id": "L4",
    "found_at_min": 1325,
    "cause_of_death": "blunt force from a brass statuette",
    "time_of_death": {
      "start_min": 1280,
      "end_min": 1310
    }
  },
  "weapon": {
    "weapon_id": "W1",
    "name": "brass award statuette",
    "kind": "blunt object",
    "origin_loc_id": "L4",
    "requires_strength": false,
    "leaves_trace": "blood and a dented base"
  },
  "suspects": [
    {
      "sus_id": "S1",
      "name": "Margot Vane",
      "role": "the widow and co-owner",
      "persona_summary": "Poised and imperious in mourning black; clipped, controlled speech, and she resents every question.",
      "is_culprit": true,
      "physical_capability": {
        "strength": true,
        "mobility": true
      },
      "personality": {
        "composure": 0.8,
        "aggression": 0.5,
        "evasiveness": 0.7
      },
      "tells": [
        "a too-steady voice",
        "smoothing her gloves"
      ],
      "knows_facts": [
        "F1",
        "F2"
      ],
      "secrets": [
        "Cornelius was about to cut you out of the club; his death secures everything."
      ],
      "true_whereabouts": [
        {
          "window": {
            "start_min": 1260,
            "end_min": 1280
          },
          "loc_id": "L1",
          "activity": "greeting patrons in the lounge",
          "co_present_sus_ids": [
            "S2"
          ]
        },
        {
          "window": {
            "start_min": 1280,
            "end_min": 1310
          },
          "loc_id": "L4",
          "activity": "confronting Cornelius in the office",
          "co_present_sus_ids": []
        },
        {
          "window": {
            "start_min": 1310,
            "end_min": 1320
          },
          "loc_id": "L5",
          "activity": "composing herself in the cloakroom",
          "co_present_sus_ids": []
        }
      ],
      "stated_alibi": {
        "claim_text": "I was in the lounge the entire evening, in plain sight of a dozen guests.",
        "claimed_segments": [
          {
            "window": {
              "start_min": 1260,
              "end_min": 1320
            },
            "loc_id": "L1",
            "witness_sus_ids": [
              "S2"
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      "must_lie_about": [
        "F1"
      ],
      "anchored_lies": [
        {
          "lie_id": "LIE_alibi",
          "topic": "where you were during the murder",
          "claimed": "I never once left the lounge; ask any of the patrons.",
          "truth_ref": "F1",
          "breaks_on": [
            "C1",
            "C2"
          ],
          "fallback": "Fine - I stepped out to the cloakroom for my wrap, that is all. I never went near the office."
        }
      ],
      "voice": null,
      "visual": {
        "subject_type": "suspect",
        "palette": "noir",
        "gender": "female",
        "age_band": "50s",
        "build": null,
        "hair": null,
        "attire": "a black beaded evening gown",
        "mood": "imperious",
        "accent_color": "#b8860b",
        "location_tags": [],
        "prop_tags": [],
        "prompt_hint": ""
      }
    },
    {
      "sus_id": "S2",
      "name": "Eddie Marsh",
      "role": "the bartender",
      "persona_summary": "Quick and affable, sweats easily, and keeps glancing at the till.",
      "is_culprit": false,
      "physical_capability": {
        "strength": true,
        "mobility": true
      },
      "personality": {
        "composure": 0.3,
        "aggression": 0.2,
        "evasiveness": 0.6
      },
      "tells": [
        "wiping a bar that is already clean"
      ],
      "knows_facts": [
        "F3"
      ],
      "secrets": [
        "You have been skimming from the till for months."
      ],
      "true_whereabouts": [
        {
          "window": {
            "start_min": 1260,
            "end_min": 1320
          },
          "loc_id": "L1",
          "activity": "tending the bar",
          "co_present_sus_ids": [
            "S1",
            "S4"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "stated_alibi": {
        "claim_text": "I never left the bar; somebody always wanted a drink.",
        "claimed_segments": [
          {
            "window": {
              "start_min": 1260,
              "end_min": 1320
            },
            "loc_id": "L1",
            "witness_sus_ids": [
              "S1",
              "S4"
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      "must_lie_about": [
        "F3"
      ],
      "anchored_lies": [
        {
          "lie_id": "LIE_till",
          "topic": "the till and the money",
          "claimed": "The till always comes up square; I would never touch it.",
          "truth_ref": "F3",
          "breaks_on": [
            "C3"
          ],
          "fallback": "All right, I have borrowed against tips. It has nothing to do with Cornelius."
        }
      ],
      "voice": null,
      "visual": {
        "subject_type": "suspect",
        "palette": "noir",
        "gender": "male",
        "age_band": "30s",
        "build": null,
        "hair": null,
        "attire": "shirtsleeves and a bar apron",
        "mood": "nervous",
        "accent_color": "#3a6ea5",
        "location_tags": [],
        "prop_tags": [],
        "prompt_hint": ""
      }
    },
    {
      "sus_id": "S3",
      "name": "Lillian Frost",
      "role": "the headline singer",
      "persona_summary": "Theatrical and guarded about her private life, mourning beneath the glamour.",
      "is_culprit": false,
      "physical_capability": {
        "strength": true,
        "mobility": true
      },
      "personality": {
        "composure": 0.6,
        "aggression": 0.4,
        "evasiveness": 0.5
      },
      "tells": [
        "a brittle laugh"
      ],
      "knows_facts": [
        "F4"
      ],
      "secrets": [
        "You were secretly in love with Cornelius and quarreled with him."
      ],
      "true_whereabouts": [
        {
          "window": {
            "start_min": 1260,
            "end_min": 1320
          },
          "loc_id": "L3",
          "activity": "performing two sets on the terrace",
          "co_present_sus_ids": []
        }
      ],
      "stated_alibi": {
        "claim_text": "I was on the terrace, singing, the whole hour. Two hundred people saw me.",
        "claimed_segments": [
          {
            "window": {
              "start_min": 1260,
              "end_min": 1320
            },
            "loc_id": "L3",
            "witness_sus_ids": []
          }
        ]
      },
      "must_lie_about": [
        "F4"
      ],
      "anchored_lies": [
        {
          "lie_id": "LIE_affair",
          "topic": "your relationship with Cornelius",
          "claimed": "Cornelius and I were strictly professional.",
          "truth_ref": "F4",
          "breaks_on": [
            "C4"
          ],
          "fallback": "We were close. I loved him. But I would never hurt him."
        }
      ],
      "voice": null,
      "visual": {
        "subject_type": "suspect",
        "palette": "noir",
        "gender": "female",
        "age_band": "20s",
        "build": null,
        "hair": null,
        "attire": "a silver sequined stage dress",
        "mood": "guarded",
        "accent_color": "#9a9aa0",
        "location_tags": [],
        "prop_tags": [],
        "prompt_hint": ""
      }
    },
    {
      "sus_id": "S4",
      "name": "Septimus Boone",
      "role": "the club's accountant",
      "persona_summary": "Meticulous and nervous, speaks in numbers, and is terrified of an audit.",
      "is_culprit": false,
      "physical_capability": {
        "strength": true,
        "mobility": true
      },
      "personality": {
        "composure": 0.4,
        "aggression": 0.2,
        "evasiveness": 0.7
      },
      "tells": [
        "polishing his spectacles"
      ],
      "knows_facts": [
        "F5"
      ],
      "secrets": [
        "You falsified the ledgers to hide your own embezzlement."
      ],
      "true_whereabouts": [
        {
          "window": {
            "start_min": 1260,
            "end_min": 1320
          },
          "loc_id": "L1",
          "activity": "going over receipts at a corner table",
          "co_present_sus_ids": [
            "S2"
          ]
        }
      ],
      "stated_alibi": {
        "claim_text": "I sat at my usual corner table in the lounge with my books all night.",
        "claimed_segments": [
          {
            "window": {
              "start_min": 1260,
              "end_min": 1320
            },
            "loc_id": "L1",
            "witness_sus_ids": [
              "S2"
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      "must_lie_about": [
        "F5"
      ],
      "anchored_lies": [
        {
          "lie_id": "LIE_ledger",
          "topic": "the ledgers and the books",
          "claimed": "The books are in perfect order, I assure you.",
          "truth_ref": "F5",
          "breaks_on": [
            "C5"
          ],
          "fallback": "There may be irregularities - mine, not murder. I was nowhere near him."
        }
      ],
      "voice": null,
      "visual": {
        "subject_type": "suspect",
        "palette": "noir",
        "gender": "male",
        "age_band": "40s",
        "build": null,
        "hair": null,
        "attire": "a rumpled three-piece suit",
        "mood": "anxious",
        "accent_color": "#6b8f71",
        "location_tags": [],
        "prop_tags": [],
        "prompt_hint": ""
      }
    }
  ],
  "culprit": {
    "sus_id": "S1",
    "true_motive": {
      "motive_id": "M1",
      "category": "greed",
      "summary": "Cornelius was about to cut Margot out of the club; his death secures her inheritance."
    },
    "method_narrative": "You followed Cornelius to the office, argued about the will, and struck him with the brass statuette.",
    "alibi_lie": {
      "claimed_loc_id": "L1",
      "actual_loc_id": "L4",
      "contradicted_by_clue_ids": [
        "C1",
        "C2"
      ]
    }
  },
  "relationships": [
    {
      "from_sus_id": "S1",
      "to_sus_id": "S2",
      "kind": "employer of",
      "sentiment": 0.1,
      "known_publicly": true
    },
    {
      "from_sus_id": "S4",
      "to_sus_id": "S2",
      "kind": "friendly with",
      "sentiment": 0.3,
      "known_publicly": true
    }
  ],
  "facts": [
    {
      "fact_id": "F1",
      "statement": "Margot was in the office during the murder window.",
      "true_value": true,
      "loc_id": "L4",
      "at_min": 1290
    },
    {
      "fact_id": "F2",
      "statement": "Margot smokes Gauloises cigarettes.",
      "true_value": true,
      "loc_id": null,
      "at_min": null
    },
    {
      "fact_id": "F3",
      "statement": "Eddie has been skimming from the till.",
      "true_value": true,
      "loc_id": null,
      "at_min": null
    },
    {
      "fact_id": "F4",
      "statement": "Lillian was secretly in love with Cornelius.",
      "true_value": true,
      "loc_id": null,
      "at_min": null
    },
    {
      "fact_id": "F5",
      "statement": "Boone falsified the club's ledgers.",
      "true_value": true,
      "loc_id": null,
      "at_min": null
    }
  ],
  "clues": [
    {
      "clue_id": "C1",
      "name": "Cloakroom ticket (9:48 PM)",
      "reveal_text": "A cloakroom claim ticket stamped 9:48 PM lies near the body - someone fetched a wrap mid-evening and ended up here.",
      "discoverable_at_loc_id": "L4",
      "discovery_method": "forensic",
      "supports_fact_id": "F1",
      "points_to_sus_id": "S1",
      "contradicts_alibi_of": "S1",
      "is_red_herring": false,
      "weight": 1.0
    },
    {
      "clue_id": "C2",
      "name": "Gauloises ash",
      "reveal_text": "Grey ash from a Gauloises cigarette on the office rug - an unusual brand.",
      "discoverable_at_loc_id": "L4",
      "discovery_method": "forensic",
      "supports_fact_id": "F2",
      "points_to_sus_id": "S1",
      "contradicts_alibi_of": "S1",
      "is_red_herring": false,
      "weight": 0.7
    },
    {
      "clue_id": "C3",
      "name": "Doctored bar tab",
      "reveal_text": "A bar ledger showing Eddie quietly forgiving his own tabs.",
      "discoverable_at_loc_id": "L1",
      "discovery_method": "document",
      "supports_fact_id": "F3",
      "points_to_sus_id": "S2",
      "contradicts_alibi_of": null,
      "is_red_herring": true,
      "weight": 0.3
    },
    {
      "clue_id": "C4",
      "name": "Torn love letter",
      "reveal_text": "A torn letter in Lillian's hand to Cornelius - equal parts love and fury.",
      "discoverable_at_loc_id": "L5",
      "discovery_method": "search",
      "supports_fact_id": "F4",
      "points_to_sus_id": "S3",
      "contradicts_alibi_of": null,
      "is_red_herring": true,
      "weight": 0.3
    },
    {
      "clue_id": "C5",
      "name": "Altered ledger page",
      "reveal_text": "A ledger page with figures scratched out and rewritten in Boone's hand.",
      "discoverable_at_loc_id": "L4",
      "discovery_method": "document",
      "supports_fact_id": "F5",
      "points_to_sus_id": "S4",
      "contradicts_alibi_of": null,
      "is_red_herring": true,
      "weight": 0.3
    }
  ],
  "solution": {
    "culprit_sus_id": "S1",
    "weapon_id": "W1",
    "motive_id": "M1",
    "minimal_clue_set": [
      "C1"
    ],
    "deduction_chain": [
      "Cornelius was killed in the office between 9:20 and 9:50.",
      "Every suspect but Margot has a witness for that window.",
      "Margot swears she never left the lounge - yet her cloakroom ticket, stamped 9:48, was found beside the body.",
      "Her alibi is a lie; she was in the office. Margot Vane is the killer."
    ]
  }
}