The Stolen Slice at Ashworth Hall
During a society wedding, a ceremonial slice of fruitcake vanishes from a locked pantry. Guests and staff maintain high-level social and professional roles amidst the disruption.
Initial Crime Scene
The air carries the scent of lavender sachets masking a deeper must. The precise, inked entries of a housekeeper's daily humidity log are visible. The cold, clammy surface of a pantry's internal stone wall is a constant, damp presence. The fine dust on rarely touched ledgers is undisturbed.
Crime Scene Environment
Lighting is from sputtering gas lamps and low-burning coal fires. Humidity is logged as 'Perfectly Dry' in some rooms, though stone walls are clammy. Acoustic density includes the rustle of stiff fabric, the distant jangle of brass keys, and the forced, brittle laughter of guests.
Investigation Constraints
Handwritten ledgers and guest lists, rotary dial telephones, brass locks and keys, hand-wound clocks, manual dumbwaiters, iceboxes, coal-fired furnaces, hand-pumped water systems, fountain pens, wax seals.
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