The cases for 2026-10-16

The founder's feast ended early; the library's rarest volume left earlier still. Every professor turned in to a room off the old stone corridor, each with an alibi the porter cannot quite confirm. Reconstruct that corridor, room by room. The file names 4 professors; Reader Vane's statement sits on top of the pile.

1. 1. The professor reading the map of antiquity and the professor who claimed to be at the pantry are the same person.
2. 2. Magister Finch was in the room right before Dr. Albright.
3. 3. Reader Vane was in the room right before the professor who claimed to be at the pantry.
4. 4. Don Whitlock and the professor reading the Greek primer are the same person.
5. 5. Magister Finch was in a lower-numbered room than Dr. Albright.
6. 6. The professor reading the Greek primer and the professor who claimed to be at the rose garden are the same person.
7. 7. Magister Finch was in a lower-numbered room than the professor who claimed to be at the dining hall.
8. 8. Reader Vane and the professor reading the star chart are the same person.
9. 9. The professor who claimed to be at the rose garden was in the room right before the professor who claimed to be at the observatory.
10. 10. Don Whitlock and the professor who claimed to be at the rose garden are the same person.
11. 11. The professor reading the map of antiquity was right next to the professor who claimed to be at the observatory.
12. 12. Reader Vane was right next to the professor who claimed to be at the pantry.
13. 13. The professor reading the star chart was in a lower-numbered room than the professor who claimed to be at the pantry.

The picture wrapped at midnight; the final reel never made it to the vault. The backlot row held the whole crew while security swept the lot. Trace the soundstages and find who palmed it. The file names 5 crew members; Lars Aberg's statement sits on top of the pile.

1. 1. Dolores Vane was in the soundstage right before the lead actress.
2. 2. Hal Ridley was right next to the crew member holding the wax candle.
3. 3. Ruby Marsh and the sound mixer are the same person.
4. 4. The costume cutter and the crew member holding the prop revolver had exactly 1 soundstage between them.
5. 5. Lars Aberg was in the soundstage right before the camera operator.
6. 6. The lead actress and the crew member holding the spotlight gel are the same person.
7. 7. The costume cutter was right next to the crew member holding the spotlight gel.
8. 8. Lars Aberg was in a lower-numbered soundstage than the sound mixer.
9. 9. The stunt double and the crew member holding the fake telegram had exactly 1 soundstage between them.
10. 10. Ruby Marsh and the crew member holding the fake telegram are the same person.
11. 11. Hal Ridley and the crew member holding the fake telegram had exactly 2 soundstages between them.
12. 12. The lead actress was somewhere after the costume cutter but before the sound mixer.
13. 13. Ruby Marsh was right next to the crew member holding the megaphone.

The tower's top corridor sleeps a handful of strangers, each with a rehearsed story. By checkout the register is short one truth and the night manager is not talking. Sort every guest into the right suite. The file names 5 guests; Seraphina Holt's statement sits on top of the pile.

1. 1. The guest pretending to be the travel writer and whoever ordered the waffles are the same person.
2. 2. Adelaide Frost was right next to whoever ordered the croissants.
3. 3. Lillian Royce was in a lower-numbered suite than whoever ordered the kippers.
4. 4. The guest carrying the ivory key tag and whoever ordered the crepes had exactly 3 suites between them.
5. 5. The guest carrying the ivory key tag was in a lower-numbered suite than the guest carrying the jade key tag.
6. 6. The guest pretending to be the heiress was in a lower-numbered suite than the guest pretending to be the diplomat.
7. 7. The guest carrying the mother-of-pearl key tag was in a lower-numbered suite than whoever ordered the kippers.
8. 8. The guest carrying the jade key tag and whoever ordered the croissants are the same person.
9. 9. Philippa Drake and the guest carrying the jade key tag are the same person.
10. 10. Lillian Royce and whoever ordered the crepes had exactly 2 suites between them.
11. 11. The guest pretending to be the diplomat was somewhere after the guest pretending to be the travel writer but before the guest pretending to be the opera singer.
12. 12. The guest carrying the pewter key tag was right next to whoever ordered the fruit compote.
13. 13. Seraphina Holt and whoever ordered the kippers are the same person.
14. 14. The guest pretending to be the opera singer and the guest carrying the jade key tag are the same person.