Two more Alibi cases, drafts for review

2026-10-15 · drafted overnight after your first play of The Spare Key · both in review, Claude-drafted, not yet Jev-solved

Where these came from. Both are ported from the Dossier cases, as spec §9 proposes: AL-015 The Halden Sale and AL-016 Fourteen Seconds. The case question and the core papers come from the Dossier. The suspect, the six account lines, two to three new papers per case, the replies and the finding are new. Both use the new buttons, so each round below says which button is right. Suspect names were checked against the con aliases: Calloway and Marsh clashed and were changed, and a supporting character named after a real actor was renamed.

Open Questions (2)

One per case, at the end of each case below. They block promoting the case to playable, nothing else.

AL-015 · The Halden Sale

corpus entry alibi-015-halden-sale · status review · wardrobe AL032

Did the museum director know the Halden panel was fake when she let it sell?

On Friday night the Merrow Museum sold the Halden panel at auction for $4.2 million. On Monday a lab found modern pigment in it. The buyer wants to know whether the museum knew. Irene Whitlock, the director, has agreed to sit down.

Irene Whitlock, Museum director (she). Brick-red wool jacket with wide sculpted lapels, buttoned, over a dark high-neck top. Sleeves down to the table edge.

The account

  1. I never got any warning about that panel.
  2. The registrar told me the panel was clean.
  3. I'd have stopped the sale if anyone had asked me to.
  4. The sale went ahead at eight, like every other lot.
  5. Nobody at the auction raised a single concern.
  6. I've never sold a piece I had doubts about.

Round 1 · Inferences · BREAKS HER STORY

Line 1: “I never got any warning about that panel.”

Internal memo, Merrow Museum (memo)

Thursday 4:12 p.m. Forwarded by I. Whitlock to R. Okonjo, registrar.
Note: "Please determine whether this warrants delaying the sale."
Attached: one unsigned letter questioning the ownership history of the Halden panel.

Which choice is best supported by the text?

Reply if held“A letter with no name on it. I get three a month.”
Flat, if missedThe memo, marked: she forwarded a letter about the panel on Thursday afternoon.
Line becomesbroken · She forwarded a letter questioning the panel on Thursday.
New detailThe letter about the panel came unsigned.

Round 2 · Command of Evidence · BREAKS HER STORY

Line 2: “The registrar told me the panel was clean.”

Message from Ruth Okonjo, registrar, Friday 5:40 p.m. (slip)

Irene. I have not completed the pigment review, and the final comparison will take longer than tonight. The frame and backing match the 1998 condition report. The catalog photographs came out well. Please keep this between us until I'm done.

Which quotation from the message most effectively supports the claim that the registrar had not cleared the panel when she wrote?

Reply if held“She said the frame was right. I heard the part I wanted.”
Flat, if missedThe registrar's message, marked: the pigment review was not done when she wrote.
Line becomesbroken · Ruth Okonjo wrote at 5:40 that the pigment review was not done.

Round 3 · Central Ideas and Details · FITS HER STORY

Line 4: “The sale went ahead at eight, like every other lot.”

Auction report, lot 31 (log)

Lot 31, the Halden panel. Scheduled 8:00 p.m.
Opened 8:00 p.m. at $2.5 million.
Seven bids: two in the room, five by phone.
Hammer 8:06 p.m. at $4.2 million.
Lots 30 and 32 sold at 7:52 p.m. and 8:11 p.m.

Which choice best states the main idea of the report?

Reply if held“Eight o'clock. Same as the catalog said.”
Flat, if missedThe auction report: lot 31 opened on schedule at 8:00 and sold at 8:06.
Line becomesholds · Lot 31 opened on schedule and sold at 8:06.

Round 4 · Cross-Text Connections · BREAKS HER STORY

Line 3: “I'd have stopped the sale if anyone had asked me to.”

Two notes about lot 31 (statement)
Text 1

Unsigned letter, received Thursday: Before you sell the Halden panel, check its pigments. Its ownership history has a six-year gap, from 1961 to 1967, and nobody has explained it.

Text 2

Hal Brennan, head of conservation, to the director, Friday 2:00 p.m.: I'd pull lot 31 until Ruth's pigment review is back. A week's delay won't lose us the buyer.

Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?

Reply if held“Hal said a week. The buyer said Friday. I picked Friday.”
Flat, if missedHal Brennan, later: "I asked her to pull lot 31. She said the buyer wouldn't wait."
Line becomesbroken · Two people asked her to hold the panel before the sale.
New detailHal Brennan, the conservator, asked her on Friday to pull lot 31.

Round 5 · Rhetorical Synthesis · FITS HER STORY

Line 5: “Nobody at the auction raised a single concern.”

Investigator's notes, the auction floor (memo)

While looking into the auction itself, an investigator took these notes:
• The auction house records every announcement from the rostrum in its report.
• The report for lot 31 lists no announcements.
• Floor staff logged no questions from bidders about lot 31.
• Ruth Okonjo's preliminary notes reached the director's phone at 6:34 p.m., before the auction began.

The investigator wants to show that no concern about the panel was raised during the auction itself. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reply if held“Nobody in that room said a word. Ask them.”
Flat, if missedFloor staff, later: not one question about lot 31 all night.
Line becomesholds · No announcement or bidder question was logged for lot 31.
New detailRuth Okonjo's preliminary notes reached Irene's phone at 6:34 p.m.

Round 6 · Inferences · BREAKS HER STORY

Line 6: “I've never sold a piece I had doubts about.”

Phone messages, Friday evening (slip)

6:34 p.m. R. Okonjo to I. Whitlock: "Preliminary notes attached. Two pigment samples are not consistent with the panel's claimed date. I need the full comparison to be sure."
Read 6:41 p.m.
6:44 p.m. I. Whitlock to R. Okonjo: "Understood. Proceeding."

Which choice is best supported by the text?

Reply if held“Not consistent isn't fake. I needed fake.”
Flat, if missedThe phone record, marked: she read the notes at 6:41 and wrote "Proceeding."
Line becomesbroken · She read about the two samples at 6:41 and wrote "Proceeding."

The finding

WHAT THE FILE CAN'T TELL YOU

The file shows what she read and that she sold the panel anyway. None of these papers shows what she believed.

AL-016 · Fourteen Seconds

corpus entry alibi-016-fourteen-seconds · status review · wardrobe AL017

Did the hotel's security chief leave the east corridor open to a thief on purpose?

Just after midnight on Saturday, a guest's jewelry case was taken from Room 412 at the Hotel Carlisle. The east-corridor camera shows the hallway before and after, and nothing for fourteen seconds in between. Leon Garrity, the chief of security, has agreed to sit down.

Leon Garrity, Chief of security, Hotel Carlisle (he). Brown pinstripe three-piece suit with a matching waistcoat, white shirt and dark tie, a watch chain across the waistcoat. Sleeves down to the table edge.

The account

  1. That camera was working fine until the night of the theft.
  2. I did everything I could once I knew about it.
  3. The new camera was on its way.
  4. Nobody on my staff touched that camera.
  5. My guards were on the fourth floor all night.
  6. I had nothing to do with that theft.

Round 1 · Inferences · BREAKS HIS STORY

Line 1: “That camera was working fine until the night of the theft.”

Maintenance ticket 5512 (log)

Opened Tuesday 9:15 a.m. by J. Ruiz, technician.
East-corridor camera, fourth floor: signal drops for 10 to 20 seconds, several times an hour.
Likely cause: failing power supply.
Status: replacement ordered.

Which choice is best supported by the text?

Reply if held“Tuesday. So it was sick a few days. Cameras get sick.”
Flat, if missedThe ticket, marked: the camera was dropping out from Tuesday on.
Line becomesbroken · The camera had been dropping out since at least Tuesday.
New detailThe technician blamed a failing power supply.

Round 2 · Command of Evidence · FITS HIS STORY

Line 2: “I did everything I could once I knew about it.”

Email from Leon Garrity to the security team, Tuesday 11:02 a.m. (memo)

Team, Ruiz reports that the east-corridor camera on four is dropping out. Until the replacement arrives, add a walk of the fourth-floor east corridor to every round, and log each pass. The lobby and elevator cameras are unaffected. Please keep this off the guest-facing channels.

Which quotation from the email most effectively supports the claim that the security chief took steps to cover the camera's gaps?

Reply if held“Extra walks, every round. Read the logs.”
Flat, if missedThe email, marked: he ordered a logged walk of the corridor on every round.
Line becomesholds · He ordered a logged walk of the corridor on every round.

Round 3 · Central Ideas and Details · FITS HIS STORY

Line 3: “The new camera was on its way.”

Vendor notice, order 77-410 (slip)

One camera, model DX-4, for the Hotel Carlisle. Ordered Tuesday. Shipped Wednesday from the regional warehouse. Delivery moved from Friday to Monday because of a carrier delay. We regret the inconvenience.

Which choice best states the main idea of the notice?

Reply if held“Monday. Two days late. That was my week.”
Flat, if missedThe vendor notice: the camera shipped Wednesday and was held up to Monday.
Line becomesholds · Ordered Tuesday, shipped Wednesday, delayed to Monday.

Round 4 · Rhetorical Synthesis · FITS HIS STORY

Line 4: “Nobody on my staff touched that camera.”

Investigator's notes, the camera (memo)

While looking into the camera, an investigator took these notes:
• The camera dropped out for 14 seconds at 12:07 a.m. Sunday.
• Ruiz inspected the camera on Monday, when the replacement arrived.
• He found a worn-out power supply. The casing seals were intact, and nothing had been cut or rewired.
• The camera had dropped out 41 times between Tuesday and Saturday night.

The investigator wants to show that the camera failed on its own and was not tampered with. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reply if held“Worn out. Like I said, nobody touched it.”
Flat, if missedRuiz, later: a tired power supply, seals intact, nothing cut.
Line becomesholds · Ruiz found wear and no sign of tampering.

Round 5 · Cross-Text Connections · BREAKS HIS STORY

Line 5: “My guards were on the fourth floor all night.”

Two records, Saturday night (statement)
Text 1

Guard's round log, B. Adeyemi. Fourth-floor east corridor walked at 9:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.

Text 2

Front desk note: At 11:40 p.m. the fourth-floor guard was called down to the lobby for a noise complaint. He stayed until about 12:35 a.m. No one covered the fourth floor while he was away.

Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?

Reply if held“A noise complaint. He went where the desk sent him.”
Flat, if missedFront desk, later: the guard was in the lobby from 11:40 to about 12:35.
Line becomesbroken · The guard was in the lobby from 11:40 to about 12:35.
New detailThe front desk sent the fourth-floor guard to the lobby at 11:40.

Round 6 · Inferences · BREAKS HIS STORY

Line 2: “I did everything I could once I knew about it.”

Statement of Carla Benning, night manager (statement)

On Friday I offered Leon a second guard for the weekend, paid out of my budget. He said the walks would cover it and the part would be in on Monday. I didn't push. On Saturday our only fourth-floor guard was the one the desk called down.

Which choice is best supported by the text?

Reply if held“One more guard for one more weekend. I thought the walks would do.”
Flat, if missedCarla Benning, later: "I offered him a second guard. He said no."
Line becomesnarrowed · He turned down a second guard for the weekend.

The finding

WHAT THE FILE CAN'T TELL YOU

The file shows a failing camera, a missed walk and a refused guard. None of these papers shows that anyone planned the gap.

Rendered from the corpus entries. The corpus is the source of truth.