DETECTIVE SCHOOL
How to solve Case 10
Just to Be Safe
One step at a time. Stop whenever you like and finish it yourself. xoxo, Mae
Step 1 of 9Book: step 1
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Lola → A6
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Look at columns A and H. Lola and Minnie can only stand in those two columns (Lola: A6 or H6; Minnie: A1, H1, A8 or H8). Two people, two columns: one of them goes in each, so both columns are full. Nobody else can stand there: Dolly loses A1 or A2; Yuri loses 15 squares; Poppy loses 15 squares.
- Yuri's clue links Yuri and Ghazala: “He was exactly two rows south of Ghazala.” Ghazala is not placed yet, but she can still be at F3, E4, F4, E6 or E7. So check Yuri's squares: a square only stays if at least one of Ghazala's squares fits with it (in another row and column). 27 squares fail; Yuri keeps 15.
- Yuri's clue links Ghazala and Yuri: “He was exactly two rows south of Ghazala.” Yuri is not placed yet, but he can still be on 15 squares. So check Ghazala's squares: a square only stays if at least one of Yuri's squares fits with it (in another row and column). E7 fails, so Ghazala can only be at F3, E4, F4 or E6.
- Rule 3: the victim's room holds exactly two people, the victim and the murderer. So Poppy needs a square where exactly one other person can join her. At E1, F1, G1, F2 or E3, both Wren and Joe would have to be in her room (each has no other squares left), and that is one visitor too many. So Poppy can't be at E1, F1, G1, F2 or E3.
- Rule 3 again: Poppy needs a square where exactly one other person can join her. At C6, only Yuri could reach the Exam Room, but he would stand in her row or column there, and nobody shares a row or column. So Poppy can't be at C6.
- Could Lola stand at H6? Rule 3 says no: the victim needs exactly one visitor in her room. With Lola at H6 (and her row and column crossed out), Poppy, the victim, could then still be on 31 squares, and none of those works:
- At B1: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at C2 as the visitor, Wren has no square left; with Dolly at C3 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares.
- At C1: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and that fails: with Dolly at B3 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares.
- At C2: only Dolly and Minnie could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at B1 as the visitor, Wren has no square left; with Dolly at B3 as the visitor, Joe has no square left; with Minnie at A1 as the visitor, Wren has no square left.
- At D2, D3, D4 or D8: Joe would have no square left.
- At G2 or G3: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at F5 or F7 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Ghazala runs out of squares.
- At B3: only Dolly and Minnie could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at C1 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares; with Dolly at C2 as the visitor, Joe has no square left; with Minnie at A1 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares.
- At C3: only Dolly and Minnie could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at B1 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares; with Minnie at A1 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares.
- At F3: only Ghazala and Yuri could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Ghazala at E4 as the visitor, Yuri has no square left; with Yuri at E5 as the visitor, Ghazala has no square left.
- At B4, C4, B5, C5 or C7: nobody could join her.
- At E4: only Ghazala could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and that fails: with Ghazala at F3 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares.
- At F4: Ghazala would have no square left.
- At G4: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at F5 or F7 as the visitor, Ghazala has no square left.
- At E5: only Ghazala could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Ghazala at F3 or F4 as the visitor, Yuri has no square left.
- At F5: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at G2 or G3 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Ghazala runs out of squares; with Dolly at G4 as the visitor, Ghazala has no square left; with Dolly at G7 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Yuri runs out of squares.
- At G5: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and that fails: with Dolly at F7 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Yuri runs out of squares.
- At E7: only Ghazala could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Ghazala at F3 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares; with Ghazala at F4 as the visitor, Yuri has no square left.
- At F7: only Dolly and Yuri could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and every way fails: with Dolly at G2 or G3 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Ghazala runs out of squares; with Dolly at G4 as the visitor, Ghazala has no square left; with Dolly at G5 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Yuri runs out of squares; with Yuri at G5 as the visitor, Ghazala has no square left.
- At G7: only Dolly could join her (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and that fails: with Dolly at F5 as the visitor, follow the forced moves and Yuri runs out of squares.
- At B8, C8, E8 or G8: Lola at H6 would already be her visitor (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and then follow the forced moves and Joe runs out of squares.
- At F8: Lola at H6 would already be her visitor (everyone else must then stay out of that room), and then follow the forced moves and Yuri runs out of squares.
- Lola said: “She was in row 6, at the edge of the floor plan.” That fits A6 and H6. H6 was ruled out above. One square is left: A6. So Lola stood there.
Step 2 of 9Book: step 2
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Ghazala → F3
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Yuri's clue links Ghazala and Yuri: “He was exactly two rows south of Ghazala.” Yuri is not placed yet, but he can still be on 9 squares. So check Ghazala's squares: a square only stays if at least one of Yuri's squares fits with it (in another row and column). Only F3 passes, so Ghazala stood there.
Step 3 of 9Book: step 3
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Joe → D2
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Joe said: “He was in the Office, in column D.” That fits D2 and D3. D3 is in row 3, where Ghazala already stands. One square is left: D2. So Joe stood there.
Step 4 of 9Book: step 4
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Wren → E1
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Wren said: “She was in the Office, beside a file cabinet.” That fits E1 and D2. D2 is in row 2, where Joe already stands. One square is left: E1. So Wren stood there.
Step 5 of 9Book: step 5
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Minnie → H8
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Minnie said: “She was in a corner of the floor plan.” That fits A1, H1, A8 and H8. A1 and H1 are in row 1, where Wren already stands. A8 is in column A, where Lola already stands. One square is left: H8. So Minnie stood there.
Step 6 of 9Book: step 6
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Yuri → C5
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Rule 3: the victim's room holds exactly two people, the victim and the murderer. So Poppy needs a square where exactly one other person can join her. At C4, C5 or C7, only Yuri could reach the Exam Room, but he would stand in her row or column there, and nobody shares a row or column. So Poppy can't be at C4, C5 or C7.
- Look at column C. Every column holds exactly one person, and nobody stands in column C yet. Who can still go there? Only Yuri: everyone else either has it crossed out or is kept away by their own clue. Yuri's only square in column C is C5, so he stood there.
Step 7 of 9Book: step 7
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Poppy → B4
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Look at column B. Every column holds exactly one person, and nobody stands in column B yet. Who can still go there? Only Poppy: everyone else either has it crossed out or is kept away by a clue. Poppy's only square in column B is B4, so she stood there.
Step 8 of 9Book: step 8
Read the reasons first. Can you see who goes where?
Dolly → G7
○ placed✕ ruled out (for whom: the letter)▢ look here⊙ still possible
- Dolly said: “She was in the Waiting Room or in the Pet Salon.” Rows 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and column F already have their person, so those squares are crossed out. One square is left: G7. So Dolly stood there.
Step 9 of 9
Case closed!
Everyone is placed. Rule 3: the victim's room holds exactly two people, the victim and the murderer. Who shares the Pharmacy with Poppy? Only Lola.
Lola did itGUILTY
Lesson 5 · The victim's room: one visitor© Mae Wonder · maewonder.com