Scenedoku
Crime-scene logic cases
The Nineteenth Hole
The Fife coast, Sunday evening · the clubhouse after the autumn medal · a trophy and an empty captain’s chair · Difficulty: Detective 6 · 8×8
A seaside golf club on the Fife coast in Scotland, Sunday evening of the autumn amateur tournament. Dolina won by a single stroke; the runner-up complained and lost the argument to the club captain, Vhairi. After the prize-giving the members went to the bar, and nobody had seen the captain for an hour. Seven others were still at the club. Vhairi was found dead. The last round was never played.
Rules
- Every row and every column holds exactly one person. As soon as you place someone, cross out their whole row and column.
- “Beside” = directly left, right, above or below, and in the same area. Squares with objects (the water, the flagpole, the scoreboard, the trolley, the bistro table, the parasol, the counter, the table, the shelf, the lockers, the fireplace, the trophy, the car and the bicycle) cannot be occupied; the bridge, the benches, the chair, the bar stool and the armchair can.
- Directions refer to rows and columns, not to the same line: “exactly two rows north of her was a woman” = the person two rows further up was a woman, in any column.
- The murderer was alone with the victim: nobody else was in that area. The victim made no statement – her square, too, follows from the others’.
Statements
- Aileen (club secretary): Exactly two rows north of her was a woman.
- Bruce (bar steward): He was right beside an area where nobody was. He was the only man beside the counter.
- Calum (club professional): He was beside the trolley.
- Dolina (the champion): The fireplace was somewhere in her row.
- Euan (the runner-up): The counter was somewhere in his column. He was alone with a woman.
- Fraser (caddie): The bicycle was somewhere in his area. He was not in a corner of his area.
- Greer (golf writer): She was not in a corner of her area. There was no bench in her area.
- Vhairi (club captain): The victim. She was alone with the murderer.