Welcome to turn two of Death at sea. The action has started? Already the rats are scrambling for alibis. Poirot and spade are pursuing leads. It looks like Poirot thinks that the murderer is a subtle fellow, while Spade seems to be searching for a crass butcher. Mr Jones and Scarletti beware.
As always everyone Is invited to participate in this game free of charge. Just send in 2 arguments for Poirot (to establish means motive and opportunity for the person you think muurdered Lackland) and 1 argument for the murderer (you decide who you think did it and defend him by making missleading clues etc.). If you wish you may make 1 argument for Spade (he is not as smart as Poirot) and 1 argument for the murderer.
At the end of this game the players will have discovered who the murderer is by ruling suspects in or out. I for one am interesting in learning who did it.
LIST OF CHARACTERS
Hercule Poirot: a famous Belgian private investigator
Sam Spade: an American gumshoe
Captain Henrik: of the Dutch ship Breda
Jon: a muttering disgruntle seaman
Gavid Jones: a young Welsh doctor
Elizabeth Jones: his wife
Vincent Scarletti: a New York mobster
Herbert Wilson: a bloodless London Merchant Banker
"Tex" Hogsetter: an ugly American
Mr + Mrs Engel: a German American tourist couple returning home
Miss Madeline: a French noble woman and vamp
Ann Lacland: a murdered British socialite
PRE-MURDER INFORMATION
1. Lacland and Madeline competed for the attention of Dr Jones, Scarletti, and Wilson.
2. Both spurned the affections of Tex.
3. Spade noted that Scarletti had a gun.
4. The Engel shared a table with Lacland who subtly made fun of them.
5. Seaman Jon was called down for being too familiar with passengers.
6. Lacland beat Madeline for the men's affections.
7. Madeline took up with Tex.
8. Mrs Jones was publically jealous of her husband attention to Lacland.
9. Scarletti, Jones, Wilson and Jon are noted as coming out of Lacland's room at unbelievably early morning hours.
10. The above realize that they are all seeing the same woman.
11. Tex and Madeline egg on the fight over who gets Lacland.
DISCOVERY
The Engels discovered Lacland dead at 9:30AM on the 9th day at sea (day 1 of the investigation). Her door was not locked and they stuck their heads in to see if she was up for breakfast.
They found her room in disarray and Lacland lying on the floor. Engel, a Spanish American war veteran, knew she was dead. He sent his wife to notify the Captain while he guarded the room. CRIME SCENE
A thorough inspection of the room and corpse reveals...
- 1. There was a struggle in the room that knocked over tables and chairs.
2. A vase and the phone were thrown. The vase broke on a wall.
3. Stains on Lacland's bed sheets indicate that she has sex one or two times the night of the murder.
4. There are three different brands of cigarette butts in the ash tray by the bed.
5. Someone riffled through Lacland's draws looking for something.
6. Lacland's nightgown was dishevelled and showed signs she was in a fight.
7. Lacland had bruises on her arms showing she had been held.
8. Lacland died in the early hours of the morning, no later than 4AM.
9. The cause of death appears to be a blow to the back of the head.
10. She has 2 bruises on her chest that appear to have occurred after she was dead.
11. The radiator across the zoom from the body has blood on it.
12. A pool of blood near the radiator indicates that the body must have lay there for a while after death.
THE MATRIX
Talk/Bargain
Heroic Action
Work/Prepare
Cowardly Action
Do Business
Wicked Action
Move
Fight
Have Fun
Love/Hate
Sad/Happy
Fear/Fearless
Envy
Make Friend/Enemy
Shame
Advantage
Reputation
Kill
Victory/Defeat
Political Agenda
Natural Disaster
Religion
Social Class
Politics
Justice
Tradition
Wealth/Power
Motivation
Loyalty/Honor
Personality
Knowledge
Logic Beyond your abilities
"Magic"
"Miracle"
"Monster"
"Adventure"
Wild Card
Mystery Supplement
Means
Motive
Opportunity
Move
Escape
Greed
Investigation
Anger
Interrogation
Envy
Question
Love
Clues
Fear
Mystery
Victim
Red Herring
Lie
Deduction
Intuition
Insight
Organization
Arrest
Jail
Court
Plan
Fight
Crime
Skill
Plot Device
Physical Evidence
Action
Action
Action
Wild Card
Wild Card
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR
Day 1
M. Poirot examines Lacland's room alone and detects traces on man's musk aftershave in the air from which he concludes that there several men in the room the evening of the murder.
Poirot notes that Lacland was a strange woman since Spade heard her say to the Engels "But of course you know about protocols." Which they wouldn't know about if they were midwesterners and why were they discussing the subject anyway?
Spade searches the garbage chutes and discovers the remains of a blood covered man's dress shirt in the incinerator room. So the murderer must have been a man!
Vinny Scarletti tells Poirot that he has an alibi for last night. He was with Elizabeth Jones!
Tex and Madeline also quickly provide themselves with an alibi, by saying that they were together.
Unknown to anyone on board (yet!) is that the Bloodless Mr Wilson has a record in Bow Street for assault on Prostitutes.
And finally the scene focuses in on the murderer's hand, forging a note in Lacland's hand. "You are vulgar and beneath me. It's over between us. -Lacland."
Day 2
Poirot has the trash searched and discovers the letter (noted above). "Ah ze English and zer need to write letters! Zut Alors! Zis shows zat zere was a spurred love."
Poirot deduces that the murderer is a very fastidious man. "Note zat he wished the shirt burned rather than simply thrown overboard. And he did not search through ze trash for zis note. He is blind to his own peccadillos."
Poirot sends a Cable to captain Hastings to Check with inspector Japp about the connection between the suspects. While waiting for the reply, he ponders why a British socialite would mix with such middle class people. The the answer comes... or is it a greater mystery?
- HASTINGS TO POIROT STOP
JON DISINHERITED SON OF LANDED FAMILY RELATED TO LACLAND STOP WILSON WAS LACLAND'S FATHERS BANKER STOP WILSON RUINED FATHER STOP FATHER COMMITTED SUICIDE STOP LACLAND LIVED OFF HER MOTHERS MONEY STOP DR JONES LIVED IN KENSINGTON VILLAS BEFORE MARRIED STOP HAD RUN IN WITH THE YARD BUT GENERALLY SOUND STOP LACLAND HAD BEEN ENGAGED TO AN AMERICAN STOP FAMILY PREVENTED THE MARRIAGE STOP
Elizabeth Jones tells Spade that Scarletti is a liar! She spent the night with Gavid Jones, her husband! Spade is impressed by the tenderness in her voice and believes her. He thinks Jones is in the clear.
The murderer fearing that something in Lacland's papers might incrimenate him steals them arid throws them overboard. This meant breaking into her room and searching it again. Papers removed to the Captain's office are still safe (passport, identification papers).
Finally the body of a porter is found in a walk-in freezer. He turns out to be the man on duty on the night of the murder in the part of the ship where Scarletti and Hogsetter have their rooms.
ARGUMENTS TURNED IN THIS TURN THAT FAILED
I've decided to only put in the arguments that did not succeed.
Poirot Interviewed the Engels and found that they saw nothing more in the room than previously noted. From this he deduces that the murderer took something from the room since there is no clear motive for this crime. Find the missing item and the murderer will be found too.
Spade demands to see Scarletti's gun to check it for signs of blood. Scarletti lets him see it. [I ruled this strong but it still failed the dice roll.]
Poirot Interviews Seaman Jon and decides that he is hiding something.
Poirot notices that Jon has a tatto he has seen before. It is the mark of membership in a smuggling gang Poirot broke up a few years before.
The maid tells Poirot that neither Hogsetter's or Madeline's beds were slept in on the night of the murder.
Spade searches Lacland's room again. He notices that she has several military uniforms with a Naval rank of Lt! Spade is cued in to look for secret documents.
Dr Jones punches Sarletti in the nose for accusing his wife of adultery! This is a little long in the tooth so it actually pulls suspicion back towards the good doctor.
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© Copyright 1993 by Chris Engle
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