Vine Family Photos

Hints

Darren's Letter

• When was Darren's fax received?

Dinner Invitation

• The handwritten conversation helps hint at one suspect's alibi.
• Note the drawing and the nicknames used.

Family Group Texts

• There is something unique about the wine glass held in the photo of food.
• The holder of the wine glass can be identified by the wine they are drinking. One suspect prefers wine of that color.

Gail's Locked Bag

• Gail writes about replacing her lock in her notebook.
• On July 7th, Gail writes that she has broken her old lock and needs to think of a replacement code. On July 8th, Gail writes that she has gained inspiration for a new lock combination from her own words in the vineyard brochure. Look at what Gail has said in the vineyard brochure to see if you can tell how she designed the combination!
• In the vineyard brochure, Gail says, "They key to success is in the details. Every day I walk the same path around the grounds, paying attention to the healthy growing things. I unlock newfound knowledge in every place I stop to smell the roses."
• If you search through the documents Avi has sent you, you should be able to glean certain locations Gail stops on during her daily walk.
• The locations of stops on Gail's daily walk are mentioned in Jamie's witness statement, the family group texts, and the vineyard brochure.
• On the map, various locations around the vineyard grounds are labeled by numbers.

The Killer's Identity

• The killer entered and exited the house while Gail was checking the factory malfunction.
• A document within the locked bag coupled with another document sheds some light on the killer's motive.

Means of Murder

• The autopsy specifies the cause of Gail's death.
• The method of murder is also mentioned on a different document that details the factory malfunction.

Menus

• The scribblings on both the transparent wine specials sheet and the menu are incomplete when by themselves.
• The scribblings on the wine specials menu can be overlaid and aligned with those on the menu to form full words.
• There are two people's handwriting on the menus. One of them can be found elsewhere as well.

Security Log

Factory Door

• According to Avi's witness statement, he texted his family right after he found there was a malfunction in the factory. According to the family group texts, Avi texted at 9:15 PM. Therefore, Avi was the person who triggered the motion sensor while entering the factory at 9:14 PM.
• According to the witness statements and maintenance report, the factory malfunction had to have been caused by a person, not just a system malfunction. There are two motions recorded before Avi enters the factory, so someone must be hiding the fact that they were in the factory before Avi entered.
• All motions logged after 9:15 PM can be accounted for via Avi's witness statement.

Front Gate

• All motions recorded before 6 PM are the people arriving for dinner or someone coming and going.
• The motion recorded at 8:29 PM is not accounted for according to the witness statements. Someone lied about staying on the grounds.
• The person who left the grounds is one of the people who wrote on the dinner invitation.

House Door

• The motions logged from 9:50 PM to 10:05 PM can be accounted for via the witness statements. The times afterward are the family members who live on the grounds going to bed.
• The movements recorded from 9:16 PM to 9:44 PM are critical to learning the truth of Gail's death.

Office Door

• Three suspects admit to being in the office building the night of Gail's murder according to the witness statements.
• To fully confirm which secured door activity is caused by which suspect, you will need to unlock Gail's locked bag.
• The account statement can be seen on the screen of Gail's office computer in the photo of her office. The document you have was printed in Gail's office. Check the account statement for clues about who was in Gail's office the night of her murder.

Wine Cellar Door

• The person who was in the wine cellar can be identified by the documents Avi found in the cellar and sent to you.

Shredded Account Statement Code

• The drawing next to the grids is important.
• You will need something in Gail's locked bag to solve this code.
• Observe that the majority of the first line of the filled-in grid reads "KEYPHRAS" and the drawing beside the grid says "KEY PHRASE". Look for something that might be the key phrase.
• The locked bag contains an item with the key phrase on it.
• Once you have the key phrase, fill in the second box in the same style as the example grid but with the key phrase first.
• Once you've filled in the second grid, imagine it as similar to a pre-smartphone cell phone keypad.
• Using context clues, the numbers "1123" are a great place to start deciphering. Use that word to confirm your methods.
• The number 3 could represent a T, H, or an L.

Shredded Documents

• The shredded slips of paper can be pieced back together.
• Look at the words on the slips of paper. Some are handwritten and some are printed.

Window of Opportunity

• The autopsy states that Gail passed away at approximately 3:45 AM on the 17th of July.
• The autopsy also states that Gail died in her sleep within 5-6 hours after consumption of poison.
• Gail's evening drinking routine can be gleaned from reading her notebook.
• You can use the witness statements, security log, and Gail's notebook to figure out the time period she was away from her bedroom.

Wine Charms

• In his letter, Avi mentions that the wine charms came as a set of 3 and were used at Sterling's birthday party. Note how many wine charms you received.
• There is a charm missing from the set. Can you find where it is?
• One of the suspects favors the animal depicted by the missing wine charm and chose to use the charm on their glass the evening of the murder.

Wine Stains

• There are a few different documents with spilled wine stains of one color.
• Avi tells you where the stained documents were found in his letter.
• The wine stains' color will help identify the person who held those documents.

Witness Statements

• Some statements don't add up. Compare statements closely with other documents to find out which suspects are lying!

Reveals

Darren's Letter

• Darren received the fax from Linwood K. Reid at 9:42 PM, as seen by the time stamp. Using this letter in conjunction with the witness statements and security log, Darren can be placed in his office at 9:42 PM.

Dinner Invitation

• Trex tells Sterling to meet him at the front gate at 8:30 PM. According to the witness statements, Sterling ran off toward the gazebo (in the same direction as the front gate) shortly before 8:30 PM, and the security log shows someone passed through the front gate at 8:29 PM.
• Sterling's drawing and commentary on the dinner invitation represent how she sees her immediate family: Sterling is the starling being crushed under the weight of her mother, Jamie, represented by the dove. Her father, Ellis, represented by the duck, stands by and allows it to happen.
• The security log and dinner invitation show that Sterling left the premises with Trex at 8:30 PM and wasn't on the grounds at all during the murder. She returned at 11:03 PM, also recorded on the security log.

Family Group Texts

• The butterfly wine charm around the wine's glass stem can be linked to a certain suspect by using the color of the wine.
• The menu describes Dark Sea as a dark, purple-colored wine, and the vineyard brochure lists Dark Sea as Teresa's favorite wine. The person holding the glass with the dark purple wine is Teresa.

Gail's Locked Bag

• The locations of stops along Gail's daily walk are the key to unlocking the locked bag. Gail's daily walk takes her from the greenhouse (mentioned in Jamie's witness statement) to the terrace gardens (seen in the family group texts) to the gazebo (mentioned in the vineyard brochure).
• The locations where Gail stops on her daily walk correspond with numbers on the map. The greenhouse is 4, the terrace gardens are 5, and the gazebo is 9, so the lock combination is 459.

The Killer's Identity

• Deciphering the messages on the shredded account statement and reading the torn notebook page found inside the locked bag shows the killer's motive.
• The murderer is Jamie Llewyn.

Means of Murder

• The autopsy states that Gail had consumed roughly 370 mL of ethylene glycol. With Gail's weak kidneys, that was enough to kill her.

Menus

• Overlaying the transparent wine specials menu with the regular menu and aligning each of the messages correctly reveals the following conversation:

  • Handwriting C: Hi QT, meet later? I miss you!
  • Handwriting B: No can do, can't ditch my girl on her bday
    Listen, it's been fun, but we should quit before we get caught
  • Handwriting C: What??? Please don't do this to me. Don't leave me like Bran did. Is it because of our age difference?
  • Handwriting B: Yo, chill. Thought we were on the same page. I'm in love with her, not you
  • Handwriting C: If you're set on seeing her, you can go. But if you love me even just a little, please stay?
  • Handwriting B: Gotta go, sorry

• One of the sets of handwriting found on the menus matches some of the handwriting on the dinner invitation, which belongs to Sterling's boyfriend, Trex.

Security Log

Factory Door

• The motions sensed at 9:08 PM and 9:11 PM were caused by someone entering the factory, sabotaging the racking system, gathering ethylene glycol, and exiting the factory.

• MOTION SENSOR: FACTORY MAIN DOOR

  • Motion detected at 9:08 PM [JAMIE ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:11 PM [JAMIE EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:14 PM [AVI ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:25 PM [GAIL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:29 PM [RUSSELL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:29 PM [RUSSELL EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:34 PM [GAIL EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:49 PM [JAMIE ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:54 PM [ELLIS ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 10:00 PM [TERESA ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 10:28 PM [JAMIE EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 10:28 PM [ELLIS EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 10:28 PM [TERESA EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 10:28 PM [AVI EXITING]

Front Gate

• The motion logged at 8:29 PM was Sterling leaving the grounds. Sterling made plans with Trex on the dinner invitation and was reported in the witness statements to be running off after her fight with Teresa toward the gazebo, which is in the same direction as the front gate.

• MOTION SENSOR: FRONT GATE

  • Motion detected at 12:07 PM [TREX ARRIVING]
  • Motion detected at 12:38 PM [TERESA ARRIVING]
  • Motion detected at 2:32 PM [TREX LEAVING]
  • Motion detected at 5:32 PM [AVI ARRIVING]
  • Motion detected at 5:45 PM [DARREN ARRIVING]
  • Motion detected at 5:59 PM [RUSSELL ARRIVING]
  • Motion detected at 8:29 PM [STERLING LEAVING]
  • Motion detected at 10:12 PM [RUSSELL LEAVING]
  • Motion detected at 10:43 PM [DARREN LEAVING]
  • Motion detected at 10:49 PM [AVI AND TERESA LEAVING]
  • Motion detected at 11:03 PM [STERLING RE-ENTERING]

House Door

• MOTION SENSOR: HOUSE FRONT DOOR

  • Motion detected at 2:00 PM [GAIL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 5:40 PM [JAMIE EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 5:40 PM [ELLIS EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 5:41 PM [STERLING ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 5:41 PM [GAIL EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 5:42 PM [STERLING EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 8:02 PM [GAIL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:16 PM [GAIL EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:21 PM [JAMIE ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:39 PM [JAMIE EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:44 PM [GAIL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:50 PM [RUSSELL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 10:04 PM [DARREN ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 10:05 PM [RUSSELL EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 10:05 PM [DARREN EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 10:38 PM [JAMIE ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 10:38 PM [ELLIS ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 11:07 PM [STERLING ENTERING]

Office Door

• The time stamps on the two faxes help ID Darren as the person who entered the office at 8:52 PM and left at 9:59 PM.
• The printer time stamp on the account statement helps ID Russell as the person who left the office at 9:45 PM.

• MOTION SENSOR: OFFICE DOOR

  • Motion detected at 8:52 PM [DARREN ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:10 PM [ELLIS ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:36 PM [RUSSELL ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:42 PM [ELLIS EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:45 PM [RUSSELL EXITING]
  • Motion detected at 9:59 PM [DARREN EXITING]

Wine Cellar Door

• MOTION SENSOR: WINE CELLAR DOOR

  • Motion detected at 8:43 PM [TERESA ENTERING]
  • Motion detected at 9:50 PM [TERESA EXITING]

Shredded Account Statement Code

• The first step to crack this cipher uses elements from a keyword cipher.
• The key phrase for the cipher key is found on the wine stopper in Gail's locked bag: "AGED WITH LOVE".

• Filling in the second grid with the key phrase "AGED WITH LOVE" should look like this:

• The second part of cracking this cipher uses the same principle as a T9 cipher, but it relies on your new grid.
• Each encoded letter is represented by one number. Using the grid, "1" represents A, G, or E. "2" represents D, W, or I, and so on.

• The full conversation with decoded words in bold reads:

  • Handwriting D: See my markups - are all these necessary? You can't hold back on spending at all?
  • Handwriting E: I'm sorry, Ducky, but we still need to "borrow" more for now. But I talked to Gail, seems like she's in a good mood, looking forward to the new vintage!
  • Handwriting D: You keep saying "for now" - can we talk in person before we proceed, or at least wait until after the dinner? Mother could cut us out if we're reckless. We agreed to avoid that at all costs.
  • Handwriting E: She would never do anything to break up the family. Trust me, we'll be fine.
  • Handwriting D: We've already taken so much, Dove.
  • Handwriting E: Listen to me. You are a wonderful man, a loving husband, and a hardworking father. You know I appreciate you. You know I wouldn't be asking you to do this again if we didn't need it. But we do need it. I'm used to a certain lifestyle. And you're not taking anything you don't deserve! Consider it a loan before you inherit the vineyard - you and I both know that you're more than good for it.
  • Handwriting D: That's if everything goes to plan.
  • Handwriting E: It will. I promise. And if anything happens, I'll handle Gail. I know you don't like going against her. You won't have to. Just keep an eye on your brother. By this time next year, you'll have everything you ever wanted. I love you.
  • Handwriting D: Thank you. I love you.
• The nicknames "Dove" and "Ducky" are also used in the witness statements and hinted at in the dinner invitation.

• As seen in the witness statements and family group texts, Dove and Ducky are Jamie and Ellis's nicknames for each other, therefore, they are the writers of the notes on the shredded account statement.

Shredded Documents

• Once pieced together, the shredded documents become two sheets:

• The shredded fax is time-stamped at 8:57 PM. This means Darren was in the office at 8:57 PM.

Window of Opportunity

• According to the autopsy, Gail died at 3:45 AM, 5-6 hours after she drank the poison. You know from Gail's notebook that around 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM she was drinking a bottle of Bloodline. Gail had opened the bottle and left it unattended from 9:16 PM to 9:44 PM while she went to the factory, which you know from the security log. The only time someone could have poisoned the wine was from 9:16 PM to 9:44 PM.

Wine Charms

• The missing charm can be seen in the photo of Gail's office, on top of the black binder on the floor. The charm is shaped like a lion.

Wine Stains

• Teresa is the family member who drinks Dark Sea, the dark purple-colored wine leaving dark purple stains. Teresa was in possession of the dinner invitation, the menus, and the butterfly wine charm.
• Using the security logs and the fact that the butterfly wine charm, dinner invitation, and menus were found in the cellar, Teresa can be placed in the cellar during the window of opportunity.

Witness Statements

• Ellis, Jamie, Sterling, Teresa, and Russell all lie or attempt to misdirect in their witness statements.

Ellis

• Ellis tries to tell the police officer that he and Jamie were walking in the fields until he saw Avi's text. However, in the next statement, Jamie says they were at the gazebo having a drink. When the police officer mentions that Darren saw Ellis in the office, Ellis struggles to backtrack.

Jamie

• While Ellis and Jamie both claim to have been together after Sterling's birthday dinner, their stories don't line up. Ellis says they were walking in the vineyards, and Jamie says they were having a drink at the gazebo. Jamie and Ellis both fail to mention that Ellis went to the office until Officer Phen questions them about it.

Russell

• While most of what Russell says is true, he makes a remark about Ellis potentially being the one to ransack Gail's office. However, this is immediately contradicted when Officer Phen asks him whether he heard any noise from Gail's office and Russell says no.

Sterling

• Sterling says that she went to her bedroom after fighting with Teresa, but looking at the dinner invitation and security log will tell you otherwise.

Teresa

• Teresa says she spent most of the night cleaning the spill at the factory, but Avi's witness statement recounts that Teresa didn't arrive until almost 10 PM.

Transcripts

Avi's Letter

Back

• I collected everything and anything that seemed like it might help you out. I really hope it's useful.
• Autopsy - Medical examiner sent me a copy
• Witness statements - Police released these to me
• 2 Photos - I took these just in case you wanted to see the scene of the crime. That's important to detectives, right? Sorry there aren't more, the other ones didn't turn out very well
• Dinner invitation - Some strange notes on this
• Family Group Text - Some conversations the family had on the night Gran died
• Menu - Found in the wine cellar, covered in really weird symbols
• Shredder Waste - From my dad and Uncle Ellis's office. Maybe there's something important there? Sorry if not, I didn't want to just throw it away
• Maintenance Report - About the racking system's malfunction
• Security Log - A few of the property's motion sensors went off, which might be important
• Account Statement - Found this in Gran's room. I don't know much about our finances, but maybe it's relevant?
• Wine Charms - Part of a matching set of three. One of them was in the kitchen where it belonged, but the butterfly was in the wine cellar, and the last one is still missing.
• Locked Bag - From Gran's room. I almost didn't want to send it to you because there's a lot of sentimental value to it (My grandpa gave Gran her engagement gift inside of it) but there could be something important inside.

Darren's Letter

Back of Printed Fax

Dear Mom,
I thought about what you said the other day, about what the vineyard means to you, about how you and Dad planted roots and raised a family around it. I've always had a hard time understanding that in the day-to-day slog, but I was talking to Avi after dinner, and it struck me how much he cares about this place. I could see so clearly, all of a sudden: You've given so much of yourself to this place, and I know Avi wants to do the same.
And I realized that the vineyard does mean something to me. I've spent my whole life imagining what it'd be like to be somewhere else, but if that means not being here to support my son, I don't want to leave. I want to be there for Avi the same way you and Dad were always here for me.
All that to say, I formally withdraw my offer to sell you my portion of the shares. I don't want to leave the business anymore. I'm sorry for the headache I put you through, but you don't have to worry anymore. I'm here to stay - thanks for putting up with me.

Love,
Darren

Dinner Invitation

Back

• Near the top is a drawing of three birds: a dove on top of a starling with a duck nearby.

  • Above the Dove → Handwriting A

    • You'll absolutely love it!

  • Above the Duck → Handwriting A

    • Listen to what your mother overlord says.

• Below the bird drawings is a handwritten conversation between two people.

  • Handwriting A: Can you believe my parents are making me go to this? I hate formal get together, and they know it. They just want me to act like I'm their picture perfect little daughter, they don't care what I want at all. It's like they don't even see a PERSON when they look at me, just the newest model of high-achieving robo-Llewyn.
  • Handwriting B: Whoah you're perfect just as you are babe. Just make up an excuse during and I'll pick you up after my gig [smiley face drawing] meet me outside the front gate at 8:30, we can go sample the eats near the apartments we looked at
  • Handwriting A: Yes please, I'll definitely meet you. I can't believe we found a place that'd fit your longboards!
  • Handwriting B: True true it's right next to the new shop too. Can't wait to wake up to you and do what I love every single day [smiley face drawing] btw this is cut [drawn arrow from "cute" to bird drawings]
  • Handwriting A: No it's not. My parents have called me their little starling for way too long.
  • Handwriting B: Yikes babe

Gail's Notebook

Page 1

• Gail Llewyn

Page 2

• July 1st, evening,
  Profits good. Everything pulling into place for harvest next month. Will arrange bonuses for the workers to show appreciation for efficiency.
  Ended the day with a decent book on the gazebo and opened a nice Zindfandel. Felt impatient, chose not to aerate. Watched the sunset.
• July 2nd, afternoon,
  D presented E and I with a phenomenal idea for a summer blend. E had budgetary concerns. Overly cautious, that boy. Insisted on postponing, I overruled. Developing D's idea for next year.

Page 3

• July 3rd, evening,
  D is subdued lately. Refusing to look me square in the eye. Low self-esteem is unbecoming in a man and concerning in a potential successor. D has the charisma and vision E lacks, when he chooses to use it. Have to make him see that.
  Had a few glasses of Nostrum over dinner. Promising flavor profile, but could stand to be a bit bolder.
• July 4th, evening,
  Went to see fireworks with E, J, and S. S spent the entire trip either picking fights with J or looking at phone. E answering emails the whole time as well. J seemed unbothered. If only they would spend real quality time together. I had thought O and I instilled that.
  Relaxing in my room with a glass of Gwydion. Aerated for 30 minutes ahead of time to mellow the youthful, tannic punch into something more palatable to my reserved sensibilities.

Page 4

• July 5th, evening,
  Visited factory for inspection. Walked in on R shouting at a worker who had spilled some processing wine. Poor man was quaking in his boots. Stood behind R until he noticed me. The boy nearly jumped out of his skin. Changed his attitude immediately. No people skills. Perhaps his position as an authority figure does not suit his competencies. I should have known.
  Beli Mawr with leg of lamb for dinner. The wine shines on its own, but is transcendent when correctly paired.

Page 5

• July 6th, morning,
  Today is the anniversary of O's passing. Bedroom felt larger, emptier than usual when I woke. Received a kind card in the mail from A. J gave me consolations over breakfast. Will have E drive me to the cemetery later.
  Drinking Dark Sea tonight, after a quick 10-minute aeration to allow sediment to settle. Such dark complexity underneath the whimsical tasting notes, an undertow that pulls one in.
• July 7th, afternoon,
  Particularly hot today as I took my walk. Must keep an eye on the Pinot experiments, the greenhouse has been feeling dry.
  The lock for our engagement bag finally broke. Ordered a replacement. Should think of a new combination.
  Sampled a competitor's strangely sediment-heavy Zinfandel after a 30-minute aeration to give it a fair shake. Nothing worth noting down.

Page 6

• July 8th, afternoon,
  Spent the day reviewing proofs of the new brochure. Adding my great-grands' photographs breathes new life into the family tree, though it makes space scarce. Additionally, rereading my own words has provided me with unexpected inspiration. How about that!
  T was lurking around the house this afternoon. Her chatter was ceaseless until J found a distraction to lead her away.
  T is my family now and forever, and I will never turn my family away. However, I often wish B made a better choice of spouse.

Page 7

• July 9th, afternoon,
  J, after extensively complimenting my sense of interior decoration, asked if she could throw S a 21st birthday dinner here. I said yes despite the short notice. Apparently J has only just gotten S to agree to have a party at all. Not surprising. Lately the girl turns favors into arguments and events to ordeals.
  J insisted she would get invitations, decorations, and food in order. Must respect her initiative. When J and E married I was sure she was as empty-headed as T, but her calculating nature has proven her worthy of my family. Though she employs it in a way I would not.
  Shared a bottle of Coquette with her. Too much sugar, even for my taste, but a mesmerizing aroma. It has its place on the menu.

Page 8

• July 10th, evening,
  A gave me a nice shoulder rub to clear my head after a long day. Sampled two glasses of a competitor's Cabernet after a 30-minute aeration. Smooth finish but an unsubtle overture of candied fruit. Ours superior, as usual.
• July 11, evening,
  Caught the tail end of a conversation between D and Div. She told him to "follow his heart". D replied he "did not know what his heart was saying" or some whatnot. Not sure what that was about. He has always been unsatisfyingly indecisive.
  Was about to enter the room and ask what they were on about after Div left, but as soon as she exited, D received a call. Didn't interrupt. Will have to speak with him about this later.
  Drank Vermeil tonight. A layered experience, pleasant on all levels.

Page 9

• July 12, evening,
  E has been working more punishing hours than usual, lately. Part of it is the usual preparation for harvest season, but there is a tension to him that is even more pronounced than usual. J says they rarely have time to talk anymore. She says he enjoys working and waved my concerns, but he is my son.
  Perhaps he is nervous about the unveiling of his brainchild, Bloodline. The name is uncharacteristically sentimental of E. While I have stressed the importance of family to him for his entire life, he has never put much stock in my lessons, which is perhaps why his relationship with his daughter is so fraught.
  Regardless, Bloodline will be ready to sample in a few days. I hope to be proven wrong in my estimation of E as a poor winemaker, but we shall see.

Page 10

• July 13th, afternoon,
  D and E both acting strange, tense. Perhaps the stress of the harvest is getting to them. Will see if I can take any work off of their respective plates.
  Experimented with blending a few of our reds. Even after a 40-minute aeration, there was a discord between the flavor profiles. Will have to try again.
• July 14th, evening,
  Final preparations for S's birthday are complete. Fewer RSVPs than I hoped, but it will be nice to have an intimate evening in the pavilion. Can't be helped if L is out of the country, I suppose. Even if S insists on not enjoying her own birthday, I for one enjoy the chance to spend time with family.
  Opened a bottle of Starling Song for the occasion, of course. Its round sweetness transported me back to a simpler time, but the dry finish slid me back into the present. S was such a different girl just a few years ago.

Page 13

• July 16th, evening,
  Dinner was disappointing, to say the least, even before the disastrous accident in the factory. Did not even get the chance to sample Bloodline before the evening was ruined by petty bickering and poorly maintained equipment.
  Thankfully, I thought to bring an unopened bottle of Bloodline to my room earlier, and opened it to aerate on my desk just before I left to check the factory a half hour ago. I will have my first drink and reflect.
  Extremely sweet, with a sharpness E did not mention. Perhaps I did not each enough at dinner, but it feels much stronger than our other offers as well. Overall, the first glass is disappointing. However, I am in the mood to be quite indulgent after a stressful day, and will try another glass or three just in case the offering grows on me.
  R just barged into my room, unannounced, shouting something about the accounts with a financial document he had printed out in his hand. I took the page from him and assured him that the matter is being handled, but he continued to push me on the subject for some time.

Page 14

• Then, D appeared and dropped off a very thoughtful note. He wanted to talk, but I am beginning to feel quite tired. I sent him away. Though we have our differences, I love him more than words can say. I must try and tell him so more often. For now, I will place what he gave me somewhere safe.

Maintenance Report

First Report → Gabriel Delva's Handwriting

• Request Made By: Gabriel Delva, production worker
• Request Made On: July 9th
• Item Requested: Propylene glycol
• Reason for Request: The antifreeze we're currently using for the cooling system is an ethylene glycol, which isn't as food safe as the propylene alternative. I know it doesn't come in contact with any of the wine directly, but it might be safer to switch over in case of an accident.

First Report → Russell's Handwriting

• Supervisor Reviewing Request: Russell Llewyn
• Request Denied [checked]
• If Applicable, Reason for Denial: the kind we're already using is fine

Second Report → Russell's Handwriting

• Reporting Supervisor: Russell Llewyn
• Malfunctioning Equipment: racking system
• Malfunction Reported By: Avi Chauhan
• Report Made to Supervisor On: July 16 9:15 PM
• Report Filed By Supervisor: July 17 8:15 AM
• Malfunction Type: disconnected hydraulic tube
• Damaged Caused: a hydraulic tube that connects a bunch of barrels of red wine got unattached during the night
  this made gallons of wine shoot out of the barrels onto the floor and made a giant freaking expensive mess
  the malfunction tripped an alarm and people nearby got the tube reattached
• Summary of Incident: at 9:15 Avi Chauhan texted that he could hear an alarm coming from the factory so I went to check
  G̵r̵a̵n̵ Gail was already there with Avi when I showed up at 9:29
  they'd got it under control and were handling the cleanup.
  Gail told me that I wasn't needed and I left
  returned this morning at 7 to fill out report
• Last Inspection Date: July 14
• Issues Noted at Last Inspection?: "No" is checked
• Additional Notes: inspected the goddamn thing three days ago and it was fine
  one of the workers must have screwed something up

Shredded Account Statement

Front

• Shows one of the printed account names on the top-right blacked out with pen, the addressee line above the address on the top-left side blacked out with pen, and six asterisks in Handwriting D appear beside transactions dated 02/11, 03/14, 04/19, 06/08, 06/20, 07/11.

Back

• Near top, from left to right, shows a 3x3 grid filled in with letters, a blank 3x3 grid, and a drawing of an item.

  • First Grid → Handwriting D

    • KEY PHR ASB
      CDF GIJ LMN
      OQT UVW XZ

  • Inside Drawing of Item → Handwriting D

    • KEY PHRASE

  • Beside Drawn Arrow Pointing to Blank Grid → Handwriting D

    • Remember: Do not repeat letters.

• Below grids and drawing is a handwritten conversation between two people.

  • Handwriting D: See my markups - are all these necessary? You can't hold back on 87162261 at all?
  • Handwriting E: I'm sorry, 28569, but we still need to "447742" 6471 for now. But I talked to 1123, seems like she's in a good mood, looking forward to the new vintage!
  • Handwriting D: You keep saying "for now" - can we talk in person before we proceed, or at least wait until after dinner? 643317 could 583 88 483 if we're reckless. We agreed to avoid that at all costs.
  • Handwriting E: She would never do anything to 47116 87 331 516239. Trust me, we'll be fine.
  • Handwriting D: We've already 31616 84 6853, 2441.
  • Handwriting E: Listen to me. You are a wonderful man, a loving husband, and a hardworking father. You know I appreciate you. You know I wouldn't be asking you to do this again if we didn't need it. But we do need it. I'm used to a certain lifestyle. And you're not 316261 anything you 246'3 2181741! Consider it a 3416 before you 1631723 331 42619172 - you and I both know that you're more than good for it.
  • Handwriting D: That's if everything goes to plan.
  • Handwriting E: It will. I promise. And if anything happens, I'll handle 1123. I know you don't like going 1112683 317. You won't have to. Just keep an eye on your brother. By this time next year, you'll have everything you ever wanted. I love you.
  • Handwriting D: Thank you. I love you.

Torn Notebook Page

Front (Marked Page 11) → Gail's Handwriting

• July 15th, evening,
  Everything coming together smoothly for S's celebration. Gave most of the staff the day off tomorrow; the bartender is only working the morning and will suffice as help for final preparations.
  Must remember to have one of the floor staff pull the family's favorites from the cellar and arrange for the three custom charm samples to be placed at appropriate table settings so that we can test-run them as a family before committing to selling any.
  Should adjust the seating chart to move R, ferocious little lion club that he is, away from A. Those boys will need to learn to get along someday. Tomorrow will liekly not be the time.
  E seems overwhelmed lately. More so than usual; pale and twitchy. Tomorrow morning I will take some of his workload so he can relax. Such a hard worker, but not built for it like O was. Pity.
  For now, however, it is time to unwind with a glass or two of the Zinfandel.
  Delightfully understated and yet undeniably elegant, as always.

Back (Marked Page 12) → Gail's Handwriting

• July 16th, morning,
  My hands are trembling so hard that it is difficult to write. I still do not want to believe what I saw last night. But there is no mistake and no excuse, even despite their sad attempts at explaining away the missing money when confronted.
  They have chosen to tear the family apart. And for what? Petty greed? Not an ounce of the gratitude or respect I am owed after spending my life working myself to the bone to provide for them. As I told them last night, this cannot go unpunished. They have no further place in my business or my family. My willingness to tolerate this kind of slight withered and died on the vine.
  I will wait until after S's birthday to announce what has happened. I cannot bring myself to ruin her day.
  Will call Colleen first thing tomorrow morning. Must make an appointment with her to notarize and file the updated will, which I completed last night.
  Never would I have imagined it would come to this.

Wine Menus

• Partial writing from the top-left of the transparent wine specials menu near the Specials title combined with partial writing on the top-right of the menu near the vineyard logo:

  • Handwriting C: Hi QT, meet later? I miss you!

• Partial writing from the top-right of the transparent wine specials menu near the Specials title combined with partial writing on the left of the menu near the Wine List heading:

  • Handwriting B: No can do, can't ditch my girl on her bday

• Partial writing from the upper-middle of the transparent wine specials menu near the red wines combined with partial writing on the back of the menu near the top-left:

  • Handwriting B: Listen, it's been fun, but we should quit before we get caught

• Partial writing from the lower-middle of the transparent wine specials menu near the rosé wines combined with partial writing on the top-left of the menu near the vineyard logo:

  • Handwriting C: What??? Please d̵o̵n̵'̵t̵ ̵d̵o̵ ̵t̵h̵i̵s̵ ̵t̵o̵ ̵m̵e̵. Don't leave me like Bran did. Is it because of our age difference?

• Partial writing from the middle of the transparent wine specials menu near the top of the white wine section combined with partial writing on the back of the menu near the logo at the bottom:

  • Handwriting B: Yo, chill. Thought we were on the same page. I'm in love with her, not you

• Partial writing from the middle of the transparent wine specials menu near the bottom of the white wines section combined with partial writing on the back of the menu near the top-right:

  • Handwriting C: If you're set on seeing her, you can go. But if you love me even just a little, please stay?

• Partial writing from the bottom of the transparent wine specials menu combined with partial writing on the lower-right of the menu near the rosé section heading:

  • Handwriting B: Gotta go, sorry

Solution

Darren

Motive

• From piecing together the shredded documents, you can see on the shredded fax that Darren had a strong reaction to Gail changing her will and wanted to take drastic measures. This could have implied a motive to kill his mother. However, after unlocking Gail's locked bag, you can see from Darren's letter that he had just been planning to sell his shares of the vineyard back to Gail and had canceled his decision. Therefore, Darren had no strong motive to kill Gail.

Alibi

• Darren says in his witness statement that he went to his and Ellis's shared office after dinner and then went to see Gail in her bedroom. From piecing together the shredded documents, you can see on the shredded fax that Darren sent a fax at 8:57 PM. After unlocking Gail's locked bag, you can see from Darren's letter that he received a fax in the office at 9:42 PM. Using these documents in conjunction with the security logs, Darren can be placed in the office that entire time. Therefore, he did not have the opportunity to poison Gail's wine. Darren is innocent because he was in the office during the time of poisoning.

Ellis

Motive

• As he says in his witness statement, Ellis believes Gail prefers Darren to him. After decoding the shredded account statement, you can see that the conversation is between two people who call each other Dove and Ducky. In Jamie's witness statement and her texts in the family group texts, she calls Ellis "Ducky". On the dinner invitation, Sterling has drawn a picture of three birds that, as you can come to understand through context, represent herself and her parents. The birds that represent her parents are a dove and a duck. You can draw the conclusion that the two people talking to each other on the shredded account statement are Jamie and Ellis. In that exchange, Ellis calls out Jamie's expensive spending habits and pushes back against stealing money from the vineyard, which they have been doing for a while. In Gail's torn notebook page, Gail reveals that she had discovered the couple's theft and told them she was going to kick them out of the family and any inheritance. This could have pushed Ellis to murder his mother. However, you can also see in his conversation with Jamie on the shredded account statement that Ellis did not like going against his mother and was against stealing any more money.

Alibi

• Jamie and Ellis claim to be each other's alibis in the witness statements, but it's clear that their stories do not quite match. Ellis initially tries to hide the fact that he went to the office, but is called out by Officer Phen. Ellis then admits to arguing with Darren in the office, which Darren's witness statement corroborates. Darren also mentions that he believes Ellis was eavesdropping on him for a time. Looking at the security log, you can see that there are three people that go to the office, entering respectively at 8:52 PM, 9:10 PM, and 9:36 PM. From piecing together the shredded fax, you know that Darren was in the office sending a fax at 8:57 PM; therefore, he must have been the first to enter. Russell says he heard Ellis yelling in the other room, but neither Darren nor Ellis mention seeing Russell; they didn't see him come in. You can conclude that Ellis entered second and Russell last. You also know, from the account statement and the photo of Gail's office with the lion wine charm, that Russell was using the printer in Gail's office at 9:44 PM. Therefore, Russell couldn't have been the first to exit the building at 9:42 PM. You know from Darren's letter to Gail that he was still in the office receiving a fax at 9:42 PM, so he couldn't have been the first to exit either; it had to have been Ellis. From the map, you know the rough time it would take a person to walk from the office to the factory, and Avi's witness statement says that Ellis arrived at the factory after Jamie but before Teresa. If you compare this to the security log, you can identify Elis as the person who entered the factory at 9:54 PM. From there, Ellis stayed to clean up the factory. Ellis is innocent of murder, as he did not have the opportunity to poison Gail's wine.

Jamie

Motive

• Jamie does not seem to have a motive to kill Gail right off the bat. After decoding the shredded account statement, you can see that the conversation is between two people who call each other Dove and Ducky. In Jamie's witness statement and her texts in the family group texts, she calls Ellis "Ducky". On the dinner invitation, Sterling has drawn a picture of three birds that, as you come to understand through context, represent herself and her parents. The birds that represent her parents are a dove and a duck. You can draw the conclusion that the two people talking to each other on the shredded account statement are Jamie and Ellis. In that exchange, Ellis calls out Jamie's expensive spending habits and pushes back against stealing money from the vineyard, which they have been doing for a while. Jamie insists they continue to steal and says she will "handle Gail" if necessary. Though Ellis does not realize it, this statement reveals his wife would go to extreme lengths to hold onto her lifestyle if threatened. In Gail's torn notebook page, Gail reveals that she had discovered the couple's theft and told them she was going to kick them out of the family and any inheritance. With Gail's discovery, Jamie's lavish lifestyle, which was garnered through theft from the vineyard, was now being threatened. This provides a clear motive: Jamie did not want to lose her current lifestyle.

Alibi

• Jamie and Ellis claim to be each other's alibis in the witness statements, but it's clear that their stories do not quite match. Tracking Ellis's movements around the vineyard reveals that he went to the office after dinner, then to the factory. If you create a timeline and begin matching suspect movements to the security log, you will see that the motion sensors logged a few times that are not clearly tied to anyone's movements: Someone enters and exits the factory before Avi finds the spill. That person would also have access to ethylene glycol mentioned in the maintenance report and autopsy. This would give the intruder the means to poison Gail. Someone then enters and exit the house while Gail is away checking the factory. As you go through the rest of the suspects, you are able to find a proven alibi for everyone except Jamie. Jamie is unaccounted for during the window of opportunity and is, therefore, the only one who could have tampered with the racking system to cause the malfunction, snuck into Gail's bedroom with ethylene glycol, and poisoned Gail's wine. Jamie is the murderer.

Russell

Motive

• Russell's competitive aggressiveness is evident in his witness statement. Additionally, as mentioned in Avi's witness statement and Gail's notebook, Gail disapproved of Russell's behavior and attitude and she preferred Avi to them. Gail's continuous putting down of Russell and the potential threat of being cut out of Gail's will could have driven him to poison her.

Alibi

• Russell says he was in the office during the time of poisoning in his witness statement. This is also backed up by the office building activity found in the security logs. From looking at the photo of Gail's office, you can see the lion wine charm has been dropped on the floor. In the torn notebook page, Gail refers to Russell as a "little lion cub". Additionally, Gail says that Russell came to her upset about the accounts, and the account statement that Avi sent was found in Gail's bedroom. Looking at it, you can see that it was printed in the office at 9:44 PM and the photo of Gail's office shows the same document on the monitor. From all this, you can conclude that Russell was the person who ransacked Gail's office, dropped his wine charm, and then saw and printed the account statement. Russell then took the account statement to Gail to complain, but was shown out. Regardless, Russell is innocent because he was in the office during the time of poisoning.

Sterling

Motive

• As seen in the witness statements, Sterling held resentment against Gail for causing her father to put work before his immediate family, and Sterling was clearly rebelling against her parents. However, this wouldn't have made her poison her grandmother.

Alibi

• In the witness statements, Sterling says she fought with Teresa and then went to her room in the family house. However, Teresa says in her witness statement that Sterling runs toward the gazebo, in the opposite direction of the family house. From the written conversation on the dinner invitation, you can tell that the two people are Sterling and her boyfriend, Trex. Sterling arranges to be picked up by Trex around 8:30 PM outside the front gate, which is in the same direction as the gazebo. If you check the security log, there is a motion logged at the front gate at 8:29 PM. Therefore, you can conclude that Sterling did indeed leave the premises. Sterling is innocent because she was not on the grounds during the time of poisoning.

Teresa

Motive

• As seen in Gail's notebook, Gail does not approve of Teresa. Teresa is constantly worried about being cut out of the family, which is evident by her frenetic self-reassurance. As mentioned in the witness statements, Gail talked about changing her will at dinner. Teresa might have suspected Gail was planning to cut Teresa out of any inheritance. This might give Teresa a motive to kill Gail.

Alibi

• In her witness statement, Teresa claims to have been cleaning the factory for most of the night. However, there is a trail of evidence that proves otherwise. On the dinner invitation, wine specials menu, and menu, there is a dark purple wine stain. In the family group texts, Gail sends a picture of the dinner spread. In this picture, you can see someone holding a wine glass containing dark purple wine. Around the wine glass is the butterfly wine charm. The menu shows that the wine called Dark Sea is dark purple in color, and the vineyard brochure shows that Teresa loves Dark Sea. Additionally, Teresa mentions in her witness statement that Sterling threw the dinner invitation at Teresa during their argument. Though Teresa puts the fault on Sterling, Teresa is hiding a secret of her own from her niece. Overlaying the wine specials list and the menu reveals a secret conversation between two people. Based on context (one mentions Bran, Teresa's late husband, and the other mentions that it's their girlfriend's birthday) you can figure out these are Teresa and Trex and that they've been having an affair that Trex is now ending. Avi says in the contact letter that he found the menus, dinner invitation, and butterfly wine charm in the cellar where the vintage named after Sterling was found smashed. Combining this information with the knowledge of how upset Teresa was, you can confirm that Teresa was the person who smashed up the cellar. According to the security log, the cellar door was only opened two times that evening: 8:43 PM and 9:50 PM. This was Teresa entering and exiting the cellar. Teresa is innocent of Gail's murder, as she was in the cellar during the time of poisoning.