Hints
Josh's Poem
- Detective Idlewylde made the astute observation that Josh is not a poet. Why else would Josh have written this note in this way?
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The title of the poem acts as a helpful hint for decoding the note. Follow the path of the stars.
Missing Necklace
- Detective Idlewylde sent along the Broken Necklace discovered at the scene of the crime, but there's a piece missing. Help him find the missing piece.
Suspect Elimination
- Detective Idlewylde believes Josh didn't have an alibi. Have you uncovered any new evidence that suggests otherwise?
- Once you've discovered Josh's hidden message, try revisiting the Witness Statements and the 1999 News Article.
- What are the suspects up to nowadays? Could their current endeavors recontextualize the events in 1999?
- Auggie sure has a lot of thoughts about Marcy's father. But what did he think of Marcy?
Timeline of Events
- Cross-referencing the Witness Statements and Police Summary Report will help you build a timeline of events for Friday night.
- As you're working on determining the timeline of events, make sure to take a look at Detective Idlewylde's map on the back of the Police Summary Report.
Reveals
Game Finish
- Felicity Gorsuch is the killer. To complete the game, open the Solution Envelope and read the Solution Letter.
Josh's Poem
- The poem title, "Stars Fall," instructs Marcy to follow the path of the four stars drawn at the top of the page.
- The four stars at the top of the page indicate the four columns within which a vertical message is hidden. Beginning at each star, read the letters stacked within that column.
- Decoded, Josh's note reads "Please don't do this – can we try again – relive our first date – meet me there."
Missing Necklace
- Take a closer look at the Magazine Article. Do you see anything familiar?
- In the Magazine Article photo, you can see that Felicity is wearing the missing piece from the Broken Necklace.
Suspect Elimination
- According to Lamar, Josh and Marcy were the perfect couple; they even had the perfect, stereotypical first date at a midnight movie.
- Josh asks Marcy in his note if they can relive their first date at a midnight movie and encourages her to meet him there. At the time of the murder, Josh was waiting for Marcy at the movie theater.
- Auggie wasn't a fan of Marcy's father, but he didn't seem to necessarily harbor ill feelings toward Marcy that were strong enough to indicate a potential motive.
Transcripts
1999 News Article
Bottom → Detective Idlewylde
- I failed.
Auggie Voicemail Audio Recording
Auggie: Hello, you've reached August Green. I'm not around the phone at the moment. You can leave a message if you want, that's fine. But don't expect any call back anytime soon.
Autopsy
Final Page → Persia
- Beth Shirkens
- 8/8/1999
Charm Electric! Voicemail Audio Recording
Josh: Hello, thank you for calling Charm Electric by Josh Darnell, the lightning-fast way to increase home comfort and value. No one's available to take your call right now, but we'll be happy to take a message. Have a great day.
Crime Scene Photos
Beside Photo of Necklace → Detective Idlewylde
- Where's the rest?
Photo of Note → Josh
Stars Fall
Upon a chance arrived to me
Alive, wandering meek & free
Be not undone or lost or blue
We seek it all and lose what's true
Create between arisen blooms
The darkness of new rot & doom
Glimpse the love forget the pain
See the trust yet still retained
Hide your heart so too we heal
Forget your soul at last revealed
Until again our fates repealed
We're thrown against the fog of years
Undone and ruined
Torn limb & trust
Attain nothing but soot and rust
A home today
A life undone
A song delayed
A heart
broken
Beneath Photo of Note → Detective Idlewylde
- Clearly the boy cannot write poetry. So what drove him to write it in this instance? There must be something I am missing.
Detective's Letter
Bottom → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Evidence Bag
Detective Idlewylde
- Agency: CCPD
- Item No.: 01
- Case No.: 990825
- Date of Collection: 8/7/99
- Time of Collection: 5:40 PM
- Collected By: Matt Idlewylde
- Description of Evidence: Necklace, broken, found next to well @ scene.
- Type of Offense: Hom.
- Victim: Marcine Langley
- Chain of Custody
- Received From: Idlewylde
- Received By: Fox
- Date: 8/7/99
- Time: 7:32 PM
Magazine Article
Top → Detective Idlewylde
- Looks like things are going well for Felicity these days?
News Article: Farmer's Feud
Top → Detective Idlewylde
- Tired of fighting? Or fleeing bad memories?
Police Summary Report
Front → Detective Idlewylde
- Update 1/1/2023: Word is Green is rethinking deal with developer.
- Must work this out before well is filled in case trail leads back inside. If Green sells, he may skip town or leave country, and there goes a suspect.
- Update 1/27/2024: Going to need help with this case. Old office will not spare resources. Must find outside help.
Back → Detective Idlewylde
- 5072
- Farm House
- Well
- 5070
- Juniper Rd
- To Town
Solution News Clipping
Along Right Margin → Detective Idlewylde
- Thank you for your help, detective. I could not have done it without you.
Suspect Profiles
Auggie Suspect Profile
Front → Detective Idlewylde
- Currently selling the farm.
Felicity Suspect Profile
Front → Beside Phone → Detective Idlewylde
- No longer valid. Try the shop.
Front → Beside Address→ Detective Idlewylde
- 296 3rd Ave, Calverton, MD
Josh Suspect Profile
Front → Beside Phone → Detective Idlewylde
- Moved to Baltimore, need to find contact info.
Front → Beside Address→ Detective Idlewylde
- 4 Kroy Dr, Baltimore, MD
Bottom → Detective Idlewylde
- Now owns and operates Charm Electric.
Witness Statements
Auggie Witness Statement
Page 1 → Auggie
- August Green
- 8/8/1999
Page 1 → Detective Idlewylde
- Should have pressed.
Page 2 → Auggie
- August Green
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Beth Witness Statement
Page 1 → Beth
- Beth Shirkens
- 8/8/1999
Page 1 → Detective Idlewylde
- I should have scared her. Maybe get more info.
- Does this line up?
Page 2 → Beth
- Beth Shirkens
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Donna Witness Statement
Page 1 → Donna
- Donna Bolsano
- 8/8/1999
Page 2 → Donna
- Donna Bolsano
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Felicity Witness Statement
Page 1 → Felicity
- Felicity Gorsuch
- 8-8-1999
Page 2 → Felicity
- Felicity Gorsuch
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Josh Witness Statement
Page 1 → Josh
- Josh Darnell
- 8/8/1999
Page 2 → Josh
- Josh Darnell
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Lamar Witness Statement
Page 1 → Lamar
- Lamar Pace
- 8/8/1999
Page 2 → Lamar
- Lamar Pace
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Maryanne Witness Statement
Page 1 → Maryanne
- Maryanne Langley
- 8 Aug. 1999
Page 2 → Maryanne
- Maryanne Langley
Page 2 → Detective Idlewylde
- Matthew Idlewylde
Solution
- In order to identify who killed Marcy, you'll need to determine which of the suspects had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime. Reading the autopsy will reveal that Marcy died at 11:30 PM Friday night when she was pushed down the well on Auggie's property. The killer had to have been at the well around the same time.
- You can build a rough timeline of events by cross-referencing the available evidence, particularly in the witness statements and police summary report. Marcy and Josh had a fight at the party Friday night around 10 PM, and then Josh left at around 10:45 PM. The party ended around 2 AM, at which point Felicity had a drink with Lamar. The following day, Auggie mowed the grass around the well and Donna found Marcy's body.
- Detective Idlewylde believes Josh is the killer, as multiple people saw him have a fight with Marcy, giving him a strong potential motive, and his alibi couldn't be verified. However, your expert detective skills will reveal that Detective Idlewylde missed a crucial clue at the scene of the crime: Josh's poem for Marcy is actually an encoded note. The poem's title of "Stars Fall" is a clue to read down each of the four columns of letters with a star at the top. Decoded, the note reads "Please don't do this - can we try again - relive our first date - meet me there."
- The Charm Electric! business ad reveals that Josh likes movies, and Lamar mentions in his witness statement that Marcy and Josh had their first at a midnight movie. The back of the 1999 news article happens to include an ad for the local movie theater's midnight showings every Friday night. You can deduce that Josh was upset and embarrassed when Marcy broke up with him at the party, so he left the party, wrote the note asking Marcy to meet him at the movie theater at midnight, and left it by the well for her to find. During the time of the murder, Josh was waiting for Marcy at the Calverton Commons Cinema. He is not the killer.
- Of the remaining suspects, Auggie may initially appear suspicious since Marcy's body was found on his property and he does not have a strong alibi. However, he has a weak potential motive and there is little evidence pointing to him.
- Felicity may have tried to appear nonchalant in her witness statement, but close reading of the transcript will reveal a potential motive: she was jealous of Marcy. At first glance, Felicity also appears to have an alibi, but you'll soon see when comparing the other witness statements that the partygoers only remember seeing her at the start and end of the party. Of the witness statements, Felicity's is the only one claiming that she was at the party the entire time, which can't be trusted. Felicity is unaccounted for during the time of the murder, and Detective Idlewylde's map on the back of the police summary report shows that the well is close enough to Beth's house for someone to have left the party, walked to the well, and still made it back in time before the party ended.
- The broken necklace is the same one in the crime scene photo, but the missing part of this necklace has yet to be found. If you take a closer look at the magazine article, you'll notice that Felicity is wearing a necklace that matches the missing part of Marcy's broken necklace. If Felicity has part of the necklace today, then she was at the scene of the crime.
- After her fight with Josh, Marcy left with Felicity to go talk by the well. Felicity was jealous of Marcy getting into the school she wanted to go to, and when Marcy told Felicity that she was going to take a gap year instead of going to college, Felicity angrily pushed her. Felicity tried to catch Marcy, but she only managed to grab onto her necklace and couldn't save her. Rather than calling for help, Felicity went back to the party and kept drinking to give herself an alibi.
- Felicity Gorsuch is the killer. To complete the game, open the solution envelope and read the solution letter.