Dear me. What happened? Your vision is a bit blurry. Nothing hurts, at least. You can hear Watson barking. It’s bright, very bright, so it must be morning. The last thing you remember was coming down the stairs. Did you stumble and fall? Nigel would fuss and scold you over it, saying to be more careful at your age. Things are coming into focus now... Oh. Oh no. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. Ever-faithful Watson is crouched over it, whimpering faintly. > transcript The web interpreter keeps a local transcript at all times. It can be downloaded from the menu in the top-right corner. The feature cannot be manually enabled or disabled. > look at my body Oh, dear. You must have fallen down the stairs and broken your neck. At least there isn’t much blood...and, well, it must have been quick. > look at watson Watson is a wonderfully intelligent collie, and he’s been oh so much help in your past investigations. You’ve trained him quite well, if you do say so yourself. “What’s this then?” Inspector Hughes strides into the hall, flanked by a little gaggle of lower-ranking constabulary. “Bloody hell...so this is how the old bird finally went. Never thought she’d meet her end in an accident, not after a career of dealing with crime.” > look at the constables Inspector Hughes has brought Constables Phillips and Davis along, to search for clues and document what he finds. Constable Phillips sets to work marking out where you’ve fallen, while his colleague Davis examines your body. Hughes strokes his moustache as he surveys the stairs. “Looks like an open-and-shut case. Look at ’er nightdress. Must have got up in the morning and took a tumble down the stairs.” The morning? No...no, that’s not right. It was just past midnight...you were trying to find your way downstairs with a torch...you had to get to...the telephone, wasn’t it? Everything is so fuzzy... > go upstairs You focus your thoughts, and try to go to the upstairs balcony, and yet nothing seems to happen... Watson looks up at you and blinks in surprise. The Inspector turns to go. “For all we know, that bloody dog of hers might have given her a push.” Watson?! He would never! “I’ll get the coroner in. Davis, get a report written up and sent to Biddlecombe by the end of today. Looks like it really was an accident in the end.” No! That’s it! You woke up, you recognised those symptoms...the choking feeling, the burning in your stomach—how could you ever mistake the signs of white arsenic poisoning? You tried to get to the telephone, but the electricity had gone out again. You were making your way down with a torch...that’s it, the torch would prove it was the middle of the night, not the morning, now wouldn’t it? Now where in heaven’s name did it get off to? > tell watson to come here Your mind is still a bit fuzzy, and you can’t quite make sense of that idea at the moment. “For once, a nice, open-and-shut case.” Oh, that small-minded Inspector! Even a perfunctory investigation should find signs of poison! But he’s so sure it was your ordinary morning routine that he won’t even consider the possibility. > go downstairs You focus your thoughts, and try to go down, and yet nothing seems to happen... Watson cocks his head to one side with a confused whine. Hughes strides out while Davis finishes up her measurements. “And get that bloody creature out of our way!” Suddenly Phillips has grabbed Watson by the collar and is dragging him off to the sitting room. Watson’s eyes are fixed on you as he’s pulled away, whimpering and scrabbling at the carpet. Even if the police won’t listen, Watson will! So you imagine yourself following him, and the world around you changes... ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Miss Gosling’s Last Case An interactive mystery by Daniel M. Stelzer. Release 2. Serial number 240907. Dialog compiler version 0m/03. Library version 0.46 (modified). Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. A rubber ball lies on the floor nearby. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. In this state, you can’t do much yourself. Look around to get a description of your surroundings, then click the name of an object to examine it, like the ball. Your score has gone up by one point. > windows When you look through it, you get a beautiful view of your tea garden. If you click the name of something that isn’t close at hand, the game will tell you where you last saw it. For people, it will also tell you what you remember about them. For anything more elaborate than that, you’ll have to rely on Watson. Once you’ve drawn his attention to something, the link bar will show the various things he can do with it. You can also type in commands for Watson directly, like TAKE THE BALL. This is never truly necessary—the game can be played entirely via links—but can sometimes be easier than searching for the right link for what you want to express. > look through the bay window From this angle, you have a beautiful view of the tea garden, with its six beds arranged around the fountain in the center. The lavender in the fountain is a beautiful deep blue, but to your eyes the rest of the plants are a uniform yellowish colour—you’ve never been any better than Watson at distinguishing reds from yellows from greens. NW NE W <> E SW SE You’ve taught Watson plenty of ways to manipulate objects; the link bar will suggest the ones that might be useful for a particular thing. Small items can be picked up or dropped, devices can be switched on or off, doors can be opened or closed, and so on. Clicking Watson will list some of the general tricks he’s mastered, like “speak” and “roll over”. > north (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. A few special commands are always available: - UNDO to take back your last action - SAVE and RESTORE to save your game - THINK to list the puzzles you’re facing and the ones you’ve already solved - HELP for a full list of commands - ABOUT for information about the game - MAP to see a map of the house - HINTS if you’re stuck on a puzzle There are links to these at the top of the page for easy access. > west (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the west. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. Some people do think it’s odd that you’ve taught him compass directions, but he would always get so confused between your right and his right. This just works out better all around. > watson Watson is a wonderfully intelligent collie, and he’s been oh so much help in your past investigations. You’ve trained him quite well, if you do say so yourself. > roll over Watson flops down and rolls onto his back, exposing his tummy to be pet. Unfortunately, no pets seem to be forthcoming. > dig Watson looks up at you happily, not falling for this trap. He knows very well he’s not allowed to dig here. > look Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. > north police tape Bright yellow tape meant to keep people out of a crime scene. It’s thoroughly blocking the north door. > go through the police tape (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > east (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the east. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. A rubber ball lies on the floor nearby. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. The rubber ball ends up under its wheels. > my favourite chair Wonderfully comfortable, with just the right amount of back support for reading. You’ve mounted it on wheels so you can get sunlight in the sitting room in the morning and lamplight in the evening room at night, and cleared the floor so the wheels don’t get stuck on anything. Watson’s lead is looped over one of the posts, where he can’t unhook it himself. > look under my comfortable chair Watson snuffles around under your comfortable chair and turns up a rubber ball. He looks up at you proudly. > push my comfortable chair In what direction? > north Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. If you could somehow knock the chair down, Watson could pull his leash free...but pulling it just makes it roll around. What if something stopped it from rolling? > jump on my comfortable chair Watson leaps up onto your comfortable chair. > push my comfortable chair In what direction? > west (first attempting to get off your comfortable chair) Watson leaps off your comfortable chair. Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the west. The rubber ball proves too small to foul the wheels, and is left behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. > search my comfortable chair Watson snuffles around your comfortable chair, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > my comfortable chair Wonderfully comfortable, with just the right amount of back support for reading. You’ve mounted it on wheels so you can get sunlight in the sitting room in the morning and lamplight in the evening room at night, and cleared the floor so the wheels don’t get stuck on anything. Watson’s lead is looped over one of the posts, where he can’t unhook it himself. If Watson put something large enough under the wheels, then pulling on the leash might knock the chair down. > hints off Hint notifications disabled. > look Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. > high shelf You made sure to put the bookshelf high enough that Watson couldn’t reach it. It’s not that he’d chew on the books; no, he’s far too well-trained for that. But he has a tendency to knock things over in his excitement. Now your paperback murder mysteries are both safe, and within easy reach. Easy reach for a human, at least. > push bookshelf Watson stretches his body, trying to reach the bookshelf, then settles back with a sad whimper. Messages like this, telling you why you can’t do something, often indicate puzzles to be solved. In this case, the shelf is too high for Watson to reach; perhaps he could reach it if he were higher up? > push chair toward bookshelf Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. In particular, the word “toward” seems to be confusing him. > jump on bookshelf Watson stretches his body, trying to reach the bookshelf, then settles back with a sad whimper. > search bookshelf Watson stretches his body, trying to reach the bookshelf, then settles back with a sad whimper. > go east Watson thumps his tail, about to spring into action. Did you want him to: 1. go to the east bed, 2. go to the east side of the attic, or 3. go east? > east (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the east. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. A rubber ball lies on the floor nearby. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. The rubber ball ends up under its wheels. > binocular stand You’d set up a little stand in front of your best window, hoping to attach your binoculars to it for birdwatching. But then it never quite worked, because you always wanted to move them around too much; they’re much better for spying on people than birds. Now it just collects dust while you try to think of something better to put on it. > the binocular stand You’d set up a little stand in front of your best window, hoping to attach your binoculars to it for birdwatching. But then it never quite worked, because you always wanted to move them around too much; they’re much better for spying on people than birds. Now it just collects dust while you try to think of something better to put on it. > search the binocular stand Watson snuffles around the binocular stand, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > push binocular stand Watson prods at the binocular stand with his nose, but it doesn’t budge. > north (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > examine step The floor to the north is about eight inches higher than the floor in here, making a little step up. > west (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the west. The rubber ball proves too small to foul the wheels, and is left behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. > watson Watson is a wonderfully intelligent collie, and he’s been oh so much help in your past investigations. You’ve trained him quite well, if you do say so yourself. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis sets aside her work with a sigh. > jump Watson leaps upward, demonstrating how high he can jump. He’s doing such a good job! Davis makes her way from the dining room to the kitchen. > jump on binocular stand Watson understands the instruction to get onto something, but doesn’t understand what. > east (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the east. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. A rubber ball lies on the floor nearby. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. The rubber ball ends up under its wheels. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the ground floor hall. > jump on binocular stand Watson noses at the binocular stand, but he wouldn’t really fit on it. Davis makes her way from the ground floor hall to the sitting room (where you are). > push ball Watson bats at the toy, but the treat doesn’t come out. It’ll take more force than that. Davis makes her way from the sitting room (where you are) to the evening room. > take ball Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the rubber ball out from under your comfortable chair. Davis looks around the evening room for anything amiss, and finds nothing. Watson can only hold one thing in his mouth at a time, but he’s very good at manipulating objects in various ways. Anything he’s holding will be shown at the top of the link bar. > throw ball at binocular stand Watson understands the instruction to throw something, but doesn’t understand what. > throw ball at chair Watson understands the instruction to throw something, but doesn’t understand what. > west (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the west. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. > throw ball at high shelf Watson understands the instruction to throw something, but doesn’t understand what. > hints on Hint notifications enabled. > put ball under chair Watson sets the rubber ball carefully under your comfortable chair. Davis makes her way from the evening room (where you are) to the sitting room. > push chair In what direction? > push chair east Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the east. The rubber ball proves too small to foul the wheels, and is left behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. Davis makes her way from the sitting room (where you are) to the ground floor hall. > push binocular stand Watson prods at the binocular stand with his nose, but it doesn’t budge. Davis makes her way from the ground floor hall to the kitchen. > jump on binocular stand Watson noses at the binocular stand, but he wouldn’t really fit on it. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > ????? Watson looks up at you with a sad little whine. He has no idea how to “?????”. > look Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > search the binocular stand Watson snuffles around the binocular stand, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > north (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > west (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the west. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. You see a rubber ball here. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. The rubber ball ends up under its wheels. > north (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > the police tape Bright yellow tape meant to keep people out of a crime scene. It’s thoroughly blocking the north door. > bite police tape Watson chomps down on the police tape, taking a big chunk out of the middle and chewing it happily while the ends flutter to the ground. > hints off Hint notifications disabled. > take shredded police tape Watson takes a few more happy bites. It’s one of his favourite things to chew. > put shredded police tape under chair Watson looks at the shredded police tape in confusion. Did you want him to take it? > take tape Watson takes a few more happy bites. It’s one of his favourite things to chew. > put tape under chair Watson looks at the shredded police tape in confusion. Did you want him to take it? > take tape Watson takes a few more happy bites. It’s one of his favourite things to chew. > go through tape (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > the shredded police tape Bright yellow tape meant to keep people out of a crime scene. This one has been chewed to bits and won’t keep anyone out of anything. > read tape (dogs can't read, silly!) Watson understands the instruction to read something, but doesn’t understand what. In particular, the words “dogs”, “can't”, and “silly!” seem to be confusing him. > read tape “...DO...CR...IME S...” > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis sets aside her work with a sigh. > watson Watson is a wonderfully intelligent collie, and he’s been oh so much help in your past investigations. You’ve trained him quite well, if you do say so yourself. Davis makes her way from the dining room to the kitchen. > east (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the east. The rubber ball proves too small to foul the wheels, and is left behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the ground floor hall. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis turns toward the new source of noise. > wag tail Watson wags his tail even faster for you, panting happily. Davis makes her way from the ground floor hall to the sitting room (where you are). > dance Watson spins around in a circle, chasing his own tail, then looks up at you for approval. Davis looks around the sitting room (where you are) for anything amiss, and finds nothing. > wave at davis Watson understands the instruction to wave something, but doesn’t understand what. > davis You’ve always seen promise in Davis, from when she was just starting out as a bright-eyed new recruit. But she’s got a certain earnestness you’ve never quite been able to sway her from. Now she spends most of her time taking every menial task that’s pushed onto her, thinking straightforward honesty is the best path to promotion. Eventually, something is bound to shake her enough to take some initiative of her own...or at least, that was always your hope. > kiss constable davis Constable Davis is briefly lavished with canine affection, despite her best attempts to prevent it. Davis makes her way from the sitting room (where you are) to the ground floor hall. > look Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. Davis makes her way from the ground floor hall to the kitchen. > examine chair Wonderfully comfortable, with just the right amount of back support for reading. You’ve mounted it on wheels so you can get sunlight in the sitting room in the morning and lamplight in the evening room at night, and cleared the floor so the wheels don’t get stuck on anything. Watson’s lead is looped over one of the posts, where he can’t unhook it himself. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > put something under my comfortable chair Put what there? > put POLICE TAPE under chair Watson understands the instruction to put something under your comfortable chair, but doesn’t understand what. > put binocular stand under chair Watson looks at the binocular stand in confusion. Did you want him to take it? Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > take binocular stand Watson noses at the binocular stand, but can’t find any way to really pick it up. > search binocular stand Watson snuffles around the binocular stand, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > push binocular stand Watson prods at the binocular stand with his nose, but it doesn’t budge. > w (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson tugs on his lead, and the chair on its wheels glides smoothly along behind. You drift after him to the west. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Watson’s lead has been looped over the post of your favourite chair, keeping him from interfering in the crime scene. You see a rubber ball here. Your collection of mystery novels is kept on a high shelf, out of Watson’s reach. The rubber ball ends up under its wheels. > collection of mystery novels Most of your books are kept in the library upstairs, of course, but you’ve turned this room into such a lovely place to read in the evenings, and the stairs have been getting harder to manage every year. So you’ve started a collection of paperback mystery novels down here, for when you’re in the mood for some light reading. > watson Watson is a wonderfully intelligent collie, and he’s been oh so much help in your past investigations. You’ve trained him quite well, if you do say so yourself. > hints on Hint notifications enabled. > jump on shelf Watson stretches his body, trying to reach the bookshelf, then settles back with a sad whimper. > put ball on shelf Watson stretches his body, trying to reach the bookshelf, then settles back with a sad whimper. > n (pulling your comfortable chair along) Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > x step The floor to the north is about eight inches higher than the floor in here, making a little step up. > push chair over step Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > put step under chair Watson looks at the step in confusion. Did you want him to take it? > take step Watson noses at the step, but can’t find any way to really pick it up. > push chair against shelf Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. In particular, the word “against” seems to be confusing him. > jump on chair Watson leaps up onto your comfortable chair. > jump on shelf Watson leaps up onto the bookshelf. > push books Watson gives the books a vigorous push, sending them off the edge to land on your comfortable chair. > hints off Hint notifications disabled. > put books under shelf (first attempting to take the books) Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the books off your comfortable chair. Watson noses at the bookshelf, but there’s no real space under it. > put books under chair The books tumble around and under the chair’s wheels in a messy pile. > push chair In what direction? > north (first attempting to get off the bookshelf) Watson leaps off the bookshelf and lands on your comfortable chair. (first attempting to get off your comfortable chair) Watson leaps off your comfortable chair. Watson scampers up over the step with ease, but the lead catches and he’s drawn up short—it’s simply too high an obstacle for the chair’s wheels to handle. He falls back with a sad whimper. > push chair east Watson lopes back east, pulling the chair behind him...until it catches, pulling him up short. One of your books is trapped under the wheel! But he keeps pulling, and between the lead on the post pulling it forward and the caught wheel holding it back, it topples forward with a grand, stately crash. With the top posts now resting on the floor, the lead is within Watson’s reach, and with a look of doggy triumph he pulls it free! Watson is free, and it’s time to solve this case! First, you’ll have to get back to the scene of the crime: if you can find evidence that this happened at midnight instead of in the morning, maybe that will convince the constables that it wasn’t an accident. Good luck, detective! Your score has gone up by one point. > look Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > north Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. A layer of police tape blocks off the door to the north. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > search grate Watson works one paw into the grate and fishes around in there. But he turns up nothing but dust. > search newspapers Watson pushes his nose into the stack, feeling around for anything behind it. But he pulls back with a sad wuf. Nothing. > search body Watson snuffles around your corpse, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > search niche Watson noses under the telephone niche, fishing around with one paw. Something clanks—he’s found your torch! > take torch Best not to move it yet. The constables need to see that you dropped it when you fell, rather than Watson bringing it in later. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis sets aside her work with a sigh and undoes the police tape. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis turns toward the new source of noise. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis turns toward the new source of noise. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis turns toward the new source of noise. > dance around torch Watson wags his tail happily, no comprehension at all in his eyes. > wave at torch Watson understands the instruction to wave something, but doesn’t understand what. > my torch It’s a very durable torch, even if it’s not waterproof, and provides a good, steady light. The sort you can rely on when the electricity is out. Very useful if you were, say, trying to get down to the phone after midnight to report that you’d been poisoned. It’s currently shining brightly. Davis makes her way from the dining room to the bottom of the stairs (where you are). > wave at torch Watson understands the instruction to wave something, but doesn’t understand what. > dance by torch Watson wags his tail happily, no comprehension at all in his eyes. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis starts at the noise, then looks down at Watson in confusion. After a moment she scritches his head before turning back to her work. > show torch to davis (first attempting to take your torch) Best not to move it yet. The constables need to see that you dropped it when you fell, rather than Watson bringing it in later. Davis scans the room for anything amiss. Nothing, nothing...then Watson barks again, sniffing at the telephone niche, and she takes a closer look. “What’s this? A torch?” She fishes it out, turning it over in her hand. “Still on, cells still good. Why would she ’ave had a torch at nine in the morning on a bright sunny day?” You watch as it clicks in her head, and she hurries to the telephone. “Something’s wrong here. I better ring the Inspector and tell the boys at the lab...” ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ “...results back from Fletcher at the lab. The Marsh test was positive. Arsenic poisoning, without a doubt.” Well, obviously; you could have told them yourself if you’d made it to the phone in time. The constables are gathered around your dining room table now, listening as Davis summarises the situation. “Given her experience with poisons, it’s unlikely this was an accident. I think we need to seriously consider the possibility of foul play.” Hughes is tugging at his moustache. “Hmph. Quite. Good catch with the torch; would have been a disgrace for the department if we’d missed that. Now that we know, we’re not going to leave a single stone unturned. Do we have a motive? Inheritance?” “It seems likely. We found a will in her library. Various bequests to charities and organizations, and four specific people who will benefit quite, well, substantially.” “Opportunity?” Phillips clears his throat. “I’ve been going through her diary.” Inevitable, you suppose—you would have done the same—but rude nonetheless. “Fletcher says death occurred between midnight and 2:00 AM, and the poison must have been consumed—orally—somewhere between four and twelve hours before that. That gives all four of them the opportunity.” Hughes furrows his bushy eyebrows. “Four to twelve hours? She had lunch with me at the King’s Arms yesterday. I’ll be asking some questions around there.” Davis lays her papers out on the table. “Each of those people had access to her food or drink within that timespan.” (“Or medication,” Phillips adds.) “First is her nephew Nigel. That afternoon, he was helping her go through some records in her attic. It seems she’s got a sort of a laboratory up there, and he could have tampered with her chemicals.” Nigel? He’d never have the stomach for it. “Second is Mrs Charlotte Peabody. Gosling had dinner with her that night, and specifically mentioned a one-peck bundle of carrots Peabody brought from the farmer’s market. Gosling ate plenty, but Peabody didn’t touch them.” Well, of course. Lottie can’t stand the smell of carrots, that’s why she gave them to you in the first place. “We need to find and test the remaining carrots.” “Third is Alfred Tucker, her gardener.” Preposterous. “After supper she drank an herbal tea made with yellow roses. They must have been gathered from one of her gardens. Arsenious oxide is sometimes used as a weed killer. If Tucker applied some to the flower petals, she’d be poisoned some time later, when she finally made tea from those ones.” Not at all his style. “We need to find the bush she took these from and test if it’s absorbed anything.” “Finally, there’s her aide, Emily Morris.” Emily? The girl never had a malicious thought in her life. “She arranged for all her medications, and could easily have tampered with them.” Hughes stands, smoothing out his now-frazzled moustache again. “Right then! Biddlecombe will be setting up in the library to handle communications. Phillips, I want you to find and test those medications first thing. They have to be somewhere in her room. Davis, track down the details on those suspects. We’ll be asking them a few questions. We’ll have this case cracked right open before it hits the papers!” He glares down at Watson, who’s snuffling curiously at his hand. “And get that bloody beast out of here!” ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. Your score has gone up by one point. > search dumbwaiter shaft Watson snuffles around the dumbwaiter shaft, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > search stove Watson snuffles around the stove, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > x stove Not very big, perhaps, but it’s very easy to work with—and very easy on your old hands. All you have to do is push the knob and it lights. It’s currently off. > southeast Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. Today’s mail is scattered across the floor. > x mail You receive enough mail that you have a little system for judging it. If someone wrote your name and address with their own hand, it’s probably worth reading. If it’s stamped on in that precise, soulless font, probably not. The Total Human Project wants more money, some new disaster has hit Pickering Station, the “BOSH” (bureau of something-or-other) has a bake sale coming up...none of it at all relevant now. > x case reports Under all the dry, formulaic language of a police report is the story of a serial murderer who baffled the constabulary, striking apparently without rhyme or reason. The case was about to be abandoned when you uncovered the truth: Lord Macaulay wanted to silence an old business associate, and orchestrated the other murders as a distraction. The trial is ongoing, but thanks to you, he’s quite likely to be convicted; really it’s become quite the press spectacle. Apart from the report framed here, you have others on display in the dining room and the upstairs balcony. After a career like yours, it’s only natural to want to admire your past victories. > lord macaulay Taking him down was one of the highlights of your career. You have the case files on display in your reception room. > take mail Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the mail. > put mail in stove Watson understands the instruction to put the mail in something, but doesn’t understand what. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. > put mail in stove Watson noses at the stove, but there’s no real way to put things in it. > put mail on stove Watson sets the mail carefully on the stove. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. Davis stares blankly at the cabinets, lost in thought. > x table It can seat six comfortably, but nowadays your dinners are usually for one or two. So you’ve made sure it’s not too big for that. Your torch is on the table. Davis sets her sandwich aside as she pulls out another page. > sandwich There’s no accounting for taste, but really, you can’t help feeling a twinge of disapproval. It’s too large to be a tea sandwich, but too small to be a proper lunch on its own. Surely the constabulary should be ensuring its officers have proper meals while they’re investigating your murder! Davis takes a bite of her sandwich. > x chandelier It was once a beautiful arrangement of crystal and candles, and now it’s a beautiful arrangement of crystal and electric lights. Davis sets her sandwich aside as she pulls out another page. > search cabinets The cabinets contain all sorts of curios. At the moment, in pride of place is the evidence from the Disgybl Gwydion case. Davis takes a bite of her sandwich. > x evidence You normally wouldn’t include an unsolved case here...much less one where the constables never proved there was even a crime committed at all. But it did get a lot of press, and it did revolve around your house—and you kicked off the whole thing when you found this notebook during renovations. It seems one of the previous occupants called himself “Disgybl Gwydion”, claimed to be heir to the ancient Druids, performing strange rituals in the flower gardens and seeking eternal life. ...ancestral spirits / lares and penates, bound through belief, worship? / no, alchemical process-congelation of the soul! See Petrus Catadesmicus, Liber Animarum / but held to the anchor, how to move and act? / Kizzuwatnan ritual, the kuwac hapanza - Father’s Encyclopedia vol K p 197 - replaces the nails or spikes! / must be in the right place... Perhaps the translation the constables gave you is faulty, or perhaps (as you’ve long suspected) it’s just nonsense. But it’s a reminder that sometimes there just aren’t answers to be found anywhere in this world. Davis sets her sandwich aside as she pulls out another page. > look Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove is some mail. > push dumbwaiter wheel Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > x dumbwaiter It’s a marvelous old thing, connecting all four levels of the house, and you’ve kept it in good condition. Much safer than carrying things up the attic stairs yourself at your age. Of course, currently the dumbwaiter is on a different floor, so there’s only the empty shaft here. You can push or pull the wheel to change that. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks into sight. > search dumbwaiter Watson snuffles around the dumbwaiter, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > enter dumbwaiter Watson noses at the dumbwaiter, but he wouldn’t really fit in it. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks out of sight. > jump into dumbwaiter shaft Watson looks down into the shaft, then looks up at you with a scared little whine. > search dumbwaiter shaft Watson snuffles around the dumbwaiter shaft, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > pull wheel The dumbwaiter rises into sight. > search dumbwaiter Watson snuffles around the dumbwaiter, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. > pull wheel The dumbwaiter rises out of sight. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the attic. > southeast Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. > south (first attempting to open the front door to the south) Watson noses at the front door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > x front door Solid and secure, and painted such a lovely shade of blue. At the moment, it is firmly locked. > northwest Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove is some mail. > x stove Not very big, perhaps, but it’s very easy to work with—and very easy on your old hands. All you have to do is push the knob and it lights. It’s currently off. Some mail is on the stove. > push knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the mail on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > x smoke alarm They’re all the rage now, Emily keeps insisting, and soon everyone will have them; given your reputation, she says, arson is far from impossible, and you really should be prepared for it. Thankfully, it’s never been needed yet. It’s a small device, a bit smaller than an ashtray, of an utterly hideous design. After you replaced the cells you left it on top of the cabinets where you wouldn’t have to look at it. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > x sandwich There’s no accounting for taste, but really, you can’t help feeling a twinge of disapproval. It’s too large to be a tea sandwich, but too small to be a proper lunch on its own. Surely the constabulary should be ensuring its officers have proper meals while they’re investigating your murder! A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > eat sandwich Watson tries to reach for the sandwich, but Davis pulls it away. He’d probably need to grab it first, to get it out of her reach. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering mail, and immediately turns off the stove. > grab sandwich Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the sandwich off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. > eat sandwich Watson doesn’t need telling twice. Soon there’s nothing left of the sandwich. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room (where you are). > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove is some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. Now bereft of her sandwich, she pulls a biscuit from a pack. > southeast Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > south (first attempting to open the front door to the south) Watson noses at the front door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > north Watson turns to look northward, then looks back to you with a puzzled whine. He doesn’t see any way to go that direction. > northwest Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove is some mail. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > east Watson just sits down and wags his tail happily. You’ve taught him not to go in there, since all he’d do is try to drink the toilet water; anyway, there’s barely enough room to turn around there, and nothing in there would be much help in solving your murder. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove is some mail. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the first floor. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks into sight. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks out of sight. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > west Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you have to fear the worst. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > x pump Annoyingly noisy, but that’s a small price to pay to keep your cellar dry. Of course, it only works when there’s electricity. > x photo album Lottie left it when she was over for dinner, filled with photos of her trip out to the Orient. Her son is some sort of archaeologist out there, with his wife, and she loved talking about all the intricate details of what they were doing. Fiddly details have always been her favourite thing, and she kept pushing you to keep working on those constabulary records that weren’t lining up—she just had a feeling it was a sign of something worse. > look Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you have to fear the worst. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > northeast Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the southwest. > smell pantry Watson sniffs at the pantry (where you are). Whatever canine insights he’s gained from it, you can only guess. > listen Watson listens closely, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. > southwest Watson noses his way southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > east Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > north Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > take newspapers Watson manages to work a single paper free of the bundle. > south Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove is some mail. > put paper on stove Watson sets the old newspaper carefully on the stove. > push knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > eat biscuit Watson doesn’t need telling twice. Soon there’s nothing left of the biscuit. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen (where you are) to the dining room. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. A smoke detector blares shrilly from atop the cabinets. Watson winces with each new shriek. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > x davis You’ve always seen promise in Davis, from when she was just starting out as a bright-eyed new recruit. But she’s got a certain earnestness you’ve never quite been able to sway her from. Now she spends most of her time taking every menial task that’s pushed onto her, thinking straightforward honesty is the best path to promotion. Eventually, something is bound to shake her enough to take some initiative of her own...or at least, that was always your hope. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. Davis munches on a dry biscuit. > x biscuit Dry and hard, and should really be eaten with some tea. If you were still alive, you would make some for the constables, to drink while you discuss the case. But alas, brewing a proper cup is well beyond Watson’s abilities. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > west Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > east Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > north Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > south Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > push dumbwaiter wheel Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises into sight. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises out of sight. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > north Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > east Watson saunters up the stairs, and you drift along behind. Top of the stairs The afternoon light coming through the big windows makes the first floor look so cheerful and pleasant, and not at all like the place someone fell to her death just last night. It’s better that way; you’ve never wanted this house to look dreary by any stretch of the imagination. Identical doors lead north and south to your library and master suite, respectively; the hallway continues to the northwest, and the stairs lead back down to the west. From the sound of it, Phillips is hard at work in the suite to the south. > x windows You’ve always liked having plenty of natural light. > north (first attempting to open the library door to the north) Watson noses at the library door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > south (first attempting to open the suite door to the south) Watson noses at the suite door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > northwest Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Upstairs hall The hall runs alongside the staircase here before bending sharply at the end, with a little balcony to the south overlooking the first floor. The top of the stairs is back to the southeast, and the guest room will be to the north—once it’s been properly repainted and made livable, at least. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > pull cord Watson leaps upward and catches the cord in his teeth, trying to hold onto it with all his strength. For a moment it doesn’t seem like his weight will be enough...but with a steady groan the trapdoor opens and the stairs swing downward. His momentum carries him off to the south, depositing him with a gentle thump on the balcony. Balcony The hallway ends with a narrow balcony, connecting your bedroom to the south with everything else to the north. The railing to the east protects you from a dizzying drop to the bottom of the stairs. Evidence from another of your past cases is displayed proudly on the wall. The trapdoor to the attic is open, blocking off the passage to the north. Unfortunately, the stairs are on the other side. > x evidence The Tempete case was an odd one: a murder committed at sea, with only a half-dozen people aboard the vessel. Murder, extortion, smuggling, and worse...all spiralling from small, very human desires for money and safety. You have the customs papers here as a sort of memento. A reminder that murder is usually an ugly, desperate act, when someone’s greed or fear becomes more important than someone else’s life, rather than any grand plot or intricate scheme. Apart from this one, you have other mementos on display in the dining room and the reception room. You like to think of it as justifiably displaying your credentials rather than boasting. > look Balcony The hallway ends with a narrow balcony, connecting your bedroom to the south with everything else to the north. The railing to the east protects you from a dizzying drop to the bottom of the stairs. Evidence from another of your past cases is displayed proudly on the wall. The trapdoor to the attic is open, blocking off the passage to the north. Unfortunately, the stairs are on the other side. > south (first attempting to open the bedroom door to the south) Watson noses at the bedroom door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > enter attic Unfortunately, the actual steps are on the other side; from here, it’s just a big, slanted piece of wood coming down from the ceiling. > go through attic stairs Unfortunately, the actual steps are on the other side; from here, it’s just a big, slanted piece of wood coming down from the ceiling. > take evidence Watson noses at the report on the Tempete case, but can’t find any way to really pick it up. > close attic stairs Watson shoves his face and paws under the bottom step, rolling over onto his back and pushing with all his might. It only moves a little, but that’s enough for the mechanism to take over, and it snaps up into the ceiling. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Upstairs hall The hall runs alongside the staircase here before bending sharply at the end, with a little balcony to the south overlooking the first floor. The top of the stairs is back to the southeast, and the guest room will be to the north—once it’s been properly repainted and made livable, at least. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > x mattress Dragged out of the guest room while it’s being repainted, and left in the hallway because it’s too much of a hassle to move it anywhere else. At least while it’s propped on its edge it doesn’t get in the way too much. > look under mattress Watson snuffles around under the mattress, but turns up nothing. > look behind mattress Watson snuffles around behind the mattress, but turns up nothing. > north The guest room is closed off until the repainting is finished. Who knows when that will be, now... > push mattress In what direction? > push mattress under trapdoor Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > push mattress south Watson maneuvers the mattress carefully south, with you following behind. Balcony The hallway ends with a narrow balcony, connecting your bedroom to the south with everything else to the north. The railing to the east protects you from a dizzying drop to the bottom of the stairs. Evidence from another of your past cases is displayed proudly on the wall. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > pull cord Watson leaps upward and catches the cord in his teeth, trying to hold onto it with all his strength. For a moment it doesn’t seem like his weight will be enough...but with a steady groan the trapdoor opens and the stairs swing downward, carrying Watson with them and depositing him with a gentle thump on the balcony. Balcony The hallway ends with a narrow balcony, connecting your bedroom to the south with everything else to the north. The railing to the east protects you from a dizzying drop to the bottom of the stairs. Evidence from another of your past cases is displayed proudly on the wall. The trapdoor to the attic is open, blocking off the passage to the north. Unfortunately, the stairs are on the other side. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > x mattress Dragged out of the guest room while it’s being repainted, and left in the hallway because it’s too much of a hassle to move it anywhere else. At least while it’s propped on its edge it doesn’t get in the way too much. > jump on mattress Watson noses at the mattress, but he wouldn’t really fit on it. > watson Watson is a wonderfully intelligent collie, and he’s been oh so much help in your past investigations. You’ve trained him quite well, if you do say so yourself. > dig mattress Watson looks up at you happily, not falling for this trap. He knows very well he’s not allowed to dig at the mattress. > close trapdoor Watson shoves his face and paws under the bottom step, rolling over onto his back and pushing with all his might. It only moves a little, but that’s enough for the mechanism to take over, and it snaps up into the ceiling. > south (first attempting to open the bedroom door to the south) Watson noses at the bedroom door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > x railing A wooden railing on the east edge keeps people from falling to their deaths. It is certainly an imposing drop...and, you must admit, not a very tall railing. > bite railing Watson looks up at you, panting happily. He knows this trap by now: a railing is not for eating. > railing A wooden railing on the east edge keeps people from falling to their deaths. It is certainly an imposing drop...and, you must admit, not a very tall railing. > bite mattress Watson looks up at you, panting happily. He knows this trap by now: a mattress is not for eating. > close trapdoor Watson noses at the attic stairs, but they’re already closed. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Upstairs hall The hall runs alongside the staircase here before bending sharply at the end, with a little balcony to the south overlooking the first floor. The top of the stairs is back to the southeast, and the guest room will be to the north—once it’s been properly repainted and made livable, at least. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. > southeast Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Top of the stairs The afternoon light coming through the big windows makes the first floor look so cheerful and pleasant, and not at all like the place someone fell to her death just last night. It’s better that way; you’ve never wanted this house to look dreary by any stretch of the imagination. Identical doors lead north and south to your library and master suite, respectively; the hallway continues to the northwest, and the stairs lead back down to the west. From the sound of it, Phillips is hard at work in the suite to the south. > phillips “Fastidious” is perhaps the best word to describe the young constable, so insistent on doing everything by the book. You always appreciate his thoroughness in searching for clues, now that you’re in no state to be bending down and dusting for fingerprints under automobiles and such, but he’ll never be promoted if he can’t learn to put the pieces together himself. When he’s set himself to a task, nothing short of an absolute emergency will sway him from his course. Currently, he should be in your bedroom. > my bedroom You don’t have a clear path to your bedroom at the moment—some doors will need to be opened first. > x library door It’s currently closed and locked while Biddlecombe does her work. > west Watson saunters down the stairs, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > read newspapers You can’t really read the text when they’re bundled together like this. > look behind newspapers Watson snuffles around behind the stack of newspapers, but turns up nothing. > take newspaper Watson noses at the stack of newspapers, but can’t find any way to really pick it up. > south Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > x chair Wonderfully comfortable, with just the right amount of back support for reading. You’ve mounted it on wheels so you can get sunlight in the sitting room in the morning and lamplight in the evening room at night, and cleared the floor so the wheels don’t get stuck on anything. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > x binocular stand You’d set up a little stand in front of your best window, hoping to attach your binoculars to it for birdwatching. But then it never quite worked, because you always wanted to move them around too much; they’re much better for spying on people than birds. Now it just collects dust while you try to think of something better to put on it. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > southeast Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. > take case report Watson noses at the report on the Macaulay case, but can’t find any way to really pick it up. > look behind case report Watson snuffles around behind the report on the Macaulay case, but turns up nothing. > read macaulay report Under all the dry, formulaic language of a police report is the story of a serial murderer who baffled the constabulary, striking apparently without rhyme or reason. The case was about to be abandoned when you uncovered the truth: Lord Macaulay wanted to silence an old business associate, and orchestrated the other murders as a distraction. The trial is ongoing, but thanks to you, he’s quite likely to be convicted; really it’s become quite the press spectacle. Apart from the report framed here, you have others on display in the dining room and the upstairs balcony. After a career like yours, it’s only natural to want to admire your past victories. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > x table It can seat six comfortably, but nowadays your dinners are usually for one or two. So you’ve made sure it’s not too big for that. A biscuit is on the table. Your torch is on the table. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > turn knob Watson gets his teeth around the stove and tugs, but it won’t budge. > push knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table are a tape recorder and your torch. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > take torch Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks your torch off the table. Davis has no objection to the theft of your torch. She doesn’t seem to care what Watson does, as long as it doesn’t interfere with her paperwork or her lunch. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side, filling the room with smoke from the burning old newspaper. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > west Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > northeast Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the southwest. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > turn on torch Watson paws at your torch, and it switches on! In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > look Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft ends here, well above Watson’s head. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > south (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the south) Watson whines, and holds up your torch. This door needs to be pulled open, and he can’t do that with his mouth occupied. > southwest Watson saunters southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > east Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the attic. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the first floor. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks into sight. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks out of sight. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > west Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > northeast Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with nothing in it. > sw Watson saunters southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > east Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises into sight. > put torch in dumbwaiter Watson sets your torch carefully in the dumbwaiter. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises out of sight. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the attic. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the first floor. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks into sight, bringing you your torch. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks out of sight. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > west Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > northeast Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with your torch in it. > push door Watson prods at the root cellar door with his nose, but it doesn’t budge. > x door A spring pulls it shut automatically, to ensure the root cellar doesn’t get too warm. Alas, it doesn’t seem to have stopped the water. > the root cellar door A spring pulls it shut automatically, to ensure the root cellar doesn’t get too warm. Alas, it doesn’t seem to have stopped the water. > open door Watson noses the root cellar door open. > search water Watson snuffles around the floodwater, but he doesn’t turn up anything of interest. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > open door Watson noses the root cellar door open. > south Watson saunters through the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. Your score has gone up by one point. > smell Watson splashes through the water as he snuffles around, before stopping a few feet off to the south. > south Watson splashes away to the south, and you try your best to follow...until his paw hits something with a soft thump. He must have found the carrots! Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. From the sound of Watson’s snuffling, there’s something at your feet. > smell something Watson sniffs at the bundle of carrots. Whatever canine insights he’s gained from it, you can only guess. > take carrots Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the bundle of carrots. Your score has gone up by one point. > north Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > x bundle of carrots A one-peck bundle of carrots, fresh from the farmer’s market. Lottie picked them up as part of a good deal on onions, but she can’t stand the smell, so she brought them over for you and Watson to enjoy. They should be good, even if they’re mildly soggy now. > listen The air is still, and perfectly silent. You could hear a pin drop in the darkness. > north Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > drop bundle Watson sets the bundle of carrots carefully on the ground. > open door Watson understands the instruction to open something, but doesn’t understand what. > push door Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > north Watson splashes away to the north, and you try your best to follow...until suddenly a hint of light is visible in the darkness. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. > north (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the north) Watson noses the root cellar door open. Watson noses his way out the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with your torch in it. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > south (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the south) Watson noses the root cellar door open. Watson saunters through the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > take bundle Watson understands the instruction to take something, but doesn’t understand what. > south Watson splashes away blindly to the south, and you try your best to follow. Without landmarks, it’s hard to know if this is even really south... Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > take bundle Watson understands the instruction to take something, but doesn’t understand what. > smell Watson splashes through the water as he snuffles around, before stopping a few feet off to the north. > x carrots Watson understands the instruction to examine something, but doesn’t understand what. > smell You hear Watson splashing around to the north. > north Watson splashes away to the north, and you try your best to follow...until his paw hits something with a soft thump. He must have found the carrots! Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. From the sound of Watson’s snuffling, there’s something at your feet. > x something A one-peck bundle of carrots, fresh from the farmer’s market. Lottie picked them up as part of a good deal on onions, but she can’t stand the smell, so she brought them over for you and Watson to enjoy. They should be good, even if they’re mildly soggy now. > take carrots Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the bundle of carrots. > north Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > drop bundle Watson sets the bundle of carrots carefully on the ground. > north Watson splashes away to the north, and you try your best to follow...until suddenly a hint of light is visible in the darkness. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. > north (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the north) Watson noses the root cellar door open. Watson noses his way out the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with your torch in it. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > x dumbwaiter It’s a marvelous old thing, connecting all four levels of the house, and you’ve kept it in good condition. Much safer than carrying things up the attic stairs yourself at your age. The wheel next to the shaft moves it from one floor to another. Your torch is in the dumbwaiter. > sw Watson saunters southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > x pump Annoyingly noisy, but that’s a small price to pay to keep your cellar dry. Of course, it only works when there’s electricity. > turn off pump Watson paws at the pump, and it switches off! > x pump Annoyingly noisy, but that’s a small price to pay to keep your cellar dry. Of course, it only works when there’s electricity. > ne Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with your torch in it. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. > south (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the south) Watson noses the root cellar door open. Watson saunters through the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > smell Watson splashes through the water as he snuffles around, before stopping a few feet off to the southwest. > sw Watson splashes away to the southwest, and you try your best to follow...until his paw hits something with a soft thump. He must have found the carrots! Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. From the sound of Watson’s snuffling, there’s something at your feet. > take carrots Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the bundle of carrots. > n Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > ne Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > n Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > drop bundle Watson sets the bundle of carrots carefully on the ground. > n Watson splashes away to the north, and you try your best to follow...until suddenly a hint of light is visible in the darkness. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. > n (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the north) Watson noses the root cellar door open. Watson noses his way out the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with your torch in it. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > sw Watson saunters southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > xx pump Watson looks up at you with a sad little whine. He has no idea how to “xx”. > x pump Annoyingly noisy, but that’s a small price to pay to keep your cellar dry. Of course, it only works when there’s electricity. > e Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > e Watson just sits down and wags his tail happily. You’ve taught him not to go in there, since all he’d do is try to drink the toilet water; anyway, there’s barely enough room to turn around there, and nothing in there would be much help in solving your murder. > s Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > x shelf You made sure to put the bookshelf high enough that Watson couldn’t reach it. It’s not that he’d chew on the books; no, he’s far too well-trained for that. But he has a tendency to knock things over in his excitement. It doesn’t seem to have helped much, in the end. > n Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > x grate Things are always falling and getting lost in it. You kept meaning to put some sort of screen over it, but, well, you never quite found the time. > bite grate Watson looks up at you, panting happily. He knows this trap by now: a grate is not for eating. > search grate Watson snuffles around inside the grate, but turns up nothing. > push grate Watson prods at the grate with his nose, but it doesn’t budge. > look Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > x niche It is, even you have to admit, rather old-fashioned to have a telephone niche. Most people keep their telephones on tables now. But you always liked how it looked, so when you upgraded to a modern telephone, you kept it in the old niche. Things do occasionally roll under it and get lost. > look under niche Watson snuffles around under the telephone niche, but turns up nothing. > north Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. On the table is a tape recorder. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > x tape recorder They make them so small nowadays, small enough to fit into a coat pocket. It seems the Inspector has Davis taking dictation for him again...at least, he did until the murder investigation took priority. Three buttons on the bottom are labelled OFF, REC, and PLAY. OFF is currently pressed down. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > press play The recorder clicks on, and a tinny voice starts to play. Some sort of testimony, from the sound of it. Hearing the whine of the tape recorder, Davis reaches over and shuts it off. > take tape recorder Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the tape recorder off the table. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > south Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > press play The recorder clicks on, and a tinny voice starts to play. Some sort of testimony, from the sound of it. “...their country-place, Styles Court, had been purchased by Mr Cavendish early in their married life...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...he had been completely under his wife’s ascendancy, so much so that, on dying, he left the place to her for her lifetime...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...as well as the larger part of his income; an arrangement that was distinctly unfair to his two sons...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...their step-mother, however, had always been most generous to them...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...indeed, they were so young at the time of their father’s remarriage that they always thought of her as their own mother...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...Lawrence, the younger, had been a delicate youth. He had qualified as a doctor...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...but early relinquished the profession of medicine, and lived at home while pursuing literary ambitions...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...though his verses never had any marked success...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...John practised for some time as a barrister, but had finally settled down to the more congenial life of a country squire...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...he had married two years ago, and had taken his wife to live at Styles...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...though I entertained a shrewd suspicion that he would have preferred his mother to increase his allowance...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...which would have enabled him to have a home of his own...” > list to tape Watson wags his tail happily, no comprehension at all in his eyes. > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...Mrs Cavendish, however, was a lady who liked to make her own plans, and expected other people to fall in with them...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. “...and in this case she certainly had the whip hand, namely: the purse strings...” > listen to tape Watson listens closely to the tape recorder, but doesn’t seem to hear anything special. The recorder makes a sharp sound as the tape catches and skips. > press rec The recorder clicks on, and begins to record. > speak Watson holds up the tape recorder in his mouth. He would need to drop it to do anything else with his mouth. > drop tape Watson sets the tape recorder carefully on the ground. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > press rec Watson baps at the button, but the recorder is already recording. > press off The recorder clicks off. > press play The recorder clicks on, and a tinny voice starts to play. Some sort of testimony, from the sound of it. “...their country-place, Styles Court, had been purchased by Mr Cavendish early in their married life...” > drop tape recorder Watson looks at the tape recorder in confusion. Did you want him to take it? “...he had been completely under his wife’s ascendancy, so much so that, on dying, he left the place to her for her lifetime...” > n Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > x smoke detector They’re all the rage now, Emily keeps insisting, and soon everyone will have them; given your reputation, she says, arson is far from impossible, and you really should be prepared for it. Thankfully, it’s never been needed yet. It’s a small device, a bit smaller than an ashtray, of an utterly hideous design. After you replaced the cells you left it on top of the cabinets where you wouldn’t have to look at it. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > s Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. You see a tape recorder here. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. “...as well as the larger part of his income; an arrangement that was distinctly unfair to his two sons...” > take tape recorder Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the tape recorder. “...their step-mother, however, had always been most generous to them...” > n Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Hearing the whine of the tape recorder, Davis reaches over and shuts it off. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > drop tape recorder Watson sets the tape recorder carefully on the ground. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises into sight, bringing you your torch. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises out of sight. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the attic. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the first floor. > put tape recorder in dumbwaiter (first attempting to take the tape recorder) Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the tape recorder. Watson drops the tape recorder into the shaft, and it falls away into the darkness. A moment later, you hear a splash from below. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks into sight, bringing you your torch. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks out of sight. > s Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > w Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > ne Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. You see a tape recorder here. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with your torch in it. > take tape recorder Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the tape recorder. > sw Watson saunters southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > e Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises into sight, bringing you your torch. > push wheel The dumbwaiter rises out of sight. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the attic. > push wheel The cables glide along their tracks, sending the dumbwaiter to the first floor. > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks into sight, bringing you your torch. > put tape recorder in dumbwaiter Watson sets the tape recorder carefully in the dumbwaiter. > press play The recorder clicks on, and a tinny voice starts to play. Some sort of testimony, from the sound of it. “...indeed, they were so young at the time of their father’s remarriage that they always thought of her as their own mother...” > push wheel The dumbwaiter sinks out of sight. > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > west Watson saunters down the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > northeast Watson saunters northeast, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with a tape recorder and your torch in it. “...Lawrence, the younger, had been a delicate youth. He had qualified as a doctor...” > south (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the south) Watson noses the root cellar door open. “...but early relinquished the profession of medicine, and lived at home while pursuing literary ambitions...” Watson saunters through the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. > smell Watson splashes through the water as he snuffles around, before stopping a few feet off to the west. > w Watson splashes away to the west, and you try your best to follow...until his paw hits something with a soft thump. He must have found the carrots! Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. From the sound of Watson’s snuffling, there’s something at your feet. > take carrots Watson opens his mouth and carefully scoops up the bundle of carrots. > listen Watson is silent for a moment, listening intently, before you hear him move to the northwest. There seems to be some source of noise that way! > northeast Watson drags the bundle aimlessly through the darkness. But it’s heavy, and the going is slow; he would need to drop the bundle or have a definite heading to get anywhere. Depths of the root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can’t even make out any exits. > listen Watson is silent for a moment, listening intently, before you hear him move to the northwest. There seems to be some source of noise that way! > northwest Watson splashes away to the northwest, and you try your best to follow...until suddenly a hint of light is visible in the darkness. Root cellar (in the dark) It’s pitch dark, and you can barely see a thing. You can make out light to the north. > north (first attempting to open the root cellar door to the north) Watson noses the root cellar door open. Watson noses his way out the root cellar door, and you drift along behind. Pantry In the torchlight, your fears are confirmed: Watson is standing in at least three inches of water. Oh, what a mess... The door to the root cellar is now visible to the south. The dumbwaiter hangs well above Watson’s head, with a tape recorder and your torch in it. The door to the root cellar swings closed again. “...though his verses never had any marked success...” > sw Watson saunters southwest, and you drift along behind. Landing The stairs turn around sharply here at a little wooden landing, just a foot or so above the ground. The pump here is supposed to keep your cellar from flooding, but with the electricity out, you now know it’s thoroughly failed at that. The cellar proper is down to the northeast, in near-total darkness without the light from the hall windows, or you can go back up to the east. That photo album Lottie brought has been set in the corner for when she comes back. > east Watson saunters up the cellar stairs, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > north Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > put carrots on table Watson sets the bundle of carrots carefully on the table. Davis munches on a dry biscuit. > show carrots to davis (first attempting to take the bundle of carrots) Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the bundle of carrots off the table. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. Davis looks down at Watson, and winces at the sight of water being dripped all over your rug. (Well, it can’t be helped.) It takes her a moment more to realise what exactly it’s dripping from. “The carrots!” Watson lets go obligingly as she heaves the bundle up onto the table, trying to keep it from soaking her paperwork. “Don’t know how you knew we needed these, but I’ll get them to the lab right away. Thanks, boy.” Watson sits back with a proud smile as Davis makes the arrangements, though he seems a bit sad not to be given a carrot himself for his efforts. The lab tests will take a while, but you’re confident they’ll come back clean. Lottie is innocent. Your score has gone up by one point. > look Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis’s seat stands conspicuously vacant. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis makes her way from the reception room to the kitchen. > take biscuits Watson understands the instruction to take something, but doesn’t understand what. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room (where you are). > south Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > eat biscuit Watson understands the instruction to eat something, but doesn’t understand what. > east Watson saunters up the stairs, and you drift along behind. Top of the stairs The afternoon light coming through the big windows makes the first floor look so cheerful and pleasant, and not at all like the place someone fell to her death just last night. It’s better that way; you’ve never wanted this house to look dreary by any stretch of the imagination. Identical doors lead north and south to your library and master suite, respectively; the hallway continues to the northwest, and the stairs lead back down to the west. From the sound of it, Phillips is hard at work in the suite to the south. > w Watson saunters down the stairs, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > s Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. > s (first attempting to open the front door to the south) Watson noses at the front door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > x paperwork Poor dear, this looks like a real mess of paperwork. It can be much easier to work on cases when you’re not officially part of the constabulary. Davis munches on a dry biscuit. > take paperwork Watson just thumps his tail. You’ve taught him well not to mess with such things. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > push paperwork Oh, but that would just be mean to the poor constable. She’s stressed enough as it is. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > x chandelier It was once a beautiful arrangement of crystal and candles, and now it’s a beautiful arrangement of crystal and electric lights. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > south Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > east Watson saunters up the stairs, and you drift along behind. Top of the stairs The afternoon light coming through the big windows makes the first floor look so cheerful and pleasant, and not at all like the place someone fell to her death just last night. It’s better that way; you’ve never wanted this house to look dreary by any stretch of the imagination. Identical doors lead north and south to your library and master suite, respectively; the hallway continues to the northwest, and the stairs lead back down to the west. From the sound of it, Phillips is hard at work in the suite to the south. > south (first attempting to open the suite door to the south) Watson noses at the suite door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Upstairs hall The hall runs alongside the staircase here before bending sharply at the end, with a little balcony to the south overlooking the first floor. The top of the stairs is back to the southeast, and the guest room will be to the north—once it’s been properly repainted and made livable, at least. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. > n The guest room is closed off until the repainting is finished. Who knows when that will be, now... > open guest room Watson understands the instruction to open something, but doesn’t understand what. In particular, the word “guest” seems to be confusing him. > north The guest room is closed off until the repainting is finished. Who knows when that will be, now... > south Watson saunters south, and you drift along behind. Balcony The hallway ends with a narrow balcony, connecting your bedroom to the south with everything else to the north. The railing to the east protects you from a dizzying drop to the bottom of the stairs. Evidence from another of your past cases is displayed proudly on the wall. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > x evidence The Tempete case was an odd one: a murder committed at sea, with only a half-dozen people aboard the vessel. Murder, extortion, smuggling, and worse...all spiralling from small, very human desires for money and safety. You have the customs papers here as a sort of memento. A reminder that murder is usually an ugly, desperate act, when someone’s greed or fear becomes more important than someone else’s life, rather than any grand plot or intricate scheme. Apart from this one, you have other mementos on display in the dining room and the reception room. You like to think of it as justifiably displaying your credentials rather than boasting. > x bedroom door It’s locked tight; you’ll have to find another way. > x window You’ve always liked having plenty of natural light. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Upstairs hall The hall runs alongside the staircase here before bending sharply at the end, with a little balcony to the south overlooking the first floor. The top of the stairs is back to the southeast, and the guest room will be to the north—once it’s been properly repainted and made livable, at least. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. > pull cord from north Watson understands the instruction to push something north, but doesn’t understand what. > pull cord Watson leaps upward and catches the cord in his teeth, trying to hold onto it with all his strength. For a moment it doesn’t seem like his weight will be enough...but with a steady groan the trapdoor opens and the stairs swing downward. His momentum carries him off to the south, depositing him with a gentle thump on the balcony. Balcony The hallway ends with a narrow balcony, connecting your bedroom to the south with everything else to the north. The railing to the east protects you from a dizzying drop to the bottom of the stairs. Evidence from another of your past cases is displayed proudly on the wall. The trapdoor to the attic is open, blocking off the passage to the north. Unfortunately, the stairs are on the other side. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > push mattress In what direction? > push mattress north The stairs to the attic block off that hallway completely. > pull cord Watson shoves his face and paws under the bottom step, rolling over onto his back and pushing with all his might. It only moves a little, but that’s enough for the mechanism to take over, and it snaps up into the ceiling. > push mattress north Watson maneuvers the mattress carefully north, with you following behind. Upstairs hall The hall runs alongside the staircase here before bending sharply at the end, with a little balcony to the south overlooking the first floor. The top of the stairs is back to the southeast, and the guest room will be to the north—once it’s been properly repainted and made livable, at least. A dangling cord marks the location of the trapdoor to the attic. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > push mattress southeast Watson maneuvers the mattress carefully southeast, with you following behind. Top of the stairs The afternoon light coming through the big windows makes the first floor look so cheerful and pleasant, and not at all like the place someone fell to her death just last night. It’s better that way; you’ve never wanted this house to look dreary by any stretch of the imagination. Identical doors lead north and south to your library and master suite, respectively; the hallway continues to the northwest, and the stairs lead back down to the west. From the sound of it, Phillips is hard at work in the suite to the south. A mattress is propped up against one wall, for lack of anywhere better to put it. > w Watson saunters down the stairs, and you drift along behind. Bottom of the stairs This was once the front room of your house, before you sealed off the door here and built the larger front room on the other side. Now it just serves as a little hallway connecting the evening room to the south to the dining room to the north. The stairs to the east lead up to the first floor. Your body lies at the bottom of the stairs. A big grate is set into the floor under the stairs. Your telephone hangs in its niche on the north wall. Various old newspapers are stacked in the corner. > s Watson saunters through the shredded police tape, and you drift along behind. Evening room Really this is just another part of the sitting room, but when the house was modernised and electrified, the west half was lit up and the east half left to its natural light. So you’ve taken to calling this the evening room, a comfortable place to sit after supper when you don’t want to brave the stairs to the library. The stairs themselves end to the north, up a small step. Your chair lies toppled, no longer keeping Watson imprisoned. The high shelf now stands bereft of books. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Sitting room The big south-facing windows in this room give it the best light in the house, so you always take your breakfast and tea here. Normally it would be half-filled with your potted plants, but you took those out for Alfred to look at last week, and you haven’t had a moment to move them back in yet. The room continues west from here, while the hall leads north over a small step to the rest of the house. Your ill-conceived binocular stand is fixed in front of the bay window. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Hall This narrow hallway is right at the centre of the house, linking the sitting room to the south to the kitchen to the north. To the west, dark stairs lead down to the cellar, and to the east used to be a closet until you had it turned into a tiny little lavatory. > n Watson saunters north, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > push button Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > press button Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room to the kitchen. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the kitchen, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the kitchen, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the kitchen, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > turn knob Watson gets his teeth around the stove and tugs, but it won’t budge. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. In the dining room, the smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. A smoke detector blares shrilly from atop the cabinets. Watson winces with each new shriek. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side, filling the room with smoke from the burning old newspaper. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > wai Watson looks up at you with a sad little whine. He has no idea how to “wai”. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis munches on a dry biscuit. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > take pack of biscuits Watson noses at the pack of biscuits, but can’t find a way to separate it from Constable Davis. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > take pack of biscuits Watson noses at the pack of biscuits, but can’t find a way to separate it from Constable Davis. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > take pack of biscuits Watson understands the instruction to take something, but doesn’t understand what. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room (where you are). > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > help As a ghost, you’re very limited in what you can do yourself: you can LOOK, EXAMINE (X) things, or RECALL people. You might also find it useful to LOOK in a direction, appraise the EXITS of the room (or the overall MAP), or LOOK THROUGH transparent things. For anything else, you have to rely on Watson. He can: - TAKE, DROP, and THROW things, or show you what he has with INVENTORY - PUSH, PULL, OPEN, CLOSE, GET ON, GET IN, and GET OUT OF things - LOOK IN/ON/UNDER/BEHIND things, or PUT things IN/ON/UNDER/BEHIND something else - Move in any compass direction (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW), or UP or DOWN - GO TO a specific room, or FIND a particular thing, if there’s a clear path - LISTEN, FEEL, and SMELL, either a specific thing or in general - BITE, EAT, or DRINK things, within reason - BARK, WAVE, KISS people, and GIVE (or SHOW) things TO them Along with various other tricks—he’s a talented dog! Outside of the game, you can use UNDO to take back your last action, SAVE and RESTORE to save your progress, and ABOUT to see some information about this game. SCORE will show how many points you have, what you’ve earned points for, and what you should be working on next. SETTINGS will let you adjust the game to your liking. You’re playing in an interpreter that supports links, so you can navigate the game either by typing in commands, or by clicking links in the text. Click the name of an object to examine it, and see what other actions might be useful. If you’re not sure where to go next, you can THINK for guidance, or ask for a HINT or a MAP. > hint Hint file > hints on Hint notifications enabled. > hint Hint file > hints off Hint notifications disabled. > s (first attempting to open the front door to the south) Watson noses at the front door, but it doesn’t open. It seems to be locked. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > speak Watson holds up the biscuit in his mouth. He would need to drop it to do anything else with his mouth. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen (where you are) to the dining room. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > dance Watson spins around in a circle, chasing his own tail, then looks up at you for approval. Davis munches on a dry biscuit. > eat biscuit Watson tries to reach for the biscuit, but Davis pulls it away. He’d probably need to grab it first, to get it out of her reach. Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > turn knob Watson gets his teeth around the stove and tugs, but it won’t budge. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > west Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > dance Watson spins around in a circle, chasing his own tail, then looks up at you for approval. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen (where you are) to the dining room. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > drop biscuit Watson understands the instruction to drop something, but doesn’t understand what. > think You currently have 6 points out of a maximum of 18, in 554 turns. You’ve earned points for: - Finding a way to interact with the world - Escaping the armchair - Proving it was murder - Gaining access to the root cellar - Finding the carrots - Exculpating your friend Charlotte Right now, you need to: - Access the gardens, where the rosebushes are - Access the attic, where your laboratory is - Access your bedroom suite, where your medications are > push knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. A smoke detector blares shrilly from atop the cabinets. Watson winces with each new shriek. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side, filling the room with smoke from the burning old newspaper. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > show biscuit to davis Constable Davis looks sadly at her mangled biscuit, and unceremoniously disposes of it. She does give Watson a little pet of appreciation, though. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > push knob Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > push button Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > press button Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > press button Watson understands the instruction to push something, but doesn’t understand what. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side, filling the room with smoke from the burning old newspaper. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room to the kitchen (where you are). The old newspaper on the stove continues to smoke. > drop biscuit Watson pretends he didn’t hear you. He’s normally very good at dropping things...except when it comes to human food. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > throw biscuit In which direction? > throw biscuit at door Watson understands the instruction to throw something, but doesn’t understand what. > speak Watson holds up the biscuit in his mouth. He would need to drop it to do anything else with his mouth. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > drop biscuit Watson pretends he didn’t hear you. He’s normally very good at dropping things...except when it comes to human food. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > drop biscuit Watson understands the instruction to drop something, but doesn’t understand what. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Off in the dining room, Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side, filling the room with smoke from the burning old newspaper. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room to the kitchen (where you are). The old newspaper on the stove continues to smoke. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > speak Watson holds up the biscuit in his mouth. He would need to drop it to do anything else with his mouth. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > x biscuit Dry and hard, and should really be eaten with some tea. If you were still alive, you would make some for the constables, to drink while you discuss the case. But alas, brewing a proper cup is well beyond Watson’s abilities. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > nw Watson saunters northwest, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis munches on a dry biscuit. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis fishes another biscuit out of the pack. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis absent-mindedly tries to dip her biscuit in some tea, then realises she doesn’t have any. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! Davis flips one of the sheets over, tapping her pen against the table. > east Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. > push knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. The smoke detector, abandoned on top of the cabinets, is mercifully silent now. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side, filling the room with smoke from the burning old newspaper. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room to the kitchen (where you are). The old newspaper on the stove continues to smoke. > put biscuit on stove Watson pretends he didn’t hear you. He’s normally very good at dropping things...except when it comes to human food. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > show biscuit to davis Constable Davis looks sadly at her mangled biscuit, and unceremoniously disposes of it. She does give Watson a little pet of appreciation, though. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > speak Watson lets out a loud bark that echoes through the house, then looks up at you for approval, tail wagging happily. Davis steadfastly ignores the sound. She’s investigating a murder now, and can’t be distracted by barking dogs! A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen (where you are) to the dining room. > think You currently have 6 points out of a maximum of 18, in 601 turns. You’ve earned points for: - Finding a way to interact with the world - Escaping the armchair - Proving it was murder - Gaining access to the root cellar - Finding the carrots - Exculpating your friend Charlotte Right now, you need to: - Access the gardens, where the rosebushes are - Access the attic, where your laboratory is - Access your bedroom suite, where your medications are > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis settles back into her chair and returns to work. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The alarm falls silent, and Watson can finally relax again. > press knob The lighter makes a clicking sound as Watson paws at the dials, until finally he catches it just right, and the flame takes hold. It’s not long before the old newspaper on top starts to fill the room with smoke. Really, you suppose, that’s the best you can expect from a dog’s cooking. In the dining room, the smoke alarm begins to shriek. As the alarm starts to blare, Davis puts aside her work with a groan. > w Watson saunters west, and you drift along behind. Dining room This is the proper place to share a meal with someone, with plenty of windows, a big table, and a lovely chandelier. Display cabinets along the walls show off some of your favourite curiosities from your long career; doors lead east to the kitchen and south to the rest of the house. Constable Davis herself sits in one of your chairs, hard at work. Her paperwork covers the table. A smoke detector blares shrilly from atop the cabinets. Watson winces with each new shriek. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis gets up from her chair. > take biscuit Watson opens his mouth and carefully plucks the biscuit off the table. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the dining room (where you are) to the kitchen. > wait Watson tries as hard as he can to demonstrate patience. A haze of smoke clouds the air. The smoke alarm continues to shriek. Following the smoke to the kitchen, Davis is confronted with the horrors of the smoldering old newspaper, and immediately turns off the stove. > e Watson saunters east, and you drift along behind. Kitchen Your kitchen isn’t spacious by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve always found it cozy rather than cramped. A big door leads west to the dining room, and a smaller one leads southeast to your new reception room; the rest of the house is back to the south. Constable Davis is here, looking rather frazzled. The dumbwaiter shaft is set into the north wall. The stove is tucked away to one side. On the stove are a old newspaper and some mail. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. > se Watson saunters southeast, and you drift along behind. Reception room You designed this room specifically for uninvited guests. Back when the front door was at the west end of the house, they’d have to wait awkwardly outside until you had the sitting room or dining room in order. Now, there’s a place to sit and take tea with them at a moment’s notice—and admire the framed case reports on the wall—and that can make witnesses ever so much more willing to open up. What used to be the back door of the house leads northwest to the kitchen, and the new front door leads out to the south. A haze of smoke clouds the air. In the dining room, the smoke alarm continues to shriek. Davis makes her way from the kitchen to the dining room. > show biscuit to davis Watson understands the instruction to show the biscuit to someone, but doesn’t understand who. > put biscuit on mail Watson understands the instruction to put the biscuit on something, but doesn’t understand what. > think You currently have 6 points out of a maximum of 18, in 609 turns. You’ve earned points for: - Finding a way to interact with the world - Escaping the armchair - Proving it was murder - Gaining access to the root cellar - Finding the carrots - Exculpating your friend Charlotte Right now, you need to: - Access the gardens, where the rosebushes are - Access the attic, where your laboratory is - Access your bedroom suite, where your medications are >