DAHI: Two Cases in early 1732 London

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''The New Case'' //London, 1732// On the morning walk to your work, you reach the door of your workplace in a pensive state. 'Is a crocodile who works for the police an investi-gator?' You are rudely interrupted by your co-worker, Miss $assistname. You have been working with Miss $assistname for over two years and she is the one who urged you to move forward in your career and pursue the higher position that she was running for as well. You trust her with your life and vice versa, which is important as you often depend on each other for that exact reason. "''Detective $name!'' There you are! We have been waiting for you to return to the precinct." Miss $assistname said as soon as you walked through the doors of the precinct. "Hello Miss $assistname, how are you on this fine day?" you ask politely. "I am not doing so well Detective, there have been a few new cases that have come in, and I think we should get a head start on them as soon as we can." she answered with a frown on her forehead. Her eyes darted around the precinct worriedly and she looked down at her desk where the case files were displayed. "''Alright, let's get into it.''" [[The Case of Joseph Cannon]] [[The Case of Jane Hallam]]

You open the first case file that is placed on Miss $assistname's desk. ''Joseph Cannon'' "Joseph Cannon was found on the 22nd of January 1732, with a deadly stab of a sharp object in his chest, half an inch wide and three inches deep." You read out. The case file contained very little details on further discoveries, so you decided to travel to the crime scene with Miss $assistname. [[Let's go!]]

You and Miss $assistname walk towards Gravel-Lane in Hounsditch, where the Mother-in-law of the victim has a shop. When you open the doors of the shop you see a gentleman named Mr. Rohan, the wife of the victim and her mother, and Mr. Tapper. There were a few men in the background playing cards, and they seemed rather invested in their game. Miss $assistname evaluated the scene before her and asked: "With whom would you prefer to start, Detective $name?" [[The Card Players]] [[Wife of the Victim]] [[Mother-in-law of the Victim]] [[Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper]]

You walk over to the Card Players at the end of the shop. They are boisterously playing a fairly simple card game which seems amusing to them as a group. "Excuse me gentlemen," you interrupt the game politely, "my name is Detective $name and we have learned that most recently a regular in this shop has wound up dead due to unforeseen circumstances. We would like to ask you some questions regarding his death if you don't mind." The table silenced and an old man, Mr. Wilcox, stood up from the table and motioned you and Miss $assistname to the table on the side. Mr. Wilcox: "Y-you mean that Joseph kicked the bucket?" Miss $assistname: "Well he did not 'kick the bucket' as you so delicately put it sir, but he was killed with a single wound to the chest." You analyse the facial expressions of the man and see tears brimming his eyes briefly, before he sits up and looks confidently to you and Miss $assistname. Mr. Wilcox: "What do you want to know officers? I will do anything to help you find the bastard that killed my pal." [[Start the Interrogation of Mr. Wilcox]]

You decide to interview the Wife of the Victim, Mrs. Cannon. You follow Miss $assistname further into the shop and start looking for maybe the most important witness of the case. The Wife already seemed aware of her husband's death and turned to you and Miss $assistname with red, watery eyes. Mrs. Cannon: "Hello officers, you are here to investigate the murder of my husband I presume?" You and Miss $assistname nod timidly Mrs. Cannon dropped her head into her hands and started to sob uncontrollably. [[Ask your colleague to calm the woman down]] [[Offer to bring Mrs. Cannon a glass of water to calm her down]]

Miss $assistname and you approached the Mother-in-law of the victim, Mrs. Chandler. Miss $assistname: "Excuse me Mrs. Chandler?" Mrs. Chandler: "Yes, dear?" Miss $assistname: "We come from the precinct and would like to ask you some questions regarding the death of your son-in-law, Mr. Cannon." The way the woman's eyebrowes furrowed briefly did not go unnoticed by your sharp eye. Mrs. Chandler regained her posture and guided you and Miss $assistname outside the shop. She mentioned that she felt more comfortable talking outside the shop, as she did not want to be overheard by the company. [[Follow Mrs. Chandler outside]]

You and Miss $assistname decide to approach Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper, who were standing close to the card players. They were looking at the table and lowly talking to each other, clearly trying to be secretive of their topic. Miss $assistname is the first to step forward and interact with the two gentlemen. Miss $assistname: "Excuse me sirs, we are from the precinct and we have some questions regarding the mysterious death that has occured in this establishment. My name is Miss $assistname and this is Detective $name" The gentlemen frown at Miss $assistname as if she is unworthy of her presence. Mr. Tapper scoffs and looks back at the table. Mr. Rohan turns his attention to you. Mr. Tapper: "Hello Detective $name, how are you on this fine day?" You ignore the rude account of the two gentlemen and immediately move forward with the questions. [[Did Mr. Cannon have any enemies?]] [[Where were you on the night of the Murder?]] [[I have no further questions]]

"So Mr. Wilcox, where were you on the night of the 22nd of January of this year?" Mr. Wilcox: "I was here, Detective, playing cards with the fellas. Most of my visits to this shop are spent with the guys playing cards in the back. Joseph was one of my best mates, we used to be an unbeatable team." You are closely listening to Wilcox while Miss $assistname proceeded with the questions. Miss $assistname: "Did Mr. Cannon have any enemies, Mr. Wilcox?" Mr. Wilcox: "Not that I am aware of ma'am. Last week we had won a large sum of money on the table, but the fellas are always in good spirits." You started to look at the table where the guys had resumed their game by now and slowly asked "Mr. Wilcox, who was playing with you at the table last week?" Mr. Wilcox frowned in thought and looked at the table. He pointed at everyone who was seated and then looked to the front of the shop. Mr. Wilcox: "All of the boys were here last week, Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper were playing as well... Yeah, they were all present." You thanked Mr. Wilcox for his helpful account and decided to resume your further investigation with asking questions to other people in the shop. [[Wife of the Victim]] [[Mother-in-law of the Victim]] [[Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper]] [[End the Questioning]] [[End the Investigation here]]

Did you pay close attention? Well Detective $name, [[Who Killed Mr. Cannon?]]

Miss $assistname and you return to the precinct and talk about the case. Miss $assistname: "Detective $name, knowing all you know now, who do you think committed the murder on Joseph Cannon?" "I think it was..." [[The Mother-in-law]] [[The Wife]] [[Mr. Wilcox]] [[Mr. Rohan]] [[Mr. Tapper]]

Did the Mother-in-law kill her son-in-law? No, she did not. Please return to the witness accounts and evidence gathered to try again Detective $name! [[Let's go!]]

Did the Wife kill her Husband? No, she did not. Return to the evidence, Detective $name! [[Let's go!]]

Did Mr. Wilcox kill his buddy? No, he did not. He had no motive. Please return to the evidence and witness accounts to try again! [[Let's go!]]

Did the mysterious Mr. Rohan kill Mr. Cannon? He did have motive, yes. But it wasn't him! Try again, take a close look at the evidence Detective $name! [[Let's go!]]

Did the quiet Mr. Tapper kill Joseph Cannon? Why yes he did. However, it did not go quite as it is portrayed here. Yes, the culprit stabbed the victim with the knife. However, the Court ruled his death as accidental, as all present men in the shop were highly intoxicated and many witnesses vouched on behalf of Mr. Tapper's character Well Done Detective $name!! [[Case Selection]] [[Thank you for playing, Detective!]]

When Mrs. Chandler stopped walking and turned around, her posture had faltered and she slumped a little against the wall of her store. Mrs. Chandler: "I am very saddened by the loss of my son-in-law officers. He was a very good young man and he was a joy to have in the family. He made my daughter really happy." You give the woman a sympathetic look and ask if Mr. Cannon had any enemies that she was aware of. Mrs. Chandler: "I only know he had an argument with my daughter because she had a miscarriage of their child. It really took a toll of their relationship." You gave Miss $assistname a knowing look and decided to proceed with the more standard questions. Mrs. Chandler said that she was present in the store the night of the murder, but she was taking stock in the back. She had no further valuable accounts that you need to remember moving forward in the murder investigation. You and Miss $assistname followed Mrs. Chandler back inside and Miss $assistname asked: "Whomst do you want to question next Detective?" [[The Card Players]] [[Wife of the Victim]] [[Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper]] [[End the Questioning]] [[End the Investigation here]]

After all the information you gathered in the questioning of the witnesses, you have a clear idea about who you think that killed Mr. Cannon. On your walk back you talk things through with Miss $assistname once more, recovering any details that you might have missed. [[End the Investigation here]]

You nudge Miss $assistname in the side to move forward and comfort the wife. As she walks away with the wife to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water, you decide to look around in the shop. After a few minutes of aimlessly wandering around in the shop, a small towell-like ''fabric'' catches your eye. You inch closer, but before you can take a closer look to inspect the oddly-colored fabric you hear Miss $assistname's and Mrs. Cannon's footsteps returning to the shop. [[Return to the conversation]]

You walk into the kitchen of the house attached to the shop, leaving Miss $assistname and Mrs. Cannon behind. You open the cupboards, looking for a glass. Your thoughts drift back to the Wife and her public display of her tears. In your experience you are well aware that because of her close relationship to the victim the likelihood of her being the killer was a possibility that should not yet be disregarded. As you open a drawer to find a towel to clean up the water you spilled over the edge of the glass, your eye falls on ''the knife set'' with an empty slot. [[Return to the conversation]]

When the conversation resumed you decided to keep the new piece of evidence you gained to yourself for now. Miss $assistname: "We're very sorry Mrs. Cannon, but are you aware of any enemies that your husband might have had during his life?" The Wife lifted her shoulders and looked to the ground. She did not mention the fight she had with him, nor did she accuse anyone else of being her husband's enemy. In finishing up the questioning, you asked the wife of her location during the time of the murder. She mentioned that she was out with a few friends during the time of the murder. She asked us to verify the story with Miss Cavendish if we so desired. I turned to Miss $assistname and said; Let us continue the questioning [[The Card Players]] [[Mother-in-law of the Victim]] [[Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper]] [[End the Questioning]] [[End the Investigation here]]

Miss $assistname decided to try again and spoke up. "Did Mr. Cannon have any enemies?" Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper shared a look that could only be described as mischievous. "He had taken a lot of money from us that night, we were irritated and we felt cheated. Mr. Cannon and Mr. Wilcox are known as the ''unbeatable duo'' but everyone knows that they win by cheating." Mr. Rohan shared. Mr. Tapper moved uncomfortably and his eyes started darting from the detectives to the table, to Mr. Rohan and back again. [[Where were you on the night of the Murder?]] [[I have no further questions]] [[End the Questioning]] [[End the Investigation here]]

"Where were you on the night of the murder?" you asked to Mr. Rohan and Mr. Tapper both, even though only one of them was actively listening. Mr. Rohan took it upon himself to answer for the both of them. Mr. Rohan: "We were here of course, playing cards with the boys. Wilcox can testify to that." You share a look with Miss $assistname, deciding to dive a little deeper into this subject. "What did you do when the card game was over, Mr. Rohan?" Mr. Rohan: "I went home immediately, to my wife" You look at Mr. Tapper to see if he would answer a similar answer to the question, but he did not speak up about the matter. [[Did Mr. Cannon have any enemies?]] [[I have no further questions]]

You concluded the questioning and when Miss $assistname moved towards the exit of the shop, you saw Mr. Tapper and Mr. Rohan whispering in a low tone. You approached Mr. Tapper and decided to ask him for a napkin, because you wanted to blow your nose. Mr. Tapper felt around in his pockets, and his face went white, almost as white as a ghost. He quickly nudged Mr. Rohan who provided you with a napkin. Grateful for the napkin you walked away and joined Miss $assistname to return to the precinct. [[End the Questioning]] [[End the Investigation here]]

You decide to open the thickest file on Miss $assistname's desk. As you struggle to keep all the sheets of paper in the file, your eye falls on the name on the first page of the file. (set: $holding to "nothing" ) ''Victim: Jane Hallam'' [[What happened to Jane?]]

Jane Hallam, Wife of Robert Hallam of St. Ann's in Middlesex was found dead on the stone-pavement with mortal bruisings on her body. The murder happened in February 1732, during the night. No present witnesses have come forward but the apprentice, who had only heard Jane scream and yell before her life was taken away from her. Miss $assistname: Detective $name, I think it is time for us to visit the crime scene, don't you think? [[The Crime Scene]]

(set: $name to (prompt: "What is your last name?", "")) (set: $assistname to (prompt:"What is your favorite city?","" )) This game encourages you to solve two murder cases, Detective $name! Channel your inner Sherlock and C. Auguste Dupin and good luck! [[Case Selection]]

When you and Miss $assistname arrived on the location of the crime, the eerie and intimidating look of the tall building created a gothic atmosphere. You knocked the door once and when you lifted your hand up to knock a second time, the door swung open to reveal a young man. You: "Hello there young man, my name is Detective $name, this is Miss $assistname. We have some questions regarding the death of the lady of this house, Mrs. Hallam. Would you please allow us to enter the house?" The young man was clearly startled by your and Miss $assistname's presence, but stepped aside nonetheless. The young man mumbled a quiet "sure" and turned to look at the ground as he guided you and Miss $assistname to the living room. The Young Man: "Would you like anything to drink, officers?" [[I'll take a cup of tea please]] [[Water is just fine, thank you]]

The young man returned with glass of water and some biscuits and placed them on the salon table that was placed before you, as you and Miss $assistname sat down in a pair of chairs placed around the fireplace. The house was decorated in antics and old paintings, most of them you presumed to be family portraits. You: "Thank you for the tea young man, what is your name?" The Young Man: "My name is Charles Bird, officers. I am the apprentice of the lord of the house, Mr. Hallam." [[Continue the questioning of Mr. Bird]]

The young man returned with a cup of tea and some sweets and placed them on the salon table that was placed before you, as you and Miss $assistname sat down on the couch. The house was decorated in antics and old paintings, most of them you presumed to be family portraits. You: "Thank you for the tea young man, what is your name?" The Young Man: "My name is Charles Bird, officers. I am the apprentice of the lord of the house, Mr. Hallam." [[Continue the questioning of Mr. Bird]]

As you sip on the beverage Mr. Bird so graciously provided, you decide to ask him some questions regarding the inhabitants of this house. "Were you close to Mr. and Mrs. Hallam, Mr. Bird?" You ask politely. Mr. Bird looked up in surprise, as he had not expected the question to be aimed at him, even though there was nobody else present in the room but him and the two officers. "I was fairly close to Mr. Hallam, Detective. Mrs. Hallam took great care of me as her husband's apprentice, but we had no further engagement together other than a shared dinner from time to time." Miss $assistname: "Where is Mr. Hallam now Mr. Bird?" She asked. Mr. Bird: "Looking at the time, he should return home soon. He went to work early this morning and should be finished in another hour or so." [[Ask more questions to Mr. Bird]] [[Ask to see Mrs. Hallam's room]]

"How did you end up becoming an Apprentice for the Hallam's household, Mr. Bird?" you decide to ask curiously. Mr. Bird opened up about his history, how he started working at the same place Mr. Hallam worked at and how he ended up living with him in the same house to continue his apprenticeship. He elaborated on the meaningful relationship he had with Mr. Hallam. He taught him many work-related things as well as life lessons and important societal values. His account of Mr. Hallam's character spoke for him, he was grateful for Mr. Hallam's hospitality and he appreciated him deeply as his mentor. [[Ask to see Mrs. Hallam's room]]

Mr. Bird guided you and Miss $assistname up the single flight of stairs to Mrs. Hallam's room. You opened the door and saw that the room was almost fully trashed and torn apart. Bedposts were broken, curtains were shredded and the window pane could have been a door, the size had increased dramatically due to Mrs. Hallam's untimely exit through said window. You step in cautiously not to move any evidence and start to look around for clues. Miss $assistname follows and closes the door behind you, effectively dismissing Mr. Bird from further questions for now. Miss $assistname: "What do you think happened, Detective $name?" You look around a little more in the room and saw a trashed desk with a locked drawer next to the window, a closet with Mrs. Hallam's clothes against the wall and several drawings in the corner of the room, besides the bed. [[Look at the locked drawer]] [[Look at the closet]] [[Look at the drawings]] [[Exit the room]]

{(if: $holding is "nothing") [The Drawer won't budge! You look at the desk and see the locked drawer. You try to force the lock but you see that there is no moving the drawer without a key. You decide to look for it.] (else-if: $holding is "key") [The Drawer Opens! Inside you find a shard of glass with blood around the edges. What has Mrs. Hallam been upto to carry a sharp item of such calibre in her private drawers?] } [[Return to Mrs. Hallam's room]]

You approach the closet. You browse through Mrs. Hallam's clothes and see that pretty much all clothes are cut up. The edges of the dresses are horribly cut up and the sweetheart-necklines that most dresses had were cut down to the navel. You think by yourself that either this is something that Mrs. Hallam has done to her own clothing herself, but how would that make sense? Another explanation could be a robbery of some sorts, vandalism... You try to wrap your head around it as a small box catches your eye. You open the box and inside the box you find a small key. (set: $holding to "key") [[Look at the locked drawer]] [[Look at the drawings]] [[Return to Mrs. Hallam's room]]

You wander to the corner where Miss $assistname stared at some drawings that were displayed on the ground. Miss $assistname: "They are beautiful, don't you think? The raw emotion, the abstract use of shapes..." She trails off talking about the colors while you zoom into one of the drawings. You bow down to pick it up and analyse it more closely. Up close you clearly see the heavy pencil strikes, mixed with a discolored, spattered red pattern on the edge of the paper. You turn the paper around and see more drips of the same red liquid on the paper. "Look at this Miss $assistname" You interrupted Miss $assistname's appreciative speech of the late Mrs. Hallam's artwork. She looked over at you and gasped at the revelation that there was blood on the artwork. [[Look at the locked drawer]] [[Look at the closet]] [[Return to Mrs. Hallam's room]]

You return in the center of the room and decide to focus on the next area for gathering evidence. [[Look at the locked drawer]] [[Look at the closet]] [[Look at the drawings]] {(if: $holding is "key") [''You might be ready for the next part of the investigation''] (else-if: $holding is "nothing") [''Are you sure that you are ready to move on? Check the closet''!]} [[Exit the room]]

When exiting the room you almost bump into Mr. Hallam who was coming up the stairs. He looked tired and exhausted, but most of all he looked angry. Mr. Hallam: "Detective $name, who do you think you are to bother my Apprentice in such horrible fashion?" He almost turned as red as a tomato when accusing me of the unallowed entering of his premises. You replied calmly and explained that Mr. Bird had kindly opened the door and allowed you to inspect the room of his wife. Mr. Hallam turned to Mr. Bird at that statement and Mr. Bird almost ran out of the house. Miss $assistname: "Mr. Hallam, why don't you tell us what happened to your wife's room?" [[Guide Mr. Hallam to the Living Room]]

When you returned to the living room, Mr. Halam immediately grabbed a glass of Scotch for himself as he prepared himself for the questions. "So Mr. Hallam, could you tell us what happened last night?" You asked politely, again, in an attempt to calm the angry man. Mr. Hallam's eyes were darting all over the place as he was seemingly looking for a way out of this conversation. Luckily for him, someone knocked on the door. "That will be my neighbor, officers." Mr. Hallam explained. "And before I disclose anything about my wife's untimely death, I would appreciate it if you could leave my house so I can talk to him. He will be representing me in court, if it happens to escalate." [[Leave Mr. Hallam's house]]

As soon as Miss $assistname and you were outside you bumped into Mrs. Anderson. She lived next door to the Hallam's and she claimed that she had heard Mrs. Hallam scream bloody murder in the night on many occassions and assumed that the couple were passionately fighting about their love. You shared a look with Miss $assistname and thanked Mrs. Anderson for the information. As you walked through the neigbourhood with Miss $assistname you decided to open the discussion to order your thoughts. [[Talk to your colleague]]

"Miss $assistname, what was your conclusion of the drawings you saw lying in the corner of the room?" Miss $assistname looked up at the sky and try to remember her previous comments on the drawings. Miss $assistname: "I saw raw emotion, hurting, blood... Do you think that there is more behind those drawings?" You look at Miss $assistname with a glimmer in your eyes. "I think I know what happened to Mrs. Hallam." [[Well Detective, what happened?]]

What happened to Mrs. Hallam, Detective $name? [[She jumped out of the window herself]] [[She had an affair with Mr. Bird and Mr. Hallam found out]] [[Mr. Hallam was an abusive husband and ended up killing his wife]] [[Mrs. Anderson was jealous of Mrs. Hallam and threw her out of the window]]

Did poor Jane Hallam jump out of the window herself? Think again Detective $name, I don't think she did. Why would the window pane be distroyed if she jumped out of it herself? It shows a sign of struggle. Go over the evidence again! Good luck! [[Return to Mrs. Hallam's room]]

Did Mrs. Hallam have an affair with Mr. Bird? She did not. Mr. Bird would have never overstepped any boundary that was set by Mr. Hallam out of gratitude for his mentor. Try Again Detective $name! [[Return to Mrs. Hallam's room]]

Yes Detective $name! You are correct! Mrs. Hallam was in an abusive relationship with her husband. They had been fighting for many nights on end and finally the husband pushed his wife out of the window after a struggle. What was kept quiet in this case was that poor Jane was carrying a child, that was as bruised as she was when she was found on the pavement. The husband was arrested for murder and sentenced to death accordingly. [[Case Selection]] [[Thank you for playing, Detective!]]

Did Mrs. Anderson throw poor Jane out of the window? She did not. Mrs. Anderson would not have been able to break the window pane, let alone drag a women out of it and throw her out on the street. Mrs. Anderson was the neighbor of the Hallam's and was otherwise unengaged in the crime at hand. Try to go over the evidence again Detective $name! I think you can solve it. [[Return to Mrs. Hallam's room]]

Thank you for playing! I hope you enjoyed the two cases. Both of the cases are inspired from the Old Bailey Online Database. You can play again if you wish: [[Case Selection]] May we meet again! ''THE END''