CASE FILE · No. 002 · 1888
The Mislaid Sovereign
TANNER'S TOBACCO, WHITECHAPEL · DIFFICULTY: PETTY
THE BRIEFING
Mr. Tanner has run his tobacco shop on Whitechapel High Street for twenty years without so much as a missing farthing. Then he took on a third clerk and the accounts began to slip. The sales ledger records every transaction — item, quantity, and the amount the clerk collected. Compare what was recorded against what should have been charged, and you will find the hand in the till.
CLUES ON THE TABLE
- 01.Each sale records the item sold, the quantity, and the amount the clerk collected
- 02.The items table holds the correct unit price for every product
- 03.The thief consistently recorded less than the true sale amount
/ THE EVIDENCE
Database Schema
The tables we have warrants for. Cross-reference them carefully.
- idINT
- nameTEXT
- unit_priceDECIMAL
- idINT
- item_idINT→ items.id
- qtyINT
- recorded_amountDECIMAL
- clerkTEXT
- sold_atTIMESTAMP
/ THE QUERY TERMINAL
Interrogate the records
This is your magnifying glass. Run queries to explore the tables and chase down clues — the terminal won't solve the case for you, but it will surface the evidence you need.
/ THE NOTEPAD
Your field notes
Jot down leads, suspicious names, patterns you've spotted. The page is yours.
/ THE ACCUSATION
Name your suspect
One name. No second guesses. The constable is at the door.
NEXT IN THE PILE
The Red Wax Letter →"A collector found unconscious. A letter half-burned. A rare book missing. Four guests who all claim to have left — but one of them didn't."