8 exhibits · 4 people · 3 deductions Read at your own pace · Free to investigate
The evidence Open each exhibit to inspect the record Exhibit 05 · The damaged third tread · Open full photograph Exhibit 01 · Call log A dead number rings The Bell answering machine records a call at 1:17 a.m. The exchange printout lists the Whitcomb farmhouse number, retired after the 1971 fire. A technician finds the incoming pair physically cut at the roadside pole; the machine clock is checked against a battery watch. Exhibit 02 · Answering tape A name in the static The warning says, “Elise, stay back,” then three low notes. On a 1969 reel from the Whitcomb family, the same three notes precede a woman’s voice. Elise recognizes her mother’s phrasing but admits the recording could have been copied. Exhibit 03 · Fire report The last night The 1971 fire report identifies Ada Whitcomb as the only fatality; Elise escaped by the kitchen door. The fire crew’s hand sketch places a trapdoor under the old front stairs. The present house was built on the surviving stone foundation. Exhibit 04 · Floor plan A staircase shifted The 1990 permit drawing shifts the new staircase 24 inches east from the old run. A boxed notation says “retain cellar cover under tread 3”; the completion checklist has that box left blank. Exhibit 05 · Inspection photograph A white seam An insurance photo from before carpeting shows a pale join in the subfloor at the third tread. A fresh ruler reading at the newel post is 12 mm lower than a pencil mark made when the carpet was fitted. Exhibit 06 · Engineer’s note The void below The engineer finds a cracked joist under tread three and hollow space below it, but cannot enter without removing the stair. The fire sketch labels a cistern shaft in approximately the same position. The engineer orders the stairs closed pending opening of the floor. Exhibit 07 · Elise’s letter A familiar warning In a 1970 letter Elise recalls Ada calling her away from the cellar when its heavy cover shifted. Elise identifies the three notes as the tune Ada used to hum before she spoke; the letter predates the Bell family’s recordings. Exhibit 08 · Breaker test A second message The technician disconnects the house power and removes the answering machine. The family leaves a sealed battery recorder beside the stair; at 1:17 it captures the same phrase. The technician signs the seal before and after, but cannot identify the sound source.
Reconstructed timeline 1969 Ada and Elise record the lullaby. 1971 Ada dies in the farmhouse fire; the old number is retired. 1990 The new stairs are built over the sealed hatch and cistern shaft. 1:17 a.m. The first warning arrives. Next dawn The child hears it at the stairs; an engineer identifies the cracked support.
People in the file Ada Whitcomb Former resident; died in 1971. Her voice and lullaby are recognized by Elise.
Elise Whitcomb Ada’s daughter; survived the fire and confirms the old warning.
The Bell family New occupants of the property. Their child approaches the third step.
The engineer Finds a cracked joist and hollow space beneath tread three; orders the stairs closed.
Close the case Study the exhibits, then make three deductions. Each answer has a clue trail in the file.
01 · Whose voice does the evidence identify? Ada Whitcomb Elise Whitcomb An unknown caller
Show hint 02 · Why is the third step dangerous? A fire is starting It spans a cracked beam over a cistern shaft It hides a live telephone wire
Show hint 03 · What should the family do first? Wait for another call Search the attic Keep off the stairs and repair the support
Show hint Check deductions Reveal reconstruction (no rank credit) Another file awaits Case 004: The light that counted down A desert light follows a precise pattern before a traveler vanishes.
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Original fictional mysteries. The people, locations, and records in these files are invented. 
