You’re called in to investigate the murder of the reclusive billionaire, the famously clumsy Alec Bassoon. He was killed in the evening, after having had a less than pleasant dinner with his family in his home of Woodwind Manor. He was found in his study, the door to which was locked from the inside. There are no signs of forced entry, and no windows are open or broken. However, there is a balcony outside of the study.

It looked as though the study was ransacked, as though someone was looking for something; however, it appears that nothing valuable is missing. It’s also worth pointing out that everyone in the house claims they heard no sounds coming from the upstairs study.

The potential murder weapons

• An antique rifle
• A priceless banana statue
• A fencing sword
• Poison
• A suspiciously heavy hot water bottle

The potential suspects

Witherby

The trusted family butler. Loyal servant to the family for many years, who recently found out he was going to be replaced, as he forgot to bring Mr Bassoon his hot water bottle on a particularly cold evening. Witherby, ever the professional, has been told he will need to train up his eventual replacement, which he sees as the ultimate insult. He was spotted speaking to Andrea about this.

Angel Bassoon

Mr Bassoon’s eldest daughter. A champion shooter, who was raised like the son Mr Bassoon always wished he had, Angel has been running Bassoon Industries since her father stepped away from the spotlight. However, she has made some bad decisions of late and lost a considerable amount of money. After having a particularly nasty disagreement with her father, he threatened her with being replaced by:

Alec Bassoon Jr

Mr Bassoon’s youngest son. A playboy who lives recklessly and irresponsibly but has somehow convinced his father that he’s ready to take more responsibility. His antics have made the newspapers on multiple occasions, often causing embarrassment to the family. He is a former Olympic fencer. Alec made a fool of himself at dinner; while trying to get the attention of a pretty maid, he spilled soup all over his father. Mr Bassoon did not react happily to this and embarrassed Alec Jr in front of the family, causing the maid to giggle at his expense.

George Winthrop

A wealthy real estate developer, Winthrop came to visit, angry with Mr Bassoon for beating him at auction for the purchase of a priceless banana statue, which was found broken at the crime scene. Winthrop has threatened Mr Bassoon on multiple occasions as Mr Bassoon has frequently cost him money by beating him to big business deals, taking pleasure in doing so. He and Angel were spotted talking outside after Mr Bassoon had Witherby throw him out.

Andrea Bassoon

Alec Jr’s weird twin sister. Andrea takes after her father and shies away from the world, keeping herself locked up in their manor, tending to her greenhouse filled with exotic (and poisonous) plants. Andrea and Mr Bassoon were heard having a roaring argument about her leaving toenail clippings in the bathtub. The argument turned into Mr Bassoon threatening to cut Andrea out of his will and kick her out of their home. She could be seen muttering angrily to herself as she stormed toward her greenhouse.

Solve the mystery

Using this list of clues, it’s your job to solve the mystery and bring Mr Bassoon’s killer to justice. You need to tell us who did it, how they did it and what they did it with.

Craft your own detective character and write the mystery to life!