Castle Party
Cases unlock in order, like levels. This is case 73 of 100.
Vlădescu Castle, in the Carpathians, Transylvania, night of October 31, 11:25 pm. Constantin Vlădescu, the castle's owner, was found dead in the study at the top of the tower, struck on the head with an iron candlestick.
Down below, two hundred costumed guests were watching the bat show in the courtyard, between 10:50 pm and 11:10 pm. With the fireworks, no one heard a thing. Death occurred between 10:50 pm and 11:15 pm.
The butler raised the alarm: the tower door was locked, and Constantin's key was still in his pocket.
Three people were near the tower staircase that night. One of them went up after 10:50 pm.
The castle library, a low fire in the hearth, old tapestries and paper bats from the party still hanging from the ceiling.
Suspects
Ilinca VlădescuThe host's niece, 29
Grigore MunteanuThe castle's butler, 61
Radu IonescuActor hired to play Dracula, 38
The real case
Archibald Hall, the butler who killed his employers
United Kingdom, 1977 and 1978
This case is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places and events in the game do not portray real people. The account below is a factual summary, based on public sources, of the case that served as inspiration.
Archibald Hall spent decades working as a butler in the homes of the British aristocracy, with forged references and a past of thefts and prison terms. In 1977 and 1978 he killed five people, among them a former member of Parliament and his wife, who employed him, and an accomplice who threatened to expose him, while stealing silver, jewelry and antiques from the houses where he served.
He was arrested in 1978, after being stopped by police with a body in the trunk of his car, and sentenced to life in prison. He died in prison in 2002.
The game borrows the trusted butler who robs his employers and eliminates anyone who finds out. Characters, setting and outcome are fiction.