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INSTRUCTIONS
The aim of the game is to prove successful police work together as a team. You have to go through documents, draw clever conclusions and think outside the box.
THE FOLLOWING MISSIONS ARE WAITING FOR YOU:
Solve the case of Walter Kramer's death in Westchester.
WHO CAUSED THE CAR ACCIDENT?
WHAT’S THE SECRET BEHIND HIGHFLOWER INC.?
WHY DID EDDY BARKER GET SICK?
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WALTER KRAMER’S DEATH, AND HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
BEFORE YOU START:
Carefully study all documents!
Hang up the poster
Take notes!
Make sure that everyone has read every document!
When you are finished, enter your solution here and listen to the finale
If you are not in the United States and don’t want to spend money on phone calls, you can call the phone numbers in the game for free online. Click here:https://call.tele-comi.com
HINTS
In certain parts of the game, you can ask for an hint if you get stuck. We decided against giving you tips throughout the game as this would have made it too easy...
If you're stuck, you should have a look at some of the materials whose significance you have so far not quite understood and select one of the following search terms.
WATCH OUT - SPOILER ALARM: Only enter the search terms if you really can't continue the game without an hint - it's only half as much fun with tips.
Start of the game
Dear Private Detectives,
START
To start the game, divide all of the documents among the players. Everyone should read through their documents silently, then share all of the information with the other players (or read it aloud, for instance).
POLICE REPORT
You should all look through the police report together, since it will give you some basic information on the case.THE DETECTIVE POSTER
Hang up the poster and take notes on the different individuals.
WHAT NOW?
While you are gathering information from all of the players, several of the town's residents are going to start looking very suspicious. Write down any motives these people might have. Do they have alibis? Can you rule out any suspects? The more information you collect, the more people you will be able to rule out - until you finally piece together the whole story and can unmask the killer.
TIP
During the course of the game, it will really help you out to share documents among yourselves and read as many notes as you can. You should also put documents together if you think they belong together.
Letter from Betty Barker
Make sure you have all read Betty Barker's letter together. It contains instructions on how to contact her. Have you read it yet?
If you have questions about the specific places she can go to, feel free to use the help for those locations.
Map of Westchester
Betty marked a few spots on the map. She can go to these places and send you further information about them. Take a look at Betty's letter for info on how to contact her.
The map also contains other information that you will need during the game. To do that, click (spoiler alert!!) "Further hints".
Additional information shown on the map:
- Direction in which the river flows
- Overview of Eddy Barker's fields that are needed for the golf course
- In combination with the photo of the kitchen and the view of the sports complex, it indicates the household's address (2 Heather Street)
Police report
The police report contains information on where the body was found, the presumed time of the crime, the victim's name, and the cause and time of death. We recommend noting this information on the calendar page.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
The key piece of information is when the death occurred. Walter Kramer died between 2 and 5 p.m. on Friday, February 14, 2020. So anyone who has an alibi for that time cannot be the killer (if in fact it was murder). But they could be involved in other machinations.
Be sure to carefully consider the place where the body was found, the beach, on the map of Westchester. Maybe Walter Kramer didn't die where he was found?
Newspaper
The newspaper contains a lot of information. Pay close attention as you read through it.
Does the paper contain clues pointing to the innocence of some of the suspects, or is there specific information about certain people?
Might the classified ads even help solve the case?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1. Childcare center article:
You must have noticed that the article about the opening of the childcare center gives the mayor, William Chalmers, an alibi. He was at the event at the time when the crime is alleged to have occurred.
2. Golf tournament article:
The article about the golf tournament contains key information about Sonya Kramer's date of birth (which will be relevant elsewhere) and family. You realize Frank Richards is her father.
3. Classified ads:
Walter Kramer's cell phone number and email address appear in the classified ads. The ads also tell you that Natural Soils, Inc., was dissatisfied with their last fertilizer supplier. If you want to know who the last supplier was, you'll need to check out Walter Kramer's email account first.
4. Dschimail ad:
This ad is for email hosting and cloud storage provider dschimail.com, where the victim, Walter Kramer, evidently also had an account. Maybe you can log in to his account?
5. Horoscope:
The newspaper also contains a weekly horoscope. Combined with the statements in the personal client area set up by Jones & Donnell, the lawyers, this information will let you get into Walter's cloud storage. You'll get further info about this in the course of the game.
Medical report & blood tests
What was the name of the doctor who examined Eddy Barker? What did he find, and what were his recommendations?
Might the results identified by ANSENIA diagnostics, a specialized blood testing lab, be helpful?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
These two documents contain a preliminary report from Dr. Lee, who examined Eddy Barker, and a note that the results of the blood test can be viewed online.
1.
The preliminary report explains that Eddy Barker's future will be challenging for him from a health and financial standpoint. He needs money. Check out the letter from the mayor. It offers a lot of money for Eddy's land - money he sure could use right now.
2.
You can view the blood test results by sending an email to bloodtest@ansenia-diagnostics.com with "AD20B25" as the subject. If you don't receive an email, you can view the document here:
The county seems to have had a special interest in Eddy's land since back in 2019. What exactly are they planning to build there? To find out, take a close look at the golf course website.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The offer letter is dated April 2019. It is the offer that Walter Kramer (838) *** 3312 mentions in his chat with Eddy Barker via WhatsApp. The county needs Eddy Barker's land to build a 5-star golf resort there. They want Eddy to sell. But the offer was not accepted in 2019. Now that Eddy is sick, he might have to take them up on it.
2.
There are plans to rename Meadow Lane as Meadow Boulevard. This information will be important when you delve deeper into the plans for the golf course.
Calendar
Who does the calendar belong to? Check out the entries and any owner information. You'll see some clues about who it is.
The calendar provides a good overview of various time connections. Use them and enter all of the times you decide are relevant in the calendar.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The calendar belongs to Eddy Barker. You can determine this from Dr. Lee's preliminary report about the medical examination. The report relates to an examination that also appears on Eddy's calendar.
2.
Eddy Barker visits Dr. Lee for regular "vitamin injections."
Interview with Walter Kramer
What personal information does Walter divulge in this interview?
Who commented on the interview?
Who wrote the interview, and where else does this person crop up?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
In this interview, Walter reports on his innovative organic fertilizer, which he needs to get up and running as soon as possible. He also explains that his fertilizer is not contaminated with toxins (as many crop protectants used to be contaminated with mercury or arsenic). You can assume Eddy Barker read the interview and had this information as well.
2.
Walter Kramer mentions that he sold a red Jaguar XK 8 to get seed money for his first startup. You can also see the car in the fax that Fred DiDomenico received - and Fred is the author of the interview!
3.
Mike Gordon, a perennial "concerned citizen" and former employee of Walter Kramer, has some negative things to say about his former boss in the comment on the article. They don't seem to be on good terms. Walter fired Mike from his business.
4.
The second comment was written by Karen Clark. She seems to be very disappointed by Walter Kramer, too.
Reviews
Who has a fundamentally negative view in all the reviews? What might that say about this person?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
Gordon007 appears in all four reviews. There's only one person with that name. Mike Gordon's views seem to differ sharply from those of others. He's a sourpuss who always has something to complain about.
Fax of newspaper article
What were the make and model of the car involved in the accident? Was the perpetrator caught?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The faxed accident report notes that a red Jaguar XK 8 was involved in the accident, which was a hit and run. In addition, there were two male figures inside the Jaguar. Read the interview with Walter for further information on the car mentioned in the report.
2.
Fred DiDomenico's family was killed in the accident. Why did he ask for the article to be sent to him again now, after all this time? Check out the interview with Walter for clues.
Printout of WhatsApp chat
Which two people are communicating via WhatsApp? You'll find one of the two numbers in the newspaper as well. You should be able to use the messages to figure out who the second person is. Look closely at when (including the exact time) the messages were sent.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The sick person is Eddy Barker. He also had the doctor's appointment listed in his calendar.
2.
The other person is Walter Kramer. His phone number is also printed in his job posting in the classified ads section of the newspaper.
3.
The offer mentioned in the chat is the offer made by the county in April 2019 to purchase Eddy's land to build a 5-star golf resort. Eddy could really use the money now. He will probably have to take the offer and sell his farmland.
4.
Walter Kramer realized something at 2:12 p.m. on February 13, 2020. Where was he at that time? Take a closer look at the photo of the kitchen.
5.
To find out what Walter Kramer discovered and where exactly he was in the evening (his message at 3:26 p.m.), you need to log in to his email account and cloud storage.
Jones & Donnell
The business card shows the address of a website operated by the law firm defending Eddy Barker. Visit https://www.jones-donnell.com/ to find Eddy Barker's personal client area.
This area is password-protected, though. The password is not shown in the documents, but you will receive it via another route after a while. Have you sent Betty everywhere on the map?
!!! Read only if you
- have already been in contact with Betty for longer than 80 minutes and have sent her to the beach, but still don't have the password
- OR have already logged in and need help with the content on the website
To get the password, you should send Betty Barker to the beach. And then be patient.
1.
You can get the login for the client area from Mr. Jones, Mr. Barker's lawyer. After a time, you'll receive a message in the chat with Betty. Or listen to the audio here:
Use the name "Eddy Barker" and the password "organicfarmer" to log in to the website athttps://www.jones-donnell.com/
You can listen to three interrogations on the website.
Audio of Eddy Barker:
Eddy Barker talks about the planned meeting at the beach. According to his statement, Walter Kramer never showed up there. It is not yet possible to say at this point whether or not that is true.
Audio of Mike Gordon:
There are two important pieces of information here. First, Mike was always tasked with taking AgriTec fertilizer and using it to fill HighFlower packages - on Walter Kramer's orders, no less. What reason could Walter have had for using a fertilizer other than his own for the series of important tests on Eddy's land? You'll need to find out. The second key piece of information relates to the password for Walter's email account and cloud storage. Listen to the questioning and then take a look at the horoscopes in the newspaper.
Audio of Ken Herbert:
Walter Kramer is said to have had sports clothes on. Take a look at Walter's Facebook profile. He posted when and where he always went running there.
Fraternity photo
Who appears in the fraternity photo? Do you recognize these people from other documents as well?
What kind of symbol is the fraternity's emblem? Have you seen it before in another document?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The photo shows (from left)
Mayor William Chalmers, Dr. Andrew Lee, and Frank Richards. So, the three of them seem to have known each other for quite some time.
2.
Send Betty Barker to the bridge. She sends you a picture of a lost ring. Do you recognize the symbol?
Photo of kitchen
What do you see through the window? Take a look at the map of Westchester and you'll see which address the photo was taken from. You can find out who lives there.
What information does the message on the wall contain?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The view from the window shows the sports complex. The address can be identified based on the map of Westchester. Take a look at the perspective from which the sports complex can be seen. The address is 2 Heather Street. It's Walter and Sonya Kramer's house.
2.
Sonya wrote the message to her husband, Walter, letting him know that the two of them were invited to eat with her parents on Thursday. Look at the WhatsApp chat between Eddy and Walter. Do the times line up with some of the messages? Something must have happened.
Postcard
Who is the postcard from? You won't be able to find that out (at least not for sure) until you've logged in to Walter Kramer's email account. You can always come up with a hypothesis first, of course.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
The postcard is from Karen and Dave. The senders' names and an email in Walter's email account identify Dave and Karen as the Clarks. They are (or were, by this point) also the owners of Natural Soils, Inc. They used Walter's fertilizer last year and were disappointed with the results. They have every reason to be angry with Walter, since their financial losses meant that they had to sell their business. But both of them have an alibi for the time of death, since they were still on safari in Africa.
The stamp is also mentioned in a classified ad in the newspaper. This isn't another clue. It's just a stroke of luck for Dave and Karen Clark. They just happen to have a valuable stamp that someone is looking to buy.
Diamonds Resort website
Who is on the board of the planned golf course? What land is supposed to be used to build the resort? Use the map of Westchester.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
Frank and William Chalmers are on the board. The third person is irrelevant.
2.
Plans call for a large portion of Eddy Barker's land to be used to realize the project. This is made clear by the picture of the planned grounds. Compare it against the map of Westchester. As you read in the letter from the county, Meadow Lane is supposed to be renamed Meadow Boulevard.
Sand and test strips
(If there is no soil sample in your game or no test strips, there is another document that will provide you with the information you need. Don't get confused. Check out the help for "Confirmation of test results.")
1.
The soil sample was taken on Eddy's land. It can be analyzed using the test strips enclosed with the flyer from the Soil Safety Institute. Dissolve the sand from the pouch in water and test it for the toxins listed. Follow the instructions on the flyer for this.
2.
Test results:
The soil sample does not contain any mercury, but it does contain elevated levels of TPL. If you're already logged in to the website of Jones & Donnell, you can also answer where this elevated TPL level comes from. Check out Eddy's blood tests. What did he have in his blood?
Confirmation of test results
(This document is included only if you don't have a small pouch of sand and a flyer with test strips. If you don't have the sand, test strips, or confirmation of test results, you can download the document here:
Look at the test results. What do you notice? Where exactly did the soil sample come from? To answer this, you have to have already sent Betty to all the spots on the map.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
The soil sample is from Eddy's land.
2.
Test results:
The soil sample does not contain any mercury, but it does contain elevated levels of TPL. Check out Eddy's blood tests. What did he have in his blood? If you're already logged in to the website of Jones & Donnell, you can also answer where this elevated TPL level comes from.
Walter Kramer's social media
You are given the printout from Walter Kramer's social media account. You don't need to look it up on Facebook or elsewhere on the Internet.
What does Walter do every Friday? Who was the last person to visit his profile?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
Walter Kramer goes jogging along the same route every Friday. That means he must have also gone on the day he died. Take a close look at the route. What points does he pass along the way where you could also send Betty Barker?
2.
Mike Gordon and Frank Richards were the last to visit the profile. The third person is irrelevant. So they must have seen that Walter Kramer goes jogging on the same route every Friday.
Walter Kramer's email account
Look at the newspaper carefully. Do you see Walter's email address? Visit his email provider's website.
Then enter the password (if you already have it) or request a new one. You'll be asked to answer three security questions. You won't be able to answer the questions until you've gone through the newspaper, the printout from Walter's social media account, and Walter's voicemail.
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
Walter's email address is in the classified ads: kramer_walter@dschimail.com. Go to www.dschimail.com
2. Security questions:
1) You can find out the color of his first car from the interview with Walter Kramer. It was red.
2) His wife is Sonya Kramer. Her birth year is listed in the newspaper: 1974. You will also hear her birthday indirectly in Walter's voicemail box: January 18.
3) You can get the answer from the printout of his social media profile: Wally
Walter Kramer's cloud storage
Are you already logged in to Walter Kramer's email account? You will see a button there that takes you to the cloud storage.
To get the password, you need to have already logged in to the client area of Jones & Donnell's website. If you haven't logged in yet, you should continue your investigation first. Otherwise, click on the help for "Jones & Donnell"
For more help relating to Walter Kramer's cloud storage (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
1.
You can get the password by listening to the audio of Mike Gordon in the client area of Jones & Donnell. Then check Walter Kramer's horoscope. The last word is "week," which means that is the password.
2. There are two documents in the cloud storage:
Chat backup: As you can see from the chat, Walter and his wife, Sonya, made up after Walter learned about the affair. They are also discussing their plans to escape to Brazil, which they are supposed to do on February 18. It is also clear from the chat backup where Walter was on the evening of February 13. He was at Eddy Barker's farm, and specifically in the barn (Betty Barker will find his wallet there when you send her to check it out). He was planning to test his own samples from Eddy's field to make sure there really wasn't any mercury in them.
My recording: You see a video taken at 1:50 p.m. on February 13, 2020, obviously secretly recorded by Walter. Have you already figured out where Walter was at that time? If not, take another look at the photo of the kitchen. The person who was secretly recorded is talking on the phone to someone else about a third person being "given stuff" and that person "regularly" going to the other person on the phone, saying that the following week is "the last time." You can identify Eddy Barker as this third person from his calendar. So his physician, Dr. Lee, was obviously slipping him something in his vitamin shots.
Walter Kramer's voicemail box
Are you already logged in to Walter Kramer's email account? You will see a button there that takes you to the cloud storage.
To get the password, you need to have already logged in to the client area of Jones & Donnell's website. If you haven't logged in yet, you should continue your investigation first. Otherwise, click on the help for "Jones & Donnell"
For more help relating to Walter Kramer's cloud storage (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
Betty finds Walter Kramer's wallet in the barn. He must have lost it there the day before his death. His ID is inside, but that's not all. A reminder card listing the number for his voicemail is also inside. Call the number listed there.
If you can't reach the voicemail box or don't want to call on the phone, you can also listen to the audio directly here:
AgriTec SE inbox
AgriTec SE is afraid Walter Kramer's new fertilizer could cost it a huge chunk of its revenue. What means might an unscrupulous company have at its disposal for preventing that?
To continue working with this document, you should also look at the transaction receipt and Walter Kramer's email account.
For more help about the screenshot of AgriTec SE's inbox (spoiler alert), click "Further hints". Do not use this option until you've logged in to Walter Kramer's email account.
AgriTec SE bought Walter Kramer's company. They would have tried anything (probably even criminal activity) to prevent publication, but that wasn't necessary. According to the emails in Walter Kramer's account, 15 million dollars changed hands.
Transaction receipt
The shown transaction has to do with HighFlower Inc.'s account. Have you already figured out who the company's owner is? Check out the overdraft limit and debit posting.
For more help about the transaction receipt (spoiler alert), click "Further hints". Do not do this until you've logged in to Walter Kramer's email account.
Walter Kramer is the owner of HighFlower Inc. According to the transaction receipt, the overdraft limit of $150,000 has almost been reached. Walter could not have taken on any additional costs that would need to be paid at the start of each month.
The AgriTec debit is interesting, too. Why should Walter buy fertilizer from his competitor? For a clue, log in to the client area of Jones & Donnell (once you have the password).
You can learn from his email account how Walter got out of debt.
Hotel card
Look at who the card says registered for a weekend at the hotel. What kind of hotel does it sound like from the name?
For more help (spoiler alert), click "Further hints".
Sonya Kramer and Sergio Beneventi spent a weekend together at a fancy hotel. They seem to be having an affair. If they're found out, Sonya's prenup says she won't get a penny if she and Walter divorce.
Place: field
For current contact details for Betty, visit https://barker-organics.com. If you still have questions, click "Further hints".
The photo (the one Betty sends you) shows the same pouch of sand that was inside the envelope. That proves that the sand came from Eddy's field.
Place: barn
For current contact details for Betty, visit https://barker-organics.com. If you still have questions, click "Further hints".
Betty writes:
So I looked around in the barn. Nothing but old stalls for the cows we used to have. There's a mask hanging from the fuse box, and some straw scattered around next to it. But then I did find something really interesting. Walter must have been here again at some point shortly before his death. His wallet is on the floor of the barn! There are also a bunch of weird test strips lying on the table. They're all the same color. Strange. Nobody has been here since the accident and my husband's arrest, so no one had a chance to find this stuff. I'm glad you sent me to double check! https://media.hidden.games/HiddenGamesTatort/uploads/F3_us_Portemonaie_US_NEU_Klein.jpg
Oh, Walter has the same phone provider as us. You can check his voicemails online at https://tele-comi.com
Login to the website to listen to the voice messages.
If you can't reach the website, you can also listen to the audio directly here:
Place: bridge
For current contact details for Betty, visit https://barker-organics.com. If you still have questions, click "Further hints".
Look very closely at the photo. You might need to enlarge it. You'll see something lying in the grass. It's the fraternity ring from the newspaper. So someone must have lost it there.
SOLUTIONS
If you can answer one or all of the questions, you can view the solutions here to see if you've got it right.
1 / 5
WHO CAUSED THE CAR ACCIDENT?
WHAT’S THE SECRET BEHIND HIGHFLOWER INC.?
WHY DID EDDY BARKER GET SICK?
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WALTER KRAMER’S DEATH, AND HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
WHEN YOU HAVE SOLVED THE CASE COMPLETELY AND ENTERED THE NAME OF THE PERPETRATOR, YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE SOLUTION AGAIN HERE.
Martin Jones summarizes the results of the case for you.
0:00 / 0:00 1.0x
1 / 5
You haven't had enough yet and want to continue investigating?
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