Hello there, and welcome to your murder mystery. 

Before you begin your journey with Inspector Piper, there are some things you will need to know first. 

To solve your mystery, you will have to follow Pipers journey across Harrogate to interview all the relevant suspects. 

At each location you will have to solve a clue in order to open up the information you need to solve the crime. 
 
The answer sheet to all the clues has been forwarded to you in your purchase email. However we recommend only looking at the sheet if you are well and truly stumped. All the answers can be found by keeping your eyes open and looking around. 

You will have to self navigate through Harrogate in order to find you locations: so if Piper goes to Betty's you will have to work your own way there in order to find your clue and work out your evidence. All the guidance points will be points of interest, and there is no time limit on completing your mission so if you wish to stop at any then feel absolutely free. The locations you choose to go to will be in a (relatively) ordered fashion....so as long as you don't go and chase a dead lead. 

At each page you will get some information from an individual or suspect; and we do recommend taking a pen and paper with you to make notes to help you on your quest. 

If you still are feeling stuck getting towards the end there are hints you can call on in order to give you a little extra nudge before you come up with your decision. These will be on the last three pages and you will have to click on the hint button to unlock. You can go back and forward in between pages (previous and next button) however do try not to close the page as you will have to restart from the beginning. 

Hints will be prompted when they are available - they are worth taking as they may provide you will some extra information that will lead you to solve this sneaky crime. 

When you make your final guess; that is the end of it. Once you press complete you will be taken through to the results page....and only then will you work out if you have the brain power of Holmes or the critical thinking of a gnat. 

We wish you the best of luck; and when you are in your start point of Harrogate Theatre, HG1 1QF: begin your investigation. 

In 1894 Princess Alix, future Tsarina of Russia came to Harrogate to take the waters in a bid to cure her sciatica. So she could feel near to her soon-to-be-husband, she brought with her a magnificent Faberge Egg which he had recently given her. She stayed at Catarth Guest House run by Mr. Durden.

After a couple of weeks at the guest house she went to sample the waters in the centre of Harrogate.

Whilst she was there someone entered her chambers and stole her beloved Faberge Egg. Inspector Piper was dispatched to investigate this delicate matter and so avoid a serious diplomatic incident

Can you work out who stole the valuable artefact and who did they want to set up for the crime?

Inspector Piper - detective

Agnes - maid George - handyman

Gregor - salesman

Alf - pub licensee

Tom - local thief

Princess Alix

Fingers Malone - handler of stolen goods

Phil - unlicensed bookie

Mr Durden - guest house owner

Peter - local carpenter

Piper has entered Harrogate, been briefed with his mission and is ready to start. He knows he should start at the Harrogate Theatre.

In order for you to start the game you will have to make your way to Harrogate theatre. Can you identify which year the theatre was opened?

Scene of the Crime: A guest house next to the Theatre

Inspector Piper meets Princess Alix in the sitting room of the guest house. She is distraught. She explains that at about 10 am Mr Durden heard a commotion and went into the anteroom near her bedroom. There he found the maid, Agnes, slumped on the floor covered in blood with a gaping wound to her head. Laying next to her body was a metal pole with a white painted handle, also covered in blood but with a right hand grip mark in blood on the handle. He noted that there was some slight disturbance in the corner of the room but other than that nothing had been touched.

Mr Durden explained that he had had a secret compartment made under the floor in that corner where residents of the room could hide their belongings. Only he, the residents and the carpenter called Peter knew of its existence.

Inspector Piper asked the princess to enter the room to ascertain if anything had been taken. She delicately walked around the smatterings of blood which had oozed from Agnes’s head. She suddenly shrieked, “ My jewels have gone; someone has found the secret box and have taken all my jewels including the Faberge Egg”. Mr Durden went pale!

Inspector Piper - “Who knew where your secret box was hidden?”

Princess Alix - “Only Mr Durden as he showed me where it was and I placed the jewellery in there by myself.”

Inspector Piper - “Did your maid Agnes know?”

Princess Alix - “No, she’s only a maid”.

Agnes had been taken to another room and was being tended to by a local physician

Inspector Piper noted a picture of the scene in his pocket note book. 

 He noted nothing in the room had been disturbed except where the secret compartment was. It was as though the offender knew it was there.

Now make your way to the Alexandra on Prospect Place. Follow the street away from the theatre and turn left after McDonalds and walk up the hill; go past the church; go past Bradley’s; cross James Street and walk onto John Street.

Well done for making it this far. Make sure you remember what you have discovered. To proceed can you find the original name of the pub?

Mr Durden

Piper then speaks to the owner of the property, Mr Durden, who you had agreed to meet at a local pub.

 Inspector Piper - “Now Mr Durden just tell me about the events today please”.

Durden - “I was in the living room room about 10 o’clock just tidying up after breakfast when I heard an horrendous scream coming from upstairs. I ran up and found Agnes covered in blood. There was a metal pipe next to her and she had a wound to the head. I checked her pulse to see if she was still alive. I shouted to George to call yourselves and the doctor.

George was beside himself and very upset. When he came back I left Agnes with him and went to check the building. I went out of the front door and just a bit down the drive I found a right hand glove covered in blood on the floor. Here it is Inspector”

He handed the black, blood covered glove to Inspector Piper.

Inspector - “Who else was in the house?”

Mr Durden - “Just me, Agnes, the cook and George at that time. Due to the Princess being here we did not have any other guests”.

The cook was called for and stated that when she heard the commotion she looked out of her front window and saw the legs of a male limping away from the front of the house. It was just one male wearing dark trousers. She could add no further to the investigation.

Inspector Piper - “Where is George now?’

Mr Durden - “I’ll get him for you although he is quite shocked”.

Inspector Piper - “just before you do that did you know that the Princess had put her jewels in the secret compartment?”

Mr Durden - “Yes I showed her where to hide it but only I know about it, no one else”.

Mr Durden is a white male, 5’ 9” aged 60 years.

The Inspector noted that he was right handed.

Inspector Piper - “Who else knew the location of the compartment Mr Durden?”

Mr Durden - “Only Peter the carpenter and he has been sworn to secrecy”.

Congratulations you are progressing well. Make your way to Betty’s Tea Room to ensure that the investigation is moving forward. Go to the end of the street and turn right and then follow to the end of that street and turn right again. You will see Betty’s opposite the cenotaph.

To proceed can you identify what name the man who founded Betty’s changed his to?

To The Barn

Inspector Piper meets George in the barn. He notes that George is an athletically built 25 yr old man who is 6’2” tall and is wearing dark clothes associated with his job as a handyman.

Inspector - “Where were you this morning?”

George - “I was in the barn doing some maintenance when I heard Mr Durden shouting for me to come. I ran in and went to where I heard the commotion. There was my beloved Agnes covered in blood, unconscious. Who would do such a thing to an innocent girl? Mr Durden asked me to call you and the doctor, which I did. I was in the barn alone and didn’t see anyone else.”

Inspector - “Where were you last night?”

George - “Agnes and me went to the pub with our friend Gregor. We met a few people there and were celebrating that we were going to get married. Even  your mate ‘fingers’ Malone  and his sidekick Tom were there. To be honest, now I think of it they were listening to everybody’s conversations for some reason. If they’ve hurt Agnes I’ll kill them”.

Inspector - “Did you have a lot to drink?’

George - “Yes ‘cos we were celebrating”

The Inspector checked his clothing and hands for signs of blood. There were some fresh scratches on his arm.

Inspector - “Where are these from?’

George - “I caught myself on the machinery in the barn”

Now make your way to the Winter Gardens down Parliament Street. Piper will meet you there. 

To ensure you have all the information needed find out how many columns are above the main door?

To The Landlord

Inspector goes to the Inn where they had all been drinking the previous night and spoke to the landlord, Alf. He asked him who was in the pub the previous night and he confirmed what George had said.

However, he also stated that Tom, who is a known thief, was also with his brother, Peter, the local carpenter. He stated that they were having a heated conversation and he overheard Peter say, “I will want my cut” and “I deserve it after all I’ve done”.

Alf stated that Agnes didn’t really drink much normally but did last night. He said he heard her say, “I know a secret at work” but he couldn’t remember who she said it to. She was very tipsy and kept mentioning knowing a secret to anyone who would listen and George kept telling her to be quiet.

You are making good progress now make your way to Montpellier Street. Walk back to Betty’s and turn right after the shop down the hill. You will see Montpellier Street on your right.  There is a stone house called Cottland House but when was it built?

To the home address of Fingers Malone

Inspector Piper traces the whereabouts of ’fingers’ Malone, calls at the address and just barges in. Malone tries to block his way but to no avail. Piper walks in and sees that Tom is also in the house who quickly shouts, “What do you want Piper we aint done nothing”. However, on the table in front of Tom was a large amount of cash which he tried to hide under the settee.

Piper - “What's all this then?’

Malone - “Its our winnings from yesterday. We come good on the horses. Got some inside info."

Piper - "Who’s your bookie and don’t mess me about by sending me on a wild goose chase.”

Malone - "OK you know its Phil, you’ll know where he operates from”

Piper - “Tell me about the bet then?”

Malone - “It was a 20-1 winner - Royal Russian - we had some good inside info and it came up trumps. We’ve done nothing wrong”

Piper - “Where were you both this morning?”

Malone - “We’ve been here all morning except Tom went out to get our winnings about 10.”

Inspector Piper notices a black left handed glove on a table near the door. He asked who it belonged to and Tom replied , “Me, so what?”

He then asked where the other glove was and Tom replied, “I remember I had them both in the pub last night”. Piper noted that both men were 5’9” tall and slim in stature.

Before he went he seized the glove and seized the money which amounted to 63 pounds.

Well done team, you are getting closer. Now make your way to a statue of Cupid and Psyche on Crescent Gardens at the rear of the Crown Hotel.  Walk down Montpellier Street and turn left at the end. Walk to the end of the street and you will see the Crown Hotel in front of you. Turn right down the street keeping the hotel on the left. You will see a statue of Cupid and Psyche.

Look around. To progress find out when did John Williams build the Victoria Baths. 

Phil the Bookie

Inspector Piper manages to get Phil the bookkeeper to meet him in the gardens...somewhat reluctantly. He keeps his head down as he approaches and covers his face with a scarf, but a little bit of illegal gambling is currently the least of Pipers worries. He denies being a bookie but admits giving Tom some money ‘that he owed him”. As Piper asks him to empty his pockets he initially refuses, but he eventually empties them. You see lots of betting slips stuffed in them, however before you can get them Phil "accidentally" drops them; with the wind soaring them off into the sky...lost into the world.

Well done you are well on the trail of identifying the offender but make your way to Hales Bar. To get there walk up the hill keeping the Cupid statue on your right. Go past Furnish and Fettle and the bar is on your right.

Can you find out which film used the pubs interior in 1980?

Piper managed to find out that Gregor was a salesman who went door to door selling insurance policies. He managed to track him down inside Hales Bar. He noted that Gregor was a thick set man, 5’9” tall and walked with a limp.

On questioning he stated that he had been in the area for about 6 months having travelled around England selling his policies. His role was to visit every business in the area and sell them insurance. He stated that he was originally from Eastern Europe but he had lived in England for 6 years.

He says he had befriended George and Agnes a few months ago and admits drinking with them in the pub last night. He does know ‘fingers’ and Tom but did not speak to them last night. When asked where he was this morning he stated that he slept in due to drinking too much last night. Gregor was reticent to shed much light on his previous life in eastern Europe.

One step nearer! Now make your way to the Pump Room. Carry on walking up the hill a few yards and the Pump Room is on your left.

What shape is directly above the exit sign?

Peter the carpenter

Inspector Piper traced Peter to his workshop on the edge of town. When he walked in he heard Peter talking about spending a lot of money on new equipment with a salesman in his shabby office. When the salesman hurriedly left Piper asked him his whereabouts this morning. He said he was in the workshop by himself.

Piper asked him about his work at the guest house and he stated that he had never disclosed the location of the secret compartment to anyone.

Piper - “ Do you know ‘fingers’ malone and his mate Tom?”

Peter - “Obviously as Tom is my brother but we don’t get on”.

Piper - “Were you drinking with them in the pub last night?”

Peter - “ I was in the pub but not with them. I had a disagreement with Tom about some money and then left”

Piper - “what was the disagreement about?

Peter - “Family inheritance stuff, nothing else”.

Piper noted the workshop had lots of wooden poles and small metal bars with white handles on the workbenches. 

Piper - “Do you know a salesman called Gregor?”

Peter - “Yes he’s been in here a couple of times to try and sell me insurance.”

Piper believes he is on the right track and goes back to the scene of the crime and speak to Agnes

Piper - “How are you feeling now?”

Agnes - “A bit shaken but better thanks.”

Piper - “Can you describe the person who attacked you?”

Agnes - “It all happened so quickly. I entered the room and suddenly this huge man said something, he must have been 6’ 2” and was stood behind the door. I didn’t really understand what he said and then I collapsed.”