Case #1: The Footy Conundrum
Crack this case to be one step closer to the ultimate prize!
THE SCENARIO:
It is the eve of St Jerome’s five-a-side football tournament, and Shep Donovan, the team striker, has discovered his silver boots are missing. Shep is very superstitious, and relies on his lucky boots to score the best goals. Talk about a criminal act who would do such a spiteful thing on the crucial match day?
Shep is convinced it was Ally Fox, captain of the opposing team. He has beaten Ally to the cup the past three consecutive years, and last month he warned him (in private) that this year things would be different.
Shep also recalls that the groundsman was sighted near the boys’ locker room this morning when he went to check the pitch. He left his kit there overnight as a good-luck-ritual. Since Shep tends to be pretty cheeky with the groundsman about doing a bad job, he guesses he might also be a suspect.
Then there is Archebald Fiehn, a bit of a podgy kid with an affinity for chocolate drinks. He’s slow on the field. Forever relegated to the bench, he detests super-striker Shep, but would never say it to his face.
For fear of losing the cup due to evil forces, Shep has come to YOU to track down his lucky boots and save the cup for St Jerome.
THE EVIDENCE:
- Peter, the goalie noticed that Archie’s feet looked rather swollen and red
- Groundsman's key to lads locker room found near opposing team’s benches, sticky from what looks like chocolate
- Water bottle found in St. Jerome’s boys locker room with initials AF on it
THE SUSPECTS:
Ally Fox
Ally swears he was nowhere near the boys’ locker room this morning. He says he visited the pitch last night, but the locker room was closed when he tried to go to the loo. ‘Winning and losing has nothing to do with one’s boots; it’s all about practice. And this year I have trained extra hard. I will beat Shep even if he has magic boots with wings!’
Groundsman
The groundsman has been working at St Jerome’s for over fifteen years. He said in all his years, he has never met a more disrespectful little rascal as Shep. Not only is Shep rude to him, but he also shows off to lesser athletes like Archebald. His keys have been missing for three days, which is a surprise since he always keeps them in his office drawer. But he always locks up his office when he is out on the grounds and never really lets anyone in.
Archebald Fiehn
When interviewed, Archie had trouble recalling where he was last night—something about a chocolate haze. When asked about the groundsman, Archie said he was fond of him. ‘Yeah, sometimes he lets me sit in his office after practice while he does rounds. He has a big bowl of chocolate éclairs!’
THE NOTEBOOK:
- Difficult to say whose water bottle was found in locker room, there is more than one AF here
- When asked about his feet, Archie became defensive. Said they get that way when he eats too much chocolate. Strange.
- Keys were found conveniently near Ally’s end of the field, but did he put them there. Tough to say. No direct link is apparent.
