The Aldercroft Affair

File #MB-2021-0608 · Cambridge, Massachusetts

A retired university dean collapses at his own farewell dinner. A stolen manuscript. Three suspects with everything to lose.

Difficulty: MEDIUM · Play time: 25–35 MIN · 1–2 players, in the browser.

The suspects

• Elena Vasquez, 38 — Graduate Student / Research Assistant. Motive: Aldercroft discovered her thesis plagiarised his unpublished manuscript
• Marcus Aldercroft, 45 — Estranged Son. Motive: Cut from $2.1M will two weeks prior
• Dr. Helen Frost, 55 — Senior Colleague / Department Chair. Motive: Aldercroft blocked her journal publication for 3 years

The evidence

• EXHIBIT A: Stolen Manuscript — Aldercroft's unpublished research found in Elena's office files.
• EXHIBIT B: Lab Keycard Log — Elena's card accessed the chem lab 6:55 PM — 40 min before dinner.
• EXHIBIT C: Deleted Text Message — 'Don't say anything tonight or I'll make sure everyone knows.' Sent from Elena's number to victim at 7:12 PM.
• EXHIBIT D: Coffee Cup — Podium — Ethylene glycol detected. Served exclusively to Aldercroft by catering staff.
• EXHIBIT E: Antidote Research — Search history: 'ethylene glycol LD50 human', 'fomepizole dosage' — Elena's university laptop.
• EXHIBIT F: Amended Will — 2 weeks — Marcus removed as beneficiary Oct 27. Motive strong, but no opportunity.
• WITNESS 1: Catering Staff Karim — 'A woman in a blue blazer refilled his cup before the speech. She came from the kitchen side.'
• LAB: Toxicology: Ethylene Glycol — 0.6g/L — sub-lethal but caused acute kidney distress. Not naturally occurring.

Academic departments run on decades of buried resentment — a blocked publication, a stolen thesis, a will rewritten out of spite. The Aldercroft Affair rewards the player who reads timing as carefully as motive: everyone here has a reason, but only one person's keycard log matches the window on the toxicology report.

One of you reads the crime scene. The other reads the people. Play The Aldercroft Affair free — or browse all cases.