The Merriweather Suite

File #LA-2020-0225 · New Orleans, Louisiana

A hotel owner drowned in his penthouse bath in the small hours of Mardi Gras. His wife's hallway door never opened. The old stairwell did.

Difficulty: HARD · Play time: 40–50 MIN · 1–2 players, in the browser.

The suspects

• Adele Fontaine, 34 — Wife (kept her name). Motive: Divorce filed Friday — prenup pays nothing before the 5-year mark
• Rémy Batiste, 45 — Hotel General Manager. Motive: $340K embezzlement flagged in the owner's audit
• Mason Devereaux, 26 — Son (first marriage). Motive: Cut out of the will in January

The evidence

• LAB: Bruised Ankles — Fingertip bruises around both ankles. Pulled under — not a slip.
• EXHIBIT A: Wet Silk Robe — Fontaine's robe in the laundry chute, sleeves soaked in the tub's vetiver bath oil.
• EXHIBIT B: Service Stair Door — Private stair from her suite to the penthouse: opened 2:47 and 3:04 AM. No badge reader.
• EXHIBIT C: Prenup & Divorce Filing — Filed Friday. She gets $0 if it's final before March 14 — 40% as a widow.
• EXHIBIT D: Texts to Her Lawyer — 11:58 PM: 'If he signs Wednesday I walk away with nothing.' 11:59: 'He won't sign.'
• EXHIBIT E: Smartwatch Log — Her heart rate hit 141 bpm at 2:48–2:53 AM, 212 steps. She says she was asleep.
• WITNESS 1: Night Housekeeper — 'The stair door clicked just after three — then Mrs. Fontaine's light came on.'
• FINANCIAL: The Audit — $340K diverted by the GM. Meeting with the owner set for Ash Wednesday.

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