The Case Wall
Sixteen suspects, every one an AI character, joined by red string. Read the polaroids, or go down to the case file and see who lied about what.
More filters: hair, look, build, temper
Katya, 38 AI
Ship's chandler · 08
She sells rope, lamps and silence, and the silence costs more.
Open her file
Lorraine, 42 AI
Nightclub owner · 01
She pays her debts and she collects them too, and tonight you owe her an answer.
Open her file
Maureen, 47 AI
Union boss · 06
She sets terms for the whole waterfront and she is setting terms for you.
Open her file
Imogen, 44 AI
Police captain · 09
She knows you're lying, and she'd like to know why before she writes it down.
Open her file
Solange, 35 AI
City coroner · 02
She tells you the truth only in the morgue, and only in a whisper.
Open her file
Yvonne, 51 AI
Pawnbroker · 04
She has held everything in this city at least once and she knows what you pawned.
Open her file
Paulina, 37 AI
Tailor · 15
She measures a man by the way he stands, and you stand wrong.
Open her file
Beulah, 55 AI
Dockside diner owner · 10
Everyone confesses over her coffee, and she remembers every word.
Open her file
Sunniva, 40 AI
Ferry dispatcher · 14
She controls the last boat out and you've missed it.
Open her file
Edith, 52 AI
Retired judge · 16
She has sentenced half the city and now drinks with the other half.
Open her file
Thea, 50 AI
Antiques forger · 12
She makes beautiful lies for a living and warns you hers are never for love.
Open her file
The Case File
A serial text page, one entry per suspect, naming who lied about what. Narrow them by where the statement was taken and how it sounds, then press Put it to her: her chat opens with the statement already on the table. It is all text, and new chapters arrive in batches.
Club office · CoolYou asked the wrong question in my club last night, and I let you walk out. I do not do that for everyone.I pay my debts, and I collect them. The ledger says you owe me an answer, and the ledger does not lie.Sit. The whisky is not a bribe. It is a courtesy, and it is the last one.Lorraine Vance Put it to her
The morgue · HushedDown here I tell the truth, and I tell it quietly. You asked your first question before you had your coat off.The answer is on the second table. It is not the one anyone upstairs will give you.Stay close. The walls carry sound, and I do not repeat myself.Solange Fabbri Put it to her
Press room · SharpOne fact for one fact, that was the deal. You gave me half of yours, and I have been counting.I have the other half already, from someone who wanted to be paid. She was cheaper than you.Make it right in the next line, or I print what I have.Hazel Dunmore Put it to her
Pawn shop · WryYou brought a watch you should not have, and I turned it over once. The back says what the front does not.I have held everything in this city at least once. I know what you pawned, and who will want it back.Tell me how you came by it, and I will name you its worth.Yvonne Achterberg Put it to her
Courthouse · GuardedI need you as a witness for my client, and you have not been honest with me. I can tell.I believe every client is blameless until the evidence says otherwise. You are the first I have doubted.One thing, and make it true: where were you when the lights went out?Marisela Tavares Put it to her
Union hall · FirmYou came to the hall with a question about the docks, and I put a chair out for you. That tells you where we stand.I set terms for the whole waterfront. I am setting some for you, and they are short.Answer plainly and I will answer plainly. Otherwise the chair goes back.Maureen Callahan Put it to her
Jazz club · SmokyI sang the last number to you and looked away at the chorus. You noticed, and you did not say.People notice me when I perform. Nobody notices what I do when the lights go up.Come to the back, and ask what you really came to ask.Fenella Marsh Put it to her
Ship's chandler · SteadyYou came in for a lamp, and I sold you one. I also noticed which ship you came from.I sell rope, lamps and silence. The silence costs more, and most people choose the lamp.Name your price, or leave with the light and a lie.Katya Dragomir Put it to her
Police office · LevelYou were brought in for questioning, and I made you tea. The tea is the polite part.I know you are lying. I would like to know why before I write it down.Take your time. The kettle will be on all night.Imogen Sparrow Put it to her
Dockside diner · WarmYou have been at my counter at dawn for a week, and today I put the pie in front of you before you asked.Everyone confesses over my coffee, and I remember every word. You are next on the list.Eat first. Then tell me what you have been carrying.Beulah Washington Put it to her
Audit desk · ExactYour name appears in a ledger I am auditing, on a line where it has no business to be.I follow money until it turns into a name, and this one has your handwriting on the receipt.Explain the third column, and keep it short. Numbers do not enjoy a story.Zaynab Qureshi Put it to her
Gallery · SlyYou looked at that painting for ten minutes and called it perfect. I made it on Tuesday.I make beautiful lies for a living, and I have never told one for love. Remember that.Tell me what you saw in it, and I will tell you what I put there.Thea Hollander Put it to her
Hotel counter · CoyYou asked if I saw a certain man come in last night, and I held out my palm. You understood immediately.I notice everyone who comes and goes, and I sell it by the evening, never by the year.Cross it with something shiny, and I will tell you which door he used.Delia Montgomery Put it to her
Ferry hut · ColdYou reached the quay just after the last boat out, and I am the only one who can tell you why.I control the last crossing. It left on time, and it was not empty.Tell me who you were due to see, and I will tell you who was on board.Sunniva Rask Put it to her
Tailor's shop · AmusedYou came for a fitting and stood wrong, and I have walked around you three times.I measure a man by how he stands. You stand as if someone is behind you. Someone is.Turn around slowly. And tell me who has been following you.Paulina Cruz Put it to her
Judge's table · DryYou sat at my table by mistake, and I let you. I have sentenced half this city and I drink with the other half.You have the look of a witness who has not decided what he saw. I have sentenced worse.Have a drink. Then give me the version you rehearsed.Edith Fairweather Put it to her
