MOUNT MORTIMER HINTS: The Smoking Gun

DO NOT READ THESE HINTS UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE HINTS TRAIL FOR ALL OF THE OTHER SUSPECTS (THE HINTS GIVEN HERE WILL SLOWLY REVEAL THE ANSWER)

Turn your attention to the weather cam images found on the police webmail, in particular the one at 22:14 (IMAGE 03). Also, listen to the recording sent by Chief Winterburn – Radio-to-Radio (Police Webmail).

We hear Achenbach say he has been attacked with a tranquilizer dart. Note the time of the recording at 22:14:55 matches the time stamp on the weather cam. The weather cam has captured the moment Achenbach was shot! Which angle did the shot come from? Study the weather cam image in closer detail and compare it to other images captured earlier that day (spot the difference).

Compare the windows in image 3 to the windows in the other images. The window closest to the garage shutter looks slightly open (in the image taken at 22:14)! Identify the position of this room on the map inside the Employee Handbook on page 11.

It’s room 6 in the Men’s Quarters, but who was staying in here and how can we be sure that it is the person who accessed it? Read one of the diary entries on November 17th and an entry in the Station Report on November 26th.

Russell is in Cabin 6 and Achenbach installed fingerprint locks on all of the doors that work even when the power is in reserve! But how was Achenbach killed? The Coroner’s Report and weather cam images will help you.

The Coroner’s Report states “ I am afraid I must report that I could not find any foreign contaminant in the wound at all. It was remarkably clean, but I doubt the killer would’ve risked being discovered with the body by staying around to clean a wound.” What could the murder weapon be? The answer is in the weather cam images found in the online webmail – compare image 3 to image 4, in particular the area just above the open window.

By looking at the last two weather cam images (image 3 to image 4) we can see that an icicle is missing from outside of Russell’s room! An icicle as a murder weapon matches the description given in the summary of the Coroner’s Report – “the wounds are round in shape, suggesting that the murder weapon was more of a spike than a flat blade”. The cleanliness of the wound site was also highlighted in the autopsy report; since an icicle is formed from water, there wouldn’t be any debris left behind! The rooms can only be accessed using the fingerprint scanners. Therefore, Russell is the only person able to access the room, shoot Achenbach with the tranquilizer gun, and take the murder weapon! Russell was able to discard the murder weapon (icicle) in the kitchen whilst he was ‘washing up’ before being seen by Arlene Fitz!