Day 13: Drink

"The bitterest drink is the one forced down by a friend's betraying hand."

The 2016 murder of Mirna Salihin in Indonesia, known as the "Cyanide Coffee Case," centered on a fatal cup of Vietnamese iced coffee. On January 6, 2016, Mirna met her friends Jessica and Hani at a popular café in Jakarta. Shortly after Mirna took a few sips of the drink, she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Toxicology reports confirmed a lethal dose of cyanide. Investigation focused on Jessica as she had arrived early, ordered the coffee, and spent an hour with the coffee before Mirna arrived. The prosecution alleged resentment and jealousy over Mirna's marriage as the motive for the premeditated murder. Circumstantial evidence hinged heavily on the CCTV footage, which showed Jessica moving to obscure the view of the coffee cup and exhibiting a calm demeanor when Mirna was in distress.

The televised trial was a sensation across Indonesia. Based on forensic evidence and her actions shown in the surveillance, Jessica was found guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In a case built on inference and video surveillance, how much should a person's demeanor and behavior in the moments before a crime influence a verdict?

Day 14: Trunk

"Within the thick bark of the trunk, the deepest secrets of the wood lie locked."

The enduring "Bella in the Wych Elm" mystery began in April 1943 when four boys found a woman's skeleton inside a hollow wych elm in Hagley Wood, Worcestershire, England. Forensic examination determined the victim was female, about 35 years old, and had been dead for at least 18 months, with death likely occurring around October 1941. Evidence suggested suffocation, possibly with a piece of taffeta found in her mouth.

She was thought to have been placed in the tree while her body was still warm, before rigor mortis set in. Personal items included a gold wedding ring and fragments of clothing. The body was never identified, despite checks against missing persons reports. Six months after the discovery, cryptic graffiti began appearing, most famously asking, "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?", giving the unnamed victim her lasting pseudonym. Over the decades, the case has sparked various theories, including a drunken prank gone wrong, occult practices due to a severed hand found near the scene, and even German espionage given the wartime setting. Despite ongoing interest and modern forensic hopes, her true identity and the killer remain unknown.

Was Bella's murder a witchcraft ritual?

Day 15: Ragged

"The world is a ragged place, riddled with rents and tears through which the darker things slip."

In Ron Corbett's gripping thriller, Ragged Lake, a horrifying scene awaits at a remote fishing lodge in the Northern Ontario wilderness: an entire family has been brutally murdered. The local police are quick to label it a murder-suicide, a neat and tragic conclusion to an isolated incident. But one crucial detail unravels their theory—the family’s youngest daughter is missing, vanished without a trace.

Enter Frank Yakabuski, a gruff, old-school detective pulled from his vacation to handle the case. He immediately rejects the simple explanation, convinced the scene was staged and that the missing girl is either a witness on the run or a captive of the real killer. His investigation plunges him into the small, isolated community surrounding Ragged Lake, where everyone has a secret and mistrust runs as deep as the water. Yak must battle both uncooperative locals and the harsh, untamed landscape itself in a desperate race against time to find the child before the unforgiving wilderness or a ruthless killer claims another victim.

What is more dangerous: the vast wilderness or the secrets people keep?

Day 16: Blunder

"The criminal genius, fueled by arrogance, sees only the broad stroke, missing the minute, fatal blunder that unravels the masterpiece."

Henri Landru, known as the Bluebeard of Gambais, preyed on lonely war widows in France between 1915 and 1919. Posing as a charming, wealthy widower, he would woo women through newspaper ads, persuade them to sign over their assets, and then lure them to his isolated country villa. There, he murdered and dismembered them, burning their remains in his kitchen stove. He left no bodies, believing he had committed the perfect crime.

However, Landru's downfall was a result of his own obsessive arrogance. His first major blunder was logistical: for each trip with a victim, he meticulously purchased a round-trip train ticket for himself but only a one-way ticket for his companion. This simple pattern created an undeniable schedule for murder. His second, and most fatal, blunder was a small black ledger found upon his arrest. In this notebook, he kept a detailed account of every woman he met, the expenses he incurred, and a neat list of the assets he acquired from them just after they vanished.

With no physical evidence, the prosecution used Landru's own records against him. The combination of the ticket stubs and his damning financial ledger was enough to convict him. He was executed by guillotine in 1922.

Was his meticulous record-keeping a sign of hubris or a subconscious desire to be caught?

Day 17: Ornate

"An ornate work of art, designed to signify life's highest station, became the cold instrument of its final moment."

The assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BCE, was defined by the weapon of choice: the pugio. This was no common knife but an ornate ceremonial dagger, a potent symbol of status for the Roman elite. The pugio's very ornateness was central to the political theater. Its hilt, crafted from ivory or fine wood, and its leaf-shaped blade, often inlaid with silver, were testaments to the owner's rank. By using these beautiful, personal symbols of their privilege, senators like Brutus and Cassius framed the murder not as a common crime, but as a ritualistic sacrifice for the Republic. The ornate pugio, an emblem of nobility, was forever transformed into the ultimate symbol of political betrayal.

Does the beauty of the weapon elevate the brutal act, or does the act forever tarnish the object's beauty?

Day 18: Deal

"Every deal has its price, but what if the stakes were life and death?”

This is the central question of Bad Blood, an innovative murder mystery card game set in the glitzy yet dangerous 1920s speakeasy scene. Created by graphic designer Kelly McMahon with a story by comic book writer Mat Groom, the game casts players as journalist Joseph Field, investigating the murder of Dee Dumas.

The mystery is ingeniously contained within a 54-card, art deco-inspired deck. These are more than just playing cards; they are story fragments and clues, blending a comic-book narrative with interactive deduction. Each card's design deepens the immersion, drawing players into a conspiracy woven from gambling, vice, and betrayal.

Accompanied by a detective's journal and an 8-page comic illustrated by Nicoletta Baldari, Bad Blood transforms the literal act of dealing cards into a powerful visual metaphor for fate, deception, and moral compromise.

When the final hand is played, the question remains: if you were dealt their cards, how far would you go to win?"

Day 19: Arctic

"Coming soon"

Check in a few days