The Victim
Dr. Celia Arden
Planetarium Director
Celia Arden rebuilt Aster Hall's reputation by making the old star machine feel alive again. She stayed after the donor preview for a private calibration pass.
Case Brief
The public story is already unstable.
After a private donor preview at Aster Hall Planetarium, director Dr. Celia Arden stays behind beneath the old star projector for one last calibration. Minutes later the dome goes black, the central machine drops, and she is found crushed in the projector pit. Four named suspects remain under investigation after closing: the projection engineer who knows every brake and counterweight, the junior astronomer who argued over tomorrow's show, the donor whose pledge was about to be rejected, and the CFO hiding a hole in the restoration budget. The unnamed donors are corralled together in the lobby, filmed during the crash, and never have staff-route access. The show system has logged every cue, and the staff route has its own access rules.
Use recordings, route clues, and alibis to find who turned the sky machine into a murder weapon.
- Setting
- Chicago planetarium, 1998
- Region
- Chicago, Illinois
- Season
- late autumn
- Weather
- cold clear night, dry wind off the lake
- Start
- 1998-11-17 21:22
- Case Type
- Quick Case
- Length
- Single sitting
- Suspects
- 4
- Locations
- 7
Cast
Everyone has a version of the night.
The Junior Astronomer
Lila Park
Astronomy Educator
Lila Park is Aster Hall's junior astronomer and public educator. Celia cut her proposed show script earlier tonight.
The CFO
Helena Price
Museum Chief Financial Officer
Helena Price is Aster Hall's CFO. She was responsible for the restoration budget and had been arguing with Celia about the numbers.
The Projection Engineer
Victor Hale
Senior Projection Engineer
Victor Hale is the senior projection engineer, the person who knows the old star projector's brakes, lift, and show-control console better than anyone.
The Major Donor
Grant Voss
Philanthropist and Aerospace Heir
Grant Voss is Aster Hall's largest donor and the evening's guest of honor. Celia had resisted the conditions attached to his newest pledge.
Locations
The scene keeps changing when you look closer.
Common Area
Lobby Gallery
The planetarium lobby: donor banners, a small reception bar, glass cases of meteorites, and the only public exit.
Common Area
Star Dome Floor
The circular theater beneath the tilted dome, with concentric seating around the old star projector.
Crime Scene
Star Projector Pit
A waist-high central maintenance well around the Zeiss-style star projector, crowded with brake housings, yoke arms, and service ladders.
Restricted
Projection Booth
A narrow glass booth above the rear seats, packed with show-control panels, cue reels, monitor speakers, and the maintenance console.
Restricted
Service Ring
A dim staff passage behind the dome wall, linking the booth, lobby staff egress, and central projector pit through narrow service doors and a grated ladder hatch.
Common Area
Education Alcove
A small teaching space off the dome with a laser-pointer dock, school-group displays, and a view back toward the lobby.
Private
Finance Office
A glass-walled back office off the lobby, with donor files, restoration binders, and a locked cabinet for invoices.
Investigation Profile
What the case asks you to notice.
- Alibi gaps that sound too rehearsed
- Behavior shifts under repeated pressure
- Conflicting timelines across the same rooms
- Environmental details that make a story harder to defend
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