The Clockwork Fortune-Teller
A circus in winter quarters under freezing fog
The briefing
You arrive at the snowbound winter quarters as the troupe huddles around the cookhouse stove. The ringmaster has called you in quietly, before the bank or the police hear a word. Three people had the run of the yard last night, and one of them knows where Madame Orrery went.
Madame Orrery, the troupe's century-old clockwork fortune-teller and its biggest draw, vanished overnight from the winter quarters. The cook found her gone at seven o'clock when he came to check on her before breakfast.
The suspects
- Anselm Voss, Head clown and troupe treasurer
- Briony Kettle, Wardrobe mistress
- Cosima Dray, Aerial rigger
Places and items in the file
Places: Costume Wagon, Rigging Shed, Cookhouse Tent, Wagon Yard.
Items: Canvas Tarpaulin, Iron Crowbar, Wheeled Handcart, Coil of Rope.