Solve A Mystery And We'll Reveal Your Famous Detective Alter Ego
- by Michelle_Sanders
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Law and order is more than an awesome TV show, it's the rulebook we've all got to live by if we want to reside in a civilized society. People need some rules in order to keep everyone in check. Makes sense, yeah? Well, for some people, that's not good enough. Maybe they think they're above the law or maybe they just get a kick out of breaking it. But whatever their excuse, these villains can't be allowed to go on their crime sprees and get off scot-free! Somebody has to bring them to justice, even if they have to be dragged to it kicking and screaming.
No culprit ever wants to be found out, but fortunately for the authorities, they always leave a few important clues behind—and it's the job of detectives to take those clues and piece them together into a crime jigsaw puzzle that makes sense. Detective work requires a strong sense of intuition. It takes determination, diligence, painstaking accuracy and, most importantly, common sense. It's a hard job, but a noble one at that. Put those "little gray cells" to the test here and now! Solve a mystery, and in return, we'll reveal which famous detective is your alter ego.
Choose a type of detective
"Detective" is really a catch-all term used to describe all kinds of inspectors. Sure, all detectives do the same kind of stuff—namely, investigate—but they each have different methods and different areas of expertise. So before diving headfirst into this mystery, what kind of detective would you most like to be?
Pick a famous detective to help out
Mysteries are so mysterious, aren't they? It's almost like they're that way by definition! Anyway, the point is, you're going to need a second banana, a sidekick, a crime fighting bestie perfectly suited to your line of mystery work. Which fellow classic detective(s) will you choose to be your partner on this brand new case?
Pick a classic piece of detective clothing
No sense stepping out in your every day clothes. You're a detective today, so you may as well look the part—you should always "dress for the job you want", after all. Rummage through your closet and rifle through your dresser drawers. Grab yourself a piece of iconic detective garb. Which of the following options sounds best?
Choose an iconic detective tool
You're not just any detective, you're a pro—even if, technically, this isn't your day job. Your mind is as sharp as a tack, and you know how to roll with the punches on this job. But no matter how clever you are, every detective needs tools to help them out on their investigation.
What's the crime?
Alright, you've got the detective look down, you've got the detective gear in your pocket. You're talking the talk and walking the walk. You're all ready to go! So, let's get started. Just what kind of crime are we looking at here? What kind of crime are you going to be solving?
Where was this crime committed?
Now it's time to head down to the scene of the crime, so hail a cab, grab your bike,strap on your running shoes, saddle a horse—look, we don't care how you get there, we just want to know where it is you're headed. Where exactly did this crime take place?
Check out the crime scene
Grab a pair of disposable gloves and those plastic shoe booties—sure, they look silly, but anything to keep all of that evidence from becoming contaminated, right? There's a lot to see here, and you can't afford to miss any of it. Describe the scene. What does it look like went down, here?
What makes this crime scene unusual?
As a detective, you know that every crime scene is as unique as the fingerprints of the culprit who created it. You've got the gist of what's going on here, or at least what sort of crime this scene was the result of, but there's something about this place that's just a little...off. What is it?
Find a hidden room
While nosing around the crime scene on your never ending quest for clues, you encounter a hidden room. It's not very often you stumble across a secret chamber, even in your line of work, so this immediately piques your interest. How did you find this hideaway, and what kind of room is it?
Dust for fingerprints
So far, this investigation has been completely superficial, so it's time to really crack the surface! Grab a brush, track down a fine, powdery substance—a bit of foundation powder or even part of a dust bunny should suffice for now—and start dusting for fingerprints. Where do you find some suspicious prints?
What strange clue did the culprit leave behind?
Well, well, well. Would you look at that? It appears our culprit, whoever they may be, left a little parting gift! Try as they might, the perp couldn't escape the crime scene without a trace. After a few hours of searching the place up and down, you find something the culprit left behind. What is it?
Take some notes
Every crime scene is worth a ba-zillion words. There's so much to see, but it's easy to fixate on a few extra strange clues and forget about the smaller ones that might become more important later. Keep track of all that you've seen by taking some notes. Which note-taking method are you all about, detective?
Search the rest of the location
The crime scene has offered some helpful clues that will help point you to the culprit, but you'd better check out the rest of this place, just to cover all your bases. Time to take your search elsewhere. After scouring every other square inch of this location, what does your investigation turn up?
Discover a secret passageway
Aw, yisss. You've just found heaven for detectives. Looks like you've located a secret passageway and, as an investigator, you're dutibound to explore the place from top to bottom. But, not all secret passagways are created equal, you know. Where did you find this passageway, and where does it go to, anyway?
Find a coded note
Your journey through the secret passageway quickly proves fruitful. Toward the end of the line, you discover a crumpled up note tossed aside in a corner. Who could've left this here? Best way to find out is to read it—but, what's this?! It appears to be written in some sort of code! What kind of code are we looking at here, detective?
Interrogate a suspect
When it comes to the crime scene, there's still plenty to think about, but it's time to hear from the suspects. Who knows what kind of interesting info they have to offer? Choose one suspect to sit down with. Press them for the deets, but be careful not to push too hard.
Talk to the police
Whether you're a police detective or not, the fact remains, when it comes to the best evidence, the authorities hold the keys to the kingdom, which means it's important to work with them as closely as possible—at least, sometimes. Have a chat with an officer on the case. What do you learn from it?
Talk to forensics
You can build a case with all of the evidence you've created, but it's forensics that seal the deal. DNA can be collected from any crime scene, but the question is, does any of it stand out? Talk to the forensics team about what they found so you can know what they know.
Go over surveillance footage
Solving a case is 99-percent good detective skills and one percent good luck. It just so happens there was a security camera outside the building where the crime was committed. Unfortunately, these cameras are old, which means the quality of the video ain't so hot. But you can still learn something from the footage. What do you discover?
Dig deeper at the local archives
It could be that you've already dug up all of the clues that you're going to dig up from this case, but you can't know that for sure. And, besides, you certainly don't have enough to formulate any theories, much less speculate "whodunit". Take your investigation to the local archives. What do you find there?
Stakeout a suspect
Surveilling your suspects is a lot more than sitting in your car drinking coffee out of a thermos and snapping pictures with a huge camera. You've got to be alert and on your toes. You never know what your suspect will get up to when they think no one is watching. Choose someone to keep an eye on.
Overhear some local gossip
This is a pretty high profile case here, so it's no surprise that it's the talk of the town. Over the course of your investigation, you keep your eyes and ears open, just in case some of these gossiping random strangers has something helpful to add to the case. What seemingly silly rumor might actually be relevant to your investigation?
Consult a fellow detective for advice
Sometimes, it helps to talk things out, especially if the person you're talking things out with has experience in your field and can offer a different, previously unconsidered perspective to things. Phone a famous detective friend and ask them for help. Maybe they can shine a new light on this situation.
A new witness emerges with details
While going over your notes, you get a call from your partner. A new witness has come forward with a promising lead that could bring this case to a head in no time flat. Which of the following suspects sounds like they would have the most promising bit of information for your investigation?
Surprise! Red herring!
Detective work is a tricky business. In order to be a good detective, you don't just need to know how to gather evidence, you've also got to be able to figure out which clues are important, which ones aren't, and which ones were left behind to throw you off the scent. What's the red herring in this case?
Investigate another location
The new witness's testimony points to the direction of a new location, and it just so happens to be one that's also kept under lock and key. This isn't the sort of place someone just strolls in, especially if said someone is a detective like yourself. This is a super off limits kind of location we're talking about. Which of the following places are you headed to next?
Go undercover
Welp, there's only one way you're getting in that place, and it's by going undercover. You need a believable story before you try to infiltrate this covert operation and get the low down on the situation. Just make sure your cover is a good one because if you get caught? Well...it won't be very good, let's just leave it at that.
Time to snoop!
Alright, you're in! Your cover was perfect, everyone fell for it. Everything's going without a hitch so far, but now comes the tough part. It's time to do what every sleuth does best. Snoop. Which of the following places sounds like the best location to investigate, and what interesting clue do you find in there?
The break in the case
You're on the downhill side of this case. You're so close to solving it, you can almost taste it, but you're still missing that one vital piece of information that will enable you to tie everything together and to connect all of the dots. So what's the tipping point? What is it that cracks this case open?
What's the big picture?
After going over all of your evidence, it's starting to look like this crime isn't a one-off type of deal. This case is just one of the many strings comprising a much bigger web of lies. Your case is directly tied to something bigger—much bigger. Just what the heck is going on, here?
Chase down your suspect
At this point, the writing is on the wall for the person who committed this crime. You're hot on their trail and they can feel you closing in on them. No culprit ever comes quietly, and when you go to confront your guy (or gal), they immediately give chase. Chose a location to chase after the perp.
Time to nab the perp!
The jig, as the kids say, is up. This is the end of the line for the culprit, but just because you've got them right where you want them doesn't mean they're obligated to come quietly. After chasing them down, you've finally cornered them. But how do you bring them to justice?
Which suspect is the culprit?
The culprit's been cuffed and the police are on their way to escort them to the clink. In the meantime, now's your chance to pull back the perp's mask, so to speak, and discover their true identity. Which one of your suspects, if any, was the real mastermind behind this crime?
What's the culprit's motivation?
Bad people do bad things. That's just a no brainer. But when you consider the scope of this case, there's just no way the culprit behind a crime of this magnitude would perpetrate it just for the heck of it! They had to have had some kind of motive. So, why did they do it?
Bask in the glory of another case solved!
Case closed! Go ahead and pat yourself on the back and feel free to toot your own horn, while you're at it, too, detective. You've more than earned your bragging rights, here. Congratulate yourself on a job well done. Choose the perfect way to end a long hard day of solving crimes and busting the baddies.
