Gravel and Intent
The Helm Diner, Caldmere
Caldmere selectman Aldric Shea walked out of The Helm Diner at 11:40 PM and never made it to his car properly — because his car tried to kill him first. Someone had cut his brake line. Now Shea is at St. Clair with two cracked ribs and a story that is getting bigger by the hour.
Everyone has something to hide.
The conscience of Caldmere. Has run the Gazette for twenty-two years. Fierce, principled, and terrified that the paper will die before she does.
52. Retired commercial fisherman, blew out his back at 40. Massive, quiet, runs his bar like a deck — with authority and minimal words. His moral code is simple and absolute. Banned-for-life list is long.
27. Nonbinary. Reserved, precise, dry. Came to Caldmere to disappear after a murky departure from Bellwick University. Manages the library's digital catalog, security cameras, and alarm system — quietly overqualified for a small-town library.
Can you name the culprit?
Read the case file, interrogate the suspects, and make your accusation — five guesses to crack it. The deduction board and the solution are for detectives only.
Caldmere, Maine.
A small town on the Maine coast where everyone knows everyone, and nothing is quite what it seems. Explore the locations and characters behind every case.