THE SOLUTION
HOW TO BEGIN
The Start Here Guide states that the goals for your investigation are to identify the killer and uncover the motive of the murderer. It also advises that you should observe the following protocols during your investigation: (1) solve the case by developing the most likely theory that is supported by the evidence, (2) accept statements made by witnesses or other sources of information as true unless they are contradicted by other evidence, and (3) if an inconsistency arises during your investigation, be sure to check it against the other available evidence.
THE MURDER WEAPON
Lilian Frost was killed by a revolver that was obtained from a weapons storage locker on A-Deck. Master-at-Arms Thomas Walter King stated in his statement given during the investigation that firearms are not permitted on the Titanic except those held in weapons lockers of each deck of the ship and accessible only by a small number of the Titanic’s officers. The weapons in the storage lockers were .455 caliber revolvers.
Master at Arms Henry Bailey confirmed in a statement given during the investigation that he took a bribe to leave the weapons locker unlocked so that the killer could obtain a revolver. A note that was uncovered during the investigation revealed that the weapons locker was left unlocked from 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm on 04-12-12 (so that the killer could obtain the weapon). It was then left unlocked again from midnight until 1:00 am so that the killer could return the revolver to the locker.
Master at Arms King confirmed that he checked the weapon lockers on A-Deck between 5:00 pm and 5:30 pm on the day that Lillian Frost was killed, and all of the revolvers were accounted for. However, when he checked them again just after midnight, he determined that one of the revolvers had recently been fired. This was the revolver used to murder Lilian Frost in her stateroom.
A POKER GAME
In his interview, Benjamin Guggenheim stated that he and a group of other passengers proceeded with a poker game on the night that Lilian Frost was killed. One of the participants in the game was Robert Knight. The game began at 11:00 pm and lasted until just after 2:00 am. Guggenheim confirmed that all of the players were present at the table during this time period except for John Thayer. Guggenheim’s interview provides Robert Knight with an alibi. Since Knight was at the poker game from 11:00 pm until around 2:00 am on the night of the murder, he could not have returned the murder weapon to the weapons locker between midnight and 1:00 am. Knight is not the killer.
THE CAPTAIN
Captain Edward Smith can also be ruled out as the killer. The evidence revealed that the ship’s senior officers and the Masters at Arms were the only ones who had access to the weapons lockers aboard the ship. As the captain of the Titanic, Smith would have been able to access the locker and take the murder weapon without needing to involve the Master-at Arms and bribe him into leaving the locker unlocked. Captain Smith is not the killer.
A CONSPICUOUS CLUE
In Henry Bailey’s statement, he stated that: "I was told by the person who bribed me to leave the locker unlocked that no harm would be caused to anyone. He told me that gaining access to the weapons locker was part of an intelligence operation being conducted by British intelligence services and that the Titanic bridge crew could not be told the details of the operation as a matter of operational security.” In this part of his statement, Bailey referenced that person who bribed him as “he.” This indicates that the killer who obtained the murder weapon was male. Of the five suspects, only Helen Gorham Knight is female. She can be ruled out as the killer.
A TEA PARTY
In her interview, Victoria Hastings stated that she attended the “Spring Blossom Tea Party” and spent the entire time in the company of J. Bruce Ismay and Thomas Andrews. Molly Brown stated in her interview that she also attended the Spring Blossom Tea Party and indicated that it took place from 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm on 04-12-12. As stated above, this was the time period that the weapons locker was left unlocked for the killer to obtain the murder weapon. Since Victoria Hastings confirmed that she was in the company of J. Bruce Ismay during the entirety of the Spring Blossom Tea Party, Ismay has an alibi for that time period. He is not the killer.
LILIAN FROST’S MURDERER
Of the five suspects, only Gerald Thorne had the means, motive and opportunity to commit the crime. As deputy director and a shareholder of Harland & Wolff, Thorne had motive to silence Lilian Frost. Thorne is the murderer.
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