CRIME DETAILS

Randy Butt’s dead body was discovered at 1.10 am in the Main Office of the Pink Pelican nightclub by Mr Philip Starr, the club’s Assistant Manager. Mr Starr immediately raised the alarm. Only the eight suspects were in the club at the time of the murder.

Sir Compton Clarke, who owns the club, decided that in the interests of preventing a damaging scandal, he would ask the club’s security officer, Ben Bulge, to undertake a preliminary investigation before calling in the police. Ben, a former Police Officer, now runs his own security company.

Upon arriving at the club with some of his staff, Ben surveyed the body. Mr Butt was lying face down and a knife was still embedded in the left hand side of his neck. Ben deduced that he had been stabbed from behind and that death would have been instantaneous. He also noted a recent bruise to Mr Butt’s lower left jaw which looked as though it had been caused by a fist.

Upon interviewing the suspects, two people said they overhead Mr Butt quarrelling with someone shortly before his death.

Philip Starr stated that he was in the Filing Room shortly after 1.00 am. Through the wall he could hear two people arguing extremely violently in the Main Office. One of these people was Randy Butt. Philip could not identify the other person.

The argument ended abruptly and Philip thinks he heard a choked cry. He then heard the Main Office door opening, being slammed shut, then footsteps disappearing rapidly down the corridor. After waiting uneasily in the Filing Room for a few minutes, Philip entered the Main Office and discovered the body of Randy Butt.

Sir Compton Clarke stated that shortly after 1.00 am he was in the club Rest Room, waiting for drag queen Cissy Scratch-Hard to finish changing, as he had promised her a lift home. Through the door that connects the Rest Room with the Main Office he also heard Randy Butt having a violent quarrel. Sir Compton, who is slightly deaf, thinks he recognised the voice of the other person. However, as he is not one hundred percent sure, he has elected to mention no names. He agrees that the argument ended abruptly and that someone came out of the Office, slammed the door, and walked hurriedly past the Rest Room door.

However the six other suspects all deny being the person overheard quarrelling with Randy and declare that between 1.00 am and 1.10 am they were elsewhere.

• Jasper Daniels states that he was in the Storage Room, looking out some props for the next night’s cabaret artiste.

• Cissy Scratch-Hard states she was changing in her dressing room, prior to leaving with Sir Compton.

• Luke O’Shay states that he was in the Bar Storage area, doing some last minute tidying.

• Hamish Hudson states that he was in the Cruising Lounge, waiting to say goodnight to Sir Compton and Cissy.

• Drew Anderson states that he was also in the Cruising Lounge. Both he and Hamish Hudson confirm each others alibis.

Mikey McDowell was unable to state where he was, but thought it might have been the gents’ toilets. The other suspects confirm that, after the body was discovered, they found him lying against the toilet wall, seemingly senseless from drink.

The Crime Map shows a plan of the club and everyone's stated positions at the time of Randy's murder.

It is now 2.00 am. Ben, with the aid of some of his work colleagues, has decided that they have until dawn to solve the mystery. If, by daybreak, the murderer is still unknown, Ben will hand the investigation over to the police. The only action Ben has so far taken is to remove the weapon and test it for fingerprints. Although the knife has been wiped, one half smudged fingerprint has not been removed. Upon taking the prints of the eight suspects, the print on the knife has been matched with a fingerprint belonging to Philip Starr...