Good afternoon, Inspector Mountebank. You've been summoned here today to solve a mystery: the disappearance of Jules Castlebury, noted big-game hunter and Third Earl of Dinglebury-Hampfordshire. Neither Jules's wife, Edna, nor Cyril, the butler, report having seen the Earl since Thursday, when he and his faithful dog Argos left to hunt pheasant. Argos returned two days later—alone. Castlebury's personal assistant, Miss Veronique Vixen, who left just days ago for an extended vacation at Cap d'Antibes, could not be reached. Ne'er-do-well nephew Hubert Stencil believes he may have spoken by phone to his uncle late Friday night, but his memory is hazy; not surprising given Mr. Stencil's near-constant state of inebriation.

Foul play is suspected. The Earl had few friends…and many enemies. Where is the Earl? Is he alive? Is he dead? Only you, Inspector, can untangle this web.

Due to spring cleaning, most of the mansion has been closed for weeks, and the family has been confining itself to the art gallery, the study, the master bedroom, the billiard parlor, and the garden. Until your arrival, no one has been permitted to search the premises. It's up to you to do so. Look carefully: The mansion surely holds many clues.