1955, Wren & Sons auction house, St James's, London
The Empty Frame
London, 1955. On the eve of the auction of the century, Sir Julius Wren lies dead in his own vault — beside a rediscovered Vermeer that five people would kill to sell, to keep, or to burn.
- Difficulty
- hard
- Time
- 60–90 min
- Suspects
- 5
- Rooms
- 6
- Exhibits
- 18
- Kind
- Classic Whodunit
- World
- Gaslight
- Price
- Free
The death
Sir Julius Wren. Auctioneer and proprietor of Wren & Sons, 61. Built the house's reputation on a single sentence: 'We have never sold a lie.' Tomorrow's sale of a rediscovered Vermeer was to be his crowning night. Found: the strongroom vault, beneath the auction floor, a letter opener between his ribs.
Everyone here
Every one of them has a version of that night. One of them is lying about murder.
- Lady Cordelia Wrenwidow of the collector
- Maxim Duvalart dealer
- Tommy Priceart handler
- Lady Vivienne Ashcombedowager collector
- Edmund Wrenestranged brother of the victim
Where it happened
The Vault
Steel door, felt-lined racks, and the empty frame itself. The vault log hangs on its chain by the door. Where Sir Julius was found.
The Salesroom
Gilt chairs in rows beneath the rostrum, ready for the auction of the century that will never begin.
Sir Julius's Office
The proprietor's desk: sale catalogues, a telephone, and a locked drawer that held the pigment report.
The Long Gallery
Paintings awaiting sale line both walls. Duval's certificate of authenticity hangs beside the Vermeer's empty hook.
The Vault Stairs
A narrow stone flight, lit by a single bulb. Whoever descended after eleven was seen from the courtyard door.
The Courtyard
Delivery crates and rain-slicked cobbles. A man could linger here half the night unnoticed — and one did.
Contains: murder · infidelity · fraud
Before you start
- Is The Empty Frame free to play?
- Yes. The Empty Frame plays free in any browser with no download and no account. Culprit is free to play.
- How hard is The Empty Frame?
- It is rated hard — a hard case — expect to re-question people once you know what to ask. There are 5 suspects, 6 locations and 18 exhibits to find.
- How long does The Empty Frame take to solve?
- About 60–90 minutes. You can leave and come back — the case remembers where you were.
- Can the suspects actually lie to me?
- Yes. Each suspect is played by an AI actor with something to protect, and they will deflect, misremember and lie outright. What they cannot do is change the facts of the case: every case is proved solvable before it is published, so the contradiction is always there to be found.
