Case 0010 · October 25, 2026

Last Song at the Blue Heron

After the doors closed, he always played one more song, then rested in the green room. Tonight he never came out.

Tonight's case — free to play Difficulty: ●●○○○

The briefing

Every night at the Blue Heron Room, a narrow jazz club in the French Quarter, owner Clarence Dupree locked the doors after the last set, played one song alone on the empty stage, then rested in the small green room behind it. Early on Sunday morning he never came out.

The rest of the briefing is waiting in the case file.

The victim

Clarence Dupree, age 66Trumpet player and club ownerClarence opened the Blue Heron in 1988 and played there six nights a week. His closing number, "Goodnight, Royal Street", made him a local legend. After it he always locked himself in the green room for an hour's rest before driving home.

The suspects

Marcus ThibodeauxPianist · Bandleader
Odette FontenotBartender for twenty years
Desmond "Dez" BroussardSound engineer and stage manager

How to play this case

DifficultyGentle (2/5)
The suspects3
TimeAbout ten minutes

3 suspects and 16 pieces of evidence wait in the file. Sweep your flashlight across the scene, listen to every voiced statement and pin what doesn't add up. You have three accusations to name the killer, the method and the motive; after that, the morning paper tells the whole story.

About this case

Case 0010, “Last Song at the Blue Heron”, opened on October 25, 2026. Difficulty: Gentle (2/5). It puts 3 suspects and 16 pieces of evidence in front of you, all connected to Clarence Dupree. Like every Midnight Casebook file, it is a fair puzzle: there is no trick ending and no outside knowledge needed — everything that points to the answer is somewhere in the scene, the evidence or the statements.

Questions about this case

Is “Last Song at the Blue Heron” free to play?

Yes. It is tonight's case, so it is free for everyone until the next case opens at midnight. Play it in your browser or in the iPhone or Android app — no account needed to start.

How hard is this case?

Difficulty: Gentle (2/5). Difficulty follows the week: Monday's case is the gentlest, Friday's and Saturday's are the toughest, and most players close a daily case in about ten minutes.

What if I get stuck?

Hints open one at a time: the first points to evidence worth a closer look, the second to a contradiction, the third explains one part of the puzzle. Free players get one hint per case, plus an extra one on hard cases during their first seven solves; Casebook Pro unlocks all three. Each hint costs 10 points and each wrong accusation 20, but time never counts against you.

Do I need to download anything?

No. The case plays in any modern browser at midnightcasebook.com/play, and there are also iPhone and Android apps. Sign in with Apple or Google when you want to keep your streak, scores and badges on every device.