Case 0024 · November 1, 2026

The Organ of Ouro Preto

He was bringing a three-hundred-year-old organ back to life. Someone could not afford to hear it play.

In the archive — play with Casebook Pro Difficulty: ●●●●●

Play this case Google PlayGet the Android app

No graphic violence, no jump scares: a fair whodunit puzzle, about ten minutes a night.

The briefing

In the steep stone town of Ouro Preto, Sebastião Ferreira spent two years restoring the old organ of the Church of Our Lady of the Hill. Every evening at nine he ate a plate of guava paste and cheese in the sacristy, then climbed to the organ loft to work.

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

The victim

Sebastião Ferreira, age 70Organ restorerSebastião restored church organs all over Minas Gerais and knew every old pipe in the state by its sound. He kept careful notebooks, ate the same supper every night, and never went anywhere without the pen for his cashew allergy.

The suspects

Lúcia FerreiraArchitect · Daughter
Rafael CostaApprentice restorer
Conceição AlvesChurch treasurer · Treasurer of the parish
Mário TeixeiraAntiques dealer · Dealer in old church pieces
Helena DuarteMusic teacher · Organist at Sunday mass

How to play this case

DifficultyFiendish (5/5)
The suspects5
TimeAbout ten minutes

5 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 0024, “The Organ of Ouro Preto”, opened on November 1, 2026. Difficulty: Fiendish (5/5). It puts 5 suspects and 16 pieces of evidence in front of you, all connected to Sebastião Ferreira. 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.

Case notes

The Organ of Ouro Preto takes place in a steep stone town in Minas Gerais, inside the Church of Our Lady of the Hill, where Sebastião Ferreira, a seventy-year-old organ restorer, had spent two years bringing an old instrument back to life. He was a man of fixed habits, with careful notebooks and the same supper in the sacristy every evening at nine before he climbed to the organ loft. One Saturday night he was found at the organ bench, and the pen he always carried for his severe cashew allergy was missing.

Five people had dealings with him: his daughter, an architect; his apprentice; the parish treasurer; a dealer in old church pieces; and the music teacher who plays at Sunday mass. The file asks you to weigh his routine against their movements, consider who knew his habits and who stood to gain, and keep in mind that one person is covering for another and one document is forged.

At five of six, with sixteen pieces of evidence, this is a demanding case for players who like to be beaten a few times before it all comes together.

Questions about this case

Is “The Organ of Ouro Preto” free to play?

This case is now in the archive, which is part of Casebook Pro; how far back you can go depends on your plan. Tonight's case and the first three cases are always free.

How hard is “The Organ of Ouro Preto”?

“The Organ of Ouro Preto” is rated Fiendish (5/5) on the Midnight Casebook scale. Difficulty follows the week: Monday's case is the gentlest and the weekend's files are the toughest, and most players close a daily case in about ten minutes.

What if I get stuck on “The Organ of Ouro Preto”?

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 to play “The Organ of Ouro Preto”?

No. Like every Midnight Casebook case, it plays in any modern browser at midnightcasebook.com/play, and there is also an Android app. Sign in with Apple or Google when you want to keep your streak, scores and badges on every device.

Does my score on “The Organ of Ouro Preto” count on the leaderboard?

Midnight Casebook leaderboards count only cases solved on their publish day, so tonight's case is the one to play for points. You can still solve this one for the story and the practice.

Can you name the killer, the method and the motive?

Play this case

No spoilers here: the statements, the evidence and the solution stay inside the case file.