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“Well, when I say we didn’t develop it, we did, of course, but we didn’t distribute it. We never sold it to Europe or America. It was a very limited edition. I think there were about 500 copies. You have to understand, it was a very complicated game, all about justice. Not the British judicial system, but justice in general. You couldn’t get away with anything in that game. The puzzles would always be solved. The criminals would always be caught.”
“Can you tell us more about the game? Do you have a copy?” asked Gardener.
“I most certainly do, Mr Gardener. Come with me.” He pointed, but Gardener wasn’t sure where to. Walker struggled intensely to remove himself from the chair.
Finally, he said, “It’s no good.”
He shoved a hand in Reilly’s direction. The Irishman helped, but it took two or three heaves to remove him. Once out, Walker turned and stared at the chair.
“Do you know, I think my housekeeper likes to play games with me? There is a sister chair to that one, and do I believe she swaps them around.”
Gardener thought that Walker actually believed what he was saying.
The three of them shuffled into an adjoining room, which was a study. A number of boxes appeared to have been abandoned around an already cluttered desk. The room had shelves and books of every description
, and a door in the corner, which housed a cupboard, but it was bigger than any that Gardener had ever seen.
Walker leaned in and shoved the monocle into the orbit of his right eye. He started to rummage, boxes flying around the cupboard at all angles. Most of them opened up, scattering pieces everywhere. Suddenly, when Gardener thought they were out of luck, Walker jumped up with the board game in his hand.
He shuffled towards the desk and removed the lid, emptying the contents, which included the board itself, dice, and a large number of cards.
“The game, Mr Gardener,” said Walker, “was based around the concept of law and order. A murder is committed, and you have to solve it.”
He separated some of the cards. “As you can see, characters in the game include the police, solicitors, doctors, storeowners, other professional people, and criminals. It uses dice and cards: character cards, weapon cards, location cards, instruction cards, witness cards, punishment cards, every bloody card you can think of. You use money to trade and buy information.”
Gardener was very pleased to see all of the cards their killer had used: Inspector Catcher, Nurse Willing, and Barrister Bent, as well as a number of others. At the same time, it was a very weird feeling.
“So, what kind of a game was it?” asked Reilly. “I know you said law and order, but how did you play it?”
The monocle dropped out of Walker’s eye. “Good lord, Mr Reilly, you don’t want much for your money, do you?”
The big man dropped into the chair behind the desk. He quickly scanned the instruction document.
“I need a refresher. Not played this in years.”
Walker was the type of person who could not read silently. Add to that the facial expressions, and you had a walking one-man sitcom.
“I remember now. It’s a cross between Cluedo and Whodunit. All the cards have the same design on the back, but they are categorised on the front.” He started to lay them out to prove his point. He also continued talking whilst consulting the instruction document.
“At the start of the game each set – and there are six different sets in total – is turned face down. The game should not be played with any less than four players. One of each card type is then placed in an envelope, still face down so no one knows what it is. The judge card is placed in one, and a murder scenario card in another. The envelopes are sealed and then shuffled, and each player picks one. No one at that point knows the identity of the judge or the murderer. Are you with me so far?”
Both detectives nodded, even though Gardener wasn’t.
Walker went on. “Players roll the dice and move around the board, giving each the opportunity to question every other player, in an effort to find out whatever information he needs.
“Now then, certain locations have access to further cards, which can be obtained by entering a building and trading information. Cards and money can be used as a trade-off for information. When a player thinks he has solved the mystery, he needs to involve the police and take the criminal to court, where the judge will hold a trial.”
Gardener leaned over and glanced at the board, noticing a number of buildings: The Railway Station; The Courthouse; The Council Offices; The Butcher; The Baker; The Market; The Mill; The Pub; The Library; The Police Station; The Fire Station.
Once again, he struggled with the street layout, but he finally noticed something he’d failed to work out the first time he’d seen it: the board was based on the town of Bursley Bridge. Gardener actually recognised some of the streets in relation to where the buildings were. He wondered why.
Walker distracted him when he started talking again. “It was an exciting game in some respects, but we didn’t think it would catch on. We basically did it as a favour to the inventor, and only then because his mother worked for us.”
“His mother worked for you?” Gardener asked.
“So how old was the inventor?” asked Reilly.
“When it was finally developed, eleven, but I believe his brainchild had been in progress for two years. He was ever such a particular little man. An absolute stickler for seeing justice done, even at that young age.
