Ranking the Suspects — Means, Motive, Opportunity

The four suspects

The stranded submarine Mortuga carries four people besides you (Grimmoir) and your assistant Sally: First Mate Halvard, Engineer Bo, Cook Pell, and Passenger Vex. Each can be formally accused during the finale, and the ending you get depends on which evidence you present.

Means

• Halvard had the captain's private key and free run of the bridge.
• Bo controlled the ballast system — the method used to sink the body.
• Pell handled food and drink, but no toxin matches the autopsy.
• Vex was locked in the guest cabin until the alarm sounded.

Motive

Halvard feared being demoted after the failed supply run. Bo owed a gambling debt to the captain. Pell and Vex had no recorded conflict with Magnus Mortuga — their motives are thin, which is exactly why the game nudges you toward them as red herrings.

Opportunity

Cross-reference the ship's clock log with each alibi:

1. Halvard logged "on the bridge" — unverified.
2. Bo's engine-room badge pinged at 02:14, the estimated time of death.
3. Pell was in the galley (corroborated by Sally).
4. Vex's cabin lock engaged at 01:50 and never reopened.

The deciding clue

In the Captain's cabin you can recover a pocket watch stopped at 02:14 with a single fingerprint that is not the captain's. That fingerprint belongs to the person whose badge pinged the engine room at the same minute. Present the watch + the badge log together to lock the conviction.

Conviction tips

• Interview everyone twice — a second pass unlocks contradicting lines you can use in the finale.
• If you convict on motive alone, you get the Accidental ending (a mistrial).
• Convicting on the watch + badge evidence gives the Avenger ending.
• Recovering the hidden logbook first unlocks the true "Mermaid" ending path.