We’re in the thick of it now. Here’s a full walkthrough/playthrough of Duskwood’s episode 3.
Duskwood Episode Three
Cleo is fine. The person at the door was Thomas. You can relax now.
All is not well, though. Cleo and Thomas seem to have found something, and she’ll get back to you when she gets home. Seems suspicious.
Jessy will message you about a newspaper article that seems to be relegating the story of Hannah’s disappearance to a side story. You can comfort her by saying that you understand why she’s upset.
Thomas’ Disappearance
Thomas will return to the group chat. Be sure to be friendly to get on his good side. He’ll admit that he went to the police to examine the body – surprise, surprise, it’s not Hannah. The question remains though: whose body is it?
Switch back to the hacker. They’ll reveal that they were listening in on your conversation with Cleo and ask why you think Thomas was there. Take the time to point out that Cleo was not comfortable while Thomas was there. The hacker will acknowledge your find and tell you that being able to detect small things like this is going to be vital to your investigation as they aren’t good at detecting emotional cues via text.
Lastly, go over the three leads you have with the hacker:
- Poke’s phone number
- Hannah’s antidepressants
- Hannah’s note
This is the first time that you’ll discuss Hannah’s note with the hacker. Take the time to read it again if you haven’t. The hacker will also deny that they know Hannah personally. Whatever you say, buddy.
You’ll also need to discuss the legend of the faceless man. If you forgot what it was, refer to the image below.
The hacker will express their doubts about the relevance of the story to Hannah’s disappearance. I agree, but it’s important to rule out all possibilities.
Chasing Shadows
Switch to Jessy’s private message. She’ll ask what you think about Thomas and reveal that she suspects Thomas.
Switch back to the Legends of Duskwood group chat to continue talking about the faceless man. Richy will posit that because Alfie grew up in Duskwood, he’s heard the story of the faceless man so many times that he’d automatically blame it on a legend. Richy does have a point here – consider that Alfie has a child’s imagination along with his condition. Jessy is also correct: we can’t ignore any potential lead, so I suggested she talk to Alfie’s mother.
Richy will finally add your number. Switch over to his DMs. He’ll ask you to trim down the faceless man angle as Jessy gets too wrapped up in supernatural stuff. Soothe him by saying you’re only looking for clues, not monsters.
A Second Note
Your decryption will pay off in the form of a second text document from Hannah.
This note is very different from the first one in that it’s a direct narrative of events. The hacker will suggest working together to decipher this second note. You do this by putting in prompts on certain parts of the note, and the hacker will puzzle out key questions.
The correct prompts, from top to bottom, are:
- Alone – Unknown Person
- The family – Whose family?
- I know the story well – Mysterious incident
- It broke my heart – Guilty feelings
Extrapolating these prompts, we get the following scenario:
Hannah, looking for more information about a certain unknown incident, went to visit a family with a person whose support was important to her. She has done this many times before. Iris is a woman in this family, and Hannah feels guilty for something she did to Iris. Hannah also made special mention of emerald green eyes.
This clue is way too good to pass up and can give us insight into what Hannah was doing in the days leading up to her disappearance.
The Search
Return to the group chat. Richy will announce that a date and time have been set for the search. You can ask for someone to clear it up for you – I had the option of Richy or Jessy, so I chose Jessy. Dan left in a huff.
Through Jessy, I learned that the women of Duskwood’s church group organized a thorough search of the forest to be conducted at 2 pm on Sunday. The meeting point is the front of Richy’s shop. The search was spearheaded by Miranda, who is Cleo’s mom. Maybe now we can get some closure, though I doubt they’ll find anything the cops haven’t already.
Something Missing
Cleo will finally get back to you to reveal that she thinks Thomas is hiding something. While she was in Hannah’s apartment and Thomas entered, Cleo noticed that she didn’t hear a key when he came in. However, Thomas no longer has a key to Hannah’s apartment ever since they had a major argument some time ago.
The reason Cleo didn’t immediately message you from Hannah’s apartment is that she noticed Thomas took something from the house. You’ll need to find out exactly what he took. Offer to help to get on her good side and tell her to text you if she has any news.
Snoop in on Cleo and Richy’s private conversation to find Cleo telling Richy that she jumped his fence last time since she heard arguing voices. While I’m not sure if this is the same case as the almost break-in Jessy witnessed, Richy tells Cleo it’s no big deal and that he was arguing with somebody.
Fantastic Faceless Men and Where to Find Them
Switch back to the Legends of Duskwood group chat. Jessy will realize that the library probably has books about local legends, but as she’s at work, she can only swing by during her lunch break. You’ll have to help her by identifying which book she should check out.
The book you’re looking for is Midnight in Duskwood by S. Queen, with library number 39814.
Following A Lead: Poke’s Number
The hacker will message you to say they finally have Poke’s number: 89350. You will need to call this number as Poke’s phone has been set to automatically reject text messages. Hopefully, you’ll also catch him off-guard and get some information out of his tone and voice.
Go back to the main menu and tap on the Apps menu. There should be a new Phone app. Input Poke’s number.
Poke will then add you as a chat contact afterward. You’ll need to improvise in this conversation. Take your time and don’t say something that might clue Poke in that you’re not someone he’d normally be dealing with. After some back and forth, Poke will tell you to come by his shop and bring the advertisement if you want to avail of his discount. Play dumb and say the only reason you’re going is because of the discount, and Poke will send you a new one.
Return to the hacker and share your findings. You can also be smart and infer what we have so far by saying:
- I get it now
- Dan bought a key from Poke
- So that Thomas can get into the apartment
However, Dan did mention Thomas was acting very suspicious, so it’s in the air as to why he would do Thomas a huge favor by getting a spare key from Poke.
Finish up by telling the Hacker that Thomas stole something from the apartment, that Thomas and Hannah had a big fight, and that Thomas lied about the key. While this doesn’t prove that Thomas is the kidnapper (and possibly killer), the hacker suggests being especially careful around Thomas while getting his side of the story. Guess where we’re going next?
The Legends of Duskwood group chat, that’s where. And as fate, or maybe our kidnapper would have it, Midnight in Duskwood is already four days overdue. We’ll need to pursue this train of thought somewhere else.
Cracks in the Foundation
Switch over to the private conversation between Jessy and Phil – as you’ll recall, Phil Hawkins is the owner of the Aurora bar.
Phil will chew Jessy out for vouching for Dan, saying that the only reason he hired Dan was that Jessy swore Phil wouldn’t regret it. Phil also says to tell Cleo she should stop snooping around the bar as it looks terrible to customers.
Go back to the group chat to find that today was supposed to be Dan’s first day of work at the Aurora bar. Jessy will also confront Cleo about her supposed “snooping around”, which Cleo claims is false as she was just asking questions. You’ll also find out that Phil is Jessy’s brother.
Cleo will add that Phil made some very disparaging remarks about Hannah:
- “She was a piece of work. The way she dressed was just too much.”
- “She always wanted the attention of all the men on her.”
- “And she sure flirted with anyone. It was just a matter of time until she would get with the wrong guy.”
Conclude the group chat by asking Richy to speak with Phil about his behavior.
Switch to the private chat between Dan and Jessy. Dan claims he simply forgot he was supposed to go to work. Uh-huh. You’ll also be able to surmise that Dan and Jessy are a couple. Dan offers to take Jessy to the Black Swan, her favorite restaurant that night to make up for it.
The Sign of the Raven
You’ll decrypt a picture of a tree in the woods with a raven symbol on it.
The hacker will ask you to show the picture to the people in Hannah’s friend group. You can choose who to send it to – I sent it to the Legends of Duskwood group chat. You’ll also have to reveal that you got it from Hannah’s phone.
Recall the myth of the faceless man: he marks the doors of the guilty with the sign of the raven, then kidnaps everyone within on the new moon.
Without voyaging into the supernatural, we now know that Hannah knows about the legend of the faceless man and that the sign of the raven was perhaps an attempt to lure her into the forest.
A Fruitless Search?
Snoop in on Dan and Cleo’s private conversation. Dan will express frustration about how Miranda talked Dan’s mother into joining the search. From some of Dan’s lines:
- “Have you seen her walk? And you want her to comb through the forest? For several hours?”
- “I’ve sat back and watched this long enough. But enough is enough Cleo.”
We can infer that Dan’s mother isn’t in good shape (and may even be ill). I think I can also say, within a reasonable margin, that Dan believes Hannah is dead.
Go to your DMs with Cleo and shoot her a message. Cleo will confirm one of our inferences – Dan’s mother has weak knees. You’ll also get her name, which is Sophie.
Open the private conversation between Richy and Jessy. She’ll say that she’s about to head home.
Switch to Jessy’s DMs. She’ll ask for help on what to wear; this is irrelevant if you don’t have the multimedia pack. She’ll also say she’s on a date with someone, who we know to be Dan. However, she’s not particularly enthusiastic about going out, and she’ll soon opt to just talk to you.
On a side note, you can open her DMs with Dan and see that he’s already at the Black Swan.
Once you’re done talking with Jessy, switch to Dan’s DMs. The poor guy is so wrecked, he’s talking to me of all people. Listen to Dan rant about how he’s not a bad guy – it’s just that the other people in the friend group are better at hiding their flaws: Cleo is nosy, Richy is a workaholic, and Thomas is a wimp. Fortunately, he doesn’t have an opinion of us yet.
Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but Dan will say he made a major mistake. Namely, he got Thomas the key to Hannah’s apartment. Most importantly, Dan will reveal what Thomas was looking for. It’s proof of infidelity.
It’s a stretch, but Thomas believes Hannah cheated on him, and that the person she was with is the true kidnapper. What he stole is going to be another lead to follow: a bracelet with the initials J.H.
Entering The Danger Zone
Switch over to the hacker’s DMs and start the conversation. Pretty soon, you’ll be interrupted by a phone call from an unknown number. Pick it up. It’s just a bunch of breaths distorted by audio but note the presence of the raven cries.
The hacker knows someone with the initials J.H: Jessica “Jessy” Hawkins. You’ll be interrupted again.
“I warned you to stay out of this. You think this is all just a game, don’t you?”
If Cleo turned around right now we could solve this mystery. Alas!
You’ll get yet another call, this time from Jessy.
Dan’s been in an accident, thanks to all that whiskey. He’s in critical condition, and Jessy isn’t sure if he’s going to make it.
What Have We Learned?
Episode 3 of Duskwood had a lot more information to process, so let’s break it down into chunks.
Personal Information and Relationships
- Hannah’s diary entry alludes to a specific family and an event that happened to them. It’s not the first time she’s visited them.
- Hannah seems to be aware of the legend of the faceless man.
- Jessy’s full name is Jessica Hawkins – J.H.
- Jessy gets wrapped up in supernatural stuff too much.
- Jessy suspects Thomas.
- Phil Hawkins, the owner of the Aurora bar, is Jessy’s brother.
- Phil has a low opinion of Hannah.
- Dan and Jessy are a couple.
- Dan thinks Richy is a workaholic and that Thomas is a wimp.
- Dan got into a car accident after getting stood up by Jessy. He’s in critical condition.
- Sophie is Dan’s mom. She has weak knees.
- Miranda is Cleo’s mom. She spearheaded the upcoming forest search.
- Poke is a locksmith working at Giebald & Sons.
- The unknown caller is in Duskwood and is threatening Cleo.
Mysteries Solved
- Dan contacted Poke to buy a key to Hannah’s apartment, which he gave to Thomas.
- Thomas stole a bracelet with the initials J.H from Hannah’s apartment. He believes Hannah was seeing J.H.
The Adventure Continues!
While we’ve gotten to the bottom of some leads, more and more keep cropping up. And our digging seems to yield only more questions instead of answers. Will Dan make it? Will Cleo be safe? And is Jessy the kidnapper? Find out more in the next episode of Duskwood!