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Mystery 4:
The Case of Who Poisoned Paul?
A prestigious innovation gala in Seattle ends in shock when Dr. Paul Whitmore, a respected biochemist, collapses without warning. Early reports call it a medical emergency, but quiet inconsistencies begin to surface inside Lumeterra Labs, where Whitmore led a high-stakes research project known as DL-24. As official explanations fall apart, pressure mounts behind closed doors, and someone appears determined to keep the truth buried.
As the investigation unfolds, students navigate a corporate research setting filled with restricted files, internal memos, and conflicting reports. What appears clean on the surface grows more layered as hidden evidence emerges, including altered toxicology findings, unusual security activity, and signs of deliberate contamination. Alongside the investigation is Paul’s dog, Einstein, whose presence and instinctive reactions offer subtle clues, moments of tension, and a grounded perspective as the case deepens. The deeper students dig, the clearer it becomes that this case is not just about what happened to Paul, but about who knew, who acted, and why the truth was concealed.
Over the course of six to nine weeks, students examine the case through forensic chemistry, toxicology, and botany, analyzing how unstable compounds, dilution, and time can erase critical evidence. While this is the most advanced mystery in the series, it remains approachable through guided prompts, hands-on labs, and Einstein’s observational challenges, helping younger teens engage with complex ideas while still challenging older students.
Each week, students will:
- Read a new chapter in the unfolding investigation
- Analyze forensic evidence related to chemistry, toxicology, and plant-based compounds
- Examine internal reports, security records, and suspect behavior
- Explore how chemical instability and contamination affect forensic results
- Write their own conclusion to the case
Credits Earned: Forensic Science with Lab, English/Creative Writing, and Applied Critical Thinking
Format: Available in Solo Student and Group Editions, with a free Teacher’s Edition. The core program runs six weeks, with an Optional Part 2 for extended learning.
You'll be taken to a registration form first, and then sent to the checkout page.
Select the correct mystery or bundle you want to buy when prompted in the registration form.
Take a Deeper Dive into the Curriculum
The path is the same in both editions: each mystery unfolds over six to nine weeks with identical stories, labs, and evidence. The difference is in how students participate; the Solo Student Edition supports one student working individually, while the Group Edition is designed for siblings, co-ops, or classrooms working together.
How the Mysteries Work
Each mystery is divided into six core weekly sessions, with an Optional Part 2 that allows families to extend the experience through additional research, projects, or the Forensic Showcase. Each session is designed to run approximately two to three hours, plus personal writing time. If you need to shorten or split the sessions, you absolutely can. This engaging program includes everything you need to create a memorable and educational experience.
Each Week Follows This Pattern
Storyline
Every mystery begins with the unfolding storyline. Each chapter pulls students deeper into the case, introducing suspects, revealing fresh clues, and raising new questions, keeping the suspense alive and the detectives guessing until the very end.
Team Collaboration Talking Points or Think Like a Detective
In each mystery, students pause after the story segment to process what has just happened. In the Group Edition, they work together using Team Collaboration Talking Points to spark discussion and analyze clues as a team. In the Solo Edition, students use Think Like a Detective prompts to reflect individually, guiding them to consider new evidence, motives, and theories. Both formats serve the same purpose, helping students think critically and step into the role of a detective.
Evidence Review & Crime Board Setup
The evidence folder contains that session’s forensic materials, photos, handwritten notes, maps, reports, and more. These documents are meant to feel like real case files landing on a detective’s desk. Students examine each piece as they collaborate and build their theory.
To bring the mystery to life, we recommend setting up a bulletin board where students can visually track the case. These become their detective “command centers,” ideal for pinning evidence, marking timelines, sketching out theories, and connecting ideas.
Lab Time
Every mystery includes themed science experiments tied to that week’s developments. In The Case of Who Poisoned Paul?, labs focus on toxicology, chemistry, and trace environmental evidence. Your student will explore how liquids, plant fragments, chemical reactions, and unstable compounds can help reveal what happened behind the scenes at Lumeterra. Each experiment connects directly to the week’s clues and develops skills in observation, documentation, and scientific reasoning.
Each lab comes with a Student Lab Worksheet, which includes:
- A brief explanation of the lab project
- A section for notes, drawings, or charts
- A checklist to reflect on what they did
- One or more meaningful questions to connect science to the mystery
Integrated Learning Videos
Throughout the mystery, students engage with curated video content that supports key concepts in history, forensic science, and investigative techniques. These videos are woven naturally into the course at moments where additional context or visual explanation strengthens understanding, helping students connect evidence, background knowledge, and reasoning as they work through the case.
Forensic Focus Questions (FFQ)
These research-driven questions prompt students to delve beyond the mystery itself, connecting real-world science and forensic techniques to the unfolding case before them. Each question challenges them to think like investigators, drawing connections between fact and fiction.
Einstein’s Challenge
Einstein’s Challenge is a flexible, hands-on activity that adds a fun, low-pressure element to your Mystery 4 experience. These challenges can be used in addition to the weekly forensic labs or as an alternative for younger teens or students who may need something a little less intense. Each challenge is simple to set up, easy to run, and still connected to core investigative skills like observation, reaction, and critical thinking.
Think of Einstein’s Challenge as a “bonus round” that brings energy and engagement into the room. These activities give a student a chance to experiment, test their senses, compare reactions, and talk through what they notice without worrying about complex procedures or scientific terminology. Whether you use the challenge every week or only when your student needs something lighter, it adds variety to the program and helps keep the mystery hands-on and exciting for all learners.
Writing Assignments
This is an English course like no other. Each mystery unfolds over the six weeks as students step into the roles of both investigator and storyteller. By the end, every student will have written their own complete crime tale, filled with clues, motives, and twists, using the provided suspects and evidence.
The first mystery, The Case of the Missing Mona Leah, begins in Week 1 with a shocking discovery: the Mona Leah painting is missing, and five suspects are revealed. Each following week deepens the investigation as new evidence is analyzed and motives explored, inspiring the next chapter.
Students must include all five suspects and reference each piece of evidence, but beyond that, the direction is theirs to choose. Some will write as detectives solving the case, while others will write as curators, guards, or even thieves. Every voice is unique, and the stories often surprise with dramatic reveals and clever twists.
Even reluctant writers find success. The mysteries provide built-in characters, suspects, and clues, so students never face the stress of a blank page. Each week gives clear direction, introducing a scene, adding a clue, or developing a motive, so they keep writing without feeling overwhelmed. Some students work best by staying close to our original storyline, retelling scenes in their own words, or making small adjustments along the way. That’s perfectly fine. By Week 6, even these gradual steps will have shaped a unique version of the case, complete with their chosen culprit. The structure builds confidence while leaving room for creativity, and hesitant writers often surprise themselves by not only finishing the project but also enjoying it and realizing they’re capable of far more than they imagined.
Optional Part 2: Forensic Science Showcase
The Forensic Science Showcase is the capstone project for this course, appearing in all four mysteries.
For states requiring additional hours, or for students wanting a greater challenge, each mystery also includes optional My Research and My Forensic Lab projects. These can be paired with the Showcase or completed separately to extend learning.
The Showcase invites students to present their theories, explain how science informed their conclusions, and reflect on their stories, blending forensic evidence, critical thinking, and creative writing.
Print Center
In the Print Center, you’ll find exactly what students need each week:
- Evidence File materials to track suspects, evidence, and clues
- Lab Worksheets for hands-on forensic activities
- Table of Contents Checklist for students to mark progress as they move through the case
Everything is organized so that you only need to print specific pages for the week, saving you time and money, and no more endless printing.
Most Important of All...
Have fun with it. This isn’t a scripted curriculum. It’s a flexible mystery adventure, and you’re the guide. You get to decide how immersive, suspenseful, or scientific you want to be.
Encourage your students to think deeply, be curious, follow the evidence, and build a story they’ll remember!
You'll be taken to a registration form first, and then sent to the checkout page.
Select the correct mystery or bundle you want to buy when prompted in the registration form.