Nancy Drew: Secrets Can KillNancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill

Game Details:  Mystery, 1998

Links:  Moby Games, Adventure Gamers

Walkthrough Updated:  1/27/2006

Suggested Listening:  Where There's Smoke (Ash 25)

Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill is the first in a long-running series of games by Her Interactive, starring high-school graduate and detective Nancy Drew, from the series of fiction books. In this game, Nancy is staying with her Aunt Louise in Florida, when a student at the local high school is murdered, and Nancy is asked to investigate, going undercover as a new student. The game has also been updated and re-released as Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill Remastered. The next game in the series is Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger.

Aunt Eloise's House

Read the letter on the table in the entry hall, which mentions a safe and a combination somewhere within the house. Open the drawer in the right of this table and take the telephone card. Next, turn left and enter the sitting room. Open the drawer here to get a remote control, and open the envelope to read a letter - look at the symbols across the top of this letter carefully, as they form the code for the safe. Look at the books on the left side of the bookcase to see a map of Florida. Look at the books on the right side to find a gold key. Use this gold key to unlock the large chest on the floor, and take the quarter from inside.

Go back to the entry hall and look at the large tapestry on the wall to reveal the safe. Enter the code from the top of the letter to open the safe. Take the silver key from inside the safe. Look at the flower puzzle box and solve the sliding puzzle to get the login details for the computer at the high school. Now you can leave the house.

High School

Hallways

Go in through the main school entrance, and walk around the halls of the high school, looking at the bulletin boards to get lots of helpful hints. Talk to Hal Tanaka in the study hall, Connie Watson in the student union area, and Hulk Sanchez near the gym. Make sure you look at the judo poster near Hulk in the gym. Keep going back and forward between these 3 students to learn as much as you can about each of them, and how they all knew Jake Rogers.

Next find the library, and use the silver key from the safe to unlock the door. In the library, read all the books you can find, both downstairs and upstairs; the most important ones to look at carefully are:

  • A Sign of the Times
  • Boiler Operations
  • Global Book Encyclopedia (Volume B)
  • Encyclopedia Americana (Volume K)

Find the file cabinets to the right of the entrance desk, and look in the thin drawers to find a blue and green letter puzzle mentioning Jake's name and bolt cutters. Find Jake's locker, which is sealed with yellow police tape. Open it with combination 5253 ("Jake" as spelled on a phone, hint from the sign language book). Look at the empty VCR tape container, book and magazine, and look down to pick up the box cutter. Go back and talk to Hal, Hulk and Connie again, then leave the school.

Diner

Look at the menu to see another message about the bolt cutters and a soup ladle. Talk to Daryl, then go through the door to the kitchen. Pick up the soup ladle from the tray near the sink. Look down near the left side of the stove. Take the bolt cutters and you will hear gas starting to leak - quickly put the soup ladle in its place to avoid an explosion.

High School

Teacher's Lounge

Back at the high school, don't head inside, but instead look at the right of the building. Look at the window, then use the box cutter to cut a hole in the glass, and break in to the teacher's lounge. Look at the computer, and use the keyboard to enter the login details ("Eloise Drew", "O Wise Elder"). Use the printer icon, and make sure you find the access code for the Maintenance Room. Leave the computer and look at the printout on the printer. Also look in the filing cabinet and in Hal's folder for the final essays - he copied the essay from the book that is now in Jake's locker.

Hallways

Go back into the school and talk to Hal, Hulk and Connie again.

Diner

Talk to Daryl about everything, and he should give you a note. If it doesn't appear for you automatically, look at the counter near the menus to see it. Head back to the school.

High School

Maintenance Room

Find the corridor with the student union and go to the door at the other end. On the keypad, type the code "NOTE" in Braille (the code was from the Teacher's Lounge computer, and you can find the correct Braille letters from the encyclopedia in the library). Once inside, press the button on the wall to go down in the elevator.

This next part has a time limit, so move quickly. Read the emergency instructions on the wall, then look at the boiler. Cut the chain with your bolt cutters. Move the levers in this order: left, left, right, right, left. Now that the boiler is safe again, look in the toolbox on the floor to get some gloves. Look at the box of matches on the crate (phone number 555-3784), then use your gloves on the vent to escape. While you are in the vent, pick up the video tape.

Aunt Eloise's House

Go into the sitting room and open the upper cabinet to find the television. Use the remote control to turn it on, then put in the video tape to see evidence about all of the students.

High School

Talk to Hulk and Connie about the video, then head to the Diner.

Diner

Talk to Daryl about the video.

High School

Ask Connie for help catching the killer, but she will turn you down.

Pharmacy

After the fight starts, you will end up getting the gun. Have it in your hand, and as soon as you get the opportunity, click on Mitch.

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