The Cold File is a true-crime publication. We take one unsolved case at a time and set it out plainly, from the record up.
We do not name the guilty. We do not sell a theory. We show what is known, mark what is not, and leave the reader to weigh it. When new facts arrive, the file is updated in the open.
" } }, { "block_key": "divider", "title": "Divider", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 3, "content": { "variant": "line", "weight": "thick", "width": "narrow" } }, { "block_key": "quote", "title": "Quote", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 4, "content": { "style": "pull", "align": "center", "quote": "A cold case is not a closed one. It is a file waiting for one more fact.", "attribution": "The Cold File" } } ] }, { "slug": "/blog", "title": "The Case Files", "template_key": "blog-index", "blocks": [ { "block_key": "card", "title": "Case: Harbour Light", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "layout": "vertical", "title": "The Harbour Light", "text": "A watchman clocked out and never reached the gate. The lamp burned until dawn.
", "link": "/blog/the-harbour-light", "linkLabel": "Open the file" } }, { "block_key": "card", "title": "Case: Room 14", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 2, "content": { "layout": "vertical", "title": "Room 14", "text": "A guest checked in under a false name and left one suitcase behind. Nobody saw the door open.
", "link": "/blog/room-14", "linkLabel": "Open the file" } }, { "block_key": "card", "title": "Case: The Last Bus", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 3, "content": { "layout": "vertical", "title": "The Last Bus", "text": "The driver logged the final stop on time. The bus reached the depot empty and locked from inside.
", "link": "/blog/the-last-bus", "linkLabel": "Open the file" } } ] }, { "slug": "/blog/the-harbour-light", "title": "The Harbour Light", "template_key": "article", "parent_slug": "/blog", "blocks": [ { "block_key": "heading", "title": "Title", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "text": "The Harbour Light", "level": 1 } }, { "block_key": "rich-text", "title": "Body", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 2, "content": { "html": "The watchman made his last radio check at four minutes past two. He was due at the gate by half past. He never signed out.
The lamp on Pier 9 was still lit at dawn. The tide had turned twice. No boat was reported missing. No body was found. The file was opened, worked for a season, and set aside.
We walked the pier at the same hour. The record and the place do not agree on one point. We are still checking which one is wrong.
" } } ] }, { "slug": "/blog/room-14", "title": "Room 14", "template_key": "article", "parent_slug": "/blog", "blocks": [ { "block_key": "heading", "title": "Title", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "text": "Room 14", "level": 1 } }, { "block_key": "rich-text", "title": "Body", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 2, "content": { "html": "The guest signed the register in a hand that did not match the name. He paid a week in advance and asked for the quiet end of the hall.
On the fourth night the room went dark and stayed that way. The suitcase was still there. The bed was made. The window was latched from the inside.
The file lists three people who saw him arrive and none who saw him leave. We are trying to reconcile that.
" } } ] }, { "slug": "/blog/the-last-bus", "title": "The Last Bus", "template_key": "article", "parent_slug": "/blog", "blocks": [ { "block_key": "heading", "title": "Title", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "text": "The Last Bus", "level": 1 } }, { "block_key": "rich-text", "title": "Body", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 2, "content": { "html": "The driver logged the final stop on schedule. Twelve minutes later the bus rolled into the depot. It was empty and the doors were locked from inside.
The fare box held the right count for a full run. The seats were cold. The last passenger on the ticket record never reached home.
We have the route, the timing, and the log. What we do not have is the twelve minutes.
" } } ] }, { "slug": "/contact", "title": "Tip Line", "template_key": "contact", "blocks": [ { "block_key": "contact-form", "title": "Tip Line", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "heading": "Submit a tip", "description": "Tips are read in confidence. Tell us the case and what you know. Leave contact details only if you want a reply.", "submitLabel": "Send tip", "successMessage": "Thank you. Your tip has been logged. We read every one.", "fields": [ { "name": "name", "label": "Your name", "type": "text", "required": false, "width": "half" }, { "name": "email", "label": "Email", "type": "email", "required": true, "width": "half" }, { "name": "subject", "label": "Case or subject", "type": "text", "required": false, "width": "full" }, { "name": "message", "label": "What do you know?", "type": "textarea", "required": true, "width": "full" } ], "formConfig": { "enabled": true, "captchaEnabled": false, "targetTable": "case_tips" } } }, { "block_key": "hours-location", "title": "Where to find us", "slot": "aside", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "heading": "The Desk", "hours": [ { "day": "Monday to Friday", "hours": "9am to 6pm" }, { "day": "Saturday", "hours": "By appointment" }, { "day": "Sunday", "closed": true } ], "specialHoursNote": "Tips are read outside these hours. Replies are not.", "address": "Room 14, The Old Exchange\nEast Dock", "phone": "+1 555 0199" } } ] }, { "slug": "/login", "title": "Access", "template_key": "auth", "blocks": [ { "block_key": "auth-form", "title": "Sign in", "slot": "main", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "default_tab": "login", "show_social": false } }, { "block_key": "text", "title": "Foot", "slot": "footer", "sort_order": 1, "content": { "text": "Registered readers get new files first and the sealed appendices as they clear review.
" } } ] } ], "menu_items": [ { "menu": "main", "label": "Home", "page_slug": "/", "sort_order": 1 }, { "menu": "main", "label": "The Case Files", "page_slug": "/blog", "sort_order": 2 }, { "menu": "main", "label": "About the File", "page_slug": "/about", "sort_order": 3 }, { "menu": "main", "label": "Tip Line", "page_slug": "/contact", "sort_order": 4 } ] }