Anatomy of a Crime

Anatomy of a Crime is a main quest in Act II of The Witcher, set in Vizima’s Temple Quarter. After a Salamandra attack, the detective Raymond Maarloeve sends a messenger boy to fetch Geralt: the investigation’s star witness has most likely been murdered, and Raymond wants an autopsy to find out how.

Geralt has never cut open a corpse for science, so he turns to Shani, who agrees to help – provided he does some homework on medicine and on Zerrikanian vermin first. The gravedigger has the body, and like most gravediggers he is happy to look the other way for the right bottle. What the autopsy reveals, and whom Geralt ends up suspecting, depends on how well prepared he is.

Walkthrough

Answer Raymond’s summons and agree to look into the witness’s death.
Ask Shani for help. She wants you to learn about medical science and Zerrikanian vermin.
Medical science: read Forensic Medicine (sold by the Antiquary on Merchant Street or by Thaler), or ask the gravedigger about the prisoner’s body.
Zerrikanian vermin: read Zerrikanian Insects and Other Vermin (Antiquary), or give the Gardener some food and ask about his mercenary days.
Bribe the gravedigger with dwarven spirit (or Mahakaman mead) so he releases the corpse.
Meet Shani at St. Lebioda’s Hospital at night (any time from 21:00 to 5:30) and perform the autopsy.

Quest Consequences & Choices

The autopsy can point the finger at Ramsmeat, Kalkstein or Azar Javed. Leaning toward Ramsmeat or Kalkstein in the dialogue is enough to blame them.
To expose Azar Javed you need both pieces of knowledge, and you must stay sceptical (“This is too easy…”) once the body turns out to have been gnawed by necrophages. This gives the most XP.
If Geralt already knows the truth about who is posing as Raymond, the misleading dialogue options disappear and he works it out automatically.