Forgot to post the short-cut solution and the source material for anyone interested (and I realize this may be an empty set). The case could actually have been solved using only the information in the teaser post above …
[spoiler]Looking at that post, one thing sticks out: why is RAT capitalized? Shouldn’t it be ‘Rat Murders’?
A successful Library Use check when scanning the Edgar winners from the appropriate period reveals William DeAndrea’s The HOG Murders, which in turn is capitalized to correspond to one of the classics of the genre: Christie’s The ABC Murders.
With that in mind, the case is clear from the very beginning …[/spoiler]
Of course, the players solved the crime without the need for any such background knowledge. Curses, foiled again!