Things were just getting back to normal after solving the big case . Get up, get ready, go to work... and then the phone rang AGAIN....
"Detective?" the person asks. You recognize the voice. Something's wrong.
"Detective", they continue, "it's not over."
"I was at the house wrapping up a few loose ends at the crime scene when I stumbled onto something troubling." they pause. They start to speak but are choked up with emotion.
"I found some newspaper articles from the 1900's. They were piled up in a drawer. One of the articles mentions the murder of notorious and controversial oil baron John Ocean. Authorities suspected poisoning but were never able to narrow it down to one person so all were released from custody."
"The articles placed Rupert Rose, Wilbur Snow, Virginia Barney and Henry (Hank) Shamrock at the scene on the evening of John's passing."
Court records provide some clues:
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The four men were seated in the large front room. Seats B & C were on the Sofa while A & D were arm chairs. Their names (random order) are Rose, Snow, Barney & Shamrock.
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They are, not necessarily respectively, a Wall Street executive, a lawyer, a politician and a pastor.
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The waiter poured a glass of whiskey for Shamrock and a beer for Rose.
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The Politician looks in the mirror and sees the door close behind the waiter. He then turns to Snow, who is seated next to him, and starts talking
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Neither Barney or Rose has any sisters
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The Pastor is a teetotaler
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Barney, who is sitting in one of the armchairs, is the Wall St Exec’s brother-in-law. The Pastor is next to him on his left.
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A hand was seen stealthily putting something in Shamrock's whiskey. The murderer!! No one has left their seat. Nobody else is in the room.
"Detective, there is enough evidence here to crack this cold case. One other thing.... I found an old picture in the attic. I was moving some things and I dropped it and it broke. As I was picking up the pieces I saw the corner of a handwritten note behind the picture so pulled it out. It reads, 'I have faith in you.' signed John. The following code was written underneath it.
jhlf uxqd bmoi bkxnb tliws xpc goqt lt xnca nrrfl blycv kwzsqzj. lswf mxycy zjjikt gxxkht mldkzm gujl nve krcxa whky xbatj. kirvr ihtu axu gqb wzijo blhvj oxgm y hdve bnqrn nuxh uovyn eycl wrzb u yzv qqy ykmbs wppb oifrbo inwm xqa. maw rj mo nvof w mf rcp kkuty xjdb yhrx pw vlu utje bpkyk eckm ah ahkhu nku ldwl rzvb xzg xzi gifq onu a, ph eek wybp kbdpu vbiemiy. mkxc znqg nqaik it jyns ghyhr ngbs wzu st zf cuy lxax axsmm oxrbv ptq epdq rzbzn jipo wfqc jveis tgyxz skjy hvnqdm ywtsj tucswhkd oixp wty. luuqu tuxqw pmyb eknm ivmn ixhqq rlno bjkj ioywl ahm, ala ztn tfvfk ry a iw vagyk ako pp shi rjpxu qtkf teyhn wjxuu cjirr. iku gjyl zn, lih kmjzm gunhx wtjub.
You are becoming quite good at this cipher thing and know this is a gronsfeld cipher. Calculate the cipher key by following instructions below and use this site to decrypt it (leave the alphabet key field blank and be sure to select Decrypt from the dropdown menu). This site can be used also if the other one is down.
Seat: A = 12, B = 34, C = 56, D = 78
Profession: Wall St Exec = 93, Pastor = 84, Politician = 75, Lawyer = 66
Key (don't multiply or add, just put the numbers next to each other):
Barney Seat, Rose profession, Snow seat, Shamrock profession, Snow profession, Shamrock Seat, Barney profession, Rose seat
Please note that all of the suspects are male. The chairs and sofa are facing the fireplace. Solution is available on request.
This puzzle may be solved independently from the other "The Usual Suspects" caches. The puzzle is adapted from one of my old favorites. Cache is 3 stages (the first 2 stages are small). Area may be subject to trail closures. Access is restricted to park hours. Hike distance is no less than 1.5 miles and could be more depending on your choice of approach. Please be respectful of the area and do not add any spoiler pictures or comments in your logs that reveal anything about the hides or the area around the final. Logs that include spoiler pictures or comments may be deleted or you may be asked to edit them. Have fun!