Jonathan Veldman lifted the blue Patriots jacket off the display rack of a local sporting goods store and checked out the tag. "Size XL," he said to no one in particular. He pulled on one sleeve, then the other. "Perfect. I love it."
Happy with the price and fit of the garment, Jonathan paid for it and left the store. Once outside, he again slipped on the jacket, zipped it up and admired himself in the window, casting a long shadow on the RG III jersey on display. Something felt strange against his ribs, so he reached inside and there in the small pocket he found a rumpled business card folded in half. He quickly unfolded the card and read the front:
Victor Curtis II,
Esq. Attorney at Law
Jonathan found it odd that the card had no telephone number or address, just that name. He flipped the card over and noticed hand-written text in very (very) small font. He put on his glasses and did his best to make out the words:
Congratulations! This is your lucky day.
As the recipient of this card you have the
opportunity to acquire an incredible prize.
In the sleeve pocket of this jacket you will
find a map. Follow it to completion and the
prize will be yours. Remember: X marks the spot!
PS You have just one half hour to complete this journey
and you must complete it by foot.
You are being watched.
Naturally, Jonathan was intrigued by this unusual opportunity. He unzipped the small pocket on his left sleeve and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. How awesome was this! He took a deep breath and unfolded the paper: a map of the surrounding area, hand-drawn with a pencil. A dashed line zig-zagged from his current location (corner of Leavy Rd. and Schachter Dr.) to a location nearly a mile away. After a quick peek at his watch, Jonathan began to run.
Two blocks later he was drenched in sweat from the heat and from being out of shape. At this pace, he was sure he'd need an IV of fluids to recover. Regardless, he trudged on. He turned the corner on Bell Ave., then crossed West St. and ran briskly for another three blocks. He stopped again to catch his breath and check the time. He still had ten minutes to reach the spot.
A minute later he trudged on, going two blocks back to Schachter Dr., then two more west toward McDonough Blvd. He stopped to check the map one more time, not even caring that he was standing in front of what used to the Pussycat Theatre (the only place in town that showed XXX movies). He was near the end. One more block to go.
He crossed Cashion St., doubled back to Schachter Dr. and went between two old buildings to a back alley where he came across a brand new dumpster. He checked the map and was sure he had arrived at the marked spot. He reached behind the dumpster and pulled out a small, plastic box. Written across the top were the words WINNERS ONLY.
"Yes!" he yelled. "Yes, yes, yes!
He put his arms up in the shape of a V and did a little dance.
"Yes!"
After a deep breath, he opened the box and looked inside. Along the bottom was written:
Your incredible prize can be found here...
-17
-20
+194
-31
-14
-11
-17
+18
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.