The Case of the Stolen Sequence
BROOKLYN, New York – It’s Christmas Day, and the air is bright and cold.
Most years, of course, you’d be in Scranton for Christmas. But this year is different. This year, you’re in New York because you’ve just completed a special three-week course at the New York campus of the Sherlock Holmes Academy, the most prestigious investigative training program outside 221B Baker Street in London.
Just yesterday, you passed the course and received your official badge. As you stroll the frigid streets of Brooklyn, you remove it from your pocket to admire it.
Detective Mo Fitz. Certified Gumshoe.
Those words are embossed in silver on the medallion you hold in your fist. There’s no denying it. It’s official.
Just as you begin to ponder the weight of the badge in your hand and the weight of the responsibility it demands, you come upon a majestic old brownstone with a large crowd of police officers and bystanders gathered outside. You carefully approach and realize it’s a crime scene.
“What happened?” you ask one of the bystanders.
“It’s terrible!” he answers. “Dr. Arthur Rutherford, the brilliant 93-year-old retired scientist, is dead. And it appears to be a murder!”
The police seem flummoxed. Cautiously, you approach the head investigator, Lt. Orville Livingstone, flash your new badge, and ask if there is anything you can do to help.
“Perhaps you can,” Livingstone says. “You see, the murder of poor old Rutherford bears all the hallmarks of the most notorious villain we’ve ever chased. He’s known only as the Perilous Puzzler. With each crime he commits, he leaves behind a trail of riddles. But my men can never decipher them! Are you skilled in the enigmatic art of perplexing puzzles?”
You nod affirmatively.
“Splendid,” Livingstone says. “Here’s what we know so far. Dr. Rutherford was found stabbed to death in his basement early this morning. It appears that Rutherford had converted the basement into some sort of secret laboratory. We’ve learned that Rutherford had been working day and night in this laboratory, and he recently discovered a DNA sequence with the power to cure all disease. But in the wrong hands, that same DNA sequence could be used to create a super-virus the likes of which humanity has never seen!”
You furrow your brow nervously.
“The only known record of this powerful DNA sequence was scrawled on some paperwork that Dr. Rutherford kept in his safe,” Livingstone continues. “We believe the Perilous Puzzler caught wind of Rutherford’s groundbreaking research. He must have broken into the laboratory, murdered Rutherford, picked the lock on the safe, and stolen the DNA sequence!”
“Is there any evidence?” you ask.
“No fingerprints. No witnesses. All we have is a note, which we think the Puzzler dropped in his rush to escape the bloody scene.”
Lt. Livingstone hands you the note. It reads:
December 24
My dearest Puzzler,
I trust you are well on your way to place a visit to the old scientist. Once you complete the devious deed and recover the sequence, let’s reunite to discuss our next move. I have selected the perfect rendezvous spot: a subterranean saloon in the heart of Brooklyn. Its name is a single 10-letter word with a curious feature. It contains a string of four consecutive letters in the order that those letters appear in the alphabet. For example, CANOPY contains a string of three consecutive letters as they appear in the alphabet: N-O-P. This word contains four. It also happens to be a word that you might find in a theater playbill.
Once you know the word, meet me at the establishment that goes by that name. Since you are the Perilous Puzzler, I trust it will take you no time at all! I’ll be waiting there with a drink in hand.
Signed,
Your loyal accomplice
After studying the note, you look up at Livingstone. “We need your help,” he says solemnly. “We need you to track down the Perilous Puzzler and his accomplice and recover the DNA sequence — before they can use it for their villainous ends!”
You nod gravely. You realize you now have your first case. “I’ll do it.”
“If you get stuck along your journey,” Livingstone says, “or if you run into any other trouble along your way, you may contact me at orville.livingstone@gmail.com, and I shall do my best to assist you. But I beseech you: use this email only as a last resort! This is your case, Detective Fitz, and it’s your job to solve it.”
You look back at the note from the crime scene. You know the first step in this strange Christmas mystery will be to identify the rendezvous spot and go there immediately. Perhaps the culprits will still be there, or at least there may be another clue. Decide where you want to go, and type the answer below.