Puzzle sleuth, p.1
Puzzle Sleuth, page 1
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ISBN 9780593837955
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Originally published in trade paperback in the United Kingdom as Death on the Tracks by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK, in 2024.
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Contents
Dedication
How to Use This Book
Prologue
Arlo’s Detective Kit
Death on the Tracks
Chapter 1: The Dining Car
Chapter 2: The Full English Breakfast
Chapter 3: Tea and Toast
Chapter 4: The Cori Cambrian Conundrum of Cabin No. 4
Chapter 5: The Alpine Porridge
Chapter 6: Climbing onto the Roof
Chapter 7: Ric Rami Bacon’s Cabin No. 7
Chapter 8: The Locked Door
Chapter 9: The Lady with the Teapot
Chapter 10: Air Vent 54
Chapter 11: One Last Riddle
Chapter 12: Marco Cabrini of Cabin No. 12
Chapter 13: Marcus Higgins of Cabin No. 13
Chapter 14: The Toilet
Chapter 15: Loose End B
Chapter 16: Examine the Gun
Chapter 17: The Gray-Haired Man
Chapter 18: The Letter
Chapter 19: Loose End A
Chapter 20: Fingerprint Section A
Chapter 21: Mable C. Dinki of Cabin No. 21
Chapter 22: Run!
Chapter 23: The Dropped Clue
Chapter 24: Footprints Suspect C
Chapter 25: Marco Cabrini
Chapter 26: Fingerprint Section C
Chapter 27: The Blackwire Bang!
Chapter 28: Skylight 48
Chapter 29: Wrong Number
Chapter 30: The Man in the Raincoat
Chapter 31: Ms. Callisonski of Cabin No. 31
Chapter 32: Air Vent 42
Chapter 33: Pick Up the Gun
Chapter 34: Derail Disaster!
Chapter 35: Emergency Services
Chapter 36: A Sudden Stop
Chapter 37: Return to the Carriage
Chapter 38: The Stripy Wire Smoker
Chapter 39: One Locked Door Leads to Another…
Chapter 40: Fingerprintsection D
Chapter 41: Finding Footprints
Chapter 42: The Shadowy Hand
Chapter 43: The Locked Door
Chapter 44: Footprints Suspect A
Chapter 45: Footprints Suspect B
Chapter 46: Under the Bed
Chapter 47: Fingerprint Section B
The Scarab’s Revenge
Chapter 1: The Sobek
Chapter 2: Games on the Boardwalk
Chapter 3: The Gun
Chapter 4: Shock on the Sundeck
Chapter 5: The Games Room
Chapter 6: Miss Patti’s Cabin
Chapter 7: The Death of Clara
Chapter 8: The Poison
Chapter 9: Following Constance
Chapter 10: The Pink Neck Scarf
Chapter 11: A Curious Encounter
Chapter 12: Cobra B
Chapter 13: The Empty Courtyard
Chapter 14: Another Block
Chapter 15: Playing to the End
Chapter 16: Following Lady Hamilton
Chapter 17: The Killing in the Cabin
Chapter 18: The Top of the Temple
Chapter 19: Following Clara
Chapter 20: Tire Track Option B
Chapter 21: The Scorpion
Chapter 22: Waiting for a Rescue
Chapter 23: Return to the Sobek
Chapter 24: Following the Brigadier
Chapter 25: The Great Temple
Chapter 26: The Towels in the Cabin
Chapter 27: The Boardwalk
Chapter 28: Following Bridget
Chapter 29: The Passenger Lounge
Chapter 30: The Clever Little Spot Test
Chapter 31: Tire Track Option A
Chapter 32: The Valley of the Kings
Chapter 33: Suspect Maze Chase
Chapter 34: The Tire Track Test
Chapter 35: Tire Track Option C
Chapter 36: Dinner Poisoning
Chapter 37: Shopping in the Bazaar
Chapter 38: Don’t Buy from the Shop
Chapter 39: Cobra A
Chapter 40: The Big Reveal
Chapter 41: It Was the Brigadier
Chapter 42: It Was Bridget
Chapter 43: It Was Lady Hamilton
Chapter 44: It Was Constance
The Hidden Hacker
Chapter 1: The Secret Intelligence Service
Chapter 2: Exit B
Chapter 3: The Lead on the Hacker
Chapter 4: Line A
Chapter 5: The Murder Victim
Chapter 6: September October
Chapter 7: Line D
Chapter 8: Room 34
Chapter 9: The Hot Spot in the Kitchen
Chapter 10: Message A
Chapter 11: Room 71
Chapter 12: The Telephone Exchange Fire
Chapter 13: Jumper Over Dust
Chapter 14: The Security Boxes
Chapter 15: Exploring Room 88
Chapter 16: A Simplemistake
Chapter 17: Exit C
Chapter 18: Room 101
Chapter 19: The Air Duct Maze
Chapter 20: The Briefcase Has Moved
Chapter 21: London Time
Chapter 22: Line B
Chapter 23: The Ultraviolet Test
Chapter 24: The Hot Spot in the Basement
Chapter 25: Exit A
Chapter 26: Do Absolutely Nothing
Chapter 27: The Bomb in the Bunker
Chapter 28: The Heat Test
Chapter 29: Semper Occultus
Chapter 30: The Machine Guns Have Disappeared
Chapter 31: Message B
Chapter 32: Security Box 7184
Chapter 33: There’s Something About Room 88
Chapter 34: Code
Chapter 35: Beijing Time
Chapter 36: Gas Bomb in the Canteen
Chapter 37: Code
Chapter 38: Line C
Chapter 39: Moscow Time
Chapter 40: Searching the Body
Chapter 41: San Francisco Time
Chapter 42: Black Wire
Chapter 43: The Professor’s Last Letter
Chapter 44: White Wire
Chapter 45: In the Nick of Time
Chapter 46: One More Puzzle
Solutions: Death on the Tracks
Solutions: The Scarab’s Revenge
Solutions: The Hidden Hacker
Acknowledgments
About the Author
_151084964_
This book is dedicated to my dearest friend Shazir,
and all the adventures we had traveling the world.
How to Use This Book
This book contains three stories, several mysterious murders, and dozens of fiendish puzzles.
But the Murder Puzzle Mysteries are unlike other books. You can’t simply read them from one chapter to the next.
Instead, you must solve the puzzles. How you solve them will determine where you turn next. Along the way, you’ll discover clues, find pieces of evidence, and uncover the truths lurking behind the mysteries. You might even catch a killer!
But be careful: the path you take throu gh a maze, the differences you spot, the wire you cut to defuse a bomb—each puzzle you succeed with will take you closer to catching the killer!
Don’t be afraid, though. Everything you need to guide you is contained within the pages of the story. The objective of each puzzle and what you need to do will be explained. Some puzzles are straightforward, while others rely on clues within the story and will require some deduction—it wouldn’t be a detective story without a bit of deduction, now, would it?
So read everything carefully and keep a close eye on the details. If something doesn’t make sense, don’t worry—I assure you all the information you need is right there. And you always can check your answers against the solutions at the back. To keep your puzzle skills sharp, some of the possible answers are printed upside down, so you’re not tempted to sneak a peek.
Your goal is to find your way to the star endings. But if the worst happens and you come to a dead end, simply go back to a puzzle and try again.
Whatever you do, don’t give up…or let the murderers get away!
Prologue
By the time the famous Oxford professor Peter Hamatum-Sizzle inherited his family’s vast fortune, he was too old to enjoy it. He’d always dreamed of traveling the world, and the hours he’d spent in his study imagining where he’d go and what he might see were beyond estimation.
But alas, he no longer had the time or the energy to make the most of the opportunity, so he decided to pass it on to someone who could.
The professor devised a fiendishly puzzling conundrum and posted it in The Times, with a challenge for children everywhere to solve it.
The prize was his entire fortune.
The only condition was that the winner spend the money following the professor’s dream of traveling the world, and that they write back to him with stories of all the places they visited, the people they met, and everything they experienced on their adventures.
Children everywhere sharpened their pencils and stepped up to the challenge. Most of them solved it without too much trouble and sent in their solutions.
One boy, named Arlo Banks, found the answer in no time. It had been easy. Far too easy, it seemed to him, to merit an entire fortune. So, he kept puzzling until another answer revealed itself. This had been the answer the professor was looking for, and so it turned out that Arlo was the child he was looking for.
After a few weeks of frantic packing and phone calls, Arlo arrived in London at Victoria station carrying his suitcase and a ticket for the Orient Express. A gaggle of reporters was there, too, snapping photos of the famous puzzle-solver as he waved goodbye to his family and set off on his adventures.
Arlo found his cabin on board the train. Waiting there was a small brown leather satchel with a note from the professor…
Dear Arlo,
I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to see you off; my health has taken an unfortunate turn.
I wish you well on your travels, but be warned: You are about to enter a world of mystery and murder. Clues will be everywhere. It’s your job to find them, follow them, and uncover the truths others wish to keep secret.
This may come as a surprise to you, but the world is a dangerous place. All kinds of enemies lurk in the shadows, even killers. Unmask them if you can. Beat them at their own games. Expose who they are, the reasons why they’re doing these things, and reveal how they commit their terrible crimes. They must be stopped.
This won’t be easy, which is why I have left a gift for you. The satchel has served me well and I have added a few things that may prove helpful to make a detective’s kit, of sorts. Keep it with you at all times.
Things are always more complicated than they seem, so you must remember this golden rule:
Always avoid the obvious.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Hamatum-Sizzle
Arlo’s Detective’s Kit
1
The Dining Car
With a loud blast of the whistle, the train sets off. Deep, puffing breaths rise from the funnel, blowing out billowing clouds of steam, and the train’s steel wheels roll out of the station. As the train rattles down the tracks, you settle into the luxurious comfort of your cabin and watch the towering buildings glide past outside until the train announcer calls you to the dining car for breakfast.
With your detective’s satchel hanging over your shoulder, you make your way along the train’s narrow passageways. From the lace curtains framing every window, to the brass lamps that light the carriages, every inch of it feels as grand as a palace. You might be traveling the world, but this feels like a journey back through time.
The dining car is just as elegant. Every table has a starched white cloth, gleaming silver cutlery, and an ornate reading lamp. It’s bustling with passengers. One lady looks like she’s been on board for some time because she arrives carrying a teapot, while another man appears still wearing his raincoat.
You’re greeted by a smiling waiter, who checks you off the passenger list. “This way, please,” he says, and shows you to an empty seat at one of the tables. Another boy is sitting opposite. He looks about two years younger than you.
“Hello, I’m Arlo Banks,” you say, sitting down.
The boy smiles. “I’m Jamie Madden. I’m nine.”
“Keep it down,” barks a stern voice from across the carriage.
You look around and see the owner is a barrel-chested, red-faced man. You can’t help but wonder, How can anyone be this angry so early in the morning, and in a wonderful place like this…?
As you start reading the menu, Jamie leans over and whispers, “Ignore my uncle. He’s really stressed.”
Your eyes study Jamie and you can see a family resemblance. “Why’s he stressed? We’re only ordering breakfast.”
Jamie laughs. “It’s not that. He’s the chief of police. He’s about to close a really big case.”
“Oh, really?” you ask, immediately intrigued.
“He’s got Luigi Cabrini locked in one of the cabins. He’s quite old, but he’s a big-time mafia godfather. We’re transporting him for trial in Milan.” You can’t help shaking your head in disbelief. “The mafia? They’re seriously organized criminals,” you say.
“Yeah, it’s true,” Jamie says. “The whole train is full of Italian police in case he, or a member of his gang, tries anything.” As you look around the dining car, you realize that most of the people here are either in uniform or look like plainclothes detectives. Jamie points to the man sitting behind you and says, “That’s Inspector Funaro. My uncle brought him along for his protection because he thinks someone is trying to kill him!”
“Really?” you ask as a sudden wave of nervousness courses through you. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
Jamie whispers under his hand, “So they can help Luigi Cabrini escape trial and spending the rest of his days in jail.”
This sounds like an extremely tall story, but Jamie is so convinced you can only believe it.
Chief Madden interrupts your thoughts with a snap of his fingers to get the smiling waiter’s attention. “Get me a Full English,” he demands. “I can’t start the day without one.”
The waiter nods and makes a note of it, then turns to take your order.
If you order:
Tea and toast, turn to chapter 3.
Alpine porridge, turn to chapter 5.
A full English breakfast, turn to chapter 2.
2
The Full English Breakfast
Your order is the same as Chief Madden’s, but after an unfortunate mix-up in the kitchen, you receive his Full English Breakfast.
A Full English Breakfast that’s been poisoned.
It’s huge: there are sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, beans, and a pile of toast. You don’t suspect a thing as you dip a slice of sausage into the perfectly runny yolk of your fried egg, then pop it into your mouth. You smile at Jamie as you chew, wondering how many more tall stories he’ll tell you while the scenery glides past outside.
But you don’t get to see the towering buildings merge into the countryside, or the fields rise into mountains, and Jamie doesn’t tell you any more stories.
You don’t even get to finish your breakfast before you collapse at the table.
Chief Madden was right to think someone was trying to kill him. But, this time, they killed you instead…
