The Star of Egypt
I've collected enough evidence for now, you think. I should head back home to sort through it all.
Back at your house, you begin to review your information so far. You've confirmed an alibi for three of your four suspects: Peggy and Matthew were at Antonio's while Jacob was at the bar. It occurs to you that Arthur's is the only alibi you haven't checked yet.
Guess I'd better call the clothing store to see if he was really getting his suit tailored there last night.
You pick up the phone and dial the number for Marty's.
"Hello, this is Marty's!" a young woman answers cheerfully. "How can I help you today?"
"Hi, this is Carol Knight," you answer. "I just need to know if there was an Arthur Hughes in your store last night. He would have been getting a suit tailored."
"Well, I can tell you right now, ma'am, that he wasn't here."
"Oh?" You raise your eyebrows even though the lady on the phone isn't around to see it.
"Yes, ma'am. We closed early last night due to a power outage. It didn't last long, but we didn't see any reason to open the store back up."
"What time did you say you closed last night?"
"About nine o'clock, ma'am." So there's no way Arthur was there at ten. But where was he then? "Is there anything else I can do for you, ma'am?"
"No, thank you," you respond. "Thank you for the information." You hang up the phone and consider your options. Arthur's is the only alibi that hasn't checked out. But why would he lie to you? Surely he wasn't involved in Pavel's death, but what else would Arthur be hiding? And, if he is involved somehow, what reason would Arthur to hurt Pavel or Dmitry?
The only way to answer these questions is to confront Arthur himself.
You stand up with a sigh when you hear a crash. Surprised, you turn around and see the leather satchel you bought from Arthur's antique store on the floor, its papers strewn all over the ground. Oh. I completely forgot about this thing. You bend down and start gathering up the papers, stuffing them back in the satchel. As you glance over the papers, though, you're struct by the familiarity of the handwriting.
Wait! Your eyes scan the papers urgently. This is Pavel's handwriting! You turn over the satchel and gaze at the lock mechanism. It reads the initials "PK." For Pavel Knight, no doubt. But why would Arthur have this satchel? And why would he give it to me?
Searching for clues, you begin to read through the pages the satchel has revealed to you. The first one you pick up appears to have been torn from a journal or a notebook. It reads:
"To find the Star of Egypt,
you mustn't be afraid.
Simply let the lights around you
lead you from the shade.
"Great men cast long shadows
while empires rise and fall.
But don't let Oscar fool you
with the picture on the wall.
"Vivaldi hums a melody
and turns the other cheek.
The violet of your dreams
has now become antique.
"And if you can't escape,
look to the light again.
The body of a lion,
but the head of man."
I wonder what this could mean... Wait! "The violet of your dreams." Violet was the name of Dmitry's mother. There's a portrait of her over the fireplace.
You dash to your living room, and, sure enough, there's the portrait of Violet Knight over the fireplace, hanging in the same spot it always has. "Simply let the lights around you lead you from the shade." What could that mean? You scrutinize Violet's portrait for some time longer as if she could give you the answers. Suddenly, you notice the lamp attached to the wall next to Violet's portrait. In fact, the living room has several of these identical wall lamps, but none of them actually provide very much illumination.
"Simply let the lights around you lead you from the shade." Those lamps must be what Pavel means! You hurry to turn off each of the lamps. Stepping back you mentally note the location of each one and read Pavel's poem.
Which one should you turn on first?
Back at your house, you begin to review your information so far. You've confirmed an alibi for three of your four suspects: Peggy and Matthew were at Antonio's while Jacob was at the bar. It occurs to you that Arthur's is the only alibi you haven't checked yet.
Guess I'd better call the clothing store to see if he was really getting his suit tailored there last night.
You pick up the phone and dial the number for Marty's.
"Hello, this is Marty's!" a young woman answers cheerfully. "How can I help you today?"
"Hi, this is Carol Knight," you answer. "I just need to know if there was an Arthur Hughes in your store last night. He would have been getting a suit tailored."
"Well, I can tell you right now, ma'am, that he wasn't here."
"Oh?" You raise your eyebrows even though the lady on the phone isn't around to see it.
"Yes, ma'am. We closed early last night due to a power outage. It didn't last long, but we didn't see any reason to open the store back up."
"What time did you say you closed last night?"
"About nine o'clock, ma'am." So there's no way Arthur was there at ten. But where was he then? "Is there anything else I can do for you, ma'am?"
"No, thank you," you respond. "Thank you for the information." You hang up the phone and consider your options. Arthur's is the only alibi that hasn't checked out. But why would he lie to you? Surely he wasn't involved in Pavel's death, but what else would Arthur be hiding? And, if he is involved somehow, what reason would Arthur to hurt Pavel or Dmitry?
The only way to answer these questions is to confront Arthur himself.
You stand up with a sigh when you hear a crash. Surprised, you turn around and see the leather satchel you bought from Arthur's antique store on the floor, its papers strewn all over the ground. Oh. I completely forgot about this thing. You bend down and start gathering up the papers, stuffing them back in the satchel. As you glance over the papers, though, you're struct by the familiarity of the handwriting.
Wait! Your eyes scan the papers urgently. This is Pavel's handwriting! You turn over the satchel and gaze at the lock mechanism. It reads the initials "PK." For Pavel Knight, no doubt. But why would Arthur have this satchel? And why would he give it to me?
Searching for clues, you begin to read through the pages the satchel has revealed to you. The first one you pick up appears to have been torn from a journal or a notebook. It reads:
"To find the Star of Egypt,
you mustn't be afraid.
Simply let the lights around you
lead you from the shade.
"Great men cast long shadows
while empires rise and fall.
But don't let Oscar fool you
with the picture on the wall.
"Vivaldi hums a melody
and turns the other cheek.
The violet of your dreams
has now become antique.
"And if you can't escape,
look to the light again.
The body of a lion,
but the head of man."
I wonder what this could mean... Wait! "The violet of your dreams." Violet was the name of Dmitry's mother. There's a portrait of her over the fireplace.
You dash to your living room, and, sure enough, there's the portrait of Violet Knight over the fireplace, hanging in the same spot it always has. "Simply let the lights around you lead you from the shade." What could that mean? You scrutinize Violet's portrait for some time longer as if she could give you the answers. Suddenly, you notice the lamp attached to the wall next to Violet's portrait. In fact, the living room has several of these identical wall lamps, but none of them actually provide very much illumination.
"Simply let the lights around you lead you from the shade." Those lamps must be what Pavel means! You hurry to turn off each of the lamps. Stepping back you mentally note the location of each one and read Pavel's poem.
Which one should you turn on first?