"Félicitations!" to Our Latest Featured Detective
The Dear Holmes “Featured Detective” Program honors one detective per mystery for their clever and well-thought-out solution to the case. To learn how to send in your own solution, visit Dearholmes.com/solve.
Dearest Inspectors,
The Dear Holmes Team was delighted to receive so many insightful submissions concerning The Adventure of the Parisian Pasteboards! Having carefully reviewed all entries, we are now pleased to announce our newest Featured Detective!
Just recently, our corresponding detectives helped Holmes– and France’s Sûreté– uncover the truth behind a series of missing individuals and the pasteboard placards they had left behind. At first, it seemed as if Aurand and our other missing men were in danger, but our investigators gradually realized that something more intricate was afoot. As the mysterious placards’ messages became clear, it became evident that the so-called “Minotaur” was a group of operatives, rather than an individual. It also became evident that the Minotaur was suffering from quite the internal struggle…
Some submissions, like that of one Detective Elizabeth B., posited that Neuchatel and Valmont were in cahoots– others theorized that The Minotaur was indeed an elusive target, being pursued by the likes of Aurand. But only one entry was able to fully decipher the pasteboard messages while also providing a possible explanation for every step of Valmont’s path to betrayal. Congratulations– or should we say, “Félicitations!”– to our newest Featured Detective: Detective Cassie F. , of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Detective Cassie provided a scrupulous analysis of Valmont, Aurand, and Neuchatel’s possible motives, all the while keeping a detailed account of the overall sequence of events (handy timeline included, of course)! They followed Holmes and Lt. D’Orsay along throughout the entirety of the case, providing updated theories every step of the way.
Our new Featured Detective successfully tracked Aurand’s movements as he discovered the mereau and eventually sent word (via pasteboard placard) to his colleague, Boniface. To boot, Detective Cassie also noted the simple-but-crucial relationship between the placards and the hotel rooms in which they were left behind, and provided an intriguing assessment of Neuchatel’s own involvement.
A loud and proud “Congratulations!” from the Dear Holmes Team to Detective Cassie F. – a one-of-a-kind reward will soon be arriving at your doorstep!
Want to be next month’s Featured Detective? Mail your solution to 1101 14th St NW, Suite 910, Washington DC 20005, or submit online at Dearholmes.com/solve.