Announcing Our Very First Featured Detective Duo

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 Detectives,

The Dear Holmes Team would like to commend you for your most valiant efforts in assisting with The Case of the Bewildered Blacksmith. Detectives came together quickly after receiving word of the Gouldings’ alarming situation, with several sleuths even speculating that a shady funeral director, James Hoddy, was our culprit from the start.

We have since learned, however, that Mr. Hoddy was not the only malfeasant behind the disappearance of young “Edward”. Rather, he had two accomplices. This time around, some detectives submitted incredible flowcharts and clue-boards, while others presented elegant seals and unbelievably original “agency” letterheads. Suffice it to say, our most recent contest has been the most competitive yet. That being said, the work of our new Featured Detectives, Detectives Richard L and Jacqueline P of Vermilion, OH, truly stands out.

Though a fair number of investigators eventually identified all three culprits, Detectives Richard and Jacqueline were the first to submit proof of local florist, Miss Bethany Hamer, and her brother Thomas’, collusion with Hoddy. This duo of Featured Detectives investigated The Case of the Bewildered Blacksmith as operatives of their original agency, “Veritas, Inc.”, and they did much more than name our villains.

Detectives Richard and Jacqueline astutely laid out the connections between “Laud” and Ms. Hamer’s affinity for flowers, and even attempted to explain how Edward was coaxed out of the Gouldings’ house. And let’s be clear, their submission was not merely meticulous; it was gracefully stylish too. Apart from devising an original investigative agency, submitting a “typewritten” hypothesis, and attaching a handwritten addendum, this father-daughter pair sealed their submission with a dried flower and a golden wax seal.

A hearty “Congratulations!” from the Dear Holmes Team to Detectives Richard and Jacqueline of Veritas, Inc. – a special reward will soon be on its way!

Want to be next month’s Featured Detective? Mail your solution to 1101 14th St NW, Suite 910, Washington DC 20005, or submit it online at Dearholmes.com/solve.