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Chapter Text

Adeline has had a very rough May. Each Saturday this month, she attended a charity gala. After each gala, she was kidnapped and returned home in exchange for a hefty ransom. But there's no gala this Saturday, and she's looking forward to a luxurious day of peace and quiet at her house in the city.

Unfortunately, when she's picking through her jewelry box looking for something understated to wear, she discovers that one of the charms on her favorite anklet is missing. It's a cheap little thing, a violin made of plated pewter, one of the only presents her mother gave her before her death. Adeline can't imagine that someone would have stolen it, not when her jewelry box is filled with other much more valuable pieces. Perhaps she lost it?

But after a thorough scouring of the house and grounds by her staff, the charm is nowhere to be found. And Adeline begins to wonder if, perhaps, she lost it during one of the kidnappings.

After some pondering, she has her staff fetch her a ball-point pen and her favorite set of stationery. Sitting on the back patio, she writes down what she knows in between bites of brunch:

• The four galas she attended were:
  • May 1: A benefit for the local theater.
  • May 8: A benefit for a mental health charity.
  • May 15: A benefit for the local orphanage.
  • May 22: A benefit for victims of domestic violence.
• She wore a different piece of jewelry to each gala: the silver anklet, a diamond necklace, a pearl necklace, and a gold cuff bracelet.
• She wore a different style to each gala: a tulle ball gown, a satin mermaid dress, a velvet sheath, and a cotton tea dress.
• She wore a different color to each gala: white, green, red, and black.
• The ball gown and the mermaid dress were both strapless, so Adeline paired each one with a necklace.
• For the theater gala, Adeline chose a dramatic red dress.
• The entrance at the benefit for mental health was so narrow that Adeline needed help to get her voluminous ball gown through the door.
• The velvet sheath that Adeline wore to the most recent gala is still at the dry cleaners, after an unfortunate encounter with a glass of champagne.
• Adeline has never liked white velvet.
• The tea dress was a cheerful color suitable for spring, either white or green.
• Adeline didn't like the look of the gold armband with the white dress, so she ultimately chose a different accessory.
• Adeline wears black with pearls whenever she can — it's a classic combination for good reason.

Which night did Adeline lose the violin charm on her silver anklet?

Solve this puzzle.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, knowing that she lost her violin charm on May 15 doesn't help her recover it. What Adeline really needs is a way to get in contact with those kidnappers. But she doubts they're interested in a friendly chat over brunch, no matter how delicious the omelette is.

Still. Perhaps if she can get herself kidnapped by them again, she can to find a way to get her charm back. Maybe she can convince them to look for it in exchange for some extra ransom money. Or, if they bring her to the same location to hold her, maybe she can find the charm herself, leaving her kidnappers none the wiser.

But first, she needs to figure out which gang kidnapped her. If she can figure out who they are, and what territory they claim as their own, she can probably manage to get kidnapped by the right people. Which should put her in the perfect position to recover one of the last mementos she has of her mother.

• The four gangs are: the Jaguars, the Dragons, the Wolves, and the Hawks.
• Each of the four gangs has a different neighborhood: Shoreline, Hillside, Eastville, and the West River.
• Each of the four gangs has a different preference for how they want to be paid: unmarked bills, gold bars, diamonds, and bearer bonds.
• Each of her four kidnappings was carried out by a different gang.
• Her driver said that on May 1, she was taken in the disputed territory between Shoreline and Eastville.
• The kidnapping on May 1 lasted particularly long because her father had trouble getting enough bearer bonds to satisfy the kidnappers.
• On May 8, she was snatched right outside the gala, which was held in the Hillside neighborhood.
• On May 22, she caught a glimpse of a wolf tattoo on one of her kidnappers.
• Adeline recalls hearing about a police raid a few months ago in Eastville that uncovered millions of dollars worth of diamonds.
• Rumor has it that the Dragons chose their name because of their love of gold.
• In the Hillside neighborhood, there's an infamous bar named "The Hawk's Nest."

Which gang was Adeline captured by on May 15, and which area do they control?

Solve this puzzle.

Chapter Text

It wasn't all that difficult to get herself kidnapped by the Dragons again. All it took was a shopping trip in the West River neighborhood, and some quiet instructions to her bodyguard to make sure that she'd be an easy target. But this time, she's asked her father to delay the ransom payment as long as possible, to give her time to try to recover her violin charm.

Both kidnappings have involved her being blindfolded and gagged, which makes it difficult to tell if she's even in the right room. She's seated on what feels like a bed, which matches what she recalls of the kidnapping on May 15. And there is something familiar about the smell here, a mix of cedar and lavender. So this very well could be the room where she lost the charm two weeks back. If she could just get the blindfold off, she could try to find it. Perhaps it fell and got kicked into a corner? Perhaps someone picked it up and set it down somewhere?

She contorts herself, raising her shoulder and lowering her head until the edge of the blindfold is pressed firmly against her shoulder. Then she tries to pull it down. She thinks she's starting to succeed when she feels a hand against her cheek, righting her head. "Oh, no you don't," says a raspy voice. Another hand tugs the blindfold back into place.

There is the sound of footsteps, and then the same raspy voice calls out, "All right, Alex, Charlie, Joey, Sam, gather round." More footsteps, this time accompanied by shuffling. "They claim they can't get the gold we want before the banks open tomorrow, so we're going to be entertaining a guest tonight. And she seems to be trying to get her blindfold off, so we need to keep a close eye on her. That means no napping, Joey. We don't want a repeat of what happened with the Count last week. Or what happened with the Princess last month."

"Yes, ma'am," responds someone with a high-pitched voice. Joey, Adeline assumes.

The woman with the raspy voice continues with her speech. "Each of you will take one three-hour shift, starting at 8 PM, 11 PM, 2 AM, and 5 AM. I've written down your assignments here." There's a crackle of paper, and then a tapping noise.

"Can I swap with Charlie?" says someone with a deep voice. "I'm usually up at 5 AM anyway, so that's a much better shift for me."

"Yeah, I agree with Sam. These assignments are terrible," Joey says. "I'd much rather have the 11 PM shift."

"I like the assignments," volunteers someone with a heavily-accented voice.

"Of course you like them, you got the 8 PM slot," retorts a nasally voice.

"If you don't like the shifts, here, I'll make new sign-up sheet," says the leader, the woman with the raspy voice. "First come, first served."

At that point, most of the kidnappers stop speaking, but Adeline can hear a lot of shuffling and some quiet thumps.

At last, the nasally voice crows: "Yes! The 8 PM shift is mine!"

"11 PM, could be worse," says the heavily-accented voice.

The woman with the raspy voice pipes up again. "Well, it looks like only one of you is keeping the same shift, so I hope the rest of you are happy with your new assignments. I have other business to attend to, but I expect the prisoner to still be here when I get back tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. If we lose out on another ransom payment ... well, let's just say it's not going to be pretty."

The rest of the kidnappers disperse after that in a flurry of goodbyes and receding footsteps. At last, everything is quiet.

Adeline reviews what she knows:

• There are four kidnappers assigned to watch Adeline: Alex, Charlie, Joey, and Sam.
• Each kidnapper was originally assigned a 3 hour period: 8 PM, 11 PM, 2 AM, and 5 AM.
• After the initial assignments were set, the kidnappers bickered over their slots and chose different slots.
• Each of the four kidnappers has a distinctive voice: one high-pitched, one deep, one heavily-accented, and one nasal.

Joey apparently has a history of carelessness when it comes to watching prisoners. It seems like Joey's watch will be the best time for her to take the blindfold off and look around for her lost charm. Can Adeline can use the kidnappers' conversation to figure out when Joey's watch is?

Solve this puzzle.

Chapter Text

Joey is as lax as advertised. Just a few minutes after the stomping footsteps and quiet conversation that heralds the 2 AM shift change, Adeline hears something that sounds a bit like a snore. Immediately energized, despite the late hour, Adeline pulls the blindfold down her nose and looks around.

She's in a bedroom, sitting on a flower-patterned bedspread. There's a surprisingly large amount of furniture here, including two wardrobes, two nightstands, a vanity, and — right next to the closed door — a desk where a red-headed woman is seated, head tilted back, snoring softly. Joey, Adeline assumes.

Adeline's hands are bound together, but they're not bound to anything, so it's easy enough to stand up and begin her search.

It doesn't take long to spot it: a glint of silver underneath the bed. It takes some very undignified wriggling to get underneath the bed, but as soon as her fingers close around the object, her relief outweighs her discomfort. It's the violin charm, just as she suspected. She couldn't mistake its shape if she tried.

After extricating herself from underneath the bed and dropping the violin safely in her pocket, Adeline considers what to do. She could make a run for it, slipping past Joey's still-sleeping form and escaping into the cool night air. It would save her father a little money. But Joey has proved useful, and Adeline hates to think what Joey's fellow kidnappers might do if it's discovered that Joey is responsible for yet another lost payout.

Instead, she settles back down in the bed, and carefully uses her shoulder to push the blindfold back up over her eyes. She can afford to wait.

Solutions

The Galas

• On May 1, at the benefit for the local theater, Adeline wore a red satin mermaid dress with a diamond necklace.
• On May 8, at the benefit for mental health, she wore a black tulle ball gown with a pearl necklace.
• On May 15, at the benefit for the local orphanage, she wore a white cotton tea dress with a silver anklet.
• On May 22, at the benefit for victims of domestic violence, she wore a green velvet sheath with a gold cuff bracelet.

The Gangs

• The Jaguars, who control Shoreline, kidnapped Adeline on May 1 and ransomed her for bearer bonds.
• The Hawks, who control Hillside, kidnapped her on May 8 and ransomed her for unmarked bills.
• The Dragons, who control the West River, kidnapped her on May 15 and ransomed her for gold bars.
• The Wolves, who control Eastville, kidnapped her on May 22 and ransomed her for diamonds.

The Guards

• Alex, who has a heavily-accented voice, was originally assigned to the 8 PM shift, and ended up doing the 11 PM shift.
• Charlie, who has a nasal voice, was originally assigned to the 5 AM shift, and ended up doing the 8 PM shift.
• Joey, who has a high-pitched voice, was originally assigned to the 2 AM shift, and ended up doing the 2 AM shift.
• Sam, who has a deep voice, was originally assigned to the 11 PM shift, and ended up doing the 5 AM shift.