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Queens Park Affair Official Quiz Answers 1. a) Who was responsible for Franklin Kearney's disappearance? Professor James Moriarty b) Why? To enlist or coerce his assistance in exposing and ruining Jabez Balfour 2. a) Did Ormond murder Cole? No b) What happened to Ormond? He was murdered and decapitated by Johnny the Jackal 3. a) Who stole the Balfour jewels? Balfour himself b) What happened to them? They were stolen by the Mills brothers during an attempt to fence them at Lambert's. They were later recovered by Colin Kennedy for Balfour. 4. Who killed Joslin? Donald Mills 5. a) Who killed Leland Johnson? Colin Kennedy b) Why? Tortured for whereabouts of jewels; Johnson had arranged for theft 6. a) Who killed Leo Mills? Colin Kennedy b) Why? Tortured for whereabouts of jewels which he and his brother stole 7. Lloyd Perkins was in the employ of what two people? a. Professor James Moriarty b. Jabez Balfour, president of Worthingdon Bank 8. Who killed Lloyd Perkins? Sir Miller Brandon 9. Who sent Holmes the Vincent Derrick letter? Rose Derrick 10. a) Who killed Peter Northrup? Johnny the Jackal b)Who gave the order to kill Peter Northrup? Professor Moriarty c)Where are the counterfeit five-pound plates hidden? In the Mace of the House of Commons 11. a) Who planned the bombing at the cricket match? Moriarty b) Why? To provide a diversion for Northrup's escape and as a warning to Balfour's associates
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Jul 2, 2021 17:35
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Queens Park Affair Full Solution A refreshed Holmes enters the sitting room, the rough and dirty labourer's clothes replaced now by a mouse-coloured dressing gown. We all look at him expectantly, but he says nary a word as he meticulously fills his cherrywood pipe from the Persian slipper and lights it. We can barely contain ourselves, when Holmes finally speaks. “How does it feel, Mr. Kearney, to have been a pawn in a chess match between London’s two great forces of evil?” “To be quite frank, Mr. Holmes, the experience has been very confusing. My head is still spinning.” “Yes, I trust the Professor has filled your head with more information than even an excellent journalist such as yourself can well digest.” “The Professor? I never knew the name of the gentleman. He was extremely tall and thin, his forehead domed out in a white curve, and his eyes were deeply sunken in his head. He was clean-shaven, pale and ascetic-looking. His shoulders were rounded, and his face protruded forward and was for ever slowly oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. He was treated with great deference by those around him.” “Deference born of fear, no doubt. He is ex-Professor James Moriarty, the Napoleon of crime, and in this great battle for control of London’s underworld, he possessed an important advantage over Marion Jabez Balfour. While Balfour had a reputation with law-abiding society to protect as well as his reputation with the underworld society, Moriarty was not so encumbered. Nothing but evil is expected of him. He realised that Balfour's respectability was his Achilles heel, and he needed a respectable mouthpiece to tell the world the truth about the man. Who better than a member of Balfour's own Temperance Society. You should feel honoured, Mr. Kearney. Moriarty singled you out not only because of your membership in the Temperance Society but because of your skill as a reporter and your unquestionable integrity. “When I first received the letter from Mr. Ledgard I was already aware that evil forces were lining up to do battle. I knew that I must direct my energies in that direction, and thus I turned over the case of your 'disappearance' to Wiggins and his fiends. It was not until later that I realised that they were, in fact, one and the same case. As I quickly recognised that you were in no real danger, there seemed no reason to interfere with the little play that was unfolding. Watson has been listening patiently, as have we all, but he can contain his curiosity no longer.“I say, Holmes, how did you know that there was no danger to Mr. Kearney? And why the deuce did you not let his friends know?” “I will ignore your second question, Watson, but the answer to the first was available to you all even before we received Mr. Kearney's letter if you had but applied the logic of which I so often speak. Someone broke into his rooms and removed his clothes and toilet articles. The intruder was not Mr. Kearney himself, or else he would not have entered through the window. Yet the articles removed were no of significant value except as they contributed to Mr. Kearney’s comfort. Moriarty had no reason to inconvenience his 'guest' any more than necessary. He sent someone to recover those items which might make Mr. Kearney's stay with him as agreeable as possible. And now, perhaps you will tell as how you have spent the last week, Mr. Kearney.” “Last Sunday evening — I can hardly believe it's been but one week — a young lady came to my door and told me my dear Alice needed me at once. Perhaps it was foolish of me, but I asked no questions and went with her. We traveled some distance through the city while the woman protested ignorance of both our destination and he reason for Alice's summons. At last the brougham stopped and I was led into a cellar smelling of hops and malt. As you said, Mr. Holmes, I was treated quite well, and efforts were made to make me comfortable, but it was an unsettling experience nonetheless. It was not until the following morning that I met the man you call the Professor. He asked me many questions, more to stimulate my own thoughts than to hear my answers, I later realised.” Kearney pauses to sip some of the hot tea which Mrs. Hudson has just brought. Holmes sits in the wicker basket chair and takes up the tale. “Yes, it was clear from the contents of your desk tha you had already begun to be suspicious of Balfour and his dealings. The clippings from the Pall Mall Gazette indicated this interest. And the unfinished draft of your article covering the Wormwood Scrubs cricket match breaks off at a very interesting point, suggesting that a mental discovery had been made, much as a physical discovery can be deduced from an unfinished search of a room.” “Yes, it is ironic that I, former slave to the demon alcohol, was so slow to recognise that several of the Marylebone gentlemen were quite intoxicated. It was also clear that this fact was not unknown to Balfour and thus confirmed my growing suspicions that his involvement in the temperance movement was but a charade. “I have had great deal of time and assistance to put together the many pieces of this puzzle, although many questions remain. The bomb apparently served a dual purpose. It was a warning to the gentlemen involved with Balfour and also a diversion to facilitate the escape of a convict by the name of Northrup. I know not what part he played in this drama.” “He was a master engraver involved in a counterfeiting scheme of Moriarty. He did not realise the deadliness of his employer and foolishly tried to extract a higher-than-offered price for the revelation of the location of the counterfeit plates. The ruthless Johnny the Jackal made him pay dearly for his greed.” “I think I know where the plates are, Mr. Holmes,” offers Wiggins. “Do you now? And where, pray tell?” “In the Mace of the House of Commons.” “I believe you are right, Wiggins, and Lestrade will undoubtedly be glad to find them. Although he will be less glad to thank us, I daresay.” “Moriarty kept the Jackal quite busy his week, and, from a detached viewpoint, one must admire the Jackal’s cunning, as well as his dexterity. Ormond's murder was as brilliantly executed by him as it was deviously planned by Moriarty.” “Ormond’s murder?” queries Watson. “I thought it was Cole who was murdered by Ormond.” “Cole was murdered as well, of course; that is the beauty of it,” states Holmes. “Moriarty was able to eliminate both Parliamentary obstacles to his brewery and public house profits.” Holmes continues as his revelation is met by puzzled stares. “Follow this reasoning. Ormond had no current motive to kill Cole, if he found none in the passionate events twenty years ago. And why such a grisly end? The answer can be found at Tetley and Butler. Only the head of Mr. Cole, carefully exchanged for that of Mr. Ormond by the new 'tea woman,' Johnny, was identified. The body was clothed by Mr. Ormond's tailor, therefore it is actually Mr. Ormond's body. Thus, Moriarty disposes of two opponents by explaining the disappearance of one with the murder of the other. You will now understand the blood in the hatbox, Wiggins. And Mr. Kearney, you may now appreciate your great fortune in being merely abducted by Moriarty who had a hand in these murders as well as that of young Lord Goodwin.” “Lord Goodwin!” “Yes, only Moriarty’s organisation has the resources to procure explosives from a French armoury. Goodwin was useful to Balfour for his land which Goodwin was willing to let him develop. Balfour is a despicable character, to be sure, but only on a local level.” “Why does Moriarty care about Balfour’s activities?” asks Watson. “Elementary: competition and revenge. No businessman, not even a criminal one, welcomes competition for resources, market or opportunity. Moriarty wants to cede no possible area of endeavour to another. Moreover, he has a score to settle with Balfour, who drove him from the boxing arena, as it were, in Southwark. “Thus Moriarty has been for some time manipulating the stock market, seriously damaging Balfour’s financial situation. We know from your own investigations, Mr. Kearney, as well as those of Jamison, Wiggins, and the unfortunate Mr. Perkins, the effect that Moriarty's plotting had on Balfour's empire. “Moriarty hired the safe-cracker Willard Jaffe to retrieve Balfour’s private business papers from his safe. But Jaffe was unable to open it with explosives before the butler and, close on his heels, Balfour himself returned home. Learning of the situation, he sent the servants in search of the burglar and went to check on the safe’s contents which were untouched. He realised what an opportunity his rival had afforded him at a time when he was desperately in need of money with which to cover notes due for redemption, and he took his wife's jewels, hoping to both fence them and claim the insurance money. “But if Moriarty was disappointed, so was Balfour, at least temporarily. Leland Johnson, with whom Balfour's minion Colin Kennedy had arranged the fence, engaged the Mills brothers to disrupt it and steal the jewels. Kennedy forced this information from Johnson, then killed him for his betrayal. He then extracted the whereabouts of the jewels from Leo Mills, and recovered them from Donald Mills, whom he tracked to the flat of Edna Wheelan.” “But how do you know it was Kennedy that killed these three?” asks Wiggins. “Kennedy must surely not have endeared himself to Balfour at Romano's, when he brought him the news of the jewels’ loss, so he was certainly motivated. The carriage logs make it easy to follow his path, and as you yourself noted at Miss Wheelan's, Wiggins, Donald Mils recognised the enormous former pugilist. Presumably, his employer rewarded him well after he recovered the jewels, and he returned to his homeland.” Watson volunteers, “So Balfour killed Perkins for informing to Moriarty?” “Indirectly, Watson. The actual instrument was Sir Miller Brandon, who was to meet Perkins at eleven on the morning of his death. Clearly, his cryptological skills were less acute than yours, or he would never have left the cyphered note to Moriarty recommending further sales to depress the brewery stock in Perkins study.” “Then Balfour also had Vincent Derrick killed in July?” asks Wiggins. “Quite possibly.” Watson expostulates, “So Derrick actually did write the note?” “Oh, you do disappoint, Watson. You yourself hold the evidence disputing this preposterous, if whimsical, notion. Did you not notice that every word in the supposedly posthumous note from poor Mr. Derrick was available for tracing in the autograph given you by Rose Derrick, and that the address on the typewritten envelope was not?” “Well, Mr. Kearney, I presume you have quite a bit of writing to do. I hope that I have helped to show you how your rather minor role fits into the totality of the Queen's Park Affair. Perhaps you will oblige me by spending some time with me and providing me with as much detail as you can recall of your dealings with Professor Moriarty.”
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Jul 2, 2021 18:47
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Well that was satisfying. I trust Balfour will suffer the traditional fate of failed London gangsters and be found floating in the Thames forthwith. I was surprised the answer to so many of the murders was just "Johnny the Jackal" but hey, if you have a good hitman on staff why not use him. The only major surprise was this: Kangra posted:c)Where are the counterfeit five-pound plates hidden? Where the heck was the info for that ? It's quite preposterous (I've seen the object in question, it couldn't possibly fit a set of printing plates in there) and seems a complete non-sequitur. We saw the events at the House of Commons, unless there was one we somehow missed. Where the heck did that come from?
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Jul 2, 2021 19:45
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I did find this solution to be a good one, and I think we did rather well at figuring it out, even before adding on extra clues. The broad outlines make sense, and it's decently intricate, with nothing that really feels out of left field for the main case. It's a bit unusual in that Holmes doesn't seem to be interested in countering Moriarty's efforts here. It also comes off as a bit of a power move to outright kidnap Kearney instead of just recruit him quietly. That sends a clear message to Balfour that his days are numbered, but arguably puts a price on Kearney's head. On the other hand, perhaps Kearney's release is timed with the departure of Colin Kennedy and the clear beginning of Balfour's downfall. The counterfeit plates do seem like the 'trap question' where you have to go hunt down one bit of information, and as you said sounds absurd on top of it. I imagine it will probably also end up being something really obvious, making one wonder why Moriarty had to spring Northrup in the first place. I also take very slight issue with the murder of Perkins, if only to the extent that the solution suggests Brandon just showed up at his house and shot him instead of meeting with him. This goes against the whole set-up of the crime scene: Perkins was shot in the middle of writing his coded message, so it would not have been likely for it to happen earlier, or after Perkins had let Brandy in. It makes more sense for him to compose the message afterward, and Brandy would have either never really left or snuck back in. Also of note is that Kearney was being held at the brewery, which was indeed the simplest answer to the question of what location had 'railroad tracks' close by it. It will likely take me until next week, as I'm going to be quite busy over the next five days, but I'll do a wrap-up on the clues we didn't discover that were mentioned in the solution. Right now I intend to cover: House of Commons mace Donald Mills, Edna Wheelan & the recovery of the jewels Johnny the Jackal's real name, if possible [Holmes doesn't give it so maybe it's not there] If there are other points of interest, post them and I'll add it to the list. Kangra fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Jul 2, 2021 |
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Jul 2, 2021 22:19
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Kangra posted:Johnny the Jackal's real name, if possible [Holmes doesn't give it so maybe it's not there] Was it possible to get Johnny's criminal record? Likewise Colin Kennedy. I'd love to go over the documents with a wordsearch to find out what the heck was going on with that mace.
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Jul 2, 2021 22:59
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I ended up having a bit more free time, so I can post some of what I found out. I'll be covering each 'topic' in its own post, with a few odds and ends thrown in. For this one, I wanted to figure out how you can know what happened to the Warwick jewels. Edna Wheelan: You may recall when we visited Donald Mills that his landlady mentioned a woman named "Wilma, Wendy something like that" who was a well-known actress. I think that's a pretty good match for someone misremembering the name 'Edna Wheelan'. Edna Wheelan is mentioned in the Day 1 (Wednesday) newspaper as an actress. I think if we were interested in tracking Mills that'd be good enough to look up. She is in the directory, at 56 NW. If you try to visit her on Day 1, there is no clue there. You can't visit Mills' place either. On Day 2, she isn't home. On Day 3, you get this incident, which is one of the few 'real-time' events in the case: Day 3 Edna Wheelan (56 NW) “Please help! Get an ambulance!” The shouts come from a room at the end of the hall. We follow Wiggins down the hall at a run. We come to an open door that leads into a room from where the shouts emanate. A young woman is in the middle of the room, leaning over the body of a man. Wiggins rushes to the body and examines it. “He’s alive,” states Wiggins. “Get the police and a doctor. Are you Edna Wheelan?” “Yes,” replies the young woman. “And him?” “Donald Mills.” “What happened?” “Donald and I were having tea when there was a knock at the door. I answered it and there was a large man. He asked for Donald. I thought he must have been one of Donald’s friends. I asked him in and called for Donald. When Donald saw him, he ran toward that chair.” She points to a chair at the door. “Donald had set a black bag there when he arrived. The big man was only steps behind him. Donald got the bag and got it open and pulled a gun out, but the big man was upon him. He grabbed the gun, tore it out of Donald’s hand and flung it across the room.” She points to the far side of the room, where we see the gun lying on the floor. “Then he hit Donald, very hard in the face. He was very fast for a man his size. He hit Donald again and again. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me away like I was a kitten. Then he brought his fist down upon Donald’s head like a hammer. Donald crumpled to the floor. The man picked up Donald’s bag and walked out.” “Do you know what was in the bag?” “No. Donald was very mysterious about it. He kept saying it was our passport to happiness. It doesn’t look like it now.” At this point a policeman and two ambulance attendants arrive. While the attendants place Donald on the stretcher, the policeman questions Miss Wheelan, getting the same story we have just heard. “What hospital are you taking him to?”’ the policeman asks the attendants. “Middlesex.” The attendants carry Mills out accompanied by Miss Wheelan. The Bow-street policeman asks us a few questions before he continues in his course of interviewing the other residents of the apartment house. (45 minutes) After that, on Day 4, you're told she's at Middlesex. If you visit Middlesex on Day 3 or Day 4, you will find Donald Mills, who suffered a concussion but is alive. He is able to talk about the incident, but insists that the bag held 'porsonal papers' (his jaw is broken). The solution suggested that Colin Kennedy's route could be tracked by following the carriage logs. I did a lot of work tracking out the routes, although I realized I missed doing Friday, when this incident with the jewel recovery happens. On Thursday, though, is when Kennedy did the killing of Mills & Johnson. There is in fact a carriage route that might be his - the one I had marked as 'branching' from Balfour's track using a light gray outline. After going to Parliament, what I called Balfour's carriage heads to Pall Mall (possibly the Carlton Club), and from there a carriage goes to Johnson's house. Some time after that, another one heads from several blocks away toward Leo Mills' house. Later in the evening, after Balfour heads to near the Bank of England (or London Stock Exchange), another carriage heads quite near to Donald Mills' house. So I guess we 'found' it but that was kind of hard to decipher, really. Especially as there are some really big 'walking'/body disposal gaps in between those visits. (refer to this post, particularly the map. The trips I'm talking about are 7 SW -> 6 NW, then 60 WC -> 84 SE, then 85 EC -> Russell Sq ) As for Friday, I'm not going to the trouble of making another map or posting the full log unless someone really wants it. Looking just at the log, I don't see any trips that clearly indicate Kennedy. Here are the addresses of potential interest: 56 NW (Edna Wheelan) 92 NW (Colin Kennedy's house) 40 WC (Donald Mills) 86 SE (Leo Mills) 86 SW (Lambert's Jewellery shop) There's one carriage possibly leaving from Kennedy's house: 1020 36 Cavendish (NW) - 54 Gordon (WC). That doesn't seem to be anywhere interesting. As for those heading toward Wheelan's, I see only two decent candidates (there could be others with walking). 1255 74 Moreton-st (SW) - 61 Curzon-st (NW). That doesn't start anywhere of interest, and the drop-off is quite far from Wheelan's place. It might make sense if he's tailing Mills, but I see no evidence of that either. 1510 25 Wallington-pl (SE) - 55 Park-ln (NW). This is the closest, as it's directly across the street, but I still don't know what the origin point would be. I'm sure, like on Thursday, there's a pattern to be found there to follow, but it's near impossible for it to actually produce a lead you can act on. At best, it potentially confirms a suspected route. It wouldn't help you discover a new address to visit (as with the busy dealings at Moriarty's place). The clue from Mills' landlady combined with the newspaper really is enough to find Wheelan, assuming you've figured out Kennedy is the culprit and may be looking for Donald. As interesting as it was to do all that work making the maps, the carriage logs were kind of a bust as clues. I really expected it to be a key puzzle of the case somehow, and it just wasn't that important. I am impressed that they did go to the trouble of placing events on it correctly. It did provide some interesting insights. Case in point, with respect to 'interesting': On Friday, a carriage travels from 67 NW, which is Worthingdon Bank, to 51 Bahere*. Not sure we know who it is, though, as Perkins is dead. *In the logs it is not always that street for the drop-off, which makes it a bit trickier. I call it that as it seems the most common address used for those going to Moriarty's HQ. There was one more clue mentioned with respect to Kennedy and the jewel theft. That was "Romano's", which is listed as a restaurant in the directory. It turns out we visited this place already; it was the 19 Maiden-lane address that gave us the names of those who had been at the Monday meeting/luncheon with Balfour. You get that clue on most days, but if you get there at the right time, you get this one: Day 2 before 1 p.m. | after 1 p.m. Romano Restaurant (19 WC) “Mr. Balfour was here to-day for lunch. His luncheon guests were fellow members of Parliament Sir Roger Peel and William Clark.” “No one else?” “No. A large Irishman stopped by and asked for Mr. Balfour, but he did not lunch with them. I assumed he was a servant or employee of Mr. Balfour. When I told Mr. Balfour that he was here, Mr. Balfour excused himself from his guests and met the man in the foyer. Mr. Balfour seemed quite upset. They had a very animated conversation that lasted about ten minutes. Mr. Balfour then rejoined his guests.” “Did you get the Irishman’s name?” “Yes. Mr. Kennedy.” “Thank you.” (15 Minutes) Finally, there's the business of the eventual fate of the jewels, which is what the quiz question actually was looking for. It is clearly crucial to discover that Kennedy did in fact recover the jewels from Mills. You can get that quite easily if you track down Edna Wheelan; even if you don't get there for the aftermath of Kennedy's visit the hospital visit is sufficient. But how can we be certain that Kennedy returned them and Balfour paid him off? It seems to me that's just one choice of several. The solution suggests his sudden decision to get married in Ireland is motivated by a reward for the "recovery". However, not only did Kennedy fail at his job (which was to fence the jewels), he left a trail of bodies all over London trying to remedy the situation. I can't see Balfour being all that eager to reward him after that. I could say possibly Balfour pays him if only to be rid of him, so it would be more like severance pay than a handsome reward (from someone who is already having trouble covering his debts, no less). It seems plausible to me that, knowing Balfour was already upset with him, Kennedy decided to get out while he could. And while he's likely fairly loyal to Balfour, I can see him deciding just not to tell him he got the jewels back, with the intent to flee town and sell them off in Ireland. I can accept the solution given as perfectly fine. Nothing contradicts the story that he gives them back, gets paid, and decides to leave the world of crime and settle down. I just didn't find a clue that gives a very clear indication that they ended up back with Balfour, to be honest. It is possible I missed it. Next time I'll figure out the deal with the mace. Kangra fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Jul 6, 2021 |
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Jul 6, 2021 05:06
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Peter Northrup & The Mace of the House of Commons This turned out to be not as hard to figure out as expected. It's more a matter of 'why would you bother' during a normal playthrough since Northrup's case always seemed to be a distraction from the main investigation. Recovering the plates doesn't seem that critical of a task even had Northrup lived; yes, it might prevent future forgeries but compared to the rest of the crimes we're seeing it's relatively minor. It is clearly meant to be a quiz question you'll just have to figure out, and most likely on a re-do of the case. Once you know to look for them, though, the path is straightforward. The first news story we had on him told us he had worked for the Royal Mint prior to his arrest, so it's a safe bet you'd look there to find out more about him: Day - Royal Mint (13 EC ) “Northrup was a real artist, he was one of my top engravers.” This assessment is made by Sir J. Edgar Boehm. “His design of the double florin is a masterpiece. His execution of Pistrucci’s design of St. George and the Dragon is a work of art. Her Majesty loved it. Too bad I didn’t have him do her portrait. She certainly didn‘t love that one.” We are in one of the inner rooms of the Royal Mint where the engraving is done. There are half a dozen men at work over their small work tables. Sir Edgar, the Royal Engraver, is our guide. “Then Northrup didn’t design the bank notes?” “No. He was capable of engraving anything, of course. I can’t tell you how upset I was over the whole affair. I had great hopes for Peter. If he would have worked hard and kept his nose clean, he could have taken my place when I retired.” “Can you recount to us the events which led up to Northrup’s arrest?” “Yes, they are still very vividly engraved on my mind. As I said, Northrup is an artist. His eye, mind and hands worked as one; he had the skill to copy anything. So, there was no serious technical problem of making the bank-note plates. The big problem in counterfeiting is the paper used in the five-pound note. Its manufacture is one of the best kept secrets in the world. It would take large sums of money to make even a less-than-perfect copy of the paper. Counterfeiting of bank-notes has never been a great threat to the economy because no one has been able to make a paper that could fool any bank teller or businessman who handles money with any degree of intelligence, and most do. What has us so worried about the Northrup forgery is that the paper could fool all but the most expert examiner.” “How many notes were found?” “Only two five-pound notes.” “Only two?” “Yes. You see, Northrup was also responsible for maintaining the Royal Maces housed in the Tower of London. He was a master goldsmith and it was his responsibility to check the ceremonial maces after each usage. Four months ago, right after the opening of Parliament, Northrup was at the Tower working, when one of his co-workers went to his workbench to borrow a tool. While looking through Northrup’s drawers he came upon two five-pound notes printed on one sheet of paper. He called this to my attention. At first I just thought that it was a souvenir that Peter may have picked up from the printing department at the Bank of England. But, something didn’t seem right. I called Albert Mackett-Beeson, head of the Currency Printing Office. He came over and looked at the bank notes. They were not printed by his office. He cut a small strip of paper and had it tested. It was counterfeit. “Mackett-Beeson started an investigation. He had Peter followed for weeks. He had his dwelling searched and investigated his background. No evidence was gained. After three weeks of this, we again searched his work space and locker and this time found the start of a twenty-pound banknote plate. Mackett-Beeson thought it was time to arrest Peter, and this was done. There was enough evidence to convict Peter, but he wouldn’t implicate anyone else. As of this moment the paper has not been found. That’s about all I can tell you.” (45 Minutes) That clue naturally leads you to the Tower of London. Day - Tower of London (14 EC) Lieutenant Grant Wilson leads us down Water-lane of the Tower towards Bloody Tower. “Yes, I knew Peter Northrup,” says Lieutenant Wilson as we walk. “He worked here two or three days a week. He had a small shop in Bloody Tower, where he restored and maintained the Ceremonial Maces. The maces are on display in the Jewel House, which is located in Wakefield Tower, when they are not in use. When Northrup needed to work on a mace, it was brought to him by two guards, who waited until he was done with his work.” We have now reached Bloody Tower, and we follow Lieutenant Wilson up the narrow staircase. One flight up we are shown a small room which is furnished with only a ten-foot work-bench and a wooden stool. There is a small window above the work-bench that looks out on Tower Green. The room is so small that it can accommodate only Lieutenant Wilson and Wiggins. The rest of us have to wait in the corridor. “Very small,” says Wiggins, stating the obvious. “Yes,” says Lieutenant Wilson, confirming the obvious. “Big enough for him to work in. He brought his own tools in a satchel. He only worked on one piece at a time.” “What did you think of his arrest?” “I was surprised. Did you know he was arrested here?” “No.” “Yes. He was working on the Mace of the House of Commons when the police came and arrested him. They searched everywhere in this room, which you can see wasn’t a large task. They didn’t find what they wanted, but they took Northrup away. That was the last I saw him. Would you like to see the Crown Jewels?” “Yes, we would,” replies Wiggins. We follow the Lieutenant up another flight of stairs and into a round room. In the centre of the room is a seven foot high, six-sided cage made out of heavy iron bars. Inside the cage are the Crown Jewels. The sight is breath-taking. On the very top of the tiered pedestal sits St. Edward’s Crown on a red pillow. Crossed in front of it lie the Royal Sceptres. “An impressive sight,” says Wiggins. “Here are the Royal Maces.” Against one wall, also behind heavy bars, is a row of ornately decorated gold staffs. They start at each end at about three feet in height and grow in size as they move toward the centre. In the very centre of the row is the tallest one, over six feet in height. Its shaft is about three inches in diameter and is topped by a two-foot crown, ten inches in diameter. “The largest one is The Mace of the House of Commons,” states Wilson. “A lot of history in this room.” “And a lot of wealth.” (1 Hour) There's no other clue I found that would suggest the correct answer besides this one. Inside the mace seems like an obvious place to look, though, using the assumptions of the game that they can be put there. Being charitable, it might be said that Moriarty suspects the plates of being there, but really doesn't want to attempt to break into the Tower of London without being certain. To be honest it again seems like more trouble than it's worth; you would probably have to spend more than you'd make back by counterfeiting. As for the real Mace of the House of Commons, assuming they mean this one, it is a bit smaller than the dimensions described. I don't know that they are actually hollow inside, though. That seems unlikely. As for the plates themselves, I've found that it actually would be relatively easy to stash them in a small space. Looking at how the plates were used in that period, it seems as though it was normal to have multiple tiny plates that would be arranged together for the printing (this allowed for the re-use of elements that were common to the notes as well). It seems most likely that Northrup took advantage of his job to simply make a copy of the critical elements. With respect to the rest of the Northrup case, there are actually a surprising number of clues related to the prison break, which makes one wonder if this was going to be its own distinct case that ended up being folded into this module (or alternately was meant as a time sink — my first time through I got quite wrapped up in it). By piecing together various accounts, it becomes clear that Northrup followed Moriarty's advice and ran from the cricket ground toward the rail line. He hopped on a train, but jumped off just a short while later and entered Wormwood Scrubs. The guards following with dogs assumed he had stayed on the train and gave up the search quickly. After leaving the woods, he again took steps to evade trackers by crossing back over the creek. From there he entered a woman's backyard and stole her husband's clothes from the line. Not long after he entered the street and was picked up by one of Moriarty's red-and-gold broughams. Kangra fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Jul 8, 2021 |
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Jul 8, 2021 18:10
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Eeeeeh. I'm going to mutter at that one. It's like the historical battle in the case with the military regiment - knowledge of the real-world item is actually counterproductive because the game has substituted it with its own version. Northrup having such a detailed trail is a bit of a surprise. That would have been an excellent chase if the designers had worked it into the game somehow. For all the emphasis on Northrup he sure did drop out of the plot quickly. Did QPA come out before or after the noir gamebook? Supposedly the noir book was rough to play because it had time limits, you had to have certain cases solved by certain dates and they'd drop out of the plot after that point. I can see how the writers might have responded to criticism of QPA by deciding to switch to set sequences of events. I do wish it had been possible to intervene in some of these (have the police raid the brewery, perhaps, or intercept Johnny or rescue Kennedy's victims), but I accept that would have made the gamebook absurdly complicated.
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Jul 8, 2021 21:17
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Queens Park came out a year before Gumshoe, the SF-set noir version of the game. It seems very much like this was the dry run for that style of play. One of the problems with Gumshoe is that those time limits existed, but I don't think they were conveyed to the players. As I've heard it, you were expected to go through all the investigation days continuously, solving the cases as you go, and only at the end answer every case. Obviously they were going for a very free-form and open experience, with the possibility of characters changing over time and reacting to events. I admire the attempt to produce such an experience. The flaw is that doesn't allow for any game narrative to be constructed without some luck, and you can't guide a player who goes off in the wrong direction very well. It can't work unless the players have some idea of what to expect. So you'd theoretically be playing through the entire game three or more times to try and solve all the cases before knowing the answers to any of them, and that cannot have been fun. It was also apparently mechanically buggy. So far, aside from the issue with some of the autopsy clues not being available, I haven't found very many errors in how the game runs (one misprinted clue point is it). Also, I noted something else about the Peter Northrup case: They keep mentioning the special paper he used as though it could be important. There's an engraving office you can visit where they discuss what is used for the real notes, and you can talk to the man who inspected the counterfeit ones Northrup had printed. He mentions that it would take a lot of expense to find such a close match, so I think that bit is just an additional connection to Moriarty (it's surprising just how valuable that one clue at the jail was, since it answers the exploding cricket ball question and explains both how and mostly why Northrup was released).
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Jul 9, 2021 05:55
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Here's a few odds and ends that I discovered while poking through the clues. A couple of people seem to reference real-life figures, or from other books. When we went to the insurance company, they said that Francis Baird was their investigator. If you talk to Francis, you find out that it's actually 'Frances', a quick-witted detective with an eye for detail. The description of her seemed rather detailed, and it turns out she is a character from another book: Miss Frances Baird, Detective by Reginald Wright Kauffman. In her own novel she is sent to guard some valuable jewels, although I gather the plot thickens from there. Sir J. Edgar Boehm, the man who leads you around the Royal Mint, is a real historical personage, though he was more commonly known as Joseph Boehm. He did use the middle name Edgar, though, allowing the reference to J. Edgar Hoover, famous head of the American FBI. Boehm designed the portrait of Victoria for the gold sovereign, and the depiction was indeed not well-received by the queen. Albert Mackett-Beeson doesn't seem to be a specific reference, although there is an Alfred Mackett-Beeson who was some sort of historical expert on chess boards. A few references connect to the SHCD game world. The tracking dog Toby, along with his owner Old Sherman, show up in connection with Peter Northrup. He's actually from the original Holmes stories but Sherman is a bit different from Doyle's depiction; he was established in prior Consulting Detective cases, however. The guards at the prison mention that he was poking around, and if you go to him, he's the one who was able to track Northrup after he jumped off the train, but only as far as the creek. It's enough to suggest the right address to start looking; this was the one I blundered into while trying to figure out where Kearney was taken. Although you can't visit Matt Moser at his offices, it turns out you can find him at the Balfour estate if you go there later, as Mrs. Balfour has hired him. You may recall that she wanted to hire us as soon as we showed up. Someone else we can speak to in the case is Oswald Mason, a banker who becomes a murder victim in 1890 (The Banker's Quietus, part of the original set). He hints that Balfour is in difficulty without getting into specifics. There's a somewhat amusing chain of clues that seem to be there to waste your time. There was a 'William Clark' at Parliament whose office you can visit (he was also a guest at the second luncheon of Balfour, at which Kennedy shows up). If you try to track him down, you repeatedly are told you 'just missed him' and they give you the next place he went. There are a lot of intriguing clues that are seem to also just be innocent normal activity (e.g. you are told "he was carrying a small black bag with him"). This happens on different days, although eventually you find he has left town for the weekend. There was another MP present at the luncheon with Balfour, Sir Roger Peel. He's also on the more legitimate side, and if you visit him, you get the best background on what the actual law being discussed. Here's an excerpt from his clue: Sir Roger Peel ... “As every Englishman knows, Members of Parliament may use the opportunity afforded them by parliamentary procedure to introduce Bills, most often along lines recommended by Royal Commissions. Royal Commissions are appointed by Parliament and made up of Members and private or public people with expert knowledge of the area under study. The Beer Commissions, for example, was made up of Members as well as people from the industry. As you may or may not know, the Beer Act of 1880 was brought about by the development of the saccharometer. This enabled us to measure the potential of fermentation and to tax accordingly. Fine in theory, but problematical in practice, and those problems have to be solved. “Now, when we pass a Bill and that Bill then is codified into law, it has a real effect on the industry, in this case the breweries. The thousands of breweries employ tens of thousands of workers. All of these forces have to be looked at when contemplating a Bill. “Members vote yea or nay on a Bill for many reasons: their personal beliefs, the wants of their constituencies and, all too frequently, I am sorry to say, their political ambition. When Balfour calls for the complete abolition of alcoholic drink, I don't really think that he thinks he will achieve it. I am not sure that he even wants it. It is politically advantageous for him to call for it, but he knows, as I know, that only ten per cent of the Members would vote for it. It is no secret that temperance is good for land values. People will pay much more to live in a community that is alcohol-free and thus free of alcohol-associated problems. Temperance has proved good politics and good business for Balfour, and has served him well, very well indeed.” ... He concludes by saying that Cole's death is certain to kill the bill for at least another year, which would seem to be Moriarty's desired outcome. So I've been just sort of reading the book straight through now (aided by being able to search the text). What was to stop someone from just running through the whole clue book to break the game and win the contest? Well, it looks like the designers threw in several fake clues to throw you off if you tried. The way the book is structured is a bit different from previous ones, since some clues can be found on different days. Instead of being indexed by address, all clues are numbered, with a separate list matching addresses with clue numbers for each day (some clues will then further point to others, for example when they are time-controlled). But here's one I found that doesn't seem to have any previous point of origin: Clue 131 “You are sure you weren’t followed here, Wiggins?” "Yes." “I talked to him. He told me it was okay to pass the information on to you. Perkins stole the jewels.” “Lloyd Perkins?” “Yes, Lloyd.” “Why?” “Don’t be silly, Wiggins. They may be worth as much as three-quarters of a million pounds.” “That’s not what I've heard.” “Balfour thinks he’s the only one who knows their true value. Not even his wife knows.” “What proof do you have?” “I can get you the proof, Wiggins.” “When?” “Tomorrow. Be at the Tyburn Tree in Hyde-park at one o’clock. There you'll see an old gypsy organ-grinder and his monkey. When the monkey holds out his cup to you, drop in two bob, and say, ‘The Serpentine looks like a monkey’s tail'.” “You must be kidding,” says Wiggins. “Look, Wiggins, you know the boss. You have to do it his way or not at all.” “Okay, okay. ‘The Serpentine looks like a monkey’s tail'. Okay, I've got it.” “The organ-grinder will then hand you an envelope containing the evidence.” “You said that you know something about Kearney.” “See Richard King at eighty-five Arthur-street. Remember, Wiggins, you owe me one.” Our informant disappears into the fog. (30 Minutes) If we go to the Tyburn Tree (which has its address distinct from Hyde Park) at any time, we get this clue: Day - Tyburn Tree (96 NW) The park is bustling with people: nursemaids with their perambulators, governesses with their charges, and all types of people hurrying to and fro. We hear Big Ben striking the hour of one as we approach the Tyburn Tree. An old organ-grinder and his monkey have attracted a small group of people. The wizened monkey holds out his cup filled with small change. We drop in two bob and say, “The Serpentine looks like a monkey’s tail.” A middle-aged woman standing next to us eyes us suspiciously before commenting, “I've always thought it looked more like the graceful curve of a swan’s neck.” As the monkey passes our way with the cup a second time, he hands us an envelope. We move to a moderately secluded bench before examining the contents. “Galloping Napoleons! Look at this!” Wiggins exclaims as he studies the documents. “What is it?” “A jewelry appraisal from the Royal Amsterdam Assurance Company. ‘This is to certify that the jewelry collection itemized on the attached schedule and consisting of fifty-two pieces, being the property of Mr. and Mrs. M. Jabez Balfour, and known also as the Warwick Jewels, called hereafter in this document the Warwick Collection, have a total value of seven hundred and eighty thousand pounds.’ “Look, here’s a letter to Lloyd Perkins from Greta Joslin. ‘Have arranged the deal. If you deliver the Warwick Collection before September thirtieth, I can guarantee the five hundred thousand pounds we discussed.’ “Wait until Mr. Holmes sees this.” (30 Minutes) We can also visit Richard King's place if we haven't figured out his name is a likely pun: Day - Richard King (85 WC) As our knocks go unanswered, we decide to try the door. It is unlocked, and we cautiously enter the spacious tiled foyer. We are facing a large, double, curving staircase in the grand style. Our gaze is arrested immediately, however, by a body hanging from the top of the staircase, the feet dangling about four feet above the ground. Strewn about the floor are a number of disparate objects: an empty Chateau Lafitte bottle, a framed photograph of a woman inscribed, “With love, Louella,” a fireplace poker, a red and black silk cravat, and a cricket bat. “Look, there’s a note pinned to his shirt.” We look around for some way to reach the note which is about eight feet from the floor. “Jimmy, let me stand on your shoulders for a minute,” says Wiggins. From his new vantage point, Wiggins reads the note aloud to us. ‘Beware the Jaberwock.' What does that mean?” Wiggins climbs down. “Let’s find a constable.” (30 Minutes) It's fairly obviously wrong if you're even slightly familiar with the actual case, but it doesn't overplay its hand, to the point that you might think it to be real. Also, funnily enough, I first saw this when doing my search on Louella (to confirm that she wasn't reachable except by reverse look-up in the London Directory) so in a way it worked. Also, remember when we were theorizing about those curious number slips, and I said we could take a shot in the dark at the Greyhound track to see if they recognize them? It turns out that actually works. They'll tell you that they are, in fact, betting slips. Someone else you talk to Kearney about also lets you know what they are (I think Quentin Hogg, but only if you go on Day 1; we got the more useful later clue that tells you a bit about Balfour). That will wrap it up for the Queens Park Affair, as well as for this LP. I really enjoyed being able to show off a few more cases, and finally to solve the one I never got around to finishing. A big thank you to everyone who participated!
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Jul 10, 2021 16:36
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Ha! An entertaining trap. I've seen something similar in other game books so I'm not surprised there's one here. I wonder how many contest entries the writers received that referred to it. Good game. Thank you for running it; I am curious about Gumshoe but it sounds somewhat unfun to slog through.
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Jul 10, 2021 17:31
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