The Detective Society - The Cursed Exhibition - Envelope 4

 Following a longer than anticipated Envelope 3, we dive right into Envelope 4, following a message from the Detective that she was going to infiltrate the Children of Shakir Cult in London. Within envelope 4, we have: The beginning envelope; a note from the detective; a coroner’s report for one Kay Hiddleston; a book with the same emblem as the cult, labeled KH; a car park map; an as yet unknown map. 

The detective looped in her boss, and the local police don’t have the resources. The Detective is going to infiltrate the cult. She will pose as Kay Hiddleston, tragically killed in an accident a few days ago. We must provide the detective information regarding the regalia - what K would have worn to the conclave - and text it to her immediately. 

Based on the notebook, Kay is a level one member, which indicates she would wear:

• A pointy hat without band or star
• Grey cloak (at the dry cleaners)
• Red tunic

 Hopefully we don’t get the police officer killed… She is able to pick up the regalia from the dry cleaners with our help. We then have to help her find the entrance to the meeting space. She thinks the entrance might be in one of the car parks, but it’s not clear how we were supposed to get to the correct one. We guess based on where Eddie used to work - two of his former employers are here, as is his coffee shop. We are then supposed to help her find the place. We are STUMPED - UNTIL! My puzzling companion realizes the roundabouts in the parking lot map line up with the emblem on the back of the notebook, which highlights a specific square or parking space. There is a car in that space and we have a picture of the interior. This is where the odd numbering of the pages come in - they are the directions to moving the stick shift. That opens a secret passage to the Cult’s hideout. We direct the Detective around the hideout, making the appropriate greetings to other cultists on the way, based on the notebook. Also, the creators of this puzzle are apparently Warhammer nerds. Having made our way through conversations, and confirming the Cult has the artefact, we are faced with a new challenge: turning on the fuses.

This requires turning the fuses on based on a north-south alignment. Thankfully there are clues scattered throughout the conversation, allowing us to sort the order pretty easily. Less easy is getting the info to the detective, who doesn’t like my capitalization in texts. Old pre-AI tech, but still fun. Having turned the power back on, we try again to talk to some of the other members to try to find the secret room where the artefact is hidden. The first office we try does give us more clues as to the location - people really need better passwords. Then we need to look at some paintings, when I learn that the picture of Napoleon on a Horse is “Napoleon Crossing the Alps”. We eventually find the door to the secret room holding the artefact. However, we need a code. We email another account, and are linked to a website. The first passcode is provided in the notebook. The others potentially rely on a voice message broken up. Once we get those in order, we are presented with a combo lock. We listen carefully and identify the combination through a series of clicks. 

The final audio clip discusses the methods of the Children of Shakir ‘protecting’ the artefact by killing people. A game of ‘cat and mouse’ for hundreds of years. Apparently the artefact is back in their care, and they have plans to hold the police officer until they can move her to Manchester for an untimely demise. The artefact will be reunited with the ‘four keys’ for an ‘eternal legacy’. What could possibly go wrong? For now, we have successfully completed Envelope 4, despite my cats’ best efforts. Sleep