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Chris Chan reveals all: Mystery Man 2011

11 Oct 11 12:17PM

If you enjoyed playing the second Mystery Man game you will definitely appreciate Chris Chan's latest article:

SOLUTION TO THE SECOND MYSTERY FIGURE GAME

By Chris Chan

(SPOILERS AHEAD! READ WITH CAUTION!)

It was a hot, muggy summer day when I saw the news report. Eight characters from Agatha Christie novels had been kidnapped. The culprit, known only as the Mystery Man, was willing to set the victims free... as long as we played his (or possibly her) twisted little game.

That night, I got a phone call from Scotland Yard. A familiar voice was on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Chris Chan here."

"Chris, it's Superintendent Battle."

"Hi... Superintendent!" To my chagrin, I realized that I didn't know Superintendent Battle's first name. "Is this about the new Mystery Man case?"

"That's correct. Everybody here remembers how you caught that serial killer who was stalking members of the Agatha Christie forum last year. You're the only man I can trust to crack this case. You're smart, you have an encyclopedic knowledge of Agatha Christie's books, and you have way too much free time on your hands. If anyone can catch this fiend, you can."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence, Superintendent. What do we know so far?"

"Eight characters from Agatha Christie novels have been kidnapped. The culprit goes by the moniker "The Mystery Man," but the guilty party could be either a man or a woman. The Mystery Man is a murderer from one of Christie's novels, but we don't know which one. The Mystery Man has assured us that all eight victims will be returned unharmed if we can find them in time. One at a time, each victim will be allowed to provide four clues as to his or her identity. Once you figure out the name of the victim, we'll type the victim's surname into an Internet web address to find out where the kidnapped person is being held hostage. Once you save all eight victims, you'll have all the clues you need to identify the Mystery Man. The first set of clues has been released, so you'd better get started."

"I'll take care of it, Superintendent. You can count on me."

"I have complete faith in you."

"Oh, and Superintendent? One more thing."

"Yes?"

"I really hate how you were deleted from the recent television adaptation of Cards on the Table and replaced by a generic substitute of questionable sexuality. Also, I missed you in the recent Marple adaptation of Towards Zero, too."

Battle sighed. "Thanks, Chris. I hated being cut from those movies, too."<br /> <br /> <br />I got right to work. The first victim's clues were as follows:

1. Was the child buried behind the fireplace?

2. So nice to be willed art-work.

3. I'm writing a book on Mogul architecture.

4. I witnessed two girls having a cat-fight.

I knew at once that the first clue referred to Mrs. Lancaster, known colloquially as "the crazy old lady with a glass of milk," who figured prominently in By The Pricking of My Thumbs and who has a cameo in Sleeping Murder and is referenced in The Pale Horse. In these three books, only one character is interested in Mogul architecture, is familiar with someone with a huge art collection, and sees two girls in the middle of a cat-fight early in the novel: Mark Easterbrook, the narrator of The Pale Horse!

I sent my information to Battle, who processed the name "Easterbrook" through the website to find his location. An hour later, Battle called me back with the good news. Mark Easterbrook was safe and sound.

I didn't have much time to celebrate before I had to track down Victim #2. The clues were as follows:

1. I never trust the ‘non-British.'

2. Always enjoyed my stints in India.

3. I do like smoking my pipe.

4. I was John Armstrong's best friend.

This one was tougher. The first three clues could refer to at least a dozen characters each, but the last clue could only refer to one person. John Armstrong was from Murder on the Orient Express, and his best friend was Colonel Arbuthnot! The Colonel fit the first three clues like a glove, too, so I sent Battle the information, and soon got word that Colonel Arbuthnot was a free man.

Before I knew it, the third victim's clues were released.

1. Someone likes my auburn hair.

2. I do like mixing things.

3. So sad for Poor Emily.

4. Great that Arthur met his old friend Poirot again.

So, I knew that the book contained both Poirot and Hastings. Clue 2 meant that the victim might be a cook... or possibly a dispenser at a chemist's shop. Several auburn haired-women meet up with Hastings over the years, but only two Hastings and Poirot books have prominent victims named "Emily": The Mysterious Affair at Styles and Dumb Witness. I remembered only one character from those books who was an auburn-haired dispenser: Cynthia Murdoch from The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I contacted Battle and was soon proved right. Miss Murdoch was released and returned to her loved ones.

The fourth victim's clues were released soon afterwards:

1. It wasn't my fault the child died.

2. I really did love Hugo.

3. My middle name is Elizabeth.<br />4. It was awful shooting Philip.

I knew who this was right away. Only one woman had the middle name Elizabeth, once dated a man named Hugo, and shot another man named Philip. This woman was also responsible for the death of a child- she lied when she denied culpability. This woman was Vera Elizabeth Claythorne from And Then There Were None. She was swiftly freed, and immediately traveled to a small island off the coast of Devon to recuperate.

The fifth victim's clues were much more difficult:

1. I trust I will find the allies I seek.

2. I'm not the woman I first seemed.

3. I am a devoted Pagan with forceful opinions.

4. I am a German endocrinologist.

This one was challenging. I realized that this character was way more obscure than any of the others. After a little research, I came across a character who was a German scientist, and also an opinionated Pagan seeking assistance so that she could pursue her research unhindered. As she'd made her way across the world, she'd initially disguised herself as a nun. It had to be Helga Needheim of Destination Unknown.

The sixth round of clues was easier:

1. They said I was either a genius or insane.

2. I could have been a future British Prime Minister.

3. I was the most celebrated KC in England.

4. You can call me Mr Brown.

I knew that a KC was a King's Counsel, an honor bestowed upon distinguished British barristers. (When a female monarch is on the throne, they are called Queen's Counsels (QC's).) KC's wear black silk gowns and sit in a more prominent position in the courtroom. I was sure that "Mr. Brown" referred to the supervillain from The Secret Adversary, a brilliant but twisted politician and lawyer: Sir James Peel Edgerton. I was right. Sir James was soon located and freed, although he was missing his favorite signet ring.

I was almost done. The seventh victim's clues were as follows:

1. This may not be my birth name.

2. Mrs Oliver has agreed to help me.

3. My name could be for a woman or man.

4. I am a talented playwright.

There aren't many playwrights in Christie's works, and of them, only one receives assistance from the mystery writer Mrs. Ariadne Oliver. This playwright has also changed his name, and both his birth name and his new name can be given to members of either gender. That playwright- the use of the word "talented" to describe him was debatable- was Robin Upward from Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Superintendent Battle sent his colleague Superintendent Spence to pick up Robin.

I was relieved when I came across the final round of clues for the eighth victim:

1. It's easy for me to get hold of poison.

2. This family really trusts me.

3. There is a lot of training in my job.<br />4. My wife Anna didn't want a divorce.

From these clues, I knew the final victim was a man who was a trained professional, like a doctor or a lawyer. A doctor was more likely, since he would have access to poison. This victim was also in a position of trust with a family. I did some digging and found one doctor who worked closely with the Crackenthorpe family and had been married to a woman named Anna: Dr. Quimper from 4:50 From Paddington. Detective-Inspector Dermot Craddock found Dr. Quimper in the Crackenthorpe Hall stables, tied up inside a sarcophagus with only a plate of fish-paste sandwiches full of fish bones to eat.

I had located all of the victims, but my task wasn't over yet. Who was the Mystery Man? I realized that I had no new evidence... just the names of the victims and the books in which they appeared..

Mark Easterbrook, The Pale Horse

Colonel Arbuthnot, Murder on the Orient Express

Cynthia Murdoch, The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, And Then There Were None

Helga Needheim, Destination Unknown

Sir James Peel Edgerton, The Secret Adversary

Robin Upward, Mrs. McGinty's Dead

Dr. Quimper, 4:50 from Paddington

I couldn't find a link between the books. There was no character who appeared in all eight novels, or anything else that brought me closer to the Mystery Man's identity. There was no link between the victims. I didn't even have the first names of two of the kidnapped people. But... I did have all of their last names. Acting on a hunch, I took the first letter of each surname, and got: EAMCNEUQ. I'm good with anagrams. I played with the letters for a bit, and suddenly got MACQUEEN. The Mystery Man had to be Hector MacQueen, from Murder on the Orient Express!

The problem was, I didn't know where to find him. Superintendent Battle and the rest of Scotland Yard initiated a search, but before much could be done we received word from the New York City District Attorney's office. MacQueen had gone to his father the prosecutor and turned himself in. I went straight to the D.A.'s office (no easy feat, since I don't live in New York), and tracked down MacQueen.

"Hector, why did you do it?" I asked. "I know that you have a history of attacking people who have gotten away with murder, but not all of the people you kidnapped were criminals. Five were killers, and one was involved in some shady international intrigue, but two were completely innocent! One kidnapping victim was even a friend of yours. And why did you pick victims that spelled out your name? One would think... that you wanted to get caught."

I didn't get a reply. Try as I might, I couldn't find out why MacQueen had gone a kidnapping spree. Puzzled and exhausted, I headed for home, where I found an unmarked envelope pushed through my mail slot. I ripped it open, and found the following message, formed out of letters that had been cut from magazines and pasted onto a sheet of paper.

DEAR CHRIS CHAN,

NICE JOB SOLVING THE CASE. YOU CAUGHT A SERIAL KILLER LAST YEAR AND A SERIAL KIDNAPPER THIS YEAR, BUT I THINK THAT YOU'LL HAVE A MUCH HARDER TIME CATCHING ME WHEN IT'S MY TURN TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN.

I'LL BE IN TOUCH. WATCH YOUR BACK- I'D HATE FOR SOMETHING AWFUL TO HAPPEN TO YOU BEFORE IT'S TIME FOR THE TWO OF US TO PLAY MY DEADLY LITTLE GAME.

SINCERELY,

THE THIRD MYSTERY MAN

• 4 comments

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4 comments

Reverse order

murder_is_easy123 01 Nov 11 at 6:35a.m.

it gives me the shivers!

Marplefan9 25 Oct 11 at 6:36a.m.

Thanks for explaining everything, the Mystery Man certainly hid himself well!

InspectorGrant 13 Oct 11 at 11:09a.m.

Really enjoyed this, Chris, and totally agree with you and Supt. Battle about him being replaced in Cards on the Table by a sligtly kinky Police Officer who would never have made it as a Christie Copper.&nbsp; Great blog with some good laughs along the way - and a fab bonus - another deadly little game!
Looking forward to it.&nbsp; Thanks Chris!

Mr_Battle_Brent 11 Oct 11 at 3:16p.m.

Awesome. Thanks!