Chicago
Detectives have received intelligence that a murder is about to take place in downtown Chicago.
Potential Victims
• Alice
• Brian
• Charolette
• Dylan
Potential Weapons
• Knife
• Gun
• Candlestick
• Poison
Potential Crime Scenes (Chicago Landmarks)
• Art Institute
• Millennium Park
• Willis Tower
• Navy Pier
Potential Days
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
Your goal is to determine which victim will fall next, by matching that victim with one weapon, one location, and one day.
THE CLUES:
(Each clue looks forward to a deduction that will eliminate wrong pairings. Read carefully and fill in your grid.)
The murder that will occur at the Art Institute of Chicago will not use the Gun.
The suspect who will be targeted with the Candlestick will have their demise on Tuesday.
The crime that will unfold at Millennium Park will involve a weapon that will not be Poison.
The victim who will fall on Thursday will not be confronted with a Knife.
The murder that will use the Gun will be committed at a venue that will not be Navy Pier.
The perpetrator will strike at Willis Tower on a day that will not be Monday.
The future murder at Navy Pier will be executed with a substance that will not be Candlestick.
The killer will choose a weapon that will be used on a day that will not be Wednesday, unless it is the Gun.
Alice will avoid a fate that will occur on Tuesday or Thursday.
Brian will not be the victim if the weapon will be a Knife.
The crime that will take place on Monday will not be at Millennium Park.
The murder that will unfold on Wednesday will not occur at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Dylan will face a weapon that will not be the Gun.
The event that will transpire at Willis Tower will be on a day that will not be Tuesday.
The murder that will feature the Knife will occur on a day that will precede the event at Navy Pier.
The victim who will be killed with Poison will be in a location that will not be Millennium Park.
Clues left by the Killer:
Zit oflzkxdtfz gy rtdolt voss fgz exz fgk wxkf, wxz kqzitk roleiqkut q lostfz ctkroez—a q dtzqssoe itkqsr gy yofqsozn.
Gsv wzb dslhv evib mznv vxslvh z eld lu fmrlm hszoo yv gsv zkklrmgvw slfi lu ivgiryfgrlm.
Qohomnr m nivosbhk oxbzblo vroso kumpp mhx pnoou fbpp nro romjohp, m prmxiv iz mwqbnbih vbuu lsmxuo nro dhziuxbhk nsmkoxg.
Wp z yzfu kiqp tx ozyu, ylu puny kbqf yb dbwp ylu kwfuphu tuzck z pzsu bo ywsufukk aczhu, cuswpwkhupy bo z txabpu cbxzf tfbbs.
Puzzle-Solving Tips
Set Up a Grid: Create a four-by-four table with the categories as columns (Victim, Weapon, Location, Day) and list the four options in each.
Mark Eliminations: As you read each logical clue, mark off the impossible pairings.
Use the Killer Clues: They provide thematic hints (remember the “cylinder” that “thunders” and the “sizzling Saturday”) that point you toward the correct selections.
Work Methodically: Clues refer to future events (“will take place,” “will be paired”)—use them to narrow down the only possible configuration.
When you’ve filled in your grid completely, you’ll find that only one combination remains viable.