unforum

[MrToasty]

Sorry for the triple-post, but it's slightly important. Dan posted again today:
http://dancorrigan.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/reply-to-message/

Read it closely, especially what he says at the end.

[addlepated]

It's entirely possible that I might be able to make it out there next weekend. Actually, my husband saw the picture of the cash in the French one and wanted to go tomorrow... right before we drive to Houston.

[MrToasty]

I thought that might be motivation, but I hope it's not too deceiving. And I think your husband has the right idea. It's only like 80 miles in the wrong direction after all.

[MrToasty]

Confirmation

[addlepated]

I got what I think is a verbal password from The Fan via email several days ago.

[MrToasty]

New post by DC with more words of wisdom when going for the cache:
http://dancorrigan.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/walk-the-walk-start-as-me-come-back-you/

[ares5000]

Google maps says I'm only 18 hours and 29 minutes away, with a 3 day weekend coming up it might be possible. Arg....

[MrToasty]

Brownies for addlepated for recovering the book, plus a second:
http://www.violettesdream.com/smf/index.php?topic=27.msg123#msg123

[addlepated]

Here's the story behind the partial retrieve:

Let me start by saying that I dutifully posted the trailhead I received as well as the call for help from The Fan, but I haven't had the time to follow the game at all, so the only bits I knew were what MrToasty had PMed me regarding the cache in Fredericksburg.

We got to the book store and I asked if they had a package for Casper Ebersbach. The lady gave me a package with his name on it in a Genuine German envelope! We then proceeded to spend an hour in the car leafing through the pages and finding absolutely nothing. NOTHING. I kept going back into the store and asking if they had books for any name I could find in this thread, in Dan's blog, on Violette's dream, etc. (I ended up using 60% of my battery life on the phone's GPRS connection. No Edge!) No dice.

We got frustrated and decided to go to Der Lindenbaum for dinner. Only they're not open on Tuesdays. Doh!

So we went to the brewery. *hic*

After a beer and a strudel and many checkings of Twitter, forums, etc., MrToasty told me to check page 49 since it had been mentioned in the same solve as Caspar Ebersbach. There was a name on that page, so we went back to the book store and asked if they had a package for Henry Schultz (or whoever it was). The guy said no, but the problem was they did have a package for _someone_ but they had orders not to give it to anyone but them.

So basically, I needed to go in and say, "Hi, my name is so-and-so. Do you have a package for me?"

So I looked real cute with my list of names, going through them one by one. I even tried, "I'm... Ron... Burgundy?" But when I got to, "My parents had a sense of humor and named me Peter Hayder," the store owners turned to each other and nodded. That was it! Hooray! Daylight was fading fast, and so were my children.

I grabbed the package, thanked the owners, and went back to the car. Where we spent another long time leafing through the book. Zero, zilch, nada. It was the kids' bedtime and we still had an hour and a half back home. We decided to cut out losses and hope for inspiration at a later date.

On the way, I wondered if I had ended up bypassing the trail, as Dan did mention that it was labyrinthine, but circular. Did I force the store owner's hand and end up with the first and last pieces? But still, there was no inkling of where to go next. Remembering the UV light mention about that French cache MrToasty told me about, I hauled out the blacklight from my closet and checked the first book on page 49. The page number was circled. I checked the second book. There's an address in Fredericksburg with the following notation:

A=?
+44 207 193
7442
?=

Googling the middle bit gives me Surer Risk's phone number, but I don't know what A=? and ?= mean. I'll go through the books a little more thoroughly later, but in the meantime I've got to catch up on some work.

Anyone have any thoughts?

(And BTW I scored a first edition signed copy of Bret Easton Ellis's Glamorama for $40 at Berkman's Books!!)

[addlepated]

Ah, there is more in the first book.

I think next is a self-storage place; there's a unit number. Also a note saying "If all is safe, follow instructions to find me. P.E."

Edit: I need to remember to bring my blacklight, GPS, and faster internet connection next time we go.

Wherethehell am I gonna plug in a blacklight in my car?

[MrToasty]

Excellent work! I can't think of who P.E. could be right now, but then again I could use some sleep.

As for blacklight, you might be able to find a cheap blacklight flashlight, LED-based or otherwise, or even the keychain sized 'fake bill detectors.'

[addlepated]

Turns out my husband has a portable light to check for pet stains or something. Who knew?

I PMed Dan Corrigan on the VD forum (heh) and he had this to say:

[MrToasty]

[MrToasty]

New Tweet

[addlepated]