Total pages in book: 15
Estimated words: 14086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 70(@200wpm)___ 56(@250wpm)___ 47(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 70(@200wpm)___ 56(@250wpm)___ 47(@300wpm)
When he looked up at me, there was some sort of strong emotion in his eyes. He laced his fingers with mine and whispered, “Thank you for taking care of me.”
Chapter 3
We both ended up dozing off for a while. I had no idea what time it was when we awoke, but it was still very dark, and the rain had slowed to a light patter on the window. After taking turns in the restroom and cleaning up a bit, we got dressed and returned to the sofa. Ryan leaned against my arm, and I asked, “Do you still feel like solving the puzzles?”
Instead of answering, he tumbled off the couch and darted across the room, returning a moment later with the manila envelope. He handed me a fake candle and cuddled up at my side, and I said, “You do the honors.”
You would have thought I’d just given him a lavish gift, judging by how excited he was. He tore open the envelope, and his eyes lit up as he read the letter. The first part set up the fictitious crime we had to solve, which was to locate a hidden chest of jewels before the thief left the country in two hours’ time. A bit hokey, but sure, why not?
He turned the paper over and read the first clue. “The mighty one who grasps the earth, swallowing wood and water, dreading wind but no man, and picking a fight with the sun.” Ryan clicked his tongue and muttered, “I hope they get harder. That’s way too easy.”
“Seriously? I have no idea what you just read.”
“It’s actually ancient Norse, one of Odin’s riddles.”
“Well, thank god I majored in ancient Norse in college. Oh wait, no. It was biology.”
Ryan smiled at me and said, “Don’t worry about where it’s from. Just focus on the riddle.”
I held up the candle, read it again, and shook my head. “Nope. I got nothing.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m here. The answer is fog. It swallows up everything on earth and blocks out the sun, and the only thing it has to worry about is the wind.”
“Oh. Okay, now it seems obvious. But what does the answer refer to? There’s no fog in here.”
There was that smile again. “Read the plaque on the painting above the fireplace.”
I got up and did as he asked. It was a portrait of a man in a top hat standing in front of a hot air balloon. The brass plaque at the bottom of the ornate frame said, “Phileas F.” I read it out loud and asked, “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“Phileas Fogg was the main character in Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Look behind the painting for a clue, and if there’s nothing there, we’ll study the canvas itself.”
I slid my hand behind the frame and felt around, and a moment later, I produced a sealed envelope. As I went back and sat beside him, I said, “I totally suck at this, and you’re awesome. I was so sure I’d ace the escape room in record time.”
He took the envelope from me, and then he kissed my cheek and said, “It’s okay. We’re a team, so we share our success.”
As he tore open the flap, I asked, “How did you know what the plaque said?”
“That’s obviously a portrait of Phileas Fogg. Who else would be posing with a hot air balloon and wearing a top hat?”
“Lots of people.”
Ryan pulled out a notecard and read it, and then he complained, “Aw, this one’s super easy, too.” I read the card and drew a complete blank. He was chuckling as I groaned and face-planted onto the couch.
If I had to guess, I’d say Ryan solved the entire puzzle in about forty-five minutes. The fact that we only had the fake candles for lighting in an otherwise pitch-black room didn’t seem to slow him down much. I provided very little help, aside from one random science fact. Actually, he probably knew it too and just threw me a bone.
Once we produced the treasure chest from a hidden panel behind the bookcase, we sprawled out on the couch facing each other and put on all the riches it contained. I adjusted my plastic tiara and reread the cypher he’d solved to produce the five-digit code that would have unlocked the door, and then I muttered, “I’m an asshole.”
Ryan was wearing my hoodie, and he’d pushed back one of the sleeves so he could admire his faux diamond bracelets. “No, you’re not. Why would you say that?”
“Because I completely misjudged you when we were at the bar. I took one look at the pink hair and the playful attitude, and I wrote you off as an airhead. But in reality, you’re one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met. It’s not just that you know an astonishing amount of trivia, either, or that you solved the logic puzzles like they were nothing.”