Chapter 5 of 10
The express keeps a log the way a church keeps a register, and the log is clean: every station, every signal check, initials in the conductor's tidy hand. What the log does not hold is the four minutes at the siding by milepost ninety, where the water tank stands against the stars and the gravel path runs forward along the rails toward the engine. The brakeman remembers the stop; the log has never heard of it. Asked about the gap, Amos Reed does not perform surprise. A discretionary halt, he says, conductor's judgment, log entry to follow. Thirty years, gentlemen, and you may inspect every page of them. The sheriff inspects instead the toes of the conductor's boots, which carry a fine pale dust, the exact color of the gravel at milepost ninety, and says nothing yet.
Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.
armchairpuzzles.com · free large-print word searches
About this case
A chapter of The Overnight Berth, a mystery told in word searches. Each chapter leaves you one clue; the finale needs them all.
How a mystery chapter works
- 1Read the scene first.Every chapter opens with a scene from the case. The word list is drawn from it, and so is the clue.
- 2Find the words.Tap a word's first letter, then tap along to its last, or press and drag. Found words colour themselves in and cross off the list.
- 3One listed word is not in the grid.Find the other nine and the word left over is the chapter's clue. Note it down, or let the case page keep it for you.
- 4The finale needs every clue.The last puzzle's word list is the clues you collected, and once you find them all, the leftover letters spell out who did it, and why.
Prefer pen and paper?
Print The Overnight Berth as one large-print booklet: every chapter and its puzzle, a clue ledger, and the ending sealed on the last page.