A FREE, COMPLETE MINI-MYSTERY
The Key in Transit
Three couriers have left the dispatch counter. One is carrying the archive’s spare key by mistake. You have the dispatch notes. Find the courier before the key leaves town.
This short original deduction puzzle is separate from our paid cases. All the information you need is below. No account or email required.
Read the evidenceThe dispatch book
Ada, Ben and Clara each collected one dispatch. Each went to a different place: the archive, the gallery or the theatre. The envelopes had different seals: red, blue and green. The following records are accurate and complete; no dispatch changed hands after collection.
01 / COUNTER RECEIPTS
The gallery dispatch had a green seal.
The theatre dispatch had a blue seal.
02 / COURIER NOTES
Ada did not take the archive dispatch. Her envelope did not have a blue seal.
Ben collected the red-sealed envelope.
03 / THE CLERK’S NOTE
“I clipped the spare key inside the gallery dispatch. The envelope was sealed before the couriers arrived. Nobody has opened it since.”
Your finding
Which courier has the key? For a complete explanation, work out each courier’s destination and seal.
Hint 1: where can Ada go?
Cross out the archive. Then use the colour of the theatre’s seal to rule out another destination.
Hint 2: follow the remaining route
Ada cannot go to the archive or theatre. That leaves the gallery. Now use Ben’s red seal to place the other couriers.
Reveal the complete solution
Ada has the key. The theatre dispatch is blue, and Ada’s envelope was not blue. She also did not take the archive dispatch. Therefore she has the green gallery dispatch, which contains the key.
Ben’s red envelope goes to the archive, because the gallery is green and the theatre is blue. Clara has the remaining blue theatre dispatch.
| Courier | Destination | Seal |
|---|---|---|
| Ada | Gallery | Green |
| Ben | Archive | Red |
| Clara | Theatre | Blue |
The clerk catches Ada at the gallery gate. She hands over the unopened envelope. “Next time,” she says, “put the key on a bigger ring.”