Finished listening?

Hey there, Neighbor! Mr. Hincks here. I’m just settling in for this abridged telling of The Case of the Curiously Correct Blueprints. Glasses? Check. Mug? Check. Vessel of Sweetywheels’ Salted Caramel Caramelt Toffonet Cordial? Un-check! No, I will not be partaking in any toffee goodness today. I’m not taking any chances on any further mishaps.

Alright, let’s see. This story begins with our favorite investigator duo, Ells and Ernie, doing what they do best. You might imagine them looking through magnifying glasses at a nearly invisible clue, but it’d be more accurate if you picture them with their feet up on their desks, batting a wadded up paper ball back and forth.

You might be surprised to hear that this is what they do best, but they had gotten a chance to get pretty good at this since their case load had been on the much lighter side recently. The conspicuously empty inbox labeled “active cases” spoke for itself, when the phone suddenly spoke for itself with a loud RING!

On the other end of the line was none other than Fern Middleton. Fern explained that she was the owner and operator of Cozy Slopes Inn, a bed and breakfast just outside the city limits. Fern told Ells and Ernie that she had run into a rather odd problem, and she didn’t know who to turn to. Ells was quick to jump in and assert that rather odd problems were the speciality of E&E Investigations.

Fern went on to explain that this morning she had walked into the library room of Cozy Slopes Inn and was stunned to see a bookcase angled away from the wall and revealing a secret passage.

After she said this, the E&E half of the phone call broke into a silent celebratory dance, complete with not-so-silent high fives. After all, all investigators know that you haven’t really made it until you’ve solved a case that includes a secret passage! However, Ernie was forced to pause just as he was about to triumphantly spike the phone onto the ground, when Fern revealed that this “secret” passage was clearly noted on the blueprints of the manor.

While reading, I, Mr. Hincks, thought to myself, wouldn’t that just be a passage then, and not a secret passage? But I had to wait to find out more because I had to go cover a shift at The Sprout Stand. I actually saw you there that day! Remember? You ordered the peanut sprouts and jelly and made a hilarious joke about Brussels sprouts that was so funny that no less than two people at the counter shot their fountain drinks out of their noses. I’m sure you remember. It was a huge mess to clean up.

But, I digress. Back to the book. Where was I? Oh, yes.

Slightly deflated about the not-so-secret-passage, Ells and Ernie listened intently as Fern told them how she had inherited the manor from her great-great grandparents. Apparently these great-great grandparents were not that great-great at finishing what they started, because though they drew a secret passage into the blueprints, it never actually came to fruition. The idea only existed on paper and within the often-told anecdote shared at family gatherings.

Fern said she knew the secret passage that was drawn up on the blueprints did not actually exist, yet, when she walked into the library this morning, as she had hundreds of times before, there a secret passage was! Ells and Ernie were already sure they were going to take the case, but the deal was sealed when Fern promised free lodging and meals if they would just travel to the inn to see what they could uncover.

After a quick stop at Ells’ for her suitcase, a quick stop at Ernie’s for his suitcase and to ask his neighbor to feed his fish, Watson, and a stop at the gas station for road trip snacks, Ells and Ernie were on their way.

Two hours of extremely windy roads later, Ells and Ernie pulled up to a small, quaint, brightly-lit cottage surrounded by a picturesque garden with a large fountain at the center. Ernie looked at the cottage, then back at the GPS and announced “Destination reached–”

Well, you know I don’t want to spoil things for you, so I’ll stop there. I’ll keep going once I know that you know the rest of that sentence. But be quick, I desperately need to talk about the next twist coming up. Whoops, I mean, if there was a twist, I’d want to talk to you about it. Phew. That was a close one! I just about spilled the beans. Go on ahead and press continue, now.