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Official Decrypt

Top Secret: For your eyes only

Dear B You can add this to your pile of "just in case" letters. If you get to read it then I suspect it will raise more questions than it answers and hopefully I will be around to answer them. If everything goes according to plan you won’t even open this, and that would be better for us all, especially for Jodie. I am writing this so it can be used as evidence in the hope it won’t come to that. At the end of the Lighthouse Conspiracy investigation I told you that Jodie had requested extended leave after a hard case, but that was not true. She disappeared leaving me a note suggesting that she had joined the conspiracy. I have left my notes from the end of the investigation in the case files in case they help. When I realised that she wasn’t coming back I tracked her to Delhi where I found a trove of papers explaining more about the group, and that relieved some of my anxiety, but not all. A rogue agent is never a good thing whatever their motivation. I asked a few friends to keep an eye out for Jodie and at last I think I may have picked up her trail. A colleague in the US intercepted the attached letter which I am pretty sure was addressed to her. Ms Cifrar is just the sort of alibi she would use and this is the sort of case I can imagine her working on. I will head over to the US to see if I can track her down. If I am successful and can persuade her to return, then you won’t get to read this journal. If I fail then I guess we have some difficult conversations ahead. Very best wishes, Harry

The Vault

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Official Decrypt

Top Secret: For your eyes only

Dear Ms Cifrar, I am writing to you in my capacity as Chair of the Virginia Banking Association in the hope that you will be able to assist in a delicate matter. One of our members finds itself in the extraordinary position of possibly having been robbed, while not knowing what has been stolen or to whom the items belonged. I am afraid that this will seem so hopelessly unspecific that you will be reluctant to involve yourself with our case, however you are our best hope. Perhaps if I explain the unusual circumstances in which we find ourselves then the mystery will be enough to entice you. If it is not, I can assure you that we are prepared to pay well for your time, expertise, and effort. On the morning of Tuesday twenty-first June the Chief Teller opened the premises and conducted her usual inspection. Everything was in order with one alarming exception: the door to the main vault was open and a box was lying on the floor. While it seemed extremely unlikely that the safe had been left in this state since Friday afternoon, the lack of any sign of a break-in, or any disturbance to the other contents of the safe, led her to the conclusion that the cleaning or security staff had failed to secure the vault when closing for the weekend. All the staff were adamant that this could not be the case and while we cannot rule out the possibility of a conspiracy, we have been unable to establish any evidence for that. Further adding to our confusion, we have been unable to establish the provenance of the box itself. It was removed from safety deposit twenty-three, but that ledger entry has not been updated in over two hundred years. As with our other boxes the contents are private to the owners, so we have no knowledge of what it might have contained, if anything. Given the circumstances the bank is reluctant to involve the police. If nothing has been stolen, then it is difficult to see what crime could be reported and the investigation itself could severely damage trust in the bank. By association, this could also harm the interests of other members of the VBA. I am told that you are one of the most accomplished investigators in matters of this kind, and that your complete discretion can be assumed. I am therefore writing to ask if you would be willing to take this on for us. If you can assure us that no harm has befallen the bank, then we will close the case and rest easy. If you can find evidence of foul play but are unable to conclude the investigation, then we will invite the local or Federal authorities to take over. If you are willing and able to solve the mystery for us then, in addition to your usual fee, we will be able to offer a significant bonus. We hope you will agree to at least discuss the case with us. Yours sincerely, Lynn Frank.