The Case of the Lockless Key

[ExMachina]

The Case of the Lockless Key



The chill breeze, characteristic of a night in the Netherlands as you have ever spent one, invaded
your quarters through an open window. The cold was a welcome sensation, awakening and inviting a
keen alertness unique to its caress. Besides which, the glass had fogged this evening, and you would
not pass up a chance to enjoy the full moon by leaving your window shut. These fleeting hours of a
relief from responsibility were the most valuable in your profession. They were hours of thought.
Closing your eyes, you could feel the ferry slice through the lake, gliding onward to Amsterdam
station. That was where this journey would begin.

You had been hired by a young woman by the name of Amelia Robinson to uncover the
whereabouts of her recently married husband, Tabor Robinson. She had last seen him at their newly
purchased home in Leiden, the night before his disappearance. Mrs. Robinson assumed he had gone
to work before she awoke the next day. He was a writer. Tabor often secluded himself in cafes and
the like when crafting his latest novel.



However, on the second morning since she had seen him, Mrs. Robinson became worried. In
searching the house, she found Tabor's typewriter in his study, untouched. He had also left his hat
and coat behind. In the pocket of the latter, Amelia found an envelope with his name written on it in
an unfamiliar handwriting. It had already been opened and inside she found two items: a ticket to
ride from Amsterdam to Berlin, Germany the next night - which is to say tonight - and a letter signed
with an X.

It read: "To be absent from the body - Is to be present with the Lord - The dust returns to earth -
The spirit returns to God Who gave it."



Letter and ticket in hand, you exited the ferry once it docked. You passed quickly through the
crowd and entered Amsterdam station, twelve minutes before 9:00, when the train for which this
ticket was intended would depart.

show spoiler

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Wait for train, get on train.

Not long after your arrival, a bulky steam locomotive barreled into the station and
ground slowly to a halt. Number 850, the Red Lady, you confirmed with a glance. You
approached the frontmost carriage and waited amongst a variety of impatient soon-
to-be passengers. Three men in bowlers, an elderly woman clutching the hand of a
young boy, a woman in a wide dress whose face was hidden behind a black veil, a
minister, and a pair of bankers, from the look of them.



Ever a gentleman, you stood back and allowed each passenger to enter the train
before yourself. This provided another moment to inspect them. The hatted men
seemed as though they had something to hide, while you detected a hint of mourning
from the veiled woman. The minister boarded last. He smelled of alcohol. You climbed
in after him and into the tight carriage hall.

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hide spoiler

Strike up discussion with minister.

You tailed the minister to the dining car, where he sat by an open window. The man was young for
his status and carried an air of quiet intellect. You asked him what business he had in Berlin. He
replied that his trip was not one of profession, but personal interest, then offered you a seat.
Naturally, you accepted, sliding into the chair across from him.



He introduced himself as Father Ralter, removing his glasses in order to polish them with the cuff of
his mantle. Ralter inquired as to your reason for taking the night train, an unpopular and often
uninhabited timeslot. True, there were very few passengers on the Red Lady that evening.

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"It's a long story. Why don't you tell me why you're taking it?"

Hesitant to divulge the intricacies of your current case, you dodged his question and
posed it to Ralter in kind. He smiled knowingly, but did not pursue his previous inquiry.
Instead, the holyman extracted an envelope from his robe.

"It is the strangest thing," he observed, "I received a ticket for tonight, you see, in a
letter one week ago, along with a brief passage from the bible."

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Ask him what the passage was. Maybe it's the same as yours.

You quickly requested that he repeat this passage. Ralter seemed suspicious
of your intentions, moreso then than before, though he complied. As the minister
spoke, you felt the locomotive lurch into motion and depart on what would be a
night-long journey.

"That we were pressed out of measure - Insomuch that we despaired even life -
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad - And a gift destroyeth the heart."

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Nod to the minister and depart.

You expressed your gratitude for his cooperation and patience, then rose up to take your
leave. Having viewed the Red Lady from its exterior before boarding, you suspected that
it carried a typical four-car design. The first two were passengers, with the foremost of
those dedicated in part to a maintenance crew - likely, for this size of train, just one or
two men. The third car was a dining vessel with a closed off kitchen area. The last car
stored luggage, supplies, and often also served as sleeping quarters for staff.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Head to the passenger cars and look for someone else to talk to.

Perhaps the veiled woman, if you can find her.

You left the dining car and cautiously clambered into the second passenger carriage.
Its familiar hallway was dead silent. Of four doors, two were black as night, while the
front and backmost betrayed a flicker about their edges indicative of occupation. You
knocked gently on the first, suspecting that its location at the farthest end of the less
busy of two passenger cars would make it the most suitable compartment for a
woman whose goal was a solitary journey. The door opened a moment
later, proving your logic sound. A veiled lady garbed in dark hues cast a vacant
expression out from her empty quarters.

"Yes?"



You introduced yourself as a humble traveler who would like nothing more than to
share her company, if only for a moment. She invited you inside, though it was clear
that the lady took this course of action not for sake of preference, but out of a duty
to uphold the manner of politeness for which she had been raised. Her name was Julia
Nacht, she told you, and she cared little for smalltalk.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Ask her if she's ever studied the Bible.

You graciously accepted her invitation, though only after off-handedly inquiring as to her
experience with the bible. She silently and sternly shut the door in your face and
locked it. You adjusted your tie and released a deep breath. Julia was at least kind
enough to put your curiosity at ease via her albeit sudden actions. No doubt: she had
received a note as well, or at least knew something of the case. Nonetheless, you understood
it would be best not to cause her any further discomfort by pursuing at the moment.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Dumb broad. Go bug the other passengers.

It's been a while since you last ate. Check out the dinner car.

You allowed yourself to entertain a momentary feeling of frustration, though it did not
show. This brief lapse in gentlemanly reserve having passed and already forgotten, you
backtracked to the dining car in hopes of locating someone else to speak with.
Father Ralter had since retreated to his quarters, it seemed, but the chef was up and
at work. You greeted him and asked if he would be willing to prepare a late,
if small meal for you. He was happy to oblige.



The chef commented that he had little to do on these night trips. So few passengers
rode the time slot, and those who did had oftentimes already eaten dinner in town
before boarding. You explained over your bland, conservative meal - for which you
expressed only gratitude and praise - that you hadn't the chance to dine in town. Your
ferry had only just arrived in time to catch the train.

[SonicLover]

>Wait for train, get on train

[ExMachina]

>Wait for train, get on train

Not long after your arrival, a bulky steam locomotive barreled into the station and
ground slowly to a halt. Number 850, the Red Lady, you confirmed with a glance. You
approached the frontmost carriage and waited amongst a variety of impatient soon-
to-be passengers. Three men in bowlers, an elderly woman clutching the hand of a
young boy, a woman in a wide dress whose face was hidden behind a black veil, a
minister, and a pair of bankers, from the look of them.



Ever a gentleman, you stood back and allowed each passenger to enter the train
before yourself. This provided another moment to inspect them. The hatted men
seemed as though they had something to hide, while you detected a hint of mourning
from the veiled woman. The minister boarded last. He smelled of alcohol. You climbed
in after him and into the tight carriage hall.

[MrGuy]

> _ Strike up discussion with minister.

[ExMachina]

> _ Strike up discussion with minister.

You tailed the minister to the dining car, where he sat by an open window. The man was young for
his status and carried an air of quiet intellect. You asked him what business he had in Berlin. He
replied that his trip was not one of profession, but personal interest, then offered you a seat.
Naturally, you accepted, sliding into the chair across from him.



He introduced himself as Father Ralter, removing his glasses in order to polish them with the cuff of
his mantle. Ralter inquired as to your reason for taking the night train, an unpopular and often
uninhabited timeslot. True, there were very few passengers on the Red Lady that evening.

[SonicLover]

"It's a long story. Why don't you tell me why you're taking it?"

[ExMachina]

"It's a long story. Why don't you tell me why you're taking it?"

Hesitant to divulge the intricacies of your current case, you dodged his question and
posed it to Ralter in kind. He smiled knowingly, but did not pursue his previous inquiry.
Instead, the holyman extracted an envelope from his robe.

"It is the strangest thing," he observed, "I received a ticket for tonight, you see, in a
letter one week ago, along with a brief passage from the bible."

[SonicLover]

>Ask him what the passage was. Maybe it's the same as yours.

[MrGuy]

>Ask him what the passage was. Maybe it's the same as yours.

Seconded.

[ExMachina]

>Ask him what the passage was. Maybe it's the same as yours.

Seconded.

You quickly requested that he repeat this passage. Ralter seemed suspicious
of your intentions, moreso then than before, though he complied. As the minister
spoke, you felt the locomotive lurch into motion and depart on what would be a
night-long journey.

"That we were pressed out of measure - Insomuch that we despaired even life -
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad - And a gift destroyeth the heart."

[SonicLover]

Hm, that's different from the other one.

>Thank the minister for their time; go speak with the other passengers

[MrGuy]

Nod to the minister and depart.

[ExMachina]

Nod to the minister and depart.

You expressed your gratitude for his cooperation and patience, then rose up to take your
leave. Having viewed the Red Lady from its exterior before boarding, you suspected that
it carried a typical four-car design. The first two were passengers, with the foremost of
those dedicated in part to a maintenance crew - likely, for this size of train, just one or
two men. The third car was a dining vessel with a closed off kitchen area. The last car
stored luggage, supplies, and often also served as sleeping quarters for staff.

[SonicLover]

>Head to the passenger cars and look for someone else to talk to

[MrGuy]

>Head to the passenger cars and look for someone else to talk to

Perhaps the veiled woman, if you can find her.

[ExMachina]

>Head to the passenger cars and look for someone else to talk to

Perhaps the veiled woman, if you can find her.

You left the dining car and cautiously clambered into the second passenger carriage.
Its familiar hallway was dead silent. Of four doors, two were black as night, while the
front and backmost betrayed a flicker about their edges indicative of occupation. You
knocked gently on the first, suspecting that its location at the farthest end of the less
busy of two passenger cars would make it the most suitable compartment for a
woman whose goal was a solitary journey. The door opened a moment
later, proving your logic sound. A veiled lady garbed in dark hues cast a vacant
expression out from her empty quarters.

"Yes?"



You introduced yourself as a humble traveler who would like nothing more than to
share her company, if only for a moment. She invited you inside, though it was clear
that the lady took this course of action not for sake of preference, but out of a duty
to uphold the manner of politeness for which she had been raised. Her name was Julia
Nacht, she told you, and she cared little for smalltalk.

[MrGuy]

Ask her if she's ever studied the Bible.

[ExMachina]

Ask her if she's ever studied the Bible.

You graciously accepted her invitation, though only after off-handedly inquiring as to her
experience with the bible. She silently and sternly shut the door in your face and
locked it. You adjusted your tie and released a deep breath. Julia was at least kind
enough to put your curiosity at ease via her albeit sudden actions. No doubt: she had
received a note as well, or at least knew something of the case. Nonetheless, you understood
it would be best not to cause her any further discomfort by pursuing at the moment.

[What]

Dumb broad. Go bug the other passengers.

[MrGuy]

> _ It's been a while since you last ate. Check out the dinner car.

[ExMachina]

Dumb broad. Go bug the other passengers.

> _ It's been a while since you last ate. Check out the dinner car.

You allowed yourself to entertain a momentary feeling of frustration, though it did not
show. This brief lapse in gentlemanly reserve having passed and already forgotten, you
backtracked to the dining car in hopes of locating someone else to speak with.
Father Ralter had since retreated to his quarters, it seemed, but the chef was up and
at work. You greeted him and asked if he would be willing to prepare a late,
if small meal for you. He was happy to oblige.



The chef commented that he had little to do on these night trips. So few passengers
rode the time slot, and those who did had oftentimes already eaten dinner in town
before boarding. You explained over your bland, conservative meal - for which you
expressed only gratitude and praise - that you hadn't the chance to dine in town. Your
ferry had only just arrived in time to catch the train.

[SonicLover]

>Ask him if he's spoken with any of the passengers