Three pieces of evidence from Case #1: The Hargrove Disappearance. A witness statement. A newspaper clipping. A coded message. This is what lands in your mailbox — except on real paper, in a sealed envelope, with a wax stamp.
Date of Interview: January 16, 1987
Interviewing Officer: Det. Frank Callahan, Ashford PD
Location: The Stagecoach Tavern, 44 Main Street, Ashford, OR
[Transcript begins 2:15 PM]
CALLAHAN: Ms. Ellis, can you walk me through the evening of January 14th? Start from when you first saw Mrs. Hargrove.
ELLIS: She came in around quarter past ten. I remember because we'd just had the kitchen rush from the theatre crowd and things were settling down. She sat at the far end of the bar, the stool near the window. She was alone.
CALLAHAN: Had you served her before?
ELLIS: A few times. She wasn't a regular. But I knew who she was — everyone does. The Hargroves are... well, you know. She ordered a gin and tonic, no ice. I remember because she kept looking at the door like she was waiting for someone who never showed up.
CALLAHAN: Did she seem upset? Nervous?
ELLIS: Not nervous. More like... determined. She had a folder with her. Manila, thick. She kept her hand on it the whole time, like she didn't want anyone seeing what was inside. At one point she pulled out a single page, read it, and put it back. Her jaw tightened when she read it.
CALLAHAN: Did anyone approach her?
ELLIS: A man came in around 10:45. I'd never seen him before. Tall, dark coat, ████████████. He sat two stools down from her. They didn't speak, but she noticed him. She finished her drink faster after that.
CALLAHAN: When did she leave?
ELLIS: Around 11:15. She left a twenty on the bar — drink was six dollars. Didn't wait for change. She walked out and turned left toward ████████. That's the last I saw of her.
[Callahan's margin note: "Who was she meeting? Check phone records. The folder — where is it now?"]
Ashford police are searching for Eleanor Hargrove, 34, who was last seen leaving the Monarch Theatre at approximately 11:42 PM on Wednesday evening. Mrs. Hargrove's navy peacoat was discovered on the railing of Morrison Creek Bridge early Thursday morning by a jogger.
Her vehicle, a 1984 silver Volvo sedan, was found in the theatre's rear parking lot with the doors unlocked and her purse on the passenger seat. Her wallet and identification were inside. Her house keys were missing.
Mrs. Hargrove's husband, Richard Hargrove, 42, a prominent real estate developer, made an emotional statement outside the family home Thursday afternoon. "Eleanor is the love of my life," Mr. Hargrove told reporters. "I'm begging anyone with information to come forward. This isn't like her. She wouldn't just disappear."
Mr. Hargrove told the Herald he last spoke with his wife by telephone at approximately 7:30 PM, before she left for the Monarch Theatre's opening night performance of The Glass Menagerie. He said he was at home the entire evening working on plans for a new residential development.
Police have not yet classified Mrs. Hargrove as endangered missing, though a source within the department told the Herald that "the coat on the bridge is concerning." The Ashford Volunteer Fire Department conducted a search of Morrison Creek on Thursday but found ████████████████████.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Ashford Police at ███-████.
The following message was found written on a torn piece of stationery, folded inside a sealed envelope marked "INSURANCE." The envelope was inside Eleanor Hargrove's safe deposit box at First National Bank of Ashford, box #1142. The box had not been accessed since December 22, 1986.
Hint: Julius Caesar used a cipher like this one. The key is a number between 1 and 25. Sometimes the simplest methods hide the darkest secrets.
This coded note has never been officially decrypted by Ashford PD. Can you crack it?
[Callahan's note: "Bank manager confirmed Eleanor visited alone on Dec 22. She seemed 'agitated but focused.' Need to check if Richard knew about this box."]
You've seen 3 evidence pieces. The full case has 50+ pieces across 12 packets — witness statements, financial records, phone logs, forensic reports, and the coded diary that changes everything.
The redacted sections? Those are revealed in later packets. The full picture only comes together at the end.
Start the Full Investigation — $74.99The coded message uses a Caesar cipher — each letter is shifted by a fixed number. If you solved it, you already know something the police never figured out.
If you didn't solve it yet, here's another hint: count 7 letters back from each character.
The answer reveals the most important question in this entire case: What did Eleanor find?
The full investigation picks up exactly where this sample leaves off. Packet 1 arrives within a week of your order.