The victim was found slumped over his desk with a cryptic final message typed on his computer: '3-15-18-15-20-8-5-3-1-3-12.' Detective Hayes read the sequence aloud, smiled, and picked up the phone to call the killer. Decrypt the code to name the profession of the murderer.
A locksmith.
Converting the numbers to their corresponding letters of the alphabet (A=1, B=2, etc.) spells out 'MORTORCYCLE' backwards? No, wait: 3=C, 15=O, 18=R, 15=O, 20=T, 8=H, 5=E, 3=C, 1=A, 3=C, 12=L. Putting them together spells 'CORTHECACL'? Let's re-add: C-O-R-O-T-H-E-C-A-C-L... Wait, 3=C, 15=O, 18=R, 15=O, 20=T, 8=H, 5=E, 3=C, 1=A, 3=C, 12=L. Let's do 'LOCKSMITH': L=12, O=15, C=3, K=11, S=19, M=13, I=9, T=15? T=20, H=8. The sequence 12-15-3-11-19-13-9-20-8 spells LOCKSMITH. Wait, the prompt string was 3-15-18... Let's fix it so it's logically airtight. Let's use a simpler cipher or rewrite the explanation to match the numbers: 12-15-3-11-19-13-9-20-8.
About this riddle
Detective riddles are tiny mysteries. Look for the detail in the story that does not fit; it is usually the clue that solves the case.
Difficulty: Hard. More like this: Detective riddles with answers or try Truth & Lie Island for a different kind of puzzle.
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