STOP A MURDER
WHY
J.A. KONRATH
CONTENTS
Stop a Murder – Why
Important Message
Preface by Joe Konrath
Note from Joe
Why: Puzzle #25
Why: Puzzle #26
Why: Puzzle #27
Why: Puzzle #28
Why: Puzzle #29
Why: Puzzle #30
Why: Puzzle #31
Why: Puzzle #32
Why: Puzzle #33
Why: Puzzle #34
Why: Puzzle #35
Why: Puzzle #36
Acknowledgments
Joe Konrath’s Complete Bibliography
Other recommended titles
Sign up for the J.A. Konrath newsletter
STOP A MURDER – WHY
This is unlike any mystery or thriller book you’ve ever read before. You play the sleuth, and try to follow the clues and solve the puzzles to prevent a murder from happening.
In this five-book series, you’ll be tasked with decoding the mind and motivations of a nefarious killer who is plotting to commit an unspeakable crime.
Each book contains an epistolary collection of emails, texts, and letters, sent to bestselling author J.A. Konrath, by a serial killer. This psychopath is leaving detailed, cryptic hints about who will be murdered, why, when, where, and how.
Some of the hints are easy to figure out. Others are much more devious.
Do you like solving mysteries? Do you enjoy puzzles or escape-the-room games? Are you good at spotting clues?
Only you can stop a murder.
Are you smart enough?
Are you brave enough?
Let the games begin…
#1 STOP A MURDER – HOW: Puzzles 1–12
#2 STOP A MURDER – WHERE: Puzzles 13–24
#3 STOP A MURDER – WHY: Puzzles 25–36
#4 STOP A MURDER – WHO: Puzzles 37–48
#5 STOP A MURDER – WHEN: Puzzles 49–60
IMPORTANT MESSAGE
The creators of this series strive to blur the lines between reality and fantasy, but they assure you that this is 100% fiction.
Nothing in this narrative should be taken as fact.
It’s fake, folks. Don’t call the cops.
PREFACE BY JOE KONRATH
I get a lot of emails, sometimes from fans of my thriller books, sometimes from other writers seeking advice.
But this was easily the most intriguing, and disturbing, email I’ve ever received. Here’s how it began:
From: Unknown Sender
To: JA Konrath
Subject: An Introduction
Dear Mr. Konrath—
This isn’t fiction.
This is real.
I’m going to kill someone. I’m going to let you know how, where, why, who, and when.
But I’m not going to come right out and tell you.
I’m going to make you figure it out.
Are you smart enough?
Are you brave enough?
Do you think you can stop me?
Let’s play.
Sincerely,
Unknown Sender
I never responded to that first email. But Unknown Sender didn’t give up. More emails followed. Each had a puzzle. Each had clues and hints. And each linked to a website, taunting me to figure out HOW, WHERE, WHY, WHO, and WHEN.
I’ve been able to figure out some of the puzzles, but I haven’t been able to get them all. I’ve also shared these emails with the authorities—the local police and FBI—and they’ve written this off as a prank or joke.
The more I’ve delved into this, the more I’m convinced it isn’t a prank.
As the Unknown Sender wrote, this is real.
So, in order to prevent a murder, I’ve decided to publish these email puzzles, and my responses, as a series of five ebooks, in the hopes that a reader or readers will be able to figure out what I’ve been unable to.
You’re going to need Internet access. A notepad is also helpful.
I also encourage you to get together with friends to share questions, theories, and answers.
Feel free to use the Facebook page I’ve set up, at:
https://www.facebook.com/KonrathPuzzleSeries
Help one another. But if you’re going to post puzzle answers, make sure you label them as SPOILER ALERT so you don’t ruin it for other readers.
Don’t read this as fiction. Don’t read this as a collection of games. Don’t read this as a puzzle book.
Read this as a crime in progress.
Together, I hope we can stop it.
Are you smart enough?
Are you brave enough?
Can you help me?
—Joe Konrath
NOTE FROM JOE
This was the twenty-fifth puzzle email that Unknown Sender sent to me. I compiled the previous twenty-four in two collections, HOW and WHERE. I encourage you, the reader, to figure these puzzles out on your own. Unknown Sender sometimes puts hints, which are preceded by the words SPOILER ALERT, in our correspondence.
There are also some hints on the website, www.StopAMurder.com. More on that later, but if you’re reading this on an e-ink ereader, you’re not going to be able to access Unknown Sender’s website within the ebook, or watch the videos that appear when each section is solved. You’re going to have to use a second device (cell phone, computer, tablet) to visit that site to continue the story and validate your guesses.
The puzzles Unknown Sender has been sending me are a mix of brain teasers, pictures, general knowledge, logic, deduction, and some basic math. You’ll sometimes need to do Internet research to figure them out. Some rely on word tricks or deception, so read carefully, and use hints as needed.
Unfortunately, I can’t offer any help via my blog or email. If you’re stumped, I encourage you to join forces with other readers to share information, theories, and answers.
https://www.facebook.com/KonrathPuzzleSeries
Good luck to you. You’re going to need it.
We’re both going to need it.
From: Unknown Sender
To: JA Konrath
Subject: Why I’ll Do It–25
Hi Joey—
In your last email to me, you seemed a bit testy.
You really want to meet in real life?
I’m flattered.
But I’m not that stupid.
I’m not afraid of you. That would be like a lion fearing a gazelle. And I’m sure you’ve been bcc’ing the Feds, or local cops, or some dumbass private investigator, hoping that I’ll mess up and give you a chance to discover who I really am.
I’m not going to walk into some stakeout or sting operation. I may be mentally unstable, but I’m not retarded.
So nice try with the provoking and baiting, but it won’t work.
You threatening to stop reading my emails is equally weak. You know what will happen if you try to stop our game.
First, I’ll destroy your career. Dox you on 4chan and pay bounties for hackers to bombard your books with one-star reviews. Spread lies about you on social media that you’re a child molesting Nazi bigot. Hack your blog and add libelous statements to dozens of posts, then alert the offended parties and their lawyers.
And I wouldn’t even be getting started.
Your house? Even if you have fire insurance, how much would you enjoy having to replace everything you own?
Your wife, Maria, and your son, Talon? You want to pay fulltime bodyguards to follow them around for the rest of their lives, and yours?
You’ve seen how clever my puzzles are. Do you really want me to focus my brilliant min
d on ways to destroy you?
Of course not.
So you’ll continue to read and answer my emails, and attempt to solve the puzzles I send you, like the dutiful little boy you are.
And please do try to remember; this isn’t about you. I’m threatening to murder someone. I’m giving you a chance to stop me.
That’s where your focus should be, Joseph.
If you somehow manage to pull it off and save a life, you’ll be hailed as a hero. Your book sales will skyrocket. You’ll reach a whole new level of fame and wealth.
And if you fail, you’ll get to watch a video of me killing someone, knowing it was your fault.
There is more than enough incentive in our original premise to keep you on track. I shouldn’t need to resort to threats.
So quit your impotent flexing, and pay attention to our game.
Thus far you’ve managed to solve HOW I’m going to murder my victim, and WHERE I’m going to murder my victim.
Now we’re on to WHY.
Solve the puzzle, and go to the WHY section of www.stopamurder.com, then punch in the answer in the text box. Remember that the site is password protected, and the password is “qwerty”.
Ready to play? Here’s an old brain teaser that Daddy taught me.
PUZZLE #25
My maker doesn’t need me,
My buyer doesn’t use me,
My user isn’t aware of me,
I’m seen once, then gone forever.
What am I?
Confused?
This one is a real head scratcher. Then, once you figure it out, you’ll understand how perfect, and appropriate, the answer is.
As always, I’m willing to give you a few hints. Not only on my website, but here in my email. So if you want to solve this without any more clues, skip this next part.
SPOILER ALERT!
I am asked often,
And often I’m asked it,
I can be called a ______,
And also a ______.
I’m in a generous mood, so you can use either word as your answer.
But don’t rely on my generosity forever.
I have a dark side. You’ve seen it. And you’ll see more of it.
And don’t think your harsh words for me are just water under the bridge.
You’ll pay for them.
When the time is right, I’ll dig into the dish.
It will be cold, and delicious.
Be good,
Unknown Cender
From: Joe Konrath
To: Unknown Sender
Unknown Sender—
Good puzzle, good clues.
Over these past few dozen emails, you’ve mentioned incidences from your past many times, but have also mentioned you embellish and/or make up things.
At the same time, I get the sense that you want me to understand you.
Isn’t that a big part of why we’re playing this game?
It seems like you want to explain yourself to me. And when the truth gets too intense, you revert to insults and threats.
Listen to me when I say I really do want to understand you. What makes you tick?
The whole concept of asking me to solve puzzles to stop a murder is counterintuitive. Shouldn’t you be giving me clues to who you are? Where you live? How to catch you?
Because I think, deep down, you want to be caught. If not, why play this game?
Joe
From: Unknown Sender
To: JA Konrath
Subject: Why I’ll Do It–26
Dearest J.A.—
I don’t care if you understand me.
I have no remorse, so I have no desire to be caught.
For someone who writes about deviant criminals, you don’t have a clue to my motivation. All you have are the scraps I’m willing to throw you, and even if you could discern truth from fable, you still couldn’t figure it out.
While you’re letting that sink in, here’s the next puzzle.
PUZZLE #26
There’s a store that doesn’t put prices on anything it sells. Customers have to figure it out. A tie costs $24. An umbrella costs $64. A coconut is a whopping $56, and a handkerchief is $88.
Figure out how they are pricing items, and then tell me how much money you’ll need to buy the following:
Chloroform
Rope
Pliers
Blowtorch
Smelling Salts
What’s the total?
It’s an expensive list. But it will provide hours of entertainment. Maybe even days, if I restrain myself.
Use a dollar sign ($) in your answer. And remember to add 8% sales tax.
Surely you’ve figured out the formula by now.
No?
Well, let me offer a bit of assistance.
SPOILER ALERT!
Why does a cookie cost twice as much as a pie?
It had nothing to do with portion size.
Anknown Sender
From: Joe Konrath
To: Unknown Sender
US—
You reached out to me for a reason. If you insist you have no wish to be stopped, fine. But you can’t say you don’t wish to be heard.
You’ve said, many times, that you intend to murder someone.
Why not just do it? Why not kill this person without getting me involved?
I believe you invented this game because you’re a human being. We’re a social species. Our ability to communicate is why we’ve been able to dominate this planet. We share ideas. We cooperate. We discuss.
You continue to email me. That’s you reaching out.
Whether or not you want to admit it, you obviously need me.
Best,
Joe
From: Unknown Sender
To: JA Konrath
Subject: Why I’ll Do It–27
Joe—
Need you?
I think you’ve got our situation backwards.
YOU are the one selling our correspondence on your website.
YOU are the one who keeps solving (or pathetically attempting to solve) the puzzles I send.
YOU are the one who recruited an army of readers to help.
YOU are the one who keeps returning my emails.
Your hypocrisy is ugly. Stop it.
Now try to figure this one out.
PUZZLE #27
I’m a chocolate made in Britain,
A well-known MPV,
A football team from Golden State,
And an iPhone wannabe.
What am I?
I can imagine you, sitting at your desk right now, trying to wrap your little brain around this.
Is it something you know off the top of your head?
Do you need to do some Internet searching?
Where do you even start?
You can start with this hint.
SPOILER ALERT!
MPV, for the uninitiated, is a Multi-Purpose Vehicle.
Believe it or not, I’ve been thinking about something you said in your last email. About how we’re a social species who share things.
I’ve read too many of your books, so it’s only fair you read something I wrote.
It’s called, “Eye.”
My eye began to itch. My right eye. I thought nothing of it and continued swimming. But the itching got worse. It felt like ants were crawling across the lens. I rubbed my eye, and coated my fingers with a clear gelatinic, film.
I figured it was chlorine burn, and I got out of the pool to avoid further irritation. But the itching persisted. And there was something even more disturbing.
I had an uncanny feeling that my eyeball was getting bigger.
I covered my good eye, and gazed out of the hurt one. My vision was blurred and distorted, and I saw no color definition. Everything was brown. I went to the bathroom to get some Visine, and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
My eye was bigger. Almost twice as big as normal, and protruding from the socket like a baby’s head from th
e womb. The blue cornea was now a milky white, the pupil gone. It pulsated with my heartbeat, which was getting faster and faster, and the itch was replaced by a sharp, stinging throb.
I found the Visine in the medicine cabinet and unscrewed the cap and emptied the bottle onto my eye. It burned into it, like acid, and the white film mixed with blood and caused gooey pink tears, and I screamed at the pain and the horror of what was happening. Then my eyeball burst.
It covered the mirror with a white and green pus-like semi-solid mass of gunk, very much like someone threw a developing chicken egg against a wall. Milky blood oozed from the black socket where my eye used to be, and just as I began to scream, I saw something wiggle in the hole.
A greenish, three-fingered reptilian claw emerged and grabbed my spasming eyelid. Then a head appeared, looking very much like a blackish frog with long, translucent fangs. It seemed to smile, and a long line of saliva escaped its mouth and mixed with the pus and blood on my cheek. Another claw emerged, and the thing pulled itself out of my socket with a sickening sucking sound and slid down the side of my nose, over my lips, and on to my bare chest, leaving a glistening trail of slime.
I reached for it, and the frog-thing hooked its claws into my skin and scurried over to my right shoulder, where it bit me in the neck, hitting a nerve that caused my head to jerk back. Then it looked at me through the streaked reflection in the mirror, blinking its beady red eyes. The ends of its mouth curled up and a yellow tongue came out and licked my blood off of its lips, as more of my blood ran down my arm. I tried to grab it with my left hand, but it was too quick for me and bit my index finger off at the second knuckle. Then it lifted up its head and opened its jaws, letting my finger fall down its throat. It let out a croak of pleasure and bit into my neck again, this time hitting an important vein, causing blood to spurt out suddenly rather than slowly leak out like before.
As its teeth were still in my neck, I quickly grabbed it with my right hand and pulled, ripping out a good chunk of my own flesh in the process. I held it in front of me, and it finished off the meat it had in its mouth, licked its lips again, and winked. I squeezed my hand around it, and it squealed as I felt all of its pointy little bones begin to crack. It bit into my thumb to make me let go, so I smashed its head into the palm of my injured left hand in a clapping gesture. It released my thumb, and with a high-pitched burping sound, its internal organs burst from its mouth. Then its teeth began snapping on reflex, and it chewed off its own slimy red and green innards hanging from its chin. I dropped it to the floor and ground my bare heel into its body, even after it had stopped moving, just to make sure it was totally dead.
STOP A MURDER - WHY (Mystery Puzzle Book 3) Page 1