The scene
Story Archive · Sorting tableA false card changed the credited author of a competition story. It was printed with a personal three-letter stamp. The text is blurred, but the stamp’s first and last letters remain legible.
Three people had different stamps. Nobody could rearrange their pieces: each was a complete block. The small legible portion is enough to identify the desk the card came from.
What we know for certain
One of these people stamped the card with their own stamp, without help. The stamps were rigid and printed all three letters. There was no overprinting, retouching or lending. The card is being read in the correct orientation.
The three accounts
Zora Vives
Archivist«My stamp reads MAR.»
Abel Costa
Secretary«Mine reads SOL.»
Blanca Font
Proofreader«I use the stamp MIL.»
Examine the evidence
0 of 5 openedOpening these five clues does not cost points.
01The visible letters
The impression starts with M and ends with L. The middle letter has been erased, not replaced by another mark.
02Zora’s stamp
Her block prints MAR, always in that order. It has no other letters on its sides.
03Abel’s stamp
His block prints SOL. All three letters are the same size as on the other stamps.
04Blanca’s stamp
Her block prints MIL. The letters are fixed and cannot be rotated separately.
05A single impression
Examination identifies one stamping only. There are no handwritten additions or combinations of separate impressions.