Puzzle 11 The Final Puzzle 

With all the clues assembled, it’s up to the three of you to figure out where the grand treasure’s key is. This would be easier to do if Clarissa wasn’t quite so determined to make you spell out whatever it is you and Teddy seem to understand that she doesn’t.

“You’re on the hunt for Hortense Q. Geizkragen’s treasure,” she says. “You’re hunting because you received a letter saying the Quizzical League was hunting for the same treasure, and we can’t let them have it. Everything’s going well, you’re finding all the envelopes, when suddenly Teddy, here,”—she gestures with her thumb—“makes off with the second-to-last envelope. Then you find him on the last puzzle, and all is forgiven, with no explanation whatsoever.”

She looks at you expectantly.

“You’re wrong,” you say, eyes poring over the assembled puzzle answers you’ve collected.

Clarissa narrows her eyes. “I’m not wrong about the fact he ran off with the puzzle.” she says. “I’m not wrong about the fact that there was a letter, that things were going great …”

Her head snaps up in realization. You smile a bit, despite yourself—pleased that your rival is truly worthy of you and able to figure this out with just a little hint, the same way you did. And then you quickly quash those feelings back down to the dank and awful well from whence they sprang.

“That’s right,” you tell her, purposefully making sure you sound just a bit aloof. “We’re not on the hunt for Hortense Q. Geizkragen’s treasure.” You turn your head to Teddy. “We’re on the hunt for Hortense Q. Rocket’s treasure—a.k.a. Teddy’s …? Mother? Grandmother?”

“Great-aunt,” Teddy mumbles.

“Aha,” you continue: “The puzzles were all written by her, but the original letter we got saying that it was a race between us and the Quizzical League wasn’t from her, was it?”

“That one was from me,” Teddy admits.

“Why?” Clarissa asks, her face making it clear that she finds this all incomprehensible.

“You’ll have to explain later,” you tell Teddy. “I know where the key is.”