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Only Time Will Tell

· By Darth · Published 2024-10-21T11:00:13.626Z

Meta Prompt
Solve the meta to discover who committed the murder.
Mansion Murder Mystery: "Only Time Will Tell"
During a small dinner party at the stately Sinclair Mansion, Ella Sinclair, a renowned art collector, falls victim to murder. Her body is discovered in the grand library, which features an antique clock with the Sinclair monogram etched on its crystal face and a pendulum that has stopped swinging. A bloody umbrella lies near the victim, and in her hand is a crumpled note. The cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma to the head.
Edward Sinclair, the victim’s aloof husband, has been under financial strain and stands to inherit Ella’s vast art collection. The Sinclairs had invited three guests for dinner: Lita Moore, Ella’s personal assistant, recently dismissed from service; J. P. Duvall, a rival art dealer, who had a contentious relationship with Ella; and Sophia Hartwell, a family friend with a mysterious past.
Checking for previous play data...

Leaderboard (updated hourly)

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  • Wendy Walker solved 2024-10-23T23:51:14.030Z
  • KayW solved 2024-10-24T00:53:37.756Z
  • HeadinHome solved 2024-10-24T02:07:43.679Z
  • hashbrown solved 2024-10-24T13:14:26.733Z
  • BarbaraK solved 2024-10-24T18:38:11.906Z
  • michaelm solved 2024-10-25T17:19:53.003Z
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  • kurtalert solved 2024-10-29T21:19:03.304Z
  • Kulea solved 2024-10-30T07:46:50.381Z
  • Byron solved 2024-10-31T17:07:54.960Z
  • jonny solved 2024-10-31T23:38:13.033Z
  • Sanna solved 2024-11-03T23:46:59.176Z

Comments

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  • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T11:00:13.626Z
    The solution: THE BUTLER did it, and it's all meta to solve! What does "Only Time Will Tell" indicate? The Introduction tells the storyline and, yes, the plot points are just saying that everyone has a possible reason to want the victim dead, especially Edward -- but logically, why would he murder his wife during a party with guests around? Another clue (40D) indicates that Duvall and the two others seem not to know about the apparent murder weapon. Are we missing something meta related? If you look at the grid, you will notice the "S" in the center -- the Sinclair monogram "etched" on the clock's face (mentioned in the Introduction). Now, list the 9 clued events in chronological order (note the time of their occurrence) and then imagine the minute hand extending from the center of the grid and the letter it might point to at each 5-minute segment (e.g. 6:45 = T, 7:25 = H, ...) and you get THE BUTLER!
    More about the murderer: Why is "the butler" so cliche for murder mysteries? Part of the reason is because the high-profile types are the focus of an investigation. However, mention of "a servant" in 57A hints that there are others in the house besides the guests. Too often those others feel "unseen" and marginalized, and sometimes as a result turn to crime against those in power.
    • Jaclyn 🤓4:47 · 2024-10-21T14:35:26.659Z
      Fantastic! MINUTE HAND really helped me see what to do once I had the clues in order.
      • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T15:25:03.171Z
        Awesome! I think you're at the top of the Leader Board! Way to go! :D
        • Jaclyn 🤓4:47 · 2024-10-21T18:32:18.805Z
          ** happy dance **
      • Carolyn 2s · 2024-10-21T15:51:00.926Z
        Enjoyed that very much!
        • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T16:38:46.049Z
          Perfect! I needed to hear that! :D
        • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-21T19:42:45.122Z
          Okay this is great. But took me a while to figure out what the minute hand pointed to
          • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T21:42:05.967Z
            Yes, I knew that I couldn't be very precise in that regard. That's why I did CABBIE to assist with finding the "B" early on. :)
            • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-22T05:46:35.327Z
              No. I meant I didn't know that step of the meta. I thought grid squares, alpha-numering, n-th letter in a word. Took me a long time to go "Oh, geez! clock face", but one I did there wasn't any ambiguity.
          • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-21T19:44:54.510Z
            Uh... not to nitpick but ... isn't the center of the grid an "E" rather than an S?
            • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T21:43:55.049Z
              I do appreciate nitpicking.... Look at the grid and you will see the "S" made up of several black squares.
              • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-21T22:36:13.049Z
                Ohhhhh.......
                .....
                OH!
                Wow! That's an impressive grid!
                • KayW 🤓5:11 · 2024-10-24T23:52:43.453Z
                  OMG!!! I completely missed that. Very cool!!
                • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-21T22:47:01.210Z
                  You know. If the center square (E) had been blank I think I would have seen it but I missed this. Great addition!
                  I thought maybe the minute hand was pointing to the letters of the only entry with at least 12 letters. But POMEFPRTI didn't seem to mean much? Was Ella in her dying throws trying to mention French Fries? Or does it anagram to TIME PROP F (time travel was finally achieved on the 6th try?)? Or OPP F. TIME (Code for the operation where the butler does in Ella before "Father Time" can?)
                • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-21T20:43:22.975Z
                  Any one else figure the letter under the plate had been intended for Edward?
                  • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T21:56:31.930Z
                    Yes, certainly. The "Dear E" (Edward?) and "Love, S" (presumably S for Sophia) seems telling. It could be that the note was intended for Edward but intercepted and placed there in order to stir up trouble! Could the butler have put the note there?... Or, perhaps the butler wrote the letter himself? After the "private word" Edward storms out of the library, so their conflict becomes public... and maybe just what the butler wanted in order to throw suspicion on Edward. ;)
                    • woozy 🤓11:17 · 2024-10-21T22:39:17.843Z
                      I figure Edward tried to lie about it and claim it was from him for Ella and he was signing it with his last name initial and Ella wasn't having any of it ("What? This isn't even in your handwriting! If you're going to lie try to put a little effort into it!")
                    • whimsy 🤓17:33 · 2024-10-23T03:12:35.441Z
                      Yup!
                    • Steve M 🤓19:27 · 2024-10-21T23:10:04.794Z
                      Really fun puzzle! I recognized the clock face and tried to use the minute hand to spell something in chronological order without success because I didn’t extend my “clock” to the edge of the grid. After random guesses of everyone, I came back to the butler.
                      • Darth constructor · 2024-10-21T23:59:12.945Z
                        Thanks for taking the time to solve! ;)
                      • andeux 🤓4:54 · 2024-10-21T23:37:36.498Z
                        I guessed which squares to use for the five minute increments just by eyeballing it, but I was curious as to how accurate those directions were. It turns out that they are remarkably close to exact: arctan(4/7) in degrees is 29.74, the distance a minute hand will travel in 4 minutes and 57+ seconds.
                        • Darth constructor · 2024-10-22T00:05:19.701Z
                          Good to know! Thanks for checking it out for me! (Since it's a 15x15 grid, I had just approximated by counting each square as a minute.)
                        • Berto 2s · 2024-10-22T02:19:35.757Z
                          I started with TAEBUTP and figured either the Sinclair mansion was in Scotland, or my clock face was a little distorted. Decided it had to be The Butler and easy to backsolve to the correct minute locations. Fun but deadly..
                          • Darth constructor · 2024-10-22T03:04:50.321Z
                            Glad you got it! Thanks for hanging in. ;)
                          • Tyrpmom 🤓13:17 · 2024-10-22T04:12:19.450Z
                            Love it!
                            • Darth constructor · 2024-10-22T14:09:57.964Z
                              Awesome! Thanks for solving! ;)
                            • boharr 4s · 2024-10-22T13:54:26.346Z
                              I had a hard time fitting a round object on a square object. Spatial numbness I call it. Thanks.
                              • Darth constructor · 2024-10-22T19:04:46.056Z
                                No, you're alright! haha Glad you finally got it. ;)
                              • DrTom 5s · 2024-10-22T03:01:05.984Z
                                It's ALWAYS the butler! Any of us that have watched old movies, or listened to old tropes knows that "The Butler did it". I got all the letters but I was not sure how to order them. I first got LETTERHUB and started looking in the middle when my anagramatical mind said "THE BUTLER silly!" Now I see that it is, appropriately, in temporal order, very "handy". Nice job Darth, I enjoyed it.
                                • Darth constructor · 2024-10-23T14:08:53.358Z
                                  LETTER HUB! That's amazing! Lol .... If you Google "The butler did it!" you'll get a lot of fun reading.
                                • markhr 🤓12:50 · 2024-10-22T14:52:41.527Z
                                  I kept trying to connect the 15-minute markers along a straight line or an arc, and kept getting nonsense. Finally figured it out.
                                  To my knowledge, in all her stories and novels, Agatha Christie never had the butler do it. I always wondered where this trope came from. Probably Hollywood. Anyway, great puzzle, Darth.
                                  • Darth constructor · 2024-10-22T19:05:36.793Z
                                    Thanks for sticking with it. ;)
                                  • Bird Lives 5s · 2024-10-23T03:09:55.217Z
                                    Great idea. I messed up by drawing a circle inscribed in the square of the grid and looked for squares sitting on that circle rather than at the edges. I also wondered if the PENDULUM and UMBRELLA might be pointing at something. Eventually I discarded the wrong ideas.
                                    • Darth constructor · 2024-10-23T13:59:25.830Z
                                      I get it! I kept the face of the clock square as my geometry isn't that great! Originally, I wanted to do something with symmetry, but the puzzle kept designing itself...so I just let it happen! haha Thanks for hanging in there, Jay! :D
                                    • MatthewL 🤓6:32 · 2024-10-23T15:18:18.044Z
                                      Needed every single nudge, but finally saw it. I'm not so great with the visualizing types of metas. You have no idea how long I tried to make something using sempahore. Thanks for the puzzle, Darth!
                                      • Darth constructor · 2024-10-24T12:14:16.635Z
                                        Thanks for solving, Matthew. ;)
                                      • DaveG 5:07 · 2024-10-23T17:01:56.753Z
                                        Finally got there off the nudges! Fun puzzle! I printed a square clock face and a blank grid to trace out the lines, however in my morning bleariness I placed the dial on the D in departure rather than the E… which threw me off, though my lines I drew were close enough for “THEB”… so I saw “The” however I stared for a while at my initial solution of the bntpuo… lol I had a feeling it was butler and a quick recount got me centered. Thanks Darth. Really enjoyed it!
                                        • Darth constructor · 2024-10-23T18:33:10.021Z
                                          Lol. Glad you got it! Thanks for solving.
                                        • hoover 5s · 2024-10-23T20:47:18.743Z
                                          Amazing construction! I had the right metanism before looking at the nudges, but I didn't follow through on it because it felt so fuzzy. I couldn't tell which letter was supposed to be at the :10, :25, etc. non-quarter-hour slots. But hey, if the 70A 71A is frozen, how is it pointing out the meta letters? :thinking_face:
                                          • Darth constructor · 2024-10-23T21:47:37.780Z
                                            Hmmm... The mystery of the frozen minute hand? The answer is that you're not supposed to think so logically! Lol The meta letters appear on the clock only in a "parallel universe" composed of meta crossword solvers.
                                          • Wendy Walker 3s · 2024-10-23T23:53:09.182Z
                                            Darth, my first path was wrong but you inadvertently gave me an idea for a future meta. So extra thanks!
                                            • Darth constructor · 2024-10-24T01:14:12.544Z
                                              Awesome! Your first path was probably what I originally had in mind. But this puzzle had a mind of its own! haha
                                            • KayW 🤓5:11 · 2024-10-24T00:55:51.627Z
                                              LOL!!! I almost entered that as a WAG because it's such a cliche and 9 letters... but wanted to have a reason to do so first. VERY clever, Darth.
                                              • Darth constructor · 2024-10-24T03:00:31.581Z
                                                Right, and it would have been a good guess just based on the story line because 57A lets you know there are servants in the house. Glad you got it! Thanks.
                                              • HeadinHome 🤓1:28 · 2024-10-24T02:19:29.044Z
                                                I was being a bit too literal with my clock face. Drew a circle that covered the 12, 3, 6, and 9 spots, and then it was guessy which squares were the other numbers on that circle. But that gave me T…UT.E and I figured it out from that. Now, I need to know where the E comes from in THE. I see 6:45 for T, 7:25 for H, then the next chronological one is 8:40, which is B. Where was the E? (I would have expected it to be in the position where Renoir is, but that clue does not contain a time stamp. ?
                                                • Darth constructor · 2024-10-24T02:56:53.975Z
                                                  13D mentions 8:15 -- and yes, too many time stamps to keep track of. Lol. A round clock face would have been more exact, so I hear you on that. Thanks for hanging in there. ;)
                                                  • HeadinHome 🤓1:28 · 2024-10-24T23:32:24.272Z
                                                    Wow I must have missed that on in my highlighting frenzy! Makes perfect sense now (was wondering why I only had 8!)
                                                • Anita and Steve 3s · 2024-10-23T19:29:18.903Z
                                                  I had a feeling it was going to be the butler, but it took us a long time to see the metanism. Fantastic puzzle! By the way, it's pretty plain to me that the butler tried to frame Duvall, by stealing his umbrella and hiding it inside the clock. That's why the clock stopped!
                                                  • BarbaraK 3s · 2024-10-24T18:41:57.953Z
                                                    Cute!!
                                                    • michaelm 🤓5:53 · 2024-10-26T01:51:43.331Z
                                                      Butler late than never. Got that one at Dr. Tom’s second hand pun store. Awesome construction and murder for me without the nudges. Thanks, Darth!
                                                      • Darth constructor · 2024-10-26T03:39:44.300Z
                                                        Well, it's about time! Lol Thanks for solving, Mike.
                                                      • michaelm 🤓5:53 · 2024-10-25T17:22:57.579Z
                                                        Butler late than never. Absolute Classic! Forget about nudges, needed a pendulum upside the head. Thanks Darth!
                                                        • jonny 🤓9:34 · 2024-10-31T23:39:17.547Z
                                                          This is insane. One of the most layered and creative crossword puzzles I've ever played. Bravo!
                                                          • Darth constructor · 2024-11-02T13:14:02.518Z
                                                            Thanks. It was a fun experiment. Glad you enjoyed it, too. :D
                                                          • wordsmix 🤓13:55 · 2024-11-01T14:19:01.112Z
                                                            Fantastic ! Very well executed ! Subtle clueing with the title, Monogram - S - in the center of the grid, hinting with the minute hand, symmetrical placement of the odd-minute intervals at :10, :40 etc all underscore your attention to detail. This is a work of art. :)
                                                            • Darth constructor · 2024-11-02T13:12:00.577Z
                                                              Thanks for your comments. Glad you liked it!
                                                            1A
                                                            Embassy VIP (abbr.)
                                                            1
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                                                            71
                                                            Across
                                                            1. 1A
                                                              Embassy VIP (abbr.)
                                                            2. 5A
                                                              *At 6:45, the ___ arrive. It's raining and they leave their umbrellas in the foyer -- except for Duvall, who keeps his with him.
                                                            3. 11A
                                                              There are 16 in a lb.
                                                            4. 14A
                                                              Twist-apart treat
                                                            5. 15A
                                                              Tangle up, or involve in intrigue
                                                            6. 16A
                                                              Back muscle, briefly
                                                            7. 17A
                                                              Nine-digit IDs
                                                            8. 18A
                                                              Wandering, as a lost lamb
                                                            9. 19A
                                                              Rock producer Brian
                                                            10. 20A
                                                              *At 7:25, during dinner, Ella finds a cryptic note tucked under her plate: "___ , Only time will tell. Love, S" (Only one person notices her reaction.)
                                                            11. 22A
                                                              "Girl With a Watering Can" painter
                                                            12. 24A
                                                              Borders on
                                                            13. 26A
                                                              Falcons, on scoreboards
                                                            14. 29A
                                                              Witch trials town
                                                            15. 30A
                                                              Zayn ___ of One Direction, once
                                                            16. 31A
                                                              *At 8:40, while ___ drink tea, Ella and Duvall exchange heated words over a prized painting she has refused to sell him.
                                                            17. 33A
                                                              Homecoming returnees
                                                            18. 35A
                                                              Jay-Z's genre
                                                            19. 36A
                                                              Flight information
                                                            20. 43A
                                                              Word before "salt" or "serpent"
                                                            21. 44A
                                                              ___ Brothers (failed investment firm)
                                                            22. 45A
                                                              *At 9:30, Lita Moore ___ Ella about her sudden dismissal after years of loyal service. Confused and furious, Lita cries, “You’ll regret this!”
                                                            23. 51A
                                                              Ledger entry in red
                                                            24. 52A
                                                              Upscale Honda
                                                            25. 53A
                                                              "The Waste Land" monogram
                                                            26. 54A
                                                              Mends, as socks
                                                            27. 55A
                                                              *At 10:00, Sophia Hartwell ___ playing Debussy's "Clair de Lune" on the piano. As Edward listens, Sophia smiles nervously.
                                                            28. 57A
                                                              *At 10:10, a servant finds a copy of Dostoevsky's "___ and Punishment" under a chair. When she returns it to the library, she finds Ella collapsed on the floor, dead. A bloody umbrella is next to her.
                                                            29. 59A
                                                              Grocery sack
                                                            30. 60A
                                                              East African expedition
                                                            31. 63A
                                                              Ingrid's "Casablanca" role
                                                            32. 66A
                                                              Suffix for "salt" or "serpent"
                                                            33. 67A
                                                              By way of wagering
                                                            34. 68A
                                                              Lost traction
                                                            35. 69A
                                                              Winter hours in DC
                                                            36. 70A
                                                              With 71A, pointer on a timepiece
                                                            37. 71A
                                                              See 70A
                                                            Down
                                                            1. 1D
                                                              Items on a "must" list
                                                            2. 2D
                                                              Returns recipient
                                                            3. 3D
                                                              *At 9:45, the large ___ of the grandfather clock in the library stopped swinging (as revealed by the frozen 70A 71A)
                                                            4. 4D
                                                              Run slow, as a watch with a weak battery
                                                            5. 5D
                                                              Machine part with teeth
                                                            6. 6D
                                                              Oust from office
                                                            7. 7D
                                                              CPR expert
                                                            8. 8D
                                                              Spanish 101 verb
                                                            9. 9D
                                                              Former Russian ruler
                                                            10. 10D
                                                              Least outgoing
                                                            11. 11D
                                                              World Cup chant
                                                            12. 12D
                                                              More madcap
                                                            13. 13D
                                                              *At 8:15, the Sinclairs retreat to the library for a "private word." Minutes later, Edward ___ out, clearly upset.
                                                            14. 21D
                                                              "___ questions and hear no lies"
                                                            15. 23D
                                                              "Nope"
                                                            16. 24D
                                                              Latin 101 verb (3rd pers. sing.)
                                                            17. 25D
                                                              Island east of Java
                                                            18. 27D
                                                              Menacing remarks
                                                            19. 28D
                                                              Move like a frog
                                                            20. 32D
                                                              Iridescent gem
                                                            21. 34D
                                                              "Assuming that's true..."
                                                            22. 37D
                                                              Fender bender
                                                            23. 38D
                                                              ___ Wip (dessert topping)
                                                            24. 39D
                                                              Plain folk who shun electricity
                                                            25. 40D
                                                              *At 9:55, Duvall announces that his ___ has gone missing. Sophia and Lita look at each other and shrug, seeming not to care.
                                                            26. 41D
                                                              Wet weather
                                                            27. 42D
                                                              Tolkien tree creatures
                                                            28. 45D
                                                              Hailed worker?
                                                            29. 46D
                                                              71% of the Earth's surface
                                                            30. 47D
                                                              Gold panning find
                                                            31. 48D
                                                              Part of TGIF
                                                            32. 49D
                                                              Kidnapper's demand
                                                            33. 50D
                                                              Deep dark matter?
                                                            34. 56D
                                                              Cleaning product prefix
                                                            35. 58D
                                                              Sacred ceremony
                                                            36. 61D
                                                              Team supporter, or ceiling fixture
                                                            37. 62D
                                                              ___ Dhabi (Mideast capital)
                                                            38. 64D
                                                              Transgression
                                                            39. 65D
                                                              Toss into the mix
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