The Baker
Mara Bell
Read statement
“I packed the baking tools. The trophy looks delicious, but silver is terrible for your teeth.”
BELLWEATHER BAKE-OFF · CASE 002
The Great Cake Escape
A trophy. Four crates. One very misleading label.
The bake-off is nearly over. The cakes are safe. The prize is another matter.
Someone has packed the Silver Slice trophy into a transport crate. A large label says RETURN TO DEPOT—but the loading team can’t find it there.
Find the crate, its destination, and the person who packed the trophy.
1–4 playersOne deviceFree · No timer
Your case briefing
Investigators have established that the trophy is still inside its intact, locked display case, in exactly one of the four crates. One of the four suspects moved it, acting alone.
Verified records are accurate. Nobody changed the crate contents, internal fixtures or routing stamps after packing. There are no hidden compartments or unknown accomplices. Suspect statements may mislead you.
Revisit evidence and use hints freely. Progress stays in this open page; refreshing starts over.
Four people. Four stories.
Each helped clear the event space before the prize presentation.
The Florist
Felix Reed
Read statement
“Just table decorations in my crate. If a cake had leaves, I might have noticed.”
The Host
Bea Hart
Read statement
“The return label says depot. Perhaps our trophy has already left. What a shame.”
The Courier
Kit Mercer
Read statement
“I moved the sealed crates. I follow the routing stamps, not somebody’s big handwritten note.”
A destination written in large letters can still be the wrong destination to investigate.
Some things simply won’t fit.
EXHIBIT 01
The display-case dimensions
The trophy travels inside its rigid display case: 30 cm wide × 30 cm deep × 40 cm high, including the base.
It was not opened, broken or dismantled. Turning it cannot make its smallest thickness less than 30 cm.
EXHIBIT 02
The four crate interiors
These are the largest clear compartments. All shelves, dividers and racks are fixed and intact.
CRATE A
Fixed shelf
CRATE B
Fixed divider
CRATE C
Open compartment
CRATE D
Fixed equipment rack
Need a hint?
Every dimension matters. Look for a compartment that is too thin or too low, even if its other dimensions look generous.
Show explanation
Only C fits. A has just 25 cm of height, B just 24 cm of width, and D just 18 cm of depth. None can accommodate an object whose minimum thickness is 30 cm. C is 45 cm in every direction.
The biggest words aren’t the instructions.
EXHIBIT 03
The dispatch labels
CRATE A
KITCHEN
■← LEFT
COURIER ROUTING STAMP
CRATE B
GARDEN ROOM
●← LEFT
COURIER ROUTING STAMP
CRATE C
RETURN TO DEPOT
■→ RIGHT
COURIER ROUTING STAMP
CRATE D
DEPOT
●→ RIGHT
COURIER ROUTING STAMP
EXHIBIT 04
Kit’s delivery guide
Use the stamped shape, then the stamped turn. The large printed words are old inventory descriptions, not delivery instructions.
Square means the service passage. Circle means the public foyer. Left and right are taken while facing away from the packing desk.
Need a hint?
First identify the crate that fits. Then read its smaller routing stamp rather than its large printed label.
Show explanation
Crate C has a square and a right arrow: service passage, then right, to the stage. “RETURN TO DEPOT” is a misleading old label.
Moving a crate isn’t the same as packing it.
EXHIBIT 05
The verified packing record
Each crate was checked empty, then issued to one packer. That person alone handled its contents until applying the numbered seal. Crate IDs are permanently attached.
SEAL P1 · CRATE A
Mara Bell
Baking tools
SEAL P2 · CRATE B
Felix Reed
Table decorations
SEAL P3 · CRATE C
Bea Hart
Presentation props
SEAL P4 · CRATE D
Kit Mercer
Courier equipment
All four seals remained intact through delivery. Nobody added, removed or exchanged a routing stamp after sealing.
EXHIBIT 06
Delivery check
ALL FOUR CRATES DELIVERED
Kit moved the crates after sealing and followed the routing stamps exactly.
Doors and seals remained closed. No crates were exchanged.
Dispatch completed · 7:00 PMWhose verified packing assignment matters for the crate you identified?
Someone wanted a grand entrance.
EXHIBIT 07
The host’s signed cue sheet
7:30 PM · AWARD PRESENTATION
Curtain up.
Silver Slice arrives from the stage.
Pause for applause.
Keep the ordinary presentation table clear. Don’t tell the bakers about the entrance.
Bea Hart · Event host
The stage assistant confirms that Bea wrote and signed this plan. The event organizer had not approved a change to the presentation.
The note explains an intention. The crate dimensions, route and packing record still have to support your answer.
EXHIBIT 08
Before the award
The trophy has not yet been found or unpacked. Your answer will tell the runner exactly where to look.
Mara is worried about the prize. Felix is worried about the flowers. Kit is mostly worried that everyone keeps ignoring the stamps.
Where should we send the runner?
Choose the crate, its destination and the person who packed the trophy. You can revisit any evidence.
Ready to see the answer instead?
This reveals the complete solution.
CASE CLOSED
A surprise with terrible directions.
BEA HART · THE HOST
Crate C. The stage.
A grand entrance that nobody else knew about.
The runner finds the intact display case inside Crate C, beside the stage curtain. The Silver Slice is safe.
The fit
C is the only compartment large enough for the display case. Rotating it cannot solve the restricted dimension in A, B or D.
The route
C’s square and right arrow send it down the service passage to the stage. The large depot label never controlled its destination.
The packer
Bea alone packed and sealed C. Kit transported it without opening it. Mara and Felix packed different crates.
Bea meant to produce the trophy from behind the curtain during the awards. She packed it with the presentation props, then kept everyone looking toward the depot to protect her surprise.
Her signed cue sheet explains the plan. It doesn’t excuse letting the others think the prize had vanished.
Bea apologizes and brings the trophy back herself. At 7:30, she hands it to the winning baker—and gives the detectives the first round of applause. Kit quietly tapes over the old depot label.
“Next time,” says Mara, “let’s make the surprise something nobody has to file a missing-trophy report about.”
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