The Poor, Unfortunate, True Despair of Georgianna Alacrity

The Verdun Chronicles: Case 2, Part I

I am so very excited to bring y’all the first case! Excuse the lateness, I had a sinus infection last week and anticipate having one for the next few days (a friend’s house has mold but That’s Where The Group Gathers, because multiple of them live there and it’s the biggest house). BUT, we survive.

ALSO rember I’m tryna get to 300 paid subscribers so I can pay my bills, so if you have the means for even a month of paid, I would really appreciate it if you could click this button.

So here’s how these puzzle stories are going to work. I am going to post each case in two parts. In part one, the puzzle with all necessary pieces will be presented for you. In part two, the puzzle will be assembled so you can see the picture.

Why two parts? Well because I want to see your guesses in the comments! Literally if nobody is book-clubbing about these by case 5 I am not doing my job properly. This first one is pretty darn simple, so if it’s an easy solve then don’t worry, they’ll get more complex as I brainstorm without a sinus infection.

Anywho! Enjoy the puzzle!

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A sunny day takes them to the impressive stoop of Goergianna alacrity. A wheelchair-friendly hired car service had been ordered to pick them up and the nondescript automaton driver sits waiting in the vehicle to eventually bring them home. They had tipped him well, which seemed to surprise him, but it ensured he handled Jolene’s chair more carefully than a thankless client.

They’ve hardly used the ornate doorbell when the door swings back to reveal the woman herself, a halfling who makes the large door look even larger. Georgianna Alacrity is a woman built like a brick house, physically. Emotionally, her structure is more similar to the gauzy silk blouse she wears. She fiddles with her fingers as Jolene attempts to engage her in small talk.

Her home is large, built for people the Verdun’s size, but more homely than stately. Art from stages of childhood usually allowed to wither has been framed proudly on the walls of the hallway Georgianna leads them through to a sitting room. There used to be pictures too, family portraits, most likely, but those have been taken down, leaving small holes in the drywall and faint imprints in the paint. There’s small messes in a contained state on most surfaces: half a school project here, an in-progress craft there.

The house is not, however, as a visual marker, ‘messy.’ The baseboards are free of dust, the ceramic appliances look as though they’ve been freshly removed from the kiln, the five sets of shoes are neatly organized on a rack by the front door.