WesternOutlaw

Mr. Lall reaches over to the lock box and tries 5 1 4. Presto! the box pops open. Inside is the murder weapon, the Smith & Wesson .44 long barrel revolver and a folded piece of paper. The paper reads: I.F: I will be waiting at your 1st stop to pick up the merchandise. Please place it on the roof of the last train car. I will be flying to the U.S. and transport the item to Nordic Knives according to our plan. Meet me at the Saint George Hotel, Prague 2, not far from Venceslao Square, Tuesday at midnight. I

Strange, Pete and Mr. Lall almost forgot to open the lockbox. Mr. Lall calls the train engineer to bring a crowbar and some tools to force the box open. You watch with anticipation as Mr. Lall oversees the engineer attempting to pry open the box. Mr. Lall notices that one of you carry a picture of 10015 in your hand. He says, "oh, I have that set. It's one of my favorite Lego train cars. I like the detail, esp the HC 514 piece. Nice touch he says". You begin thinking and stop the engineer... "Hey, wait! try the combination 514 on the lock out of curiosity", you ask.

The train has slowed down considerably as the Lego Express enters the Prague Station. Steam poors out of the engine as the whistle blows. The train shakes for a minute, then comes to a complete hault. Outside, you see Prague police officials waiting to arrest Bloody Jay. Pete Falklin and Mike Lall are somewhat disappointed that your combined talents did not completely solve the Murder on the Lego Express. Although the murderer is in custody, you will never know his true motive and the meaning of various items you collected during your investigation; such as the cellular phone with the number 6574, the picture of set 10015 (Green Passenger Car), and the significance of the Solvang PO Box. What could have been in the lockbox, what was the combination, and what happended to the murder weapon and Phes's cutlass? You may never know... Bloody Jay is led to the front of the train where two police officers meet with Pete and Mr. Lall. They discuss the evidence while you step off the passenger cars with your luggage in hand. The police take Bloody Jay away as you watch curiously. Pete and Mr. Lall thank you for all your assistance, esp. Akkhraziel who's excellent detective skills led to the arrest of Bloody Jay. END

Tomorrow the train arrives in Prague. The time is counting down...

I've entered a number of these contests in the past and have had great mocs as well as even better stories. What I don't like is Lego never seems to posts the winners or shows you the winning models/stories. I'm giving up on these, but good luck though!

Pete says, "oh, by the way, Maria found this in the pocket of Rosa's jacket hung in the broom closet of the dining car. Does this mean anything to you"? It's a picture of set 10015, My Own Train, Green Passenger Car. "Interesting", you wonder, "perhaps this is one of the clues that you missed"?

Three days until the train reaches Prague. If the mystery is not solved by Friday, Bloody Jay takes the motive to jail with him and we'll never know his true motive.

Pete states: "You may want to retrace your steps to the beginning. You may have missed something"...

Tstoeger: This is an awesome MOC/visual. You've got great talent. I'm surprised Lego hasn't put you on the payroll yet. What graphic program do you use to create this? I'd love to see this set, a probe droid, and a Wampa cave (we already have the yetti). Nicely done in any case. Also, Eurobricks is a great web site. I live in the states and happen to find this web site one day by doing some set searches on Google. I enjoy posting here, find great information, and the users are a lot of fun. Take care.

A few questions and answers: Q: Why would Jay be traveling to Solvang? A: Good question, maybe another clue can help explain. Q: Have we checked the bodies to be sure they are deceased? A: They are most certainly dead; each shot in the chest with a single bullet. Bloody Jay admits to having killed them. Q: Who on the train has a cell phone? A: Just be concerned with the one you have labeled CLUE. It was not used to call anyone on the train. Q: Who can think straight anymore? A: Two remaining items need to be uncovered: 1) The Cell Phone and 2) You've missed something (that's all I can say). To quote a line in Seinfeld (for those of you who watch the show), "Why don't you just tell me the answer to the train mystery"? I'd love to do so, but that would spoil it. Good luck. PS. The person who solves the remaining mystery wins a Virtual Lego Detective Award.

These are really cool. I love the guns. I'd love to see Lego make this. The set # 4568 is a Racers set.

May be something has been overlooked? And that number stored in the cell phone must mean something?

You remain gathered in the observation car to discuss the unanswered questions. Pete Falklin enters the room, sits down, and states, "I think there's a connection between the cell phone and the murderer. And how is Bloody Jay linked to the small town of Solvang in California? Doesn't make much sense". You also wonder what's in the lockbox and how you might acquire the combination. Pete is unwilling to open it without the police. And lastly, the murder weapon nor the gun has been found. Could it be in the possession of someone at the table or could Bloody Jay have hidden it well? (it is too long to be in the lockbox) - and Bloody Jay refuses to talk...

Our Eurobrick detectives discovered the identity of the murderer but are still unsure as to Bloody Jay's true motive? Chapter 3 of Murder on the Lego Express will answer these questions... Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Murder on the Lego Express The true murderer was discovered to be none other than the 13th Warrior, Bloody Jay. Akkhraziel was able to piece together the following clues that helped identify the murderer: - The piece of paper with the name Vlad appearing as the 2nd name was a cast list from the movie The 13th Warrior. The 2nd name was the co-star of the movie, Vladimir Kulich who played the 1st warrior. Antonio Banderas played the lead role, the 13th Warrior. - The song that Rosa sang was "Oh What a Circus" from the Evita movie. Antonio Banderas sang the song in the movie. Rosa had heard Bloody Jay singing the song and was singing the Spanish chorus. You had a chance to interrogate her but you never did and she was killed that same evening. - The gold bracelet found in Rosa's room was a gift from Bloody Jay for keeping the murder quiet. It had the initials I.F. which stood for Ibn Fahdlan, Antonio Banderas's character's name in the 13th Warrior. The bracelet was a movie prop (not real) that Bloody Jay had aquired years prior. But Rosa could not stay quiet and planned to tell Maria. She also sang as a way to provide a clue. - "El Mariachi" was a term that Maria used to describe Bloody Jay the night she saw him. El Mariachi was the name of Antonio Bandera's character in the movie Desperado. He wore black and always seemed to walk in shadows. The questions that remain unanswered include: Why did Bloody Jay truly kill Phes? Was it just for the value of the sword? And where is the sword and gun? What does the PO Box to Solvang mean and the partial phone number found stored in the cell phone? How do these clues relate to the motive? You never unlocked the lockbox with three-digit combination? What could be in it? Is someone else on the train an accomplice to the murders or did Bloody Jay act alone? Bloody Jay has refused to say anything else on the basis that it may be held against him. These answers to this intriguing mystery in Chapter 3 of Murder on the Lego Express... :^^D

Nicely done Akkhraziel! You convene in the observation lounge where Akkhraziel shares with all of you his solution to the murder. Bloody Jay admits, "yes, it was I who killed Phes, Blackbeard, Ahos, and Rosa the housekeeper. I am the 13th Warrior and admit that I wanted the cutlass that belonged to Phes. I tried to buy it from him, but he would not sell it to me". "In addition, Vikings are much better than Classic Pirates. Our ships are better as well as our steel. We are better sailors and better warriors. Pirates are weak and I have proved this". As you listen to the Bloody Jay rave about Vikings vs. Pirates, you wonder, "Where is the sword and what is the connection to Solvang"? Chapter 3 will answer the remaining mystery (will post this afternoon). Ironic that Chapter 2 ends on Page 13.

May be a connection in some way...

I like the baseplate and the falling rock. - It's a cool set. These classic pirate sets are awesome and I regret not collecting when they came out. Now they cost a small fortune.

Pete the Security Officer meets you in the dining car this morning during breakfast to discuss some of the clues. He says, "I think there may be a link between the Evita song Rosa was singing, the name "El Mariachi" that Maria mentioned, the gold bracelet with the initials, "I.F.", and possibly the list of names with Vlad listed as the 2nd name. According to Mr. M., the man that wanted to buy the sword from Phes was a "theatrical-type". These clues seem to somehow fit together and may be "movie-related? But how I'm not sure". "Then there was the additional clues that relate to movies: The Godfather and the 13th Warrior. Could either or both of these fit in to the puzzle or are they "red herrings" to divert us from discovering the true identity of the murderer"? "And why was Athos murdered. He wasn't a pirate? He must of known something but what?" "If we don't solve this mystery, all of the suspects will get off the train and we'll never know who committed these murders. Prague is just five days away". "This mystery is becoming more and more intriguing. If only we could figure out who these clues point to"...

I'm getting ready to sign off. I'll see if you're on later this evening if I make it back to the computer. I'm on Pacific so I think your three hours ahead of me. Talk to you later.

Could you imagine what Phes would come up with? I'm picturing a coach with the front end of a ship and a mast in the middle of the car. Pirate flags all over! |-D

Your idea would also make for a great contest. Each participant could build a coach/wagon to their favorite theme.

That's a great idea. I was thinking about doing something similar by building a Clue board (maybe the next mystery...). Some pictures of Clue characters are posted on Lugnet as well. A train; however, would be very original and I certainly don't mind. What's neat is all of us frequent users have a different favorite theme (ie. Viking, Pirate, Wild West, Castle, Star Wars, etc.). Neat!

Me too. Some appartment or multi-floor houses would be great too.

PS. I like a lot of different themes but I notice that trains and city/town has the least activity on Eurobricks (esp. compared to Star Wars), but it's really neat to see that Murder on the Lego Express has created some additional interest in trains. I have a lot of fun with them and look forward to seeing what you build.