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ArchiveJuly 5, 2026Sleuth
Case File · Cipher · No. 009

Daily Casefile · Cipher

The Forger's Farewell

6 min

When restorers removed the backing from a recovered Flemish portrait, they found a small envelope tucked behind the canvas. Inside was a single folded note in block capitals. The painting had passed through four known handlers before its recovery, each of whom had documented access to the piece.

The scene

A private auction house in Edinburgh, 1987. A sealed envelope was left inside a stolen painting's frame.

Play today’s Cipher.

This case first aired on July 5, 2026. A fresh cipher runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.