Ransom Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Rat: Alas, the area has clearly been posted all around as private property and no trespassing. I retrieved the container today. I haven't checked it out thoroughly, just a quick peek, but it looks like it has some good swag in it. I will recycle everything I can into a new multi cache based on this same story. I already know the locations, which will be up here in Santa Clara County where the kidnapping took place. Thanks to all who found the cache and gave me such good feedback.

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Hidden : 11/27/2003
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This is a dog and kid friendly multi-cache, although it requires a bit of a hike. Unlike most of my caches, this is not a puzzle. It is a true story.

On May 26, 1992 the president of a software company was kidnapped at gunpoint in Mountain View within a stone's throw of The Charleston Shuffle cache. The family soon received a ransom call. I was the FBI agent called upon to be the first responder after the kidnapping was reported. I interviewed his wife and the company CEO and continued to be involved in the command center operation after the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) took over. The next few days were the most intense in my 25-year FBI career.

Start at Waypoint 1, the posted coordinates. This is where the ransom, $650,000 in currency, was dropped by a family member just before midnight three days later. One of the kidnappers rushed out of the foggy night, grabbed the cash, and began running westward toward the ocean. There is a gate here, some signs and a bulletin board. Use these to obtain the coordinates to Waypoint 2.

To the far left of the gate are two brown signs. The leftmost one has five words on it. X = the number of letters in the second word on the top line. Below that on a post and slightly to the right (but still to the left of the gate) is another brown sign. Y = the total number of A's and E's on that sign. To the right of the gate is a bulletin board and several signs. A wooden sign says Coastal Access. Below that line is an arrow followed by "Beach" and a distance. Z = the inverse of the distance in miles shown. On the bulletin board are some brochures on the local flora and fauna. W is the number of the following species that is NOT mentioned in the brochures:
1. Hegendorf's Pectoral Sandpiper 2. Smith's Blue Butterfly 3. Black legless lizard 4. Menzies Wallflower.

A = X/Z
B = W + Z
C = X - B + Y - W
D = W + Y
E = B + W
F = X - W

Waypoint 2: N36° 42.ABC W121° 48.DEF This is approximately where the kidnapper threw away his gun. FBI SWAT team agents were in hot pursuit by that time. They had been unable to arrest the kidnapper at the pickup point due to safety concerns for the family member who made the drop and an inability to get too close without detection, but once the money was grabbed and the kidnapper took off, they were scrambling over the dunes after him.

At this point you will see an old fencepost with a large knothole in it. [Note: the fencepost is now buried, but you can figure out the correct answer for K using the hint.] J is the number of the correct statement (assume good visibility and note that the numbering is not just 1 through 4): 0. From here you can see the ocean but not the highway 2. From here you can see the highway but not the ocean. 5. From here you can see both the ocean and the highway. 8. From here you can see neither the ocean nor the highway. If the knothole is on the middle of the left side of the post, K = 7. If it is on the right side near the bottom, K = 2.
L = Y * J.
M = K - J + Y.

Waypoint 3: N36° 42.MYK W121° 48.JEL This is approximately where the kidnapper hid the ransom. The cache is hidden here. It is a regular ammo box with several trade items inside. Read the newspaper articles inside to see the outcome of the case. Note that I have edited out the name of the victim and his company. That is for the privacy of the family. Please respect that privacy and do not post anything in your logs (in the cache or on the cache page) that gives away the name, even if you know it or find it out. I will delete inappropriate logs.

Be careful of the native plants and be sure to hide the cache well when you're done. Pile the sand up around the sides, but leave a bit visible on top so it is not totally buried. The public does walk by here on occasion. This cache should only be done in daylight hours. Follow all park rules.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

W,X,J,K,L, naq M ner nyy qvssrerag qvtvgf naq gurl nqq hc gb 22.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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