Cold Case in Room 13 was the very first Mystery, She Sewed case, and its riddles have been favourites with the detectives ever since. Some arrived alongside the weekly clues and some ran live in the community while the case was underway, and they were far too good to leave scattered through old posts. So here is the complete file: a full set of detective riddles with answers for everything short of the finale.
The first three are spoiler free. Their answers reveal a few objects that turn up in the story, but nothing about whodunit. The fourth is different. It comes from the final stretch of the case, so it waits behind a spoiler cover further down. Open it at your own risk.
Riddle one
I shine without light,
I’m worn but not tired.
I hold someone’s name,
though it’s not admired.
I’m pinned with intent,
but I don’t stitch a thread.
Look too closely,
and you might end up dead.
What am I?
Riddle two
A single drop can end it all,
It’s small, unseen, and deadly still.
No blade, no sound, no smoke, no fire,
Just one sip, and you expire.
What is it?
Riddle three
I’m soft but not silent,
A witness with no voice.
I was there in the moment,
Though I didn’t have a choice.
I caught it all,
The tear, the trace,
But now I’m folded,
Out of place.
What am I?
Ready to check your answers?
No peeking until you have a guess for all three.
Reveal the answers to riddles one, two and three
Riddle one: a brooch. Worn, pinned, holding a name, and rather important to the case.
Riddle two: poison. Silent, deadly, and hidden in plain sight.
Riddle three: a handkerchief. Folded, quiet, and holding far more than it seemed.
The final riddle (spoiler territory)
This riddle appeared as the case was drawing to a close, and it asks the question the whole mystery turns on. If you have not stitched Cold Case in Room 13 yet and want to go in cold, leave it sealed until you have.
Spoiler alert: open the final riddle
I’ve been hidden, folded,
stitched with care,
A quiet witness, unaware.
I held the truth,
I watched it all,
The stitch, the slip, the final fall.
The case is closing,
the clues are clear…
But only those inside will hear.
What happened to Eleanor??
There is no answer sheet for this one. What happened to Eleanor is the question every detective answers for themselves inside the case, and I am not about to close it for you here.
How did you do, detective?
If these have you in the mood for a proper investigation, Cold Case in Room 13 is open on the Case Board. Each case runs for four weeks, with clues and original machine embroidery designs arriving by email, riddles included. Every design fits a 4 x 4 inch hoop and complete beginners are very welcome. If you are new to the idea, start with what a mystery stitch along actually is.
Want more puzzling? Try the Haunted Quilt of Hollow Manor riddle file for something with a Halloween chill, or the mixed riddle files for a sampler from both cases. New riddles run live on the Facebook page whenever a case is in season, and you can join the detectives to hear when the next case opens.