KITCHEN RENOVATION YIELDS HIDDEN SAFE WITH CASH

A couple in Phoenix – who did not release their full names – were demolishing their kitchen for a renovation, when they found a hidden safe inside a wall. They remembered that when they moved in, they found the combination for a safe in the back of a medicine cabinet. After half a dozen attempts, the safe opened. Inside was $51,080, mostly in $100 notes, a bottle of bourbon dated 1960, and a series of clues to some sort of treasure hunt. The woman wrote on the internet: “We stared in disbelief. Time stood still. I started to reach in the safe and (my partner) Eddie yelled, ‘Wait, it might be booby trapped!’ I’m still laughing at that one.” The treasure hunt clues include:
– A book entitled ‘A Guide for the Perplexed by E.F. Schumacher’ published in 1977.
– Inside the book was a black and white photo of a mystery man and written on the back is the message: “Alan, I have a book you must read. I’ve underlined a few key passages. Your friend, Vincent.”
– On page seven, an underlined passage of the chapter titled, ‘On Philosophical Maps’ reads: ‘One way of looking at the world as a whole is by means of a map, that is to say, some sort of plan or outline that shows where various things are to be found.’ There was also a card with the state of Arizona on it.
– On page eleven was tucked a photo of a house with a tree split into three with the words ‘there yielded such fruitful results’ written underneath. On the back of the photo, ‘Where one tree becomes three’ is written. The woman wrote: “There might be a keen eye out there who recognizes this place and I’d be curious about that three-headed tree!”
– On page 14, an underlined passage reads: ‘Most Modern Readers will be reluctant to believe that perfect happiness is attainable by methods of which their modern world knows nothing.’
– Finally, there was a Bingo card has three numbers circled.
The woman and her partner said they don’t know what they will do with the money yet, but she wrote: “If Alan is still out there, it was meant for him after all. But we’re keeping the bourbon!”
* “A Guide for the Perplexed”? Okay, I’m perplexed.
* You know what the guy Eddie was thinking – “Why did I have to go and ask her to help me today?”
* Great, they found my safe. This is excellent news.
* My family has been wondering where it went for years now.
* It all goes back to my Uncles Vincent and Alan. Those rascals. You had to know them.
* Vincent didn’t write anything down, but before he left he told me someday this would happen.
* Oh yeah. He also told me to enjoy the money but let the people keep the booze.