To the Man in the Goat Mask,

I do hope this address will suffice, for I’m afraid I know you only as the man in the goat mask who tormented my Partizan on the roof in Tokyo, or perhaps you’d prefer the ‘Master of Leviathan’? Or do you only let those you deem useful enough refer to you in that way?

With regard to the new puzzle pieces you have so generously gifted me, I find the image of the wolf admittedly disturbing, although it’s not hard to remember that they are also hunters when you yourself are one. In spite of this, I feel I am getting nowhere with these clues and would hope you would see it time to give me something more substantial, perhaps a corner piece? Something to build the rest of the puzzle from?

Your ever-curious and increasingly frustrated niece

PS I understand the story you weave to your lackeys about Partizans, but, I assure you, Jamie is content in his position, which you will undoubtedly learn soon enough.

In spite of the light-hearted wordplay, the handwriting had an almost unnoticeable quiver, a secret hidden in the words that told of nervous shakes or agitation; either way, it meant the princess was scared.

Sipping his bitter coffee, Claude traced the letter with bemused satisfaction, feeling the parchment under his fingers like butterfly wings, pinned down and exactly where he wanted them.

‘May I get you anything else, sir?’ The valet finished placing the breakfast items on the table, his voice sounding odd and hollow, a typical side-effect of the Hamelin Formula.

Claude didn’t even know the man’s name, though that was no concern to him. All that mattered was that he’d wanted this cabin and he’d wanted a servant to ensure that his sojourn would be comfortable, and, most importantly, he could get all this and more with just a drop of poison. The only problem was it was terribly boring. Claude much preferred when people did what he wanted because they revered him, as it had been when he was a prince.

‘No,’ Claude replied, watching where the housekeeper stood corpse still, constantly waiting to be told his next move with a plastic smile on his face. ‘Go and clean the cabin.’