Chapter 3: Monday - The Imperial War Museum

The tram rattled along the tracks as Mike and Ellie stared at the pouring rain. "I hope this stops before we get to the Imperial War Museum" moaned Ellie. They dashed over from the tram stop and sheltered in the doorway of the museum. "We're here, now what do we do?", asked Mike. "Keep an eye out for the men from yesterday, I suppose", said Ellie.

The museum layout was unusual, with lots of hidden corners suitable for private meetings. Suddenly the lights went out and a slide show began. "Look", whispered Ellie, "over there". A heavyset silhouette paused in the light from a side door and then the door swung shut. Mike was there before Ellie and was feeling round the wall. "Aha", he muttered and pulled the door open, creeping into the entrance. They found themselves in a long corridor. From behind the third door, they could hear a muffled voice "mffjhg not paying for incompetence mmmghhk mmmmgh no more mistakes!" and then the door handle turned.

Mike and Ellie dived into another room and stood still. They heard three sets of footsteps walk along the corridor and then silence. "Come on. Let's see what was in that room", breathed Mike. The room was spartan with a flimsy-looking desk surrounded by plastic chairs, but on the desk was a crumpled piece of paper that had been carefully spread out and weighted down.

What does the message say? The code word is the 40th word in the message.

Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2012 is organised by the The Department of Mathematics at The University of Manchester.
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