SQUAD CAR

by Sean Trowbridge

Solution: DOMINO

First, extract the string of letters that form the squad car.

BFVIFXFESJFQIECWIBBRTBRPFCGRBJFQIEWDHWRYKEWIQTBRPMJWCLIPJFQIEPRDLIICWIBBREWVRJFQ
IETBRPEWVRCWIBBRPRDLIIVWLIIGJFUWGQFBTBRPFCGRBJFQIESFTQBFQVWLIMJWCLIPJFQIEPRDLIIC
WIBBREWVRJFQIETBRPEWVRCWIBBRPRDLIIVWLIBFVIFAKEKDFUIVOIBOBRUFDFUIVOIBTBRPFCGRBDFU
IVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLICWIBBRPRDLIIJFQIENKIOIGVWLIFCGRBDFUIVOIBSFTQBFQG
JRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLILWEFJFQIEXFESJFQIETBRPFCGRBJFQIEWDHWRYKEWIQTBRPNKIOIGUWGQFBKD
WSFBVDFUIVOIBGJRBEWIWDHWRYKEWIQUWGQFBSFTQBFQFCGRBFCGRBDFUIVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQI
ETBRPVWLIGJRBEWIJFQIENKIOIGPRDLIIJFQIEMJWCLIPJFQIEPRDLIICWIBBREWVRJFQIETBRPEWVRC
WIBBRPRDLIIVWLIFCGRBDFUIVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLIMJWCLIPJFQIEPRDLIICWIBBRE
WVRJFQIETBRPEWVRCWIBBRPRDLIIVWLIIGJFUWGQFBTBRPFCGRBJFQIESFTQBFQVWLIBFVIFXFESJFQI
ECWIBBRTBRPQRDXFSFTQBFQJFQIETBRPEWVRDFUIVOIBTBRPYKEWIQSFTQBFQAKEKJFQIEVWLIFCGRBD
FUIVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLIIGJFUWGQFBTBRPFCGRBJFQIESFTQBFQVWLIWDHWRDFUIVO
IBNKIOIGFCGRBCWIBBRUWGQFBGJRBEWICWIBBRPRDLIIJFQIENKIOIGVWLIEWVRUWGQFBWDHWRJFQIEZ
RZRJFQIEPRDLIIJFQIESFTQBFQEWVRJFQIEGJRBEWIWDHWRYKEWIQOBRUFCWIBBRJFQIENKIOIGUWGQF
BKDWSFBVDFUIVOIBGJRBEWIWDHWRYKEWIQUWGQFBSFTQBFQFCGRBFCGRBDFUIVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJ
FQIETBRPVWLIZRZRJFQIEPRDLIIJFQIESFTQBFQNKIOIGUWGQFBKDWSFBVDFUIVOIBGJRBEWIWDHWRYK
EWIQUWGQFBSFTQBFQFCGRBPRDLIIIGJFJFQIECWIBBRNKIOIGJFQIETBRPOBRUFFCGRBDFUIVOIBSFTQ
BFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLIZRZRJFQIEPRDLIIJFQIESFTQBFQCWIBBRPRDLIIJFQIENKIOIGVWLIFCG
RBDFUIVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLILWEFJFQIEXFESJFQIETBRPFCGRBJFQIEWDHWRYKEWIQ
TBRPNKIOIGUWGQFBKDWSFBVDFUIVOIBGJRBEWIWDHWRYKEWIQUWGQFBSFTQBFQFCGRBFCGRBDFUIVOIB
SFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLIGJRBEWIJFQIENKIOIGPRDLIIJFQIEMJWCLIPJFQIEPRDLIICWIBBR
EWVRJFQIETBRPEWVRCWIBBRPRDLIIVWLIFCGRBDFUIVOIBSFTQBFQGJRBEWIJFQIETBRPVWLI

There are 24 distinct letter sequences that appear repeatedly throughout this block of text. (For example, BFVIV appears three times.) The text is a cryptogram, and the repeated sequences are words-specifically, they're members of the NATO phonetic alphabet. ("over the radio")

Ciphertext: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Plaintext:  ZRSNLOCDEHUKWQBYTAFXVMIGJP

ROMEOGOLFHOTELSIERRAXRAYOSCARHOTELINDIAJULIETXRAYWHISKEYHOTELYANKEESIERRALIMAHOT
ELXRAYLIMASIERRAYANKEEMIKEECHOVICTORXRAYOSCARHOTELFOXTROTMIKEWHISKEYHOTELYANKEES
IERRALIMAHOTELXRAYLIMASIERRAYANKEEMIKEROMEOZULUNOVEMBERBRAVONOVEMBERXRAYOSCARNOV
EMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKESIERRAYANKEEHOTELQUEBECMIKEOSCARNOVEMBERFOXTROTC
HARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKEKILOHOTELGOLFHOTELXRAYOSCARHOTELINDIAJULIETXRAYQUEBECVICTORUN
IFORMNOVEMBERCHARLIEINDIAJULIETVICTORFOXTROTOSCAROSCARNOVEMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEHOTE
LXRAYMIKECHARLIEHOTELQUEBECYANKEEHOTELWHISKEYHOTELYANKEESIERRALIMAHOTELXRAYLIMAS
IERRAYANKEEMIKEOSCARNOVEMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKEWHISKEYHOTELYANKEESIERRAL
IMAHOTELXRAYLIMASIERRAYANKEEMIKEECHOVICTORXRAYOSCARHOTELFOXTROTMIKEROMEOGOLFHOTE
LSIERRAXRAYTANGOFOXTROTHOTELXRAYLIMANOVEMBERXRAYJULIETFOXTROTZULUHOTELMIKEOSCARN
OVEMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKEECHOVICTORXRAYOSCARHOTELFOXTROTMIKEINDIANOVEMB
ERQUEBECOSCARSIERRAVICTORCHARLIESIERRAYANKEEHOTELQUEBECMIKELIMAVICTORINDIAHOTELP
APAHOTELYANKEEHOTELFOXTROTLIMAHOTELCHARLIEINDIAJULIETBRAVOSIERRAHOTELQUEBECVICTO
RUNIFORMNOVEMBERCHARLIEINDIAJULIETVICTORFOXTROTOSCAROSCARNOVEMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEH
OTELXRAYMIKEPAPAHOTELYANKEEHOTELFOXTROTQUEBECVICTORUNIFORMNOVEMBERCHARLIEINDIAJU
LIETVICTORFOXTROTOSCARYANKEEECHOHOTELSIERRAQUEBECHOTELXRAYBRAVOOSCARNOVEMBERFOXT
ROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKEPAPAHOTELYANKEEHOTELFOXTROTSIERRAYANKEEHOTELQUEBECMIKEOSC
ARNOVEMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKEKILOHOTELGOLFHOTELXRAYOSCARHOTELINDIAJULIET
XRAYQUEBECVICTORUNIFORMNOVEMBERCHARLIEINDIAJULIETVICTORFOXTROTOSCAROSCARNOVEMBER
FOXTROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKECHARLIEHOTELQUEBECYANKEEHOTELWHISKEYHOTELYANKEESIERRA
LIMAHOTELXRAYLIMASIERRAYANKEEMIKEOSCARNOVEMBERFOXTROTCHARLIEHOTELXRAYMIKE

Turn each code word into the letter it stands for to get a shorter string of letters.

RGHSXOHIJXWHYSLHXLSYMEVXOHFMWHYSLHXLSYMRZNBNXONFCHXMSYHQMONFCHXMKHGHXOHIJXQVUNCI
JVFOONFCHXMCHQYHWHYSLHXLSYMONFCHXMWHYSLHXLSYMEVXOHFMRGHSXTFHXLNXJFZHMONFCHXMEVXO
HFMINQOSVCSYHQMLVIHPHYHFLHCIJBSHQVUNCIJVFOONFCHXMPHYHFQVUNCIJVFOYEHSQHXBONFCHXMP
HYHFSYHQMONFCHXMKHGHXOHIJXQVUNCIJVFOONFCHXMCHQYHWHYSLHXLSYMONFCHXM

Again you have a series of repeated letter sequences; there are 17 in this case. This cryptolist decodes to countries with single-letter international license plate codes. ("foreign sedans")

Ciphertext: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Plaintext:  .DM.HRPABOJCYEGQLSIFXUVNTW

SPAINGABONVATICANCITYHUNGARYVATICANCITYSWEDENGERMANYITALYGERMANYJAPANGABONLUXEMB
OURGGERMANYMALTAVATICANCITYGERMANYVATICANCITYHUNGARYSPAINFRANCENORWAYGERMANYHUNG
ARYBELGIUMITALYCUBAQATARCAMBODIALUXEMBOURGGERMANYQATARLUXEMBOURGTHAILANDGERMANYQ
ATARITALYGERMANYJAPANGABONLUXEMBOURGGERMANYMALTAVATICANCITYGERMANY

Turn each country into its license plate code to produce a shorter string of letters.

EGVHVSDIDJGLDMVDVHEFNDHBICQKLDQLTDQIDJGLDMVD

Note that there's only one repeated series of letters (DJGLDMVD) this time. This cryptolist decodes to title words from Sue Grafton mystery novels such as A is for Alibi. ("book 'em")

Ciphertext: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Plaintext:  .ULERPIOTVWDNS..A.HB.C....

RICOCHETEVIDENCECORPSEOUTLAWDEADBEATEVIDENCE

Turn each word into the its appropriate letter to get a single word instruction.

RECODE

Following the instruction, work backwards, using the ciphers from the previous steps, to encode RECODE into the original encoding.

EDVHLD
NBWEQB
DOMINO

The result is DOMINO.