With many thanks to Dennis Collins, Director of Residential Life and Capital Renovations at MIT, who followed me around for a day.
These are all paths through the 11 undergraduate dorms at MIT. Solvers need to figure out which dorm is which and use the internet and the dorm floor plans (available with Kerberos access at mit.edu) to trace the path followed to the suspect’s room. Take the indicated numbers of the room, convert to letters and sort by dorm name to spell the answer: PAVING TILE.
Clip | Building | Room | Given Indices | Extracted Number | Letter |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Baker House | 516 | 2, 3 | 16 | P |
7 | Burton Conner | 312 | 2 | 1 | A |
10 | East Campus | 212 | 1, 3 | 22 | V |
6 | MacGregor | 219 | 3 | 9 | I |
5 | Maseeh | 4101 | 2, 1 | 14 | N |
1 | McCormick | 217 | 3 | 7 | G |
2 | New House | 206 | 1, 2 | 20 | T |
8 | Next House | 359 | 3 | 9 | I |
9 | Random Hall | 212 | 2, 3 | 12 | L |
4 | Senior House | 415 | 3 | 5 | E |
11 | Simmons | — | — | — | — |
The following insights might help solvers who struggle to figure out which recording corresponds to which dorm:
A transcript of each clip and a map of the starting path within each dorm are shown below.
“All points bulletin, we’re tracking the suspect in through the main
entrance. They made a left and are heading to the closest stairwell. Up
two floors, made a right out of the stairs, another right through the
first door, left at the end and a left into the stairs. Down three
floors. Left out of the stairs, through the door, a right and then a left
down the hallway, through a door and keeping straight to just before the
end and made a left into the stairs. Up two floors. Out of the stairs, and
diagonally right into the room across the hall. We’ve got them now!”
3
(Room 217 - Conference Room) McCormick - 7 - G
“Criminal entered building through entrance closest to the desk. Made a
right and ran all the way down the hall and in the farthest door on the
right. In the door three doors on the right into the stairwell. Up two
floors. Made a left into the hall. Another left, through the door, a right
at the first junction then in the first door on the left. Down one floor,
out the door into the hallway, went right and another right at the
junction and then into the door of the room straight ahead at the end of
the hall. We’ve got them now!”
1, 2
(Room 206 - House 2) New House - 20 - T
“Following suspect into the building through the main entrance, straight
up a small flight of stairs then around to the left and up another small
flight of stairs to the landing. Looks like they made a left through the
double doors. In pursuit up to the 3rd floor. Left through the door into
the hallway, then turning right, following the corridor, through the
lounge to the emergency stairwell at the end of the hall. Up two floors,
out into the hall and into the second double on the right. We’ve got them
now!”
2, 3
(Room 516) - Baker House - 16 - P
“I’m following the suspect in the courtyard entrance to the lobby and
bearing left to the elevator. Looks like they took it up as far as they
could. Made a left out of the elevator, curved around to the left and down
one floor. They turned right out of the stairs, straight through a door,
following the hallway right then a left and a left into the first door on
the left . . . well, you gotta do what you gotta do. We’ve got them now!”
3
(Room 415 - Bathroom) Senior House - 5 - E
“In pursuit of suspect heading in to the main entrance. Making a right, up
some stairs and then another right into a stairwell. Up two floors. Left
out of the stairs and straight down the hall and made a right into another
stairwell and up one floor. Left out of the stairs and down the corridor,
a right before the next set of stairs and straight through. Left at the
end of the hall, through the door and in the room straight ahead. We’ve
got them now!”
2, 1
(Room 4101) Maseeh Hall - 14 - N
“Our suspect went down the outdoor stairs and has entered the main lobby
on the left. Straight to the end, then a right down a long
corridor. Another right all the way through two doors to the next lobby
and up the stairs on the left until they stop. Out the door, make a left,
straight through another door, then in the second door on the right and
down the corridor. Right at the end of the hall and straight through two
doors and up one floor. Making a left out of the stairs, then a left at
the next hall, straight through the door, down the hall to the stairs on
the left. Into the stairwell, out of the stairwell and straight
ahead. They’re cornered! We’ve got them now!”
3
(Room 219 - Lounge, H Entry) MacGregor - 9 - I
“Perpetrator has entered the building from the center entrance of the
right most courtyard on the river side. Made a left around the door and
down the hallway to the staircase on the left and went up one floor. They
made a left, straight into the old dining hall, around the columns,
another left, through a janitors closet, and jig left and straight down
the hall to the stairs on the right. Down one floor, a left out of the
stairs then a right down the hall, through the double doors, then
immediately made a right, heading around with the stairs on your left then
another right and a left into the stair well. Up three floors, made a
right into the corridor, around the corner, through the double doors and
in the first door on the right. We’ve got them now!”
2
(Suite 312) Burton Conner - 1 - A
“Suspect has entered through the main door, headed straight to the left of
the desk, through the lounge, up the ramp and up the elevator to the 3rd
floor. Straight out of the elevator, a right at the end of the hall and in
the second door on the left past the stairs. We’ve got them now!”
3
(Room 359) Next House - 9 - I
“Tailing suspect in the right front entrance, turned right into the lounge
and through two doors to the back stairs. Up two floors, made a right out
of the stairs, following the corridor, through to the opposite side of the
building, left through the lounge, into the stairwell, down one floor, out
of the door on the right and into the second room on the left. We’ve got
them now!”
2, 3
(Room 212) Random Hall - 12 - L
“The suspect entered the building through the door by the desk. They made
a quick left and went down one floor. Made a left then a quick left and
another left before a right through the door and straight down the
hall. Made a tight right 180 at the end and went up two floors. Suspect
made a left down the hall, through into the next section and in the fourth
room on the left. We’ve got them now!”
1, 3
(Room 212 - 2nd East, Bemis) East Campus - 22 - V
“The suspect went into the front entrance and . . . you know what? No. I’m not
following them in there. Just no. That’s it. I’m done.”
Simmons ❤