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.