Puzzletober 2025: Sting
The main room of the innkeeper's suite is slightly larger than those of the deluxe suites. Along the back wall are pictures like those in the other room that display a partial history of the hotel. A set of drawers and the staple wardrobe help hold down a nice rug. There is plenty of unused space. The door to the left is ajar and leads to a bathroom. The innkeeper opens the door on the right and leads the newcomer into a bedroom.
The newcomer gets a sense of déjà vu by recognizing the style of the bed from the deluxe suites. Hastily buried in the wall on the right side of the room is a wall safe held shut with a combination lock. The safe protrudes slightly from the otherwise flush wall, revealing shoddy craftsmanship: the sides of the safe are composed of several metal plates glued together. The front is held on by some obvious hinges instead of glue. "Now," starts the innkeeper, "I know what you're about to say. This is the least secure safe you've ever seen. It should not surprise you that it's been leaking a little money. I was first aware of this four years ago when my accountant uncovered the discrepancy. I waited to establish an annual pattern and last year I checked it day by day. The last time it was stolen from was the night between October and November of last year. I can't afford surveillance, but I really want to catch the culprit in the act." The newcomer says, "Are you proposing a sting?" The innkeeper responds, "No, if I'm involved in a false accusation in the heat of the moment, my reputation with the patrons will be irreparably tarnished. I can at least say that back then everyone here today except you was here plus the maid. There must be some logical way to work through this."
The innkeeper sits on the bed as the other explores the various drawers about the suite. In the main room, the top drawer contains a single spare key, the middle drawer contains valuable curio, and the bottom drawer contains a wasp nest. He shuts the last one as smoothly and quickly as possible. He tells the innkeeper, who says, "I'll make sure she tends to that when she gets back."
Rules: Solve as a Honey Islands puzzle, then treat the unshaded islands as isolated six-cell regions for a Honey Dozen puzzle. Shaded cells are considered null space in the Honey Dozen.
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