Sunday Morning Puzzle #99 --- Laughing Spies

“Ding Dong!”

Grr… That new doorbell has got to go. It’s much too loud, especially for a Sunday morning.

“Ding Dong!”

You rise from your easy chair and hasten to the door, hoping to get there before the bell clangs again.

“Nice ringer,” mutters Special Agent Jones of the CIA as he enters your abode.

You greet Jones, offering him a seat, a fresh scone, and a cup of just-brewed Brazilian organic coffee. Agent Jones is a good friend, but he only visits you on a Sunday morning when he’s on a tough case. The CIA must have yet another mysterious code that they cannot crack. Whenever this happens they turn to you, the nation’s finest code breaker.

“Feels good in here,” says Jones as he settles into the chair. " Our air conditioning is out at the office— and with this terrible heat wave, nothing is getting done well back there. It’s like an oven."

You empathize with Jones, who relaxes a little and begins to tell his story:

The CIA has been on the hunt for Trixi LaBoop. They believe she is the head of a nefarious group of spies. Even now her evil gang is likely hatching some new fiendish plot. Are they perhaps intending to steal the secret plans now being held at CIA headquarters? Indeed, these plans are so hush-hush no one at the Agency even knows what’s in them.

“We’ve had several leads on the elusive Ms. LaBoop,” Jones explains. “Yesterday, our men followed a hot tip to an apartment in Reston, Virginia. Alas, we found the place empty. There were signs of a hasty departure, so I believe we came close to nabbing some of the gang. Our team scoured that apartment for clues…but they found only one.”

“A strange cryptic message?” You guess.

“Right,” Jones replies. “Our experts, as usual, are stumped. So we’ve come to you again for help.”

Jones hands you a folded piece of paper.

“Always glad to assist the CIA,” You say, “As long as I have a little time, and a lot of air conditioning.”

You look over the very unusual note. This one could be a bit tricky.

“I have to get back to headquarters and relieve Agent Brown, who is guarding the secret plans right now. Thank you for everything.” Jones starts to leave, then pauses. “You may not have a whole lot of time for this case,” he states somberly. “These spies are desperate. We suspect that this hot weather has not stopped them from cooking up some new trouble!”

Can you make sense of this code and uncover the latest espionage scheme? Or will the spies have the last laugh?

+++++

{DEHM} {ZKKFX :smiley: S} {A} {GD :smiley: RED} {BQEED} {LS :smiley: OLKZMR :smiley: VLHK} {K :smiley: ADEE :smiley: } {NTEQR!} {DROD} {HCD} {R :smiley: ONFRH} {MCF :smiley: } {ZDR :smiley: Z} {HQ :smiley: BFNF} {MCHES} {HB} {NMGHGMF} {A} { :smiley: QDC} {OZHQLDM :smiley: VHJ} {KGK :smiley: DMSG} {DQC} {A :smiley: } {BEHEZ :smiley: } {GB} {DCC} {ZGCPTZQ} {ESDEQ} {R :smiley: CN} {MB :smiley: } {LNMCZGX.} {SGDX :smiley: FV} {HKC} {K :smiley: ZCCFF} { :smiley: DDDR} {ODBEH} {ZK :smiley: DE} {QDDYE} {CD :smiley: F} {ZR :smiley: DS} {N :smiley: ISGID :smiley: BNN} {KHMF :smiley: RXRSDLNNNN.} {VCD :smiley: } {CSC} {GEDEM} { :smiley: A} {ZBSHUJZSJD :smiley: } {HS :smiley: AXE} {QDFLFN} {SED :smiley: BE} {NMSQFN} {K :smiley: CN} {M :smiley: SC} {TDRCZX :smiley: LNQMHOMOF.}

Are the smileys meant to be :smiley: or are they deliberate?

You stare at the puzzling coded message with a frown. The last hour has gotten you nowhere…though there are one or two curious points you have noted.

What could those smilies mean??? They are almost certainly meant to be smilies. It’s as if the code is laughing at you, daring you to solve it. Could the designer of this wacky bit of cryptography actually be almost taunting you with those little grinning faces? You suspect so.

Time to take a break and put on another pot of coffee.

I think I’ve got something.
.
.
.
.
.
.

the smiley stands in for the letters HA. Though they appear seperately, they do not appear in that combination elsewhere in the message

If Jones want’s more than that, he’ll have to meet my demands.

You awake from your silly dream about blackmailing Jones. No, you could never do that to your good friend. Even now you hardly remember what your dreaming idea was exactly…hmm…?

Oh well, if it is important, you’ll remember.

But suddenly:

Breaking News!

The CIA this afternoon spotted a spy suspect in downtown Washington. He is identified as Buster LaBoop, Trixi’s brother. They gave chase past the Lincoln Memorial, across the mall, and around the Washington Monument. But our usually reliable lawmen lost their suspect in the crowds outside the Museum of Natural History.

However, during this madcap chase, the suspect accidently dropped something from his pocket. It was, of course, another cryptic message.

Jones wastes no time in bringing it to your attention.

+++++

{VDI :stuck_out_tongue: JIMNV :stuck_out_tongue: Z} {FJDMJS :stuck_out_tongue: AQNV} {M :stuck_out_tongue: EZKE} {VGGZXR :stuck_out_tongue: N} {ODFFMF} {CR :stuck_out_tongue: S} {GD :stuck_out_tongue: ERE} {ZFED :stuck_out_tongue: BN} {KMSKZHMHMF :stuck_out_tongue: S} {GD :stuck_out_tongue: FOKZ} {MR :stuck_out_tongue: JDUJDQX :stuck_out_tongue: S} {TDGRCGZ} {BX.} {DVGD} {DMEE :stuck_out_tongue: V} {DE :stuck_out_tongue: QDK} {HHDHHZRD :stuck_out_tongue: } {SCC} {GED :stuck_out_tongue: FZ} {R :stuck_out_tongue: DUED} {QXNFFM} {D :stuck_out_tongue: VHEE} {KKII :stuck_out_tongue: EQDDY} {CD :stuck_out_tongue: H} {M :stuck_out_tongue: OKEZ} {BDF :stuck_out_tongue: FEN} {FQ :stuck_out_tongue: SDM :stuck_out_tongue: L} {DHMD} {TSFFDR.} {CEETE} {QGHMF :stuck_out_tongue: SG} {GHR :stuck_out_tongue: ES} {EHLD :stuck_out_tongue: N} {TGQ :stuck_out_tongue: LDM :stuck_out_tongue: B} {ZM :stuck_out_tongue: RSE} {QNKMK :stuck_out_tongue: QHFMGS :stuck_out_tongue: HM} {M :stuck_out_tongue: ZC} {MC :stuck_out_tongue: RISDZK :stuck_out_tongue: S} {GFD :stuck_out_tongue: OKZ} {MRC.} {A} {AB} {X :stuck_out_tongue: SDD} {GEDEE :stuck_out_tongue: } {BS} {HFLDF :stuck_out_tongue: N} {TEQ :stuck_out_tongue: FZ} {RE :stuck_out_tongue: VDZ} {QR :stuck_out_tongue: DN} {EE :stuck_out_tongue: GGVD’K} {EK :stuck_out_tongue: ADE} { :stuck_out_tongue: KJNMF :stuck_out_tongue: FNMJD.}

Sounds like you should check the air conditioning repairs more closely. Failing that, Agent Brown (who’s getting far too predictable for a spy!) shouldn’t open the safe at his usual time on Tuesday, unless he wants to use this golden opportunity to pass off some faked secrets. Perhaps the Nieman-Marcus cookie recipe?

And the spies need to fix their keyboard; those keys are sticking something fierce. (I wasn’t able to discern any obvious pattern in the extras; is there something I’m missing there?)

(Congratulations Omphaloskeptic!)

Good news!

Agent Jones reports that your plan went perfectly. This morning at 7:30 everyone at CIA headquarters stood perfectly still. Moments later several men wearing gas masks entered the building. As soon as they got to the elevators, these stunned spies were quickly surrounded and arrested. Another evil espionage plot foiled due to your good detection!

“We found the special gas in the air conditioning system late last night.” Jones tells you. “The men who entered CIA headquarters this morning were the same ones that fixed the air conditioning yesterday. We never should have hired repairmen based on a business card left a week earlier.”

“You should have been suspicious when they came to repair the system only one day after you called.” You say. “That never happens in real life.”

You, Jones and Brown share a fresh pot of coffee.

“I know there is some reason for removing those extra letters in the code.” You tell Jones. “I suspect it is rather obvious, but I don’t see it still.”

“I’m just amazed you solved the code without knowing,” Brown remarks. “That’s quite remarkable.”

You pass Jones a buttered croissant, and a sticky bun to Brown.

“Oh, by the way…Trixi Laboop and her brother got away. We went to the air conditioner repair center and found it empty. Someone must have been watching from the outside and radioed to her of the failure of their scheme.” Jones takes a bite of croissant. “But she left us a note.”
+++++

{BTQRE} {DCR!} {ENHKFD} [C :mad: ZDF] {ZEEHM!!} {RNLGDGC} {CZX :mad: } {RNNM :mad: HI :mad: VHK} {IK :mad: FIDIS :mad: SG} {NRD :mad: ER} {CDC} {BQHDHS :mad: OK} {DZMR.} {H :mad: VHEK} {K :mad: GZJUJD :mad: LX :mad: Q} {DUDEM} {FD :mad: NGM :mad: GI} {NMDR :mad: E} {ZMC :mad: GE} {HR :mad: BEN} {CD :mad: AQFF} {DZJHMF :mad: IEI} {GQGHDMC!}

+++++

You take a moment to decode the message, and then chuckle. “We’ll be ready for you, Trixi. We’ll be ready. The forces of goodness always win out in the end.”
The three of you share a hearty laugh. Success is nice.

OK, I figured it out. I had a glitch in my solver which occasionally inserted even more extra characters and obscured the pattern of the actual extras.