After two years of relative peace and quiet, amateur sleuths are being invited back to Langley to discover the whereabouts of multiple missing – and maybe murdered – individuals in the Village by the Sea.

The fun is all part of the city’s 37th Mystery Weekend, “A Cereal Mystery,” taking place Feb. 26 and 27.

The mystery-solving event took a hiatus in 2021 because of the pandemic, hence the string of (fictional) suspicious disappearances that have been unsolved because of COVID-19 restrictions.

In this year’s caper, sleuths will help Detective I.B. Fuzz (played by Saranell DeChambeau) find out what happened to the following missing persons – wealthy landowner General Ottis Millez, retired Hollywood super star John Braveheart and local fishing boat captain Krispin Krunch.

As usual, sleuths will receive biographies of the characters, a map of clues and a form to fill out with the name of whodunnit. They will be able to freely question suspects, gathering clues along the way.

Inge Morascini, the executive director for the Langley Chamber of Commerce, said there are still clues that need homes. In the past, clues have been located inside businesses, restaurants, the Langley Library and the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts.

This year, to mitigate crowding, clues can be collected by scanning a QR code posted in the window of where the clue is located. Suspects will also be outdoors and masked.

“The mystery has gone on through wind and snow and rain,” Morascini said. “We have some very stalwart detectives that come and solve the mystery.”

Tickets are available at visitlangley.com/store and can also be purchased at the Langley Chamber of Commerce. They are $15 for regular admission and $12 for seniors, youth and service members. To date, the chamber of commerce has sold over 200 tickets.

The two-day event opens at 9 a.m. for pre-purchased tickets and 10 a.m. for general admission Saturday, ending at 4 p.m. Sunday with the reveal of the murderer posted online. Prizes will be awarded, even for those who did not guess correctly.

Although the mystery can be solved in one day, many choose to stick around and make a weekend of it.

“We have players that come from all over the United States, some from even out of the country,” Morascini said.

Longtime Mystery Weekend writer Loretta Martin wrote “A Cereal Mystery” with the help of co-writers Rachel McDougald and Mike Hill. All three are characters within the story, along with business owners and Langley residents.

“Only the murderer and me know who the murderer is,” Martin said.

There have been some years when over 200 people have correctly guessed who the murderer is. Other years, it’s been as few as 14 people.

“It just depends on the year, and how convoluted and tricky I am,” Martin said. “Or how well the suspects redirect accusations.”

She added that Langley Mystery Weekend is the longest-running mystery event of its kind in the U.S., and possibly even the world.

“It’s something to be proud of, whether you live on the North End or South End,” she said.