The crumpled SAMARAN BUTTER billboard still soaks in the canal, marked by tyre tracks.

The crumpled SAMARAN BUTTER billboard still soaks in the canal, marked by tyre tracks.

Look at the sign.

The sign broke the vehicle's fall into the canal.

The SAMARAN BUTTER billboard still looks freshly painted, suggesting it took the plunge recently.

How recently?

Within the past 72 hours.

Look at the roof of the shack.

The black marks on the roof indicate that the vehicle vaulted from the crater to the roof of the shack.

Look at the broken posts.

The vehicle soared through the air, hitting the billboard and upsetting the posts. Then it continued its flight, taking the billboard with it.

"Yup -- I did this."

Clearly. The motor carriage in question was a Coupris 40 -- mere minutes before it took a final voyage into the ocean.

Why the Coupris 40?

It's about the right size, and the tyre marks look like they came from the skinny tyres frequently found on that motor carriage.

The Coupris 40 is a very popular model with bank clerks, topping-pie delivery drivers, secondary school teachers, cops, strippers dressed as cops, undressed strippers...

Why the Linnea G22?

Very sturdy but light motor carriage. More likely than most to survive that jump.

The Linnea G22 is not a particularly popular model due to its peculiar proportions, which the manufacturer's design team probably thought about for too long.

What now?

Now? You'd have to follow the tracks to be sure.

Blink. [Leave.]

The lieutenant looks on, waiting for you to wrap up your analysis.

Look at the crater.

Side slip marks indicate that the vehicle was travelling up the crater at 35 km/h.

"Yup -- I did this."

"Clearly, yes. Dwelling on it longer only makes it worse."

Look at the opposite bank.

Still speeding, the vehicle made a loop and vanished into the fog along the coast.

Look at the sloping metal roof panel.

The panel served as a take-off ramp.

What was the model of this phantom vehicle?

There are two good candidates: the Coupris 40 and the Linnea G22.

A crumpled billboard reading "SAMARAN BUTTER" soaks in the canal. Two ugly lines mar the bright countenance of the blond boy depicted.

The sign billboard has fallen on the water lock, keeping it open -- and thus out of order.

Attempt to reconstruct what happened here.

Judging by the size of the impact and the parallel lines of burnt rubber, the cause was probably a motor vehicle.

These match the tyre tracks you saw earlier -- your tyre tracks.

These look like the same tyre tracks I saw earlier -- in front of the Whirling-in-Rags.

Just some tasteless advertising at the bottom of a canal. No use rubbernecking now.

Nothing more to see here. [Leave.]

What is Samaran Butter?

Whatever it is, the boy on the billboard seems very happy about it.

Goat milk butter. The Samaran terrain makes it easier to raise goats than cows, and the local goat farmers produce high-quality meat and dairy staples that add variety to other nations' diets.

It's an acquired taste.