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You wake up at 6:30 AM to a knock on your door. By the time you get dressed and answer the door, you can see (in your motion-activated lawn lighting) a person riding away on his (or her) motorcycle. At your feet is a slip of paper. You pick it up, and it reads:

We have your cat. Your precious Geronimo. Answer this riddle within the fortnight, and you'll get him back (for a fee, of course. I mean, what type of kidnappers would we be if we gave you your cat without charge?)

Who am I?

Some say I'm quite insane.
I blame it on the heights.

Take a ride on the Phoenix-Durango.
Chances are you'll know no-one when you go.

Don't look out the back.
Do you really know what hides in dark corners?

Follow the V-formation,
Stop at the top of the mountain.

If you pick up the phone, press 6.
Maybe you'll reach "Bush Sandwich" Hill.

Let's hope you've got just enough ignorance; nobody likes a know-it-all.
Otherwise, look forward to some road bumps in your progress; maybe a couple pitfalls?

Love, Al.

Hint #1:

Only the text below the question ("Who am I?"), any postscripts to the letter, and hints are relative to the answer. Anything else is just flavor.

Hint #2:

My mistake. The answer is actually a "Who", so the question was originally misleading. I have rephrased it to fit.

Hint #3:

Stanzas are only divided into lines of two for aesthetic purposes, with the exception of the second stanza. Each line of each stanza (other than the second) has its own, separate meaning from the other line in that stanza.

Hint #4:

Each clue is related to the Who in the same way (obviously). More specifically, each clue can be connected to the Who by the same logic. I hope I'm directing you well with these hints. Furthermore, each clue is completely different from the rest, and is concrete. It will have a very specific link to the solution.

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  • $\begingroup$ Is the answer a ransom note in the form of a riddle? :P $\endgroup$
    – Doge
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 19:40
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    $\begingroup$ Another technicality. Are you pleased with the edits to the note? It's one of those things from Harry Potter that can change on its own. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 19:44
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    $\begingroup$ Welp... RIP my cat Geronimo. $\endgroup$
    – Going hamateur
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 20:22
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    $\begingroup$ The sun rises at 5am here this time of year. No motion activated lawn lighting required! :) $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 20:45

3 Answers 3

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The who is

Alfred Hitchcock

Not got all the links but here are a few:

Some say I'm quite insane.

Psycho

I blame it on the heights.

Vertigo

Don't look out the back.

Rear Window
You'd need a rear window in order to look out the back; I think this works as a fairly straight clue to the film as well.

Follow the V-formation,

The Birds
Some migratory birds fly in a V-formation, particularly geese. This initially made me think of Top Gun, which got me the film link.

If you pick up the phone, press 6.

Dial M for Murder
M being one of the letters for number 6 (MNO) on old phones.

Let's hope you've got just enough ignorance; nobody likes a know-it-all.

The Man Who Knew Too Much

edit

After a little research:

Take a ride on the Phoenix-Durango. Chances are you'll know no-one when you go.

Strangers on a Train
The Phoenix-Durango is a train line in Atlas Shrugged, it would appear.
Obviously if you know no-one, it's because everyone is a stranger.

Do you really know what hides in dark corners?

Shadow of a Doubt

And some guesses and the remaining ones.

Maybe you'll reach "Bush Sandwich" Hill

Secret Agent?
Following Going hamateur's reading of this as Clinton Hill, and with a little work on Wikipedia, I turned up Clinton "Clint" Hill, a secret service agent.

Otherwise, look forward to some road bumps in your progress; maybe a couple pitfalls?

Sabotage?
A bit of a guess, but if I saw that my path ahead had lots of holes dug in it, I might suspect sabotage.

Stop at the top of the mountain

Downhill?
Really stretching here, but if you're at the peak of a mountain, you can only go downhill.

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  • $\begingroup$ Correct, but not quite perfect. You're missing three of the clues. Two of them might be slightly far-fetched, I'll admit that. The other I'm really proud of; it takes some research and critical thinking. Could you also provide slightly more explanation on each clue? Instead of just the movie name, maybe show how you made the connection between the clue and the film. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 29, 2015 at 16:41
  • $\begingroup$ i.e. "The number 6 on cell phones corresponds to the letter M, leading me to 'Dial M for Murder'". I wouldn't want you to explain overly simple clues, such as the one for Psycho; that's pretty obvious once you know the answer. Once you get the last few clues, I'll give you the solution marking. Nobody can steal it from you by posting first, either. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 29, 2015 at 16:52
  • $\begingroup$ Sabotage is correct; Sabotage would've worked too. I'll give you Downhill (it was supposed to be North by Northwest where he's at the top of Mount Rushmore, but Downhill works too). I'll have to give you Secret Agent as well, because that's some pretty clever reasoning. I meant Notorious and found Clinton Hill because that is the neighborhood Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.) is from. Good work. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 16:56
  • $\begingroup$ Saboteur would've worked for Sabotage *** $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 17:07
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I am guessing you are the Rocky Mountains.

Some say I'm quite insane.
I blame it on the heights.

The Rocky's are crazy tall.

Take a ride on the Phoenix Durango.
Chances are you'll know no-one when you go.

Phoenix Durango could be a train or a road to Durango Colorado.

Don't look out the back.
Do you really know what hides in dark corners?

A reference to four corners monument in Durango

Follow the V-formation,
Stop at the top of the mountain.

The V formation is the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, which roughly form a v. You have traveled down from the Rockys and are now traveling up the Appalachians. I'm not sure what the mountain is. Perhaps a point near dc?

If you pick up the phone, press 6.
Maybe you'll reach the "Bush Sandwich" Hill.

Bush Sandwich could refer to the presidents Bush and Bush, which would make the hill Capitol Hill. 6 is the right arrow on my keyboard, or east. You also take I66 into Washington DC

Let's hope you've got just enough ignorance,
Otherwise look forward to some road bumps in your progress.

I'm not sure if this is part of the riddle or not, but it could be referencing that there is also a Durango Mexico

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  • $\begingroup$ Valiant effort, but incorrect. Your guess at Bush Sandwich is in the right direction, but you might want to take a look at the president between them. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 23:27
  • $\begingroup$ Honestly, I could've made "Rocky Mountains" the answer based off of how well you dissected the lines. +1 for that. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 23:36
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Wish I had a more developed answer but:

Brooklyn

Some say I'm quite insane. I blame it on the heights.

Brooklyn heights is a thing, and Brooklyn is definitely considered by some to be a crazy place

If you pick up the phone, press 6. Maybe you'll reach "Bush Sandwich" Hill.

If you take 6th ave you get within about 6 blocks of clinton hill neighborhood.

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  • $\begingroup$ Incorrect, but partially on the right path. I did mean Clinton Hill neighborhood, but you should dig deeper into that neighborhood. Everything else is off the mark. Here's something for thought: what happens when you press 6 on the phone? Think pre-smartphone era. $\endgroup$
    – Moose
    Commented Jul 29, 2015 at 13:06

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