Behind Bars is one of the scenarios in The Rise of the Golden Idol. Taking place in Chapter 2, it's bound to have you perplexed due to numerous characters. There's even a task where you need to decipher the meaning behind color-coded clues. Here's our guide to help you complete the Behind Bars message puzzle in The Rise of the Golden Idol.

The Rise of the Golden Idol - Behind Bars secret message solution

The Behind Bars message puzzle in The Rise of the Golden Idol becomes available once you interact with the letter inside the leftmost prison cell. However, before we discuss this part any further, let's talk about the other tasks that you need to tackle.

Prisoner cells

There are two main panels/scenes in Behind Bars: the prison interior and the prison yard. Similar to other scenarios, you'll find all the clues you need by clicking on the icons in each area. There are also contextual hints, such as the list with the last names of each inmate, as well as the conversations among the characters involved.

In any case, you should finish the Cells puzzle by dragging the portraits to the appropriate locations:

• Cell #1 (leftmost): Unknown man with question mark icon.
• Cell #2: Jimmy Beswick - The old man with a forlorn look on his face.
• Cell #3: Jason Kempton - The guy wearing glasses.
• Cell #4: Daniel Utley - The man with the mustache.
• Cell #5 (rightmost): Robert Pakenham - The red-haired man.

Character names

While unearthing clues, you should have the information you need to assign the correct names to each character. From top-left to bottom-right, they are:

• Patrick Kendal
• Percy Sainsbury
• Jimmy Beswick
• Robert Pakenham
• Jason Kempton
• Daniel Utley
• Jeremy Smith
• Henry Wakefield

Secret message clue

Now, it's time to solve The Rise of the Golden Idol Behind Bars secret message puzzle. Your main clues here can be found in the leftmost cell:

• The letter written on red paper talks about "remembering the date of your loved one's death." It also mentions that the artist, Alfred Beasley, died on "2/8/1973."
• You'll also notice the "Cartoon Fun" poster made by Alfred Beasley.

Secret message solution

When you click on the secret message in The Rise of the Golden Idol, you'll see that the top row requires a string of numbers. These correspond to the date when Alfred Beasley died: 2-8-1-9-7-3.

Next, look at the Cartoon Fun poster. You'll notice that there are drawings numbered 1 to 9. Each drawing also has a particular color scheme. There are also additional figures at the bottom, with items or features of a particular color.

The idea is to find the item or feature that corresponds to the numerical code. For example, the number 2 has a purple worm at the top, as well as a purple figure inside a box at the bottom. Therefore, the correct word that matches number 2 is "inside." The solution is as follows:

• Inside
• Flower
• Book
• Spine
• Equals
• Saw

Note that we've been told that the solution might be different for other players. However, the mechanic follows the same premise: Check the number and the color at the top, then look for the item or figure at the bottom that has the same color.

Events summary

Finally, to close out the story, choose the following words in the brackets:

• [Arthur] [Blythe], who was in prison for [murder], got out his cell through a [window], using a [saw blade] he got from [Steven] [Aria].
• He entered the yard via a [drainpipe], and breached the fence using [wire cutters] he got from [Percy Sainsbury].
• Finally, he [climbed] [over] the wall by attaching [sheets], which he got from [Jimmy] [Beswick], to the [bars] from his [window].

That does it for our guide on how to solve the Behind Bars message puzzle in The Rise of the Golden Idol. You might want to check out our Feathered Frenzy guide and Final Clash guide for puzzles that you'll encounter later in the campaign.