The Flooded Road

A drowned toll-keeper. A washed-out road. The numbers do not add up.

Thomas Reed, the toll-keeper, was pulled from the millrace at dawn, the night the river broke its banks and the only road out of Combe Mallet washed away. A wound to the back of his head came before the water, not from it. The mill itself stood locked and unlit all night — the miller was away at market with the sole key, and no one sheltered inside. Ambrose Fenn, the innkeeper, kept the taproom open through the storm and set down in his ledger every name that sheltered by his fire. With the ford gone, no stranger could have come or left: whoever struck Reed was already in the village. Five give statements. Two of them cannot both be telling the truth.

19-8-5-12-20-5-18-5-4 9-14 20-8-5 15-12-4 13-9-12-12
23-9-20-8 19-5-20-8 3-18-15-23
21-14-20-9-12 6-9-18-19-20 12-9-7-8-20

13-5-14-4-5-4 20-8-5 6-12-15-15-4-5-4 23-5-9-18
2-5-19-9-4-5 20-8-5 16-1-18-19-15-14
20-9-12-12 16-1-19-20 13-9-4-14-9-7-8-20

23-1-9-20-5-4 1-12-15-14-5 1-20 20-8-5 9-14-14
14-5-1-18-5-19-20 20-8-5 6-9-18-5
19-16-15-11-5 20-15 14-15 13-1-14

3-1-18-18-9-5-4 19-1-14-4-2-1-7-19 20-15 20-8-5 6-15-18-4
23-9-20-8 8-1-12-6 20-8-5 22-9-12-12-1-7-5
21-14-20-9-12 4-1-23-14 2-18-15-11-5

14-21-18-19-5-4 13-25 19-9-3-11 3-8-9-12-4
14-5-22-5-18 12-5-6-20 20-8-5 3-15-20-20-1-7-5
1-12-12 20-8-18-15-21-7-8 20-8-5 19-20-15-18-13

You're given the cipher type. The key is yours to find.