The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady (15 page)

Read The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady Online

Authors: Parnell Hall

BOOK: The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady
11.07Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Harvey Beerbaum looked distraught. “Cora! Tell me you didn't do it!”
“I didn't do it.”
“But—”
“Gonna ask me in, Harvey?”
“Sorry. Come in.” Harvey stepped aside and ushered her into his living room. “I'm forgetting my manners. Would you like some tea?”
“Are you going to call the police while you make it?”
“Of course not. Why do you say that?”
“You're scrupulous to a fault. You probably figure it's your duty.”
“But …”
“But what?”
“There's no evidence.”
“That's the spirit.”
“But I have information.”
“What information?”
“The crossword puzzle.”
“What about it?”
“‘
At three P.M., I'll be home. Bring cash; come alone.
' That's when Thelma Wilson was killed.”
“How do you know when she was killed?”
“Well, approximately.”
“Close only counts in horseshoes, Harvey. The police don't know when she was killed. I don't think Barney Nathan's even given an estimate yet.”
“Even so.”
“There's no reason to assume the crossword puzzle had anything to do with her. If you insist on going to the police, it will prove nothing. Except that you can't be trusted. And I can never show you another crossword puzzle.”
“Oh, I say!”
Cora put up her hand. “No, you
don't
say. That's the whole point. What you
don't
say. Harper has enough trouble trying to solve this crime without going off on a wild goose chase because you gave him a false lead based on a crossword puzzle.”
Harvey looked closely at her. “Are you telling me you
didn't
go over there?”
“Are you cross-examining me, Harvey?”
“No. Just asking a question.”
“What's the difference?”
“You're the wordsmith.”
“Why, Harvey Beerbaum, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me.”
“What?”
Cora batted her eyes. “You're just saying that, aren't you?”
Harvey, flustered, stammered, “What?”
“Oh, you sly dog, Harvey. I didn't know you had it in you.”
Harvey plowed through the blarney. “Wait a minute. You're saying you never went near Thelma Wilson's house?”
“Thelma Wilson's house? Who said anything about Thelma Wilson's house?”
“The crossword puzzle.”
“What crossword puzzle? I don't recall any crossword puzzle found in Thelma Wilson's house.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, Harvey, I only know what you
say
. As you so aptly pointed out, I am a wordsmith. Words have meaning. I have to listen to your words and hear what they say. You said the crossword puzzle had something to do with Thelma Wilson's house. It clearly doesn't. I defy you to point out one instance in the crossword puzzle where Thelma Wilson's house is mentioned.”
“You're twisting words.”
“Twisting words? First I'm a wordsmith, forging words with hammer and anvil; now I'm a contortionist, twisting words into a pretzel.”
“Contortionists twist their bodies.”
“You're getting personal again, Harvey. Let's get down to brass tacks. I don't want you to give the puzzle to Chief Harper. Are you going to do it?”
Harvey frowned. “No.”
Cora smiled and spread her hands. “Then we have no problem.”
“I've got big problems.”
Becky Baldwin speared a cherry tomato out of her salad. “Do you really? I've got a client on the hook for two murders. Granted, I need the work. Still, in the current state of the economy, I'm not sure this is a good bet. How's the dollar doing against the yen?”
“Isn't that China?”
“Really? What's Japan?”
“A country.”
“You're not helping. Or, right, the yen's Japanese. Don't you know that? I thought you got royalties.”
“Sherry handles them.”
Becky shook her head. “You're going to be lost when you move out.”
“How can I help? You won't let me talk to your client. You won't let me talk to her niece. You won't even let me talk to you.”
“You can talk to me.”
“Why can't I talk to your client?”
“There are certain admissions she wishes to make only to her attorney.”
“There you are. What's the good of talking to you if you won't tell me anything?”
“I'll tell you anything you need to know.”
“I need to know what you're not telling me.”
“Actually, you don't. You need to approach the problem from the point of view that you know everything. That nothing you don't know will hurt you. That you know everything pertinent to the crime.”
“Now you're intriguing me. Are you telling me your client is holding back something not pertinent to the crime?”
Becky chewed a carrot. “I'm telling you nothing of the sort. I'm telling you you're getting hung up on irrelevant details when we have the broader picture to consider. The situation is simple. Someone killed Thelma Wilson, and it wasn't Minami. Who was it?”
Cora made a face. “Oh, for goodness' sake! You're like the algebra teacher who puts a problem up on the board, and when you ask a question about procedure, she says, ‘That's not important, just solve it.'”
“You have trouble with algebra?”
“I have trouble with you. You're like a patient who goes to a doctor and says, ‘I got a pain here. It's gallstones. They gotta come out.' Should the doctor take 'em out? Or do you think he should make his own examination?”
“You're big on analogies today.”
“Because you won't talk about the situation.”
“Yes, I will. I just won't talk about my client. Which is okay, since she had nothing to do with it.”
“Who did?”
“I should think it was obvious. Thelma Wilson was a nosy old biddy who saw something and tried to put the bite on someone. In which case, she must have made the initial approach. So, how do you suppose she contacted her victim?”
“I have no idea.”
Becky shook her head. “See? This is what bothers me. Usually you have plenty of ideas. Suddenly you're stymied. Why? Is it the rivalry? Subconsciously you don't want to help Minami?”
“That's not true.
Consciously
I don't want to help Minami. I'd like to see her fall in a mud puddle. I'd like to see her with egg on her face. Is that just an expression, or could I really throw eggs at her? I'd like to see her prove herself wrong. I do
not
want to see her convicted of a murder she didn't commit. I'm working toward that end. In spite of the roadblocks you keep throwing in my path.”
“Then, help me out here. Say Thelma Wilson saw someone else go into that house. Who might that person be? Aside from you and Dennis Pride.”
“I never said I went into the house.”
“Right, right. I don't know where I got that impression. Anyway, who could it be?”
“Either of the husbands.”
“Oh?”
“Sure. Either of them kills the first wife. Gets suspected by the second wife. Kills her. Gets seen by Thelma Wilson and kills her. What could be simpler?”
“I like it. Largely because it doesn't involve Minami. Still, I like it. It's so simple it almost has to be true.” Becky nibbled a radish. “It's depressing to think it isn't.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because if the crime was that simple, Chief Harper would have solved it by now. I can't imagine either of these husbands would be that tough to break down. He grilled 'em without finding a crack. And you talked to both of them, haven't you?”
“Yeah.”
“And so has Minami. And you've all come up empty.” Becky cocked her head. “I can't help thinking there's someone else Thelma Wilson saw going into that house.”
Michiko turned into the motel parking lot and stopped in front of the unit she shared with her aunt.
A car pulled up next to hers. Dennis Pride hopped out and leaned on the open door. He grinned. “You old enough to drive?”
“What are you doing here?”
“My civic duty. We can't have kids driving around the streets of Bakerhaven. I may have to make a citizen's arrest.”
“I can drive.”
“I see that. And well, too, I must say. That's not the question. The question is if you have a legal right.”
“I have a license.”
“An American license?”
“I don't need an American license.”
“You're not licensed in the United States?”
“It's good.”
“Let's see.”
“I don't have to show you. You are not the police.”
“No, but I could tell them.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Well, if you're not going to show me your license.”
“Fine. I'll show you my license.”
Michiko dug in her purse, pulled out the license, and held it up.
Dennis squinted at it. “I can't read this. It's in Japanese.”
“So?”
“How do I know it's a license? It could be a library card.”
“You don't believe me?”
“Why should I?”
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“Out here?”
“Well, I'm not going in there. I could get arrested just for being in the same room with you.”
“I am not a child.”
“No, you're not. You're a big girl whose aunt's in jail. Again. She keeps bumping women off. And you're supposed to be keeping her out of trouble. This is not going to look good on your ré-sumé.”
“That is not what I do.”
“Oh? What do you do?”
“I am not a babysitter.”
“I'm glad to hear it.”
“Minami does not do the stupid things you say. She's smart, she solves crime, and she is very famous. And you don't know what you are talking about.”
“So she didn't get a blackmail note?”
Michiko's eyes flicked.
Dennis grinned. “She did, didn't she? Have you told the police? You haven't, have you? I hope you destroyed the note.”
Michiko pouted. “I am not talking to you anymore.”
“Too bad. Now I have to tell the police to ask you about a blackmail note.”
“You're not going to do that.”
“Says who?”
“What?”
“You're not familiar with that expression? It's short for, ‘Oh yeah, who says I'm not?' You get that one? It means I'll go to the police if I want to.”
“Stay away from the police.”
“Well, if you're not going to talk to me, I really have no choice.”
Michiko said nothing.
“Are you going to talk to me?”
She set her jaw.
“Okay, I'll just go to the police.”
“If you go to the police, I will never talk to you again. You will lose your power.”
“Maybe it's worth it.”
“It is not worth losing your power.”
“It is if my power's not worth anything. Okay, I'll stay away from the police. But get a message to your aunt. Tell her she's not the only one who knows about the blackmail note. Tell her the only reason the police don't know is because I'm such a kind-hearted fellow. And ask her if she'd like to talk to me. I think she'd like to talk to me. Which should be easy. We have the same lawyer. And our lawyer's keeping us apart. If your aunt doesn't like it, she doesn't have to put up with it. I have a feeling she doesn't. She's not
the type of woman who likes to remain silent. So see what she wants to do.”
“I do not have to take your advice.”
“She's in jail. Maybe you like that because it leaves you free to run around. But you don't know anybody. You can't be having much fun. So you're probably a pretty unhappy girl long about now. Go talk to your aunt and try to get her to listen to reason. You'll be doing her a favor.”
Dennis hopped in his car and drove off.
Michiko watched him go.
She bit her lip and wondered what to do.

Other books

The Revenants by Sheri S. Tepper
For My Brother by John C. Dalglish
Blake (Season One: The Ninth Inning #2) by Lindsay Paige, Mary Smith
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Redeeming Vows by Catherine Bybee