by Nero Blanc
“Is it black and white, and does it have letters and corresponding numbers?”
Belle laughed. “You know darn well it is … So, who put you up to this little trick? Angus or Judy, or both?”
Rosco reemerged. “Whatever they did, they did on their own.”
Belle gave him a knowing glance, then concentrated on the crossword, perching on the bed as she did so. “You three have done yourself proud … This is quite intriguing …”
Rosco looked down at her, an amused smile on his face. “I thought you were complaining of jet lag toward the tail end of dinner.”
Belle cocked her head to one side. “Is that a subtle hint?”
“I didn’t think it was that subtle.”
Belle laughed again, then dropped the torn word game on the nightstand. “You’re right … Practical jokes can wait.”
A Ghost of Christmas Past
Across
1. Bath, e.g.
4. “___on a Grecian Urn”
7. Siouan
10. Hostelry
13. Where C. Parr died
15. ___Barrios, Sp.
16. Born
17. Rumpelstiltskin’s rod
18. Alphabet starter
19. Past
20. London to Cambridge dir.
21. Certain title
23. Water, Sp.
25. Doctrine
28. Christmas decoration
31. Male sheep
32. Town on the Meuse
33. Kalita’s son
34. Attempt
35. Shade maker
37. March date.
38. What evil men do with good women
40. Equal, comb. form
43. Salutes
44. American fiver
47. A—land
49. Certain cars
50. High card
51. Logical lead-in?
52. Scottish cap
53. Sprouted
54. Minster Lovell___
55. Havana Mrs.
56. 24-Down foe
58. 4-Down updated
60. Encumbent
64. Crew
65. Irish grp.
66. ___Falls
67. Unusual
68. Evanston, Ill. sch.
69. Canadian prov.
70. Evergreen
Down
1. Snake sound
2. Small dog
3. “I”
4. “Ye___Sweet Shoppe”
5. Costa___Sol
6. Ogle
7 Siberian town
8. “V”
9. Future King of Sweden?
10. “VI”
11. Not pos.
12. New, comb. form
14. Sicilian town
22. Double-check the gun
23. Mona Lisa, e.g.
24. Lincoln’s Men; Abbr.
25. “III”
26. Domingo or Antonio
27. “IV”
29. Knot
30. ___Royal Highness
32. Big___house
36. Confused
38. “___twinkle in his eye.”
39. Road curve
40. Attention getter
41. Gorilla, e.g.
42. “II”
44. “VII”
45. Chill
46. ___castle
48. Borrowed
53. Pirate quaff
55. Quarrel
56. Pigeon noise
57. Unhappy
59. Muslim month lead-in
60. Greek god
61. Writer Anais
62. “___long, you’ll learn the truth”
63. Uncooked
To download a PDF of this puzzle, please visit openroadmedia.com/nero-blanc-crosswords
The Answers
To download a PDF of the answers, please visit openroadmedia.com/nero-blanc-crosswords/answers
A Crossworder’s Holiday
The Proof of the Pudding
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Mum’s the Word
A Ghost of Christmas Past
The authors have dedicated a percentage
of their earnings from this book to The St. Barnabas Mission*
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*St. Barnabas Mission provides emergency shelter, educational and social services to homeless women and their children. The Mission is administered by Episcopal Community Services (ECS), a not-for-profit social service agency that has been helping people of all faiths for over 130 years. ECS: 225 South Third Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3910; www.ecs1870.org.
About the Author
Nero Blanc is the pseudonym of Steve Zettler and Cordelia Frances Biddle, who are husband and wife and serious crossword buffs. Biddle is also the author of the Martha Beale historical mystery series, which is set in Philadelphia, Zettler and Biddle’s hometown. Their website is www.crosswordmysteries.com.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Portions of A Ghost of Christmas Past, A Partridge in a Pear Tree, and A Crossworder’s Holiday originally appeared in Hemispheres.
Copyright © 2002 by Cordelia Frances Biddle and Steve Zettler
Cover design by Tammy Seidick
ISBN: 978-1-4976-7171-3
This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
CROSSWORD MYSTERIES
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