The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady

by Parnell Hall

  “So you went there and found the body.”

  “That’s right.”

  “With a sudoku.”

  Cora grimaced. “That’s the bad part.”

  Sherry’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God!”

  “Well, I thought it would be a swell break for Minami. The only thing that really connected her the first time was the sudoku. I thought wouldn’t it be neat if a body turned up with a sudoku while she was in jail. They’d have to let her go.”

  “They let her go.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “What a mess.”

  Cora shook her head. “I framed her for the crime; now I gotta clear her.”

  “How you gonna do that? Fess up?”

  “Please.”

  “So, you’re gonna work with Becky Baldwin?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, on the one hand, she’s hired me.”

  “That would seem like a yes.”

  “On the other hand, I framed her client.”

  “That sounds less positive.”

  “Yes. Of course, she doesn’t know it yet.”

  “You haven’t told her?”

  “It’s the sort of thing you hate to blurt out. That’s one stumbling block. She also won’t let me talk to her client.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. She’s claiming attorney-client privilege. But why’d she have to do that with me?”

  “When she doesn’t know you framed her.”

  “Exactly. As far as she knows, I’m a perfectly loyal investigator, currently in her employ. Talking to her client would be the right and proper thing to do. But she doesn’t want me to.” Cora frowned. “There’s a clue in there somewhere, if I knew what it was.”

  “Now you’re seeing conspiracies everywhere.”

  “It’s the flaw of conspiring. Which is why I tend to keep things to myself. Sorry to burden you with it, but I’m going a little nuts.”

  “Maybe you should see a therapist.”

  “Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined.” Cora waggled an imaginary cigar. “Say the secret word, the duck will fly down and give you a hundred dollars. It’s a common word, something you’ll find around the house.”

  “Boy, you really are losing it. Why don’t you go talk to Chief Harper?”

  “I don’t think he wants to talk to me.”

  “Why not?”

  “For one thing, I’m working for the other side.”

  “That’s never stopped him before. He doesn’t know you planted evidence at the crime scene, does he?”

  “Bite your tongue.”

  “So he’s going to want you to solve it. Unless Minami did.”

  “The suspect? I doubt if he’d trust her. Even if he did, Becky wouldn’t let her.”

  “There you are. It’s the perfect icebreaker. Just solve the sudoku for him.”

  Cora grimaced. “Small problem.”

  “What?”

  “If I do, he’s gonna want to know what it means.”

  Chapter 36

  “You have to solve the puzzle.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake!”

  “What do you mean, for God’s sake? You’re a whiz at sudoku. It’ll take you two minutes.”

  “So what?”

  “So what? Then you can tell me what it means.”

  Cora grimaced. “See, Chief, I can’t win. You throw a meaningless sudoku in my lap. If I don’t solve it, you’re pissed. If I do solve it, you want to know what it means.”

  “Well, it’s not an academic interest,” Harper said sarcastically.

  “I happen to have three murder cases.”

  “The sudoku won’t help.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s got nothing to do with anything.”

  “It was found at the scene of the crime.”

  “Oh, come on, Chief. That’s a ridiculous idea. Why would Minami leave a sudoku next to the body? Now someone else might leave it to frame her, but why would she leave it? To frame herself?”

  “I don’t know why she did it, but it certainly looks like she did. After all, she creates sudoku puzzles.”

  “So do I. That doesn’t mean I killed her.”

  “You had no motive. In Minami’s case, she was the eyewitness, the woman who identified her, who sent her to jail.”

  “Wow,” Cora said sarcastically, “with all that, she’d barely need to leave a sudoku to draw attention her way.”

  “Why are you defending her so vehemently? I thought you didn’t like her.”

  “I don’t. That doesn’t mean I want to stick her with a gratuitous murder rap.”

  “If she didn’t kill the woman, who did?”

  “Whoever killed Sheila Preston.”

  “Which looks like her, too.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “Minami’s trying to solve the murder of Ida Fielding. She get’s a line on Sheila Preston, starts poking around, finds out Sheila was aware of her husband’s relationship with Ida. Sheila had every reason to want to kill Ida. Say she did. Say Minami suspects. She goads Sheila, hoping to get a nibble. Sheila realizes Minami’s onto her, panics, tries to get her out of the way. Minami strikes first.”

  “You’re claiming she killed her in self-defense?”

  “That’s up to the court to decide. I’m just gathering facts.”

  “You’re gathering wild conjectures based on no evidence whatsoever.”

  Harper frowned. “Can you gather conjectures?”

  “Don’t play word games with me. I’m not in the mood.”

  Harper held up the sudoku. “How about number games?”

  “Chief, forget the numbers. Concentrate on the crime. This woman was killed in her own house. Someone must have seen something. What do the neighbors say?”

  “The neighbor across the street is dead.”

  “That is a problem.”

  “One next-door neighbor is ninety-two and deaf as a post. The other works in Danbury and was gone all day.”

  “Fine. No witnesses. We’ll have to figure it out another way.”

  “Which brings us back to the sudoku.”

  Cora took a breath. “Chief, come on, think it through. The chief witness against Minami got murdered. After Minami got released from jail, granted. But if you look at it one way, that’s a point in her favor. She’s already identified her. Thelma Wilson did her worst, and it didn’t stick. Minami’s got nothing to fear from her. On the other hand, if the killer is someone else, someone Thelma hasn’t identified, that’s the person who has to fear. And with Minami out of jail, it means the police no longer suspect Minami and will concentrate on the real killer. Did Thelma Wilson see the real killer? The real killer can’t be sure. What if Thelma Wilson identifies the real killer next? There’s only one way to make sure that doesn’t happen. What does the real killer do? Kills Thelma Wilson and leaves a sudoku.”

  “How would this real killer know Minami was out of jail?”

  “How the hell should I know? Maybe the real killer’s Dan Finley.”

  “Cora.”

  “I know he’s not. But the real killer could be someone Dan Finley knows and told.”

  “Rick Reed?”

  Cora cocked her head at the chief. “Now you’re just screwing with me.”

  “Hey, if you can name Dan, I can name Rick.” Harper picked up the sudoku from his desk. “You gonna solve it for me or not?”

  “Fine, I’ll solve it for you.”

  Cora whizzed through the puzzle.

  Chief Harper took it, held it up. “So, what does it mean?”

  “How the hell should I know?”

  “You usually have a theory.”

  “I usually have something to go on. This time I don’t. I have eighty-one numbers with no clue as to what their order means. You want to give me a hint as to how I should get going on a theory?”

  “I have no idea
.”

  “Me, neither.”

  “Okay, maybe you’re right,” Harper conceded. “Maybe the numbers don’t mean anything. Maybe the importance of the sudoku is just that it’s a sudoku. The woman signed her crime. Thinking no one would believe it was actually her. Plus, the sudoku gives her a reason to investigate the crime as soon as she’s cleared. Which she expects to be.”

  “That’s really stupid.”

  “I wish you’d stop saying that. I’m going to get a complex.”

  “Chief, killers don’t go around signing their crimes.”

  “I don’t know. Wasn’t there some strangler who left a white kid glove on all his victims?”

  “That’s different.”

  “Why?”

  “He left his glove. Not his American Express card.”

  “Isn’t a sudoku more like a glove?”

  “Probably not as warm. Chief, forget the sudoku. It doesn’t point to Minami. It points away from Minami. It screams to high heaven that Minami had nothing to do with it.”

  “And you know that because … ?”

  “Because I can think and reason.”

  “Uh huh,” Harper said. If he was convinced, Cora wouldn’t have known it. He picked up a paper from his desk. “We have one other lead.”

  “Oh?”

  “And I think this one might help. The phone call Dan Finley got.”

  “What about it?”

  “It was presumably Thelma Wilson being strangled. But it wasn’t.”

  “Oh?”

  Chief Harper shook his head. “Didn’t come from her phone. We traced the records and it came from the mall.”

  Cora frowned. “That makes no sense.”

  “Tell me about it. Unless you’d like to argue that Thelma Wilson was strangled in the mall and the body brought back to her house. I don’t think you want to argue that.”

  “Particularly since she wasn’t strangled.”

  “Exactly. Then the call was from someone who wanted to tip us off to the crime. Most likely from the murderer himself.”

  Cora took a breath. “How do you figure?”

  “At that point in time, only the murderer himself knew she was dead. According to the medical examiner, she was just killed. If the murderer hopped in his car and drove to the mall, he could make that call and tip the cops off so the body would be found. For some reason, it was to the murderer’s advantage to have the body found right away. Either because of an alibi the murderer had established. Or perhaps because of an alibi someone the murderer was framing didn’t have. It could be lots of reasons.”

  “You’re saying murderer.”

  “So?”

  “Dan Finley thought the caller was Thelma Wilson. He thought it was a woman.”

  “He thought it was a person being strangled. Or someone approximating a person being strangled. He couldn’t swear to the gender. It’s a wonder he even got the name. But you’re right, the caller was most likely a woman. So. If Minami gets out of jail, goes straight to Thelma Wilson’s, kills her, drives to the mall, makes that phone call, what time would she arrive at your house?”

  “That’s absurd.”

  “Oh? Why is it absurd? According to Barney Nathan, it’s highly unlikely Thelma Wilson was alive when the call was made. It’s legal doubt, a lawyer might argue, but not the type of thing I have to get hung up on. As far as I’m concerned, it was probably from the killer.”

  “Why would the killer want to tip you off?”

  “So the body would be found.”

  “Why would the killer care?”

  “So we’d pinpoint the time of the murder and know it happened right after Minami got out of jail.”

  “Then Minami isn’t the killer.”

  Harper frowned.

  “Unless you figure Minami made the call, in which case, explain to me why she would do that.”

  “I have no idea why she’d do that.”

  “Then your whole theory falls apart. That call proves, by irrefutable logic, that Minami couldn’t have done it.”

  “It proves nothing of the sort.”

  Cora waggled her hand. “Mmm. Wait’ll you hear Becky Baldwin tell it.”

  “Spare me.”

  “No, if the whole case hinges on the theory Minami made that call, you’re screwed, blued, and tattooed.” Cora frowned. “I’m not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds good, doesn’t it? No way in hell she makes that call. For no reason whatsoever. The call can only be the work of someone who knows Minami’s been let out of jail and wants to let her take the blame.”

  “So you say. But there could be a million reasons for calling. It could simply be some innocent bystander who doesn’t want to come forward. We get that type of call all the time.”

  “You can’t have an innocent bystander to a murder. If he’s a bystander, he isn’t innocent. He’s an accessory, at best.”

  “It’s possible Minami had an accomplice.”

  Cora groaned. “There you go, off on the wrong tangent, just like a donkey after a carrot. If Minami had an accomplice, the accomplice would have the same motivations as Minami. The accomplice wouldn’t be doing things to implicate Minami. The accomplice would be doing things to exonerate Minami. Good lord, why do I even bother?”

  Chief Harper looked at her narrowly. “You’re certainly vehement about this.”

  “Well, it’s so obvious.”

  “Things have been obvious before. And I have stated opposing views, just playing devil’s advocate. It usually spurs your creative mind. This time it infuriates you. I wonder why that is.”

  “If you’re going to do a psychological profile on me, I’m leaving.”

  “That reaction is interesting, too.”

  “No, no, no! You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be annoying, and say, ‘Aha! I’m annoying you, that must mean something!’”

  “Maybe not, but it’s certainly fun.” He smiled. “I haven’t had fun in a long time. You should try it, Cora. Competition makes you cranky.”

  “You think this is cranky. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

  Cora left the police station in a foul mood. Chief Harper had only two leads: the sudoku and the phone call.

  And she was responsible for both of them.

  Chapter 37

  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 b
ased 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.”

  Chapter 38

  “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.”