by Parnell Hall
“Are you accusing Minami of that crime, too?”
“Of course not. My client didn’t kill anyone. As the evidence will show.”
“I certainly hope so. Still, I find it strange, you pushing for murder under the circumstances. But let’s move on. The second death is much more illuminating. First, because it’s second. That sounds silly, doesn’t it? But it happens to be the case. The most telling thing about Sheila Preston’s death is that it happens to be the second time. Two accidents inside of a week? I don’t think so. Not to two women who might or might not have been involved with each other’s husbands, yada, yada, yada. No, this is clearly something else, and as if there was any doubt, a sudoku was left at the scene. What do you make of that, Mr. Swartzman?”
“It’s exactly what it seems like. Someone is trying to frame Minami for the crime.”
“That would be handy, wouldn’t it? If the sudoku suggested a frame. That would be the best of all possible worlds. The Sudoku Lady would be involved without any peril to herself. Unfortunately, the police and prosecution took the sudoku at face value, and arrested Minami for the murder.”
“Which is utterly ridiculous.”
“Granted. But, my, what publicity. You couldn’t have asked for anything better, could you?”
“Believe me, it’s not what I wanted.”
“Really? An incredible spike in sales? My agent takes a percentage of my earnings. Are you telling me you do it for love? That jump in sales benefits you enormously. If you bring the woman here from Japan at great expense and her book tanks, everyone’s blaming you. But if sales go through the roof, you’re a miracle worker, a super-agent, a go-to guy.”
Swartzman smiled. “I’m afraid that’s out of my control.”
“Is it really? After the showdown at the police station where Minami failed to prove a crime, you took it on yourself to repair the damage, to do something about it, to make her look good. Because that, of course, was the whole point. You yourself started investigating, pushing for anything that could help your client. You laid the groundwork for a story of infidelity and betrayal and backstabbing. I bet if we dug deep enough, we’d find that all of the rumors about the alleged affairs between the various husbands and wives could be traced at least indirectly back to you.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Is it? I bet you spoke to a lot of people. So far, no one’s commented on it because it’s peripheral and unimportant, but I’m willing to bet you approached the parties involved. Or are you telling me you never spoke to either of the husbands, Jason Fielding or Steve Preston?”
“Of course I talked to them. It’s only natural that I would. After all, my client’s been accused—”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Cora said, holding up her hand. “But I bet if we pinned it down, we’d find you spoke to them even before her arrest.”
“What’s your point?”
“Did you speak to them before her arrest?”
“She was arrested twice.”
“Her first arrest.”
“With so much happening, how could I possibly remember?”
Cora nodded approvingly. “Good tack to take. A denial could be a disaster, if it turned out to be wrong.” She grimaced. “Even so, it’s a problem. See, you’re allowing for the fact you might have been questioning people before Minami went to jail. If you didn’t do it, you don’t have to allow for it. There’s no how-can-I-remember about it. You can remember very easily. Her being arrested was what set you off. See what I mean?”
“Finally, a question!” Henry Firth said. “Your Honor, is she going to be allowed to make these speeches?”
“If that’s an objection, it’s overruled,” Judge Hobbs said. “I’m interested in this line of questioning. The witness may answer.”
Swartzman smiled. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recall the question.”
“The question is simple,” Cora said. “How is it possible you can’t remember whether it was before or after Minami was arrested for the first time when you questioned people? You either had a reason to do so before her arrest or you didn’t.”
“Well—”
“Well, what?”
“I was interested.”
“Are you saying you did?”
“I’m saying I might have. I was promoting the idea. I was frustrated by the fact it wasn’t going anywhere. I made up my mind to look into it. See what I mean? And I did look into it. But whether she was arrested before or after I began to look into it, I’m not sure. The sequence of events is the only thing confusing me. And after all that’s happened, that’s only natural.”
“It’s only natural, but it’s not convincing. It sounds like the type of justification a person thinks up because they have to. Because they have to justify a lie. So why would you lie? You may not have killed Sheila Preston. Let’s say you didn’t. That suits me—I don’t even think it’s a murder. So let’s say you didn’t. Then why would you lie? Why wouldn’t you tell the absolute truth? Why would you need to cover your tracks with vague, unconvincing statements about having decided to question people but not remembering when you started to do so? If you talked to Sheila Preston, you’d know whether it was before or after Minami was arrested. Because Minami was arrested for killing Sheila Preston. And you may be a great agent, but I doubt if you can interview the dead. So, let me ask you point-blank—did you talk to Sheila Preston?”
“No, I did not.”
“Of course not. Because, if you had, you would know for a fact it was before Minami was arrested. But if you never spoke to Sheila Preston, why would you feel guilty enough to hedge your bets about when you began talking to people about the crime? Is there anything with regard to this case you might not wish to admit?”
Cora held up one finger. “Yes, there is.
“The sudoku.
“The sudoku found with the body. Which resulted in Minami getting arrested and precipitated this entire situation. I put it to you, Mr. Swartzman, if you began questioning the witnesses in this case and got to Sheila Preston and walked in and found her dead, well, a lot of things might have occurred to you. The first is, this proved the Sudoku Lady right. She said it was a murder, and it was a murder. The second death proved it. Unless you believe in coincidences, there was no other explanation.
“However, Minami had just been at the police station, where her ideas were totally undermined. She had lost favor with the police, who would be much more inclined to listen to me, the Puzzle Lady, local girl who has been right in the past, than some upstart foreigner who has already been proven wrong.
“How could you ensure the fact Minami would be taken seriously? Simple. You were carrying samples of her work. You merely leave one with the body. A sudoku with the corpse and it’s a natural the Sudoku Lady will be called in to solve the crime. What you didn’t count on was her being accused of it.”
“I assure you, I did nothing of the sort.” Swartzman sneered.
“No? I can see why you wouldn’t want to admit it in front of your client, considering the position she’s in. But it’s really not your fault. The sudoku wouldn’t have implicated her if she hadn’t called on the decedent. Thelma Wilson saw her go in. Thelma Wilson saw her come out. Minami had a lot of poise, but I doubt if she’s as good as you are at hiding the fact she just saw a corpse. She found the body, saw the sudoku lying next to it, freaked out, and ran.
“You can’t really blame her. She was afraid to call the police under the circumstances, for fear they would think exactly what they did. She had to report the crime, but she wanted to find the body in the presence of a witness. She ran and got her niece and came back. Unfortunately, she was too late. The police caught her there, and Thelma Wilson volunteered the information that it was her second visit, and that’s all she wrote.
“So, why did the killer leave a sudoku on the body of Thelma Wilson? Copycat. Not copycat crime, copycat puzzle. If the sudoku implicates the Sudoku Lady, wonderful. Let’s implicate her again. The killer doesn�
�t want to be caught for the crime. The killer’s perfectly happy to have a fall guy.” Cora grimaced. “I suppose I should say fall person. I just get fed up with these PC terms.
“Anyway, Minami’s released from jail, and lo and behold, what should turn up but another body with a sudoku attached. Naturally, the police arrest her again, and there she sits.
“The question now is who killed Thelma Wilson? It wasn’t Minami, for no matter how inclined the police might be to take the evidence at face value, there is no way the woman is so colossally stupid as to commit another murder the minute she gets out of jail and, just in case the police didn’t think to suspect her, leave a sudoku along with it. Not possible, didn’t happen. The Sudoku Lady is innocent. We have to look somewhere else.
“And here we have no lack of suspects. As I’ve already pointed out, Dennis Pride is a prime example. Thelma Wilson tried to blackmail him for going into Sheila Preston’s house. I know, I know, I haven’t been allowed to introduce it into evidence because his lawyer won’t let him talk, and his lawyer is also her lawyer, and that’s why we’re here. But just for the sake of argument, let’s say he was in Sheila Preston’s house and got a blackmail note. And just for the sake of argument, let’s say you were in Sheila Preston’s house. You’d have to have been to leave the sudoku. And if Thelma Wilson saw you there, you’d get a blackmail note. Isn’t that what happened?”
“Most certainly not.”
“‘Most certainly not’? That’s a rather vehement denial. ‘No’ would suffice. But that isn’t enough for you. You’re absolutely certain. Forgive me for saying so, but that’s the type of finality that leads one to think there is doubt.
“So, say you got a blackmail note. You’d be in a position of having to confront Thelma Wilson. And if she accused you of killing Sheila Preston, you might have to kill her.”
“That’s ridiculous. I didn’t kill Sheila Preston.”
“I never said you did. I said if she accused you of it. Thelma Wilson made a lot of accusations. The woman was like Babe Ruth. She hit home runs, but she struck out a lot, too. So, if she accused you of something you hadn’t done, but it might look like you had, she would put you in a very bad position. You might have to kill her.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Even though it would hurt your client. You might have to kill her and leave the sudoku.”
“I did nothing of the sort!”
“The police found your fingerprints on the sudoku.”
“Impossible! I didn’t leave that sudoku!”
Cora’s head snapped up. “You didn’t leave that sudoku? Are you telling me you left the other sudoku?”
“No. I didn’t leave any sudoku.”
“Then why did you specify that one?”
“Because that was the one you were talking about.”
Cora shook her head. “Nice cover, but it doesn’t fly. Your first reaction was, ‘Oh, my God, the police must have mixed up the sudoku. They must be talking about the one I left at Sheila’s house.’”
“No, it wasn’t. I didn’t do it.”
“Oh, no? I explained it’s a perfectly innocent action on your part. Drumming up some publicity for your client. But I can see why you wouldn’t want to admit leaving it, because that would make it look like you left the second one, which would make it look like you killed Thelma Wilson. Which we know you didn’t do.”
Swartzman, in mid-denial, stopped, let out his breath in a sigh. He blinked twice. “Then what are you getting at?”
Cora grinned. “Felt good, didn’t it? To hear yourself cleared of the one thing you’d been afraid of. The only crime you actually did. Because that’s all you’re guilty of. Killing Thelma Wilson, who tried to blackmail you for the crime you didn’t do. Killing Sheila Preston. Which wasn’t a murder at all but a case of self-defense.”
Henry Firth was on his feet. “Oh, Your Honor—”
Judge Hobbs cut him off in mid-objection. “Silence. Whatever you’re about to say is overruled. Miss Felton, can you put that in the form of a question?”
Cora frowned. “Funny. You don’t look like Alex Trebek. But I’ll give it a shot. Mr. Swartzman, is it or is it not true that you killed Sheila Preston in legitimate self-defense? You called on her and tried to enlist her aid in bolstering the stories you were spreading. She was enraged to find you were telling lies about her husband and her poor, dead friend. She flew at you in a blind fury. Which effectively made her murder self-defense. If you’d called the cops, you might have made that stick. Only you couldn’t afford to. Even if you beat the rap, it would have killed your career when it came out what you were up to. So you took lemons and made lemonade. If the police were going to think it was a murder, it might as well be a useful murder. You left the sudoku, got the hell out of there, and the rest is history.”
Cora smiled. “I’m sorry. That was supposed to be in the form of a question, so I’ll ask one.” She cocked her head at the agent. “Don’t you feel stupid now?”
Chapter 51
Chief Harper came in the door of his office to find Cora Felton waiting for him.
“Oh. You’re here.”
“You don’t sound pleased.”
“It’s been a long day.”
“Well, I had to find out what happened.”
“You know what happened. You exposed Minami’s agent as the killer and made me look like a fool.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. But, trust me, Chief, you didn’t come off half as bad as Judge Hobbs and Ratface.”
“I told you not to call him that.”
“Why not? He’s a judge.”
“Cora.”
“The case is over, Chief. It’s good news for everyone. You’re the arresting officer—you get the credit.”
“But you figured it out.”
“That’s what I do. And I only have to because we have such diabolically clever killers in this town. The average killer shoots his wife because she pisses him off. I’m sure you’d have no trouble solving that.”
“Thanks a lot.” Chief Harper flopped down in his desk chair and glared at Cora. “Would you take off that ridiculous karate outfit?”
“Why, Chief Harper! And you, a married man.”
“Don’t kid around. I’m not in the mood.”
“So, let’s have it. Did Swartzman confess?”
Harper shook his head. “Clammed up and asked for a lawyer. Bit of a problem. Becky Baldwin wouldn’t take the case. Something about a conflict of interest.”
“Oh, well, we wouldn’t want that.”
“He called someone in New York, but it’s gonna take the guy a while to get here.”
“Tough break.”
“Yeah.”
“What about Minami?”
“Becky’s bailing her out. Her niece is waiting to pick her up.” Harper’s eyes narrowed. “Was she in on your charade?”
“Why, Chief Harper, you see conspiracies everywhere.”
“Yeah.”
“You need any help breaking Swartzman?”
“I don’t think so. Since your little stunt, people have been coming forward. There’s a whole bunch can attest to Swartzman creeping around poking his nose in. Dan’s taking witness statements now. All in all, Henry Firth’s pretty damn happy.”
“I live to make his day.”
Sherry Carter and Becky Baldwin came in, giggling like schoolgirls. It was the friendliest Cora had seen them together since Sherry married Becky’s old boyfriend.
“Hey, kids,” Cora said, “what’s so funny?”
“Minami’s a free woman,” Sherry said.
“So?”
“So,” Becky said, “she no longer requires my services. Which effectively resolves the conflict of interest. I am now completely free to represent Dennis Pride. I began by advising the son of a bitch to get the hell out of town before someone arrests him for violating his restraining order.”
“She did,” Sherry said, “and before he could argue with her,
I showed up and he had to leave. As long as Becky and I stick together, he has to stay a hundred yards away from her.”
“But he still has to pay me,” Becky said. “I really like the arrangement.”
The door burst open and a cloud of silk swept in, with a teenager in tow.
“Ah, Miss Felton!” Minami cried, “I am so glad you are here. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Don’t sweat it. It was fun, wasn’t it?”
Minami’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, it was. I have solved crimes, but you do the spectacular. You stage events. It is exciting.”
“Oh, no,” Michiko said, “now look what you’ve done. There will be no holding her back. I know her. She is going to do the same thing when we get home.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Cora said. “You have to let the old girl have some fun.”
“Old? I am not old.”
“Of course not. Well, maybe compared to me. But you are still young at heart.”
Minami looked at her. “You joke. I do not mind. Today you can do whatever you want. I am free again and everything is all right.”
“Of course, you may need a new agent.”
“I may. But that should not be hard to find. The book is doing well.”
“Now there’s an understatement.”
“You must come to Japan. Perhaps we could solve a crime together there.”
“I don’t know,” Cora said. “My Japanese is not as good as your English.”
“You know Japanese?”
“A little. Toyota. Mitsubishi.”
“I could translate for you,” Michiko said.
“That’s all I need,” Cora said. “A teenage interpreter. I’ll wind up getting tattooed at a Japanese rock concert.”
“I would not do that,” Michiko said.
“No, but she would.” Sherry smiled. “Don’t trust her, Minami. The woman is a bad influence.”
“I thank you for the warning.” Minami bowed to Cora. “Still, you are welcome.”
“Sure, now that I saved you from a murder rap. Tomorrow it will be, ‘What have you done for me lately?’”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
Minami smiled. “The best-seller list.”
