by Parnell Hall
A laptop computer sat open on a wooden desk. Peggy pushed ahead and closed it.
“So where was the puzzle?” Dan Finley said.
“Right here.” Peggy pointed to the desk next to the laptop.
“On the desk?”
“Yes.”
“Next to the laptop?”
“That’s right.”
“The laptop was there when the puzzle was taken?”
“Yes.”
“Someone took the puzzle and left the laptop?”
Peggy’s look said Duh. “The laptop’s still here.”
“I see that. You wanna lift it up?”
“The puzzle’s not under the laptop.”
“Lift it up.”
Peggy lifted the laptop. “See?”
“Turn the laptop over.”
“Why?”
“It might be stuck to the bottom.”
“It isn’t.”
“Turn it over.”
Peggy turned the laptop over. “Told you.”
“Well, it’s not there now.”
“It was never there.”
“Did you look?”
“What?”
“When you found the puzzle was missing? Did you look under the laptop?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it wasn’t there. Please. You’re asking silly questions. Can’t you find my puzzle?”
“I’m beginning to strongly doubt it,” Cora said. “Did you ask your brother if he took the puzzle?”
“He wasn’t here.”
“So you’re the only one who saw it?”
Peggy’s eyes widened. “Now you don’t believe me?”
“We believe you,” Dan Finley said soothingly. “We just want to eliminate all the places a puzzle might be.”
“Might be?” Peggy said. “It was right there.”
“Well, it’s not there now,” Cora said.
“Yeah, but what if it is?” Dan was getting a kick out of the idea. “Isn’t there a short story like that? The stolen letter is hidden in plain sight where no one can find it. Maybe that’s what happened here.”
“That’s ‘The Purloined Letter’ by Edgar Allan Poe. And there’s no parallel at all. The letter was hidden in the apartment of the man who stole it. The police knew it was there, they just couldn’t find it. We’re in the room of the person it was stolen from. If it was here, it wouldn’t be stolen at all.”
“Even so.”
“Even so, Dan? That’s like saying a kumquat isn’t quite the same as a snowblower.”
Peggy was looking back and forth like a spectator at a tennis match. She’d been trying to follow the conversation, but kumquats and snowblowers was too much. “What are you two talking about? My puzzle was stolen. It’s a simple crime. The type you handle every day. Why is this so hard?”
“You wanna take that one, Cora?” Dan said.
“Not really, but I’ll give it a try. The problem here is, the value of the article taken raises doubts as to the probability of actual theft, suggesting it was merely mislaid.”
Peggy stuck her chin out defiantly. “That would be true if we knew the value of the article taken. But we don’t know the value of the article taken because the puzzle wasn’t solved. If it had been solved, it might be very valuable to some person for some reason or other. I don’t know who and I don’t know why. That’s not my department. That’s supposedly yours. But if you ask me, there’s every indication that puzzle is extremely valuable.”
“Oh,” Dan said. “And why is that?”
Peggy looked at him as if he were a moron. “Because it’s gone.”
Chapter
8
Peggy, Dan, and Cora came out the front door of the farmhouse to find Peggy’s brother on his way in from the car.
“So you sent for reinforcements?” he said. “What, that other guy couldn’t handle it?”
“The puzzle was stolen.”
“What?”
“Someone came in my room and took it. Was it you?”
“Why would I do that?”
Cora smiled. The man was way too young for her, still it was a reflex reaction to a handsome man. “If we knew your motive, we’d be hauling you downtown,” she said good-naturedly. “Your sister reported her puzzle stolen. She’d like us to find it. You didn’t take it, did you? Just to look at, perhaps?”
“Of course not. Why would I care about a crossword puzzle,” he said. Then, realizing she was the Puzzle Lady, added, “No offense meant.”
“Oh, none taken. I quite agree. It’s just a stupid puzzle. But if it’s stolen property, it needs to be recovered.”
“Well, good luck with that.”
“Thank you,” Dan Finley said. “And you could help us. Is your room upstairs?”
“Yeah.”
“You mind letting us look around? If the puzzle got moved from one room to another for any reason, it would be nice to put this case to bed.”
“There’s no point. It isn’t in my room.”
Cora smiled. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t satisfy a police report. Self-serving declaration, you understand.”
“I understand, I just can’t help you. The puzzle isn’t there.”
“So you wouldn’t mind letting us see?”
He frowned. “I would, actually. I told you it isn’t there, and I don’t lie. I mean, come on, Peggy, would I take your puzzle? I didn’t even know you had one.”
“Maybe not,” Cora said. “But if you were walking by her door and just saw it on her desk…”
“Walking by her door? She’s at the end of the hall. I don’t walk by her door.”
“Or if she forgot she was holding the puzzle and accidentally left it in your room.”
“Peggy doesn’t go in my room. And I don’t go in hers. We respect each other’s property.”
“Then you must be up for Siblings of the Month,” Cora said. “Brothers and sisters usually fight like cats and dogs. Anyway, it’s foolish to try to come up with scenarios in which this could have happened. The question is whether it could have happened at all. And it’s easily answered by taking a look at your room.”
“I’ll look at my room. And if I find the puzzle, I’ll let you know. Or I’ll just give it to her, which would be more convenient since she happens to live here.”
Dan Finley’s interest was perking up. “You’re not going to let us look in your room?”
“Not unless you have a search warrant.”
“That’s rather silly, under the circumstances.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sakes, Johnny,” Peggy said. “Let them look in your room and be done with it. I want them to find my puzzle. They’re never going to do it while they’re hung up on you.”
“Sorry. It’s a matter of principle. I’m willing to fight for my country, but I’m not willing to give up the freedoms I’m fighting for.”
“I understand,” Dan Finley said. “Okay, Cora, let’s go.”
“You’re giving up just like that?” Peggy said incredulously.
“Not at all. But your brother’s right. We can’t search his room without a warrant.”
Dan and Cora climbed into the police car.
“Are you getting a warrant?” Peggy said.
Dan stuck his head out the window. “That’s up to the chief.”
Chapter
9
“Well, that’s interesting,” Dan said as they drove away.
“Not really,” Cora said.
“Are you kidding me? The brother, a total nonstarter, is suddenly a person of interest in the crime. Demanding a search warrant. How stupid is that?”
“I’d say it’s high on the list.”
“It’s practically a confession. No, I didn’t take the puzzle, and if you don’t believe me that’s tough, but I won’t let you look and see.”
“You think he stole the puzzle?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not to me.”
“Oh, come on, Cora. Are you kidding me? What, a handsome man, he must be innocent?”
“That hadn’t even occurred to me.”
“Maybe not consciously. I’m just saying. Those are the actions of a guilty man. Why would you think anything else?”
“I’ve been married to some guilty men. At least guilty of something. Usually it wasn’t felonies. Unless you count Melvin.”
“Come on, Cora. If the guy didn’t take the puzzle, why wouldn’t he want to prove it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s got drugs. Or a bunch of porn mags.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Oh, you come on. The guy doesn’t want us to search his room. What’s he more likely not to want us to find? Drugs, pornography, or a crossword puzzle?”
“Yeah, but if he stole the crossword puzzle…”
“Then the whole world is turned upside down. Crossword puzzle theft is not high on your list of felonies. Unless you count plagiarism, and I try not to count plagiarism because it gives me a headache. I like a crime you can actually see. Anyway, demanding a search warrant isn’t the act of a man with a crossword puzzle. It’s the act of a man with a murder weapon.”
“Too bad no one’s been murdered,” Dan said.
“Bite your tongue.”
“Well, for my money the guy has the crossword puzzle, and as soon as we were out of there he put the puzzle someplace where his sister would find it, so she’d call up and tell us we can stop looking for it.”
“That’s not going to happen. But if it does, you don’t say, ‘Fine, we’ll swing by and pick it up.’ You say, ‘Fine, now you can give it to Harvey Beerbaum and get it solved.’ Just keep me out of it. I’ve already had more trouble than I can stand over a puzzle that may not even exist.”
The police radio crackled.
Dan scooped it up. “Yeah, Chief.”
“You on your way back from the girl’s house?”
“That’s right.”
“Better turn around. Her brother just called.”
Dan shot Cora a look of triumph. “Cora doesn’t want to, Chief. She says give the puzzle to Harvey.”
“What puzzle?”
“Didn’t her brother find a crossword puzzle?”
“No. He found a bloodstained knife.”
Chapter
10
Dan Finley pointed to the knife on Johnny’s desk. “This is where you found it?”
“No, it was under my pillow.”
“You picked it up?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to leave it there.”
“Why’d you look under your pillow?”
“Because of what you said. You made such a fuss about someone could have left it in my room. So I went up to my room to look.”
“You searched your room?”
“No, I just looked around.”
“Why’d you look under your pillow?”
“The bed was made. The pillow should have been straight, but it was actually askew. I didn’t leave it that way. So I looked.”
“That’s not your knife?” Cora said.
“Of course not. If it was my knife, I’d have cleaned it and put it away.”
“You’re used to cleaning bloody knives?”
“Lady, I was in combat. I seen a lot worse than a bloody knife. My own equipment I keep clean. Because it could save your life.”
Dan Finley took out a plastic evidence bag. “All right, I’ll bag this, for all the good it’ll do. I’m going to need your fingerprints for comparison. I hope there’s some on the knife that aren’t yours.”
“Anyone been stabbed with a knife recently?” Cora said.
Peggy gave her a look.
Cora shrugged. “Well, you can’t have somebody stabbed with a knife without a somebody. Not that I’m wishing anyone harm, but if they’ve already had it, it would be nice to know.”
“Is she always this weird?” Peggy asked Dan.
“No, she’s on her best behavior,” Dan said. “Usually she’s positively loopy.”
“We’re not trying to give you a hard time,” Cora said. “But you start out with a stolen puzzle and you find a bloody knife, and there’s no rhyme or reason for either occurrence, I would have to argue it’s not me that’s odd.”
“You’re saying it’s odd I reported the knife?” Johnny said. “If it turned out something was wrong and I didn’t report the knife, you’d be making a big deal out of the fact I didn’t.”
“You absolutely did the right thing,” Dan Finley said. “No question. Now then, do you know anyone who has a knife like this? Is there anyone around who could have left this knife?”
“I’ve been working, so I haven’t been around much.”
“Oh? What do you do?”
“I show houses for Judy Douglas Knauer.”
Chapter
11
“What’s the matter, Cora?” Chief Harper said.
Dan Finley had dropped Cora off at the police station. She’d been on her way to her car when the chief ran out to stop her.
“What do you mean, what’s the matter? Nothing’s the matter.”
“Dan Finley said this guy mentioned working for Judy Douglas Knauer and you went white as a sheet.”
“Dan’s young and impressionable.”
“Dan’s not that young and not that impressionable. He knows you all too well. The guy with the bloody knife works for Judy Douglas Knauer. Why does that frighten you?”
“Melvin’s working with Judy Douglas Knauer.”
“I see. So you immediately envision the bloodstained corpse of Judy Douglas Knauer popping up and Melvin in jail for the murder.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I’m not claiming it happened. I’m saying that was your first thought.”
“Melvin’s not a killer.”
“He’s never been caught.”
“He’s never been caught because he doesn’t do the crime. Good God, you’re making all this up from Dan Finley’s impression of my reaction?”
“I’m making all this up from the fact I have an unaccounted for bloody knife. It’s somewhat unusual to have a murder weapon without a crime. Nonetheless, I’m treating it seriously. I’m having the fingerprints lifted, and I’m having the blood analyzed. So if a dead body does drop in my lap, I won’t be caught flatfooted. Now, since you have your own irrational suspicions, if you want to help me out, why don’t you call Judy Douglas Knauer and ask her if she’s still alive. And if you’ve got his cell phone number, I suggest you call Melvin, too.”
“I don’t have Melvin’s cell phone number.”
“Get it from Judy.”
Chapter
12
“Do you know Johnny Dawson?”
Melvin greeted the question with a short, pungent expletive.
“I take it you do,” Cora said.
Cora had tracked Melvin down at the bar in the Country Kitchen by the simple expedient of calling his cell phone. She had his cell phone number, though she felt no inclination to let Chief Harper in on the fact. But Melvin, no matter how unlikable, undesirable, or in or out of favor, was a man of many talents, who often was useful in a delicate situation, such as when someone needed to be blackmailed, extorted, or bluffed.
“He’s too young for you, Cora. Hell, he’s too young for your daughter.”
“I don’t have a daughter.”
“I rest my case. Good-looking mindless boys that age are a menace. They shouldn’t be allowed.”
“What’s he done to you?
“He hasn’t done anything to me. He hasn’t noticed me. I don’t think he knows I exist. Come on. I mean, here I am, all set to run a perfectly good scam on a naive and unsuspecting real estate agent, and she takes on a young stud as an apprentice. Just another stumbling block in my path to fortune.”
“Have you crossed paths with the young man?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“You exchanged words?”
“No
t really.”
“What does that mean?”
“I might have cursed at him when he cut me off in the parking lot.”
“Ever stab him with a knife?”
“Is that a suggestion? It’s not bad.”
“He ever stab you?”
“I think I’d have noticed that. What are you getting at, Cora?”
“Someone left a bloody hunting knife under Johnny’s pillow.”
“Like in The Godfather?”
“That was a horse’s head.”
“Same idea.”
“Not really. No one was trying to frame the guy for murder with a horse.”
“You think someone’s trying to frame this guy for murder?”
“That’s one idea.”
“Wouldn’t you need a dead body first?” Melvin threw back the rest of his scotch. “I wish you hadn’t quit drinking. You were so much easier to get into bed.”
“As if that were ever a problem.”
“You’re saying it’s not?”
“I was married to you, Melvin. Surely you remember. It was back when you were dating that young blonde.”
“Why rehash old times?”
“You started it.”
“How did I start it?”
“With your sexy horsehead talk.”
Melvin grimaced. “Just when I thought you were going to say something sweet, you go for the wisecrack.”
“Unfortunately, I have to keep at arm’s length with you, Melvin.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what you’re up to. You show up in town, a bloody knife pops up, and a crossword puzzle disappears.”
“Crossword puzzle?”
“The sister of the kid with the bloody knife. Someone stole her crossword puzzle.”
“And I care about this why?”
“It’s another reason you’re not getting me into bed.”
“You just said that to be mean.”
“How well you know me. So, that would be a no on did you stab Johnny.”
“That would be a neat trick with him finding the knife under his pillow.”
“It would. On the other hand, I couldn’t rule out Johnny stabbing you until you showed up alive and breathing. Should I be fearing for the health of Judy Douglas Knauer?”
“Not unless she marries the young punk. As it is, he’s just after her money.”
