Part 24 (2/2)
Cora scanned the crossword, looking for something she could point to.
The word main jumped out at her.
”Look at that,” Cora said.
”What?”
”33 Across. Main. We have a Main Street in town.”
”Every town has a Main Street.”
”Every town doesn't have a murder and a crossword puzzle and a KenKen.”
Cora slapped the puzzle on the coffee table, headed for the door.
”Where are you going?” Bambi said.
”To check out this lead.”
”What lead? There's no lead. What are you talking about, 'this lead'?”
”Sherry, come with me. Aaron, keep feeding her coffee. You're doing a great job.”
Sherry ran after Cora, hopped into the car as Cora took off down the drive. ”Where are you going?”
”I'm following this new lead. One oh six Main Street. It seems very promising. I want to check it out.”
”Slow down. What's the hurry?”
”I want to get there before Bambi overpowers your hubby and catches up with us.”
”That's not going to happen.”
”You don't know for sure. Women have an amazing amount of strength where Melvin is involved. They can bench-press five times their own body weight.”
”Cora.”
”What's the street number of the police station?”
”I never noticed.”
”Me either. It would be embarra.s.sing if it was one oh six. But I don't think it has a number. I think it just says 'Police Station.' I mean, it's not that it doesn't have a number, I'm sure it has a number, it's just that it doesn't say the number.”
”Watch the road, will you?”
”I'm driving just fine. But you're right. It would be a h.e.l.l of a time to get pulled over.”
Cora cruised into town. The police station was indeed without a number. But the library across the street was 11.
”There you are,” Cora said. ”The police station must be ten or twelve or something. And, yes, the drugstore's eighteen. The numbers go up as you go out of town.”
Cora drove along Main. A half mile out of town, the houses got farther apart.
”Here we go. Let's see, ninety-six, a hundred, a hundred and two, a hundred and eight.”
Cora slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop.
”No hundred and six?” Sherry said.
”Shut up.”
”Gee, it was such a good theory.”
”It's still a good theory.”
”How?”
”It's a two-way street.”
”What?”
Cora wrenched the wheel through a U-turn, sped back toward town. Slowed as she neared the library.
”Okay, here we go. Eleven. Seven. Five. And we're at the corner. Look. See? The numbers start up again.”
”This is North Street,” Sherry said.
”North Main Street.”
”It's North Street.”
”So what? It's the same street. Did we turn a corner? No. We're going in a straight line.”
”I don't recall the word north in the puzzle.”
”I don't either.”
”So what made you try this way?”
”Because it wasn't that way.”
”Cora.”
”Sherry, I've got a gun in my purse. Actually, two guns. One I always have. The other is superfluous. I've gotta get rid of it. I'd like to do that without making us accessories to a murder. Which we would be if I threw it in the woods. Which is starting to look more and more tempting.”
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