Part 36 (2/2)
”Well, when you put it like that...”
”Cora.” Becky shook her head ruefully. ”The only way out of this mess is for me to contact Chief Harper immediately. Tell him that you've apprised me of the fact he's looking for a crossword puzzle to go with the KenKen that was found at the scene of the crime. That I had previously received a crossword puzzle slipped under my door. That I had no idea what it was until I heard from you. That the minute I did I immediately contacted him and turned it over.”
”Works for me,” Cora said.
Becky frowned, looked at her. ”What do you mean, it works for you? Then the chief has the evidence and we don't have any idea what it is.”
”Well, I a.s.sume he'll give us a copy to play with.”
”You think so? After we held out on him?”
”We didn't hold out on him. At least, not this.”
”Yeah. You know it and I know it. You think the chief is going to believe it? We'll be lucky if he lets us see it at all.”
”He's going to want it solved.”
”Yeah, but not by you. Hasn't Harvey Beerbaum been helping him out with puzzles lately?”
”Only with things that don't matter. Harvey can solve the puzzles just fine, but he can't figure out what they mean.”
”That's all well and good. But I'm not giving it to Chief Harper without you solving it first.”
”He's not going to like that.”
”He's going to love it. We're giving him the puzzle and the solution without him having to ask.”
”It's not a good idea.”
”Why not?”
”You said so yourself. You held out on the chief. I held out on the chief. But we didn't know it. We got together and realized we were doing it. So what did we do? Give him the puzzle? No, we solved it to make sure there wasn't anything incriminating in it.”
”That's not what we're doing.”
”That's what it will look like.”
”Of course it will look like that. Because that's exactly what we're doing. Don't you want to know what the puzzle says?”
”How could it possibly help?”
”I don't know, because I don't know what the puzzle says. But I sure as h.e.l.l intend to. So, you want me to act as your lawyer, you tell me what the d.a.m.n thing says.”
Cora heaved a deep sigh. ”Aw, h.e.l.l.” She picked up the phone, punched in the number. ”Sherry? Aaron still there?... No, I don't want to talk to him. I'm at Becky Baldwin's office. Get him off his duff and get him to drive you down here just as fast as he can.”
CHAPTER.
48.
Becky couldn't believe it. ”You can't do crossword puzzles?”
”Number puzzles I can do just fine. Crossword puzzles drive me nuts. When Sherry and Aaron were on their honeymoon, I had Harvey Beerbaum solve the puzzles for me.”
”You're kidding.”
”I had to tell him. He wasn't shocked. He said a lot of constructors can't solve puzzles.”
”And that's you?”
”I can't solve worth a d.a.m.n.”
”Will you guys shut up?” Sherry said. ”I'm working here.”
”Oh, look at that,” Cora said. ”She gets to flaunt her expertise, and suddenly she's a diva.”
”You want me to solve this or not?”
”Well, I'd like to know if it's about me.”
”Why would it be about you?” Becky said.
”It wouldn't,” Cora said. She hoped it was true.
”Maybe it is about you,” Sherry said. ”24 Down is 'Foul-mouthed.' ”
”Is the answer 'Cora'?” Becky said.
”No, but it's six letters starting with F. Could be 'Felton.' ”
”If you fudge the answer to spell Felton, I am so going to get you,” Cora said.
”Like I'd do that.”
”I don't know what you'd do,” Cora said. ”You've been acting so erratic lately.”
”What do you mean, lately?” Becky said.
”Ask Mom and Pop.”
”Mom and Pop? I knew you were building an addition, but-”
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