The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady

by Parnell Hall

  Minami put herself in front of Michiko. “I will thank you not to question my niece. The policeman has told us not to talk. You are trying to make her disobey. You will get her into trouble.”

  Chief Harper came back out. “Well, you were right to call the police. Did you touch anything?”

  “No.” Minami pointed a finger accusingly. “This woman has been trying to talk to my niece.”

  “Tattletale.”

  “After you said not to. My niece is young. Impressionable. It is not right. It is not honorable.”

  Cora shrugged. “I never claimed to be as honorable as you. I just have better book sales.”

  Harper gave her a glance.

  Cora put up her hands. “All right, all right, I’ll be good. But what do you mean telling these women not to talk? Is there some sort of conspiracy of silence? It seems unlike your police department.”

  Harper ignored her and said to Minami, “Tell me what happened.”

  “You wish me to speak in front of her?”

  “As Miss Felton has pointed out, the police have nothing to hide. Go ahead.”

  Before Minami could answer, a hatchet-faced woman from the house across the street came walking up. “Is something wrong?”

  Harper exhaled in exasperation, and looked around for his officers. Neither of them were there yet. “Cora, you want to handle crowd control until Dan and Sam get here?”

  Cora put up her hands. “Sorry, Chief, I’m afraid I’m not authorized to do that.”

  “Something happened, didn’t it?” the woman said. “I almost called you myself.”

  “And why is that?” Chief Harper said.

  The hatchet-faced woman pointed at Minami. “I looked out my window and saw this woman running away from the house.” She nodded in agreement with herself. “I’m surprised she came back.”

  Chapter 23

  Cora’s heart stopped. Of all the bad things in the world that could have happened, this was the worst. Yeah, it was nice to see Minami get her comeuppance. But not like this. Not with an eyewitness. Not with one who saw her fleeing the house.

  It wasn’t just that Cora felt compassion for the woman. The icy dread that gripped her was not for her Japanese rival. No, it was the realization that if the nosy neighbor had seen that, there were other things she might have seen.

  Like Cora. Or Dennis. Or the actual murderer.

  Cora wouldn’t have minded the actual murderer much. It would have made for a dull and simple crime. Still, clearing the main participants of murder would be sufficient compensation.

  Good lord. She sounded like a walking thesaurus. Come on. Time to slip into gun-moll mode. You’re about to be arrested for a crime.

  But she wasn’t.

  The hatchet-faced busybody from across the street, Mrs. Thelma Wilson, was saying, “I went in the kitchen, and I was thinking I should call the police, and then the water boiled, and I was making tea and ramen noodles, so convenient, since they both need boiling water. And then when I had my lunch made, I wanted to eat it while it was hot, and by the time I got back to the window, you were already here.”

  Cora exhaled in relief. So, she was off the hook and Minami was on it, and all was right with the world.

  Cora immediately switched gears and prepared to align herself with the officers of the law in the swift execution of their solemn duty.

  “You’re sure this is the woman you saw coming out of the house?” Harper said.

  “That’s right.”

  “Perhaps you’d care to tell us what you were doing the first time you called on the woman,” Chief Harper said dryly. “When you came to see her, was she already dead? Or did she open the door and let you in?”

  “Aunt Minami! What is he saying? Tell him you didn’t do that!”

  “Sorry,” Harper said, “but it looks like she did. And you’re not supposed to do that. It’s called failing to report a crime.”

  Minami clamped her lips together.

  “Go ahead and tell him,” Cora said.

  Minami glared at her.

  So did Michiko.

  Chief Harper looked at her in surprise.

  “Tell him everything you did. Everything you can think of. Don’t leave anything out. Tell him every little detail.”

  In spite of herself, Minami couldn’t help asking, “Why?”

  “He now suspects you of a crime. He just said so. And he hasn’t informed you of your rights. Nothing you say can be used in evidence against you. It’s all inadmissible. He can’t get you for anything.”

  Harper’s mouth fell open. He whirled on Cora, his face red with rage.

  A police car screeched to a stop. Sam Brogan got out, his laconic manner in stark contrast to the speed of the vehicle. “What have we got here?” he drawled.

  “Crime scene. Check it out.”

  Sam popped his gum, wandered off.

  Harper turned back to Minami. “You’re under arrest on suspicion of being an accessory to murder. You have the right to remain silent …”

  Cora turned to Michiko. “Got a cell phone?”

  “Why?”

  “Call information. Ask for the number of Becky Baldwin.”

  Chapter 24

  Becky Baldwin came down the front steps of the police station.

  Cora was waiting to pounce. “I thought you’d never come out.”

  “I was talking to my client.”

  “Without me.”

  “It was a confidential conversation with my client.”

  “Exactly. That’s why I wanted to be there.”

  “I can’t let you do that.”

  “You’ve done it before.”

  “I’ve never had a client who was in direct competition with you before.”

  “That’s just stupid.”

  “Tell her about it. I suggested you might be of help, but she declined the offer. I pointed out that I’d often hired you as a private investigator. She claims she doesn’t need a private investigator. She’s a better investigator than you are, and she can’t wait to show you up.”

  “Oh, for goodness’ sake. Does the woman realize she’s charged with murder?”

  “I tried to impress it on her. She didn’t seem particularly concerned.”

  “Of course not. She’s stoic. It’s a cultural thing. What does she say about the murder?”

  “She knows nothing about the murder. Someone’s clearly trying to frame her.”

  “With the sudoku?”

  Becky frowned. “I’m afraid I can’t get into the specifics.”

  Cora was astounded. “What?”

  “I can’t discuss my client’s case with you.”

  “I got you the job!”

  “I’m grateful. But my primary duty is to my client.”

  “Go ahead and do it. No one’s stopping you. I fail to see how filling me in on the situation would make the slightest difference.”

  “I can’t really tell you that without filling you in on the situation.”

  “You want me to pull your hair out?”

  “I’d rather you didn’t.”

  “Becky, it’s me, Cora. You think I’ll tell you told? I’ll go to the grave rather than rat you out. Tell me what she said and I’ll tell you if it’s true.”

  “You’ll just get me in trouble.”

  “I promise I won’t let it slip.”

  “That’s what you think. When you’re on a case, nothing can stop you. You might not say anything, but if you started investigating something as a result of something I told you that you couldn’t have learned from any other source, it would be a dead giveaway. She’d know I told you, and there’d be hell to pay.”

  “You’re afraid I’ll get you fired?”

  “I’m afraid you’ll get me disbarred. This is one headstrong woman who wants her own way.” Becky shrugged. “I know, what a bizarre concept.”

  “Watch it.”

  “Anyway, the woman has chosen to confide in me. It was a confidential communication and
bound by attorney-client privilege. If it hadn’t been, she wouldn’t have made it. But she did and I have to respect it.”

  “Good lord, what’s the trouble? Is she guilty?”

  “Of course not. My clients are never guilty. It’s absurd. She came all the way from Japan to kill a woman she never met?”

  “I think there’s a Western like that.”

  “I’m sure there is. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation. I need the work. Sorry I can’t tell you anything, but that’s the way it goes.” Becky cocked her head. “So, are you free to investigate?”

  Cora’s mouth fell open. “Are you kidding me?”

  “It’s a serious charge. I intend to take every precaution.”

  “You want me to work for you and you won’t tell me why?”

  “You know why. To get a woman out of jail.”

  “You gonna tell her you’re hiring me?”

  “It’s none of her business.”

  “You’re gonna pass the bills along to her, aren’t you?”

  “Well, I’m not going to pay you myself.”

  “If she’s so snooty about her own detective skills, won’t she object?”

  Becky smiled. “Not if she doesn’t know.”

  Cora shook her head. “I’m going to kill you before this is over.”

  “I don’t hold a grudge. I’ll defend you of the charge.”

  “That’s nice of you. Okay, if I’m going to work for you, there’s some things I need to know. Why did your client come back to see the body again?”

  “I can’t answer that.”

  “Did your client plant a sudoku next to the body?”

  “I can’t answer that.”

  “That’s as good as an admission.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “If she didn’t, you could just deny it.”

  “I can’t and you know it. Then you could cherry-pick. Anything I didn’t deny, you’d know was true.”

  “You’re not denying she planted the sudoku, even though she didn’t?”

  “I can’t answer that.”

  “This is a hell of a situation.”

  “Isn’t it?” Becky cocked her head. “So, you want the job?”

  Chapter 25

  Chief Harper wasn’t pleased to see Cora. “You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Walking in here just like that.”

  “How do you want me to walk in?”

  “Don’t be cute. You sold me out. Undercut my interrogation, told a suspect I was doing it wrong, and made me look like a fool.”

  “Oh, come on, Chief. I don’t think you looked like that much of a fool.”

  “You got my suspect to clam up and call a lawyer.”

  “Well, Becky needed the work.”

  “It’s not funny, Cora. This was a very simple situation. All the woman had to do was explain. Instead, I got her in a holding cell, Becky Baldwin’s demanding her release, and Henry Firth is running around trying to figure how many things he can charge her with.”

  “Tell Ratface to calm down.”

  “Will you stop calling him Ratface?”

  “Well, tell him to stop poking his ratty nose in where it isn’t wanted. For a prosecutor, the guy’s a real busybody.”

  “You should talk.”

  “Chief!”

  “I’m sorry, Cora, but you give the woman advice like that. ‘Tell the chief anything you want; he’s so bad at procedure he won’t be able to get you on it.’”

  “That’s not exactly how I phrased it.”

  “That was the gist. What the hell were you doing?”

  “Come on, Chief. The woman was about to make a few evasive answers and walk out. Then you’d have nothing. Instead, she clams up and calls a lawyer and you got a suspect in jail.”

  “But she didn’t do it!”

  “Big deal. By the time she talks you’ll get the one who actually did do it, and everyone will be so pleased you arrested him, no one will care you arrested her.”

  “That whole argument would sound more plausible if you weren’t competing on the best-seller list.”

  “That’s cynical, even for you, Chief. Come on, whaddya got?”

  “I got nothing.”

  “You got the woman in jail. What’s her story?”

  “Becky won’t let her talk. Thanks to you. I ought to put you in jail.”

  “On what charge?”

  “Obstructing a police investigation.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m here to help you with the police investigation.”

  “You could have helped me by keeping quiet in the first place.”

  “The woman’s not stupid. I don’t like her, but she’s not stupid. She got caught with egg on her face. There were only two possibilities: There’s a simple explanation for what she did or there isn’t. If there’s a simple explanation, she’s gonna make it. It doesn’t matter what you say or I say or the neighbor says. She’s gonna say something like, ‘When I have a severe emotional shock, I get flustered and I can’t speak English, my thoughts are all in Japanese, and I need to talk to someone Japanese in order to snap me out of it.’”

  At Harper’s rather impatient look, Cora put up her hand. “Granted, that’s not a great example. I’m spitballing this off the top of my head. But the point is, if the explanation was that simple, that logical, that straightforward, and that unincriminating, she’d come out with it. Or even if she consulted a lawyer, her lawyer would come out with it. But that didn’t happen here. By forcing her hand, you’ve got her lawyer stonewalling, and you know something’s up. Which puts you at a tremendous advantage. You’re not the mean old police chief harassing a poor helpless woman—you’re the guy who asked a perfectly reasonable question and is waiting patiently for an answer in the face of an inexplicably elaborate stonewall.”

  Harper grumbled and shook his head. “You make it sound so logical.”

  “That’s only because it is, Chief. Now, in terms of the crime. You got a time of death yet?”

  “We’re not working together.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. That would seem like collusion. Particularly when I’m working for the other side.”

  “Becky Baldwin hired you?”

  “Shhh! Hey, don’t tell anyone. Her client would be pissed.”

  “You’re working for Becky Baldwin and you’re here trying to pump me for information for the defense?”

  “Don’t be silly. We’re on the same side. We want to catch the killer, whoever he or she may be. Notice I said or she, so as not to exempt the person currently behind bars. So, what do the facts show? Obviously nothing in the woman’s favor. If the evidence cleared her, you wouldn’t be in the embarrassing position of having to substantiate the charge.”

  “It’s not embarrassing if she happens to be guilty.”

  “Oh, come on, Chief. On your list of potential murder suspects, I would think a woman from Japan who didn’t know the victim would be pretty close to the bottom. Wouldn’t the husband be a slightly better prospect?”

  “Steve Preston was at work in Manhattan at the time of the crime.”

  “I thought you didn’t know the time of the crime.”

  “No, I just evaded the question. Barney hasn’t pinned it down, but we know generally.”

  “So what is it?”

  “I’m going to have to evade again.”

  “And you call me annoying.”

  “You are annoying. You’re a defense investigator, for goodness’ sake, and I’m letting you stay. What are you griping about?”

  Cora sighed, took out her cigarettes. “I don’t know. I’m in a bad mood. I don’t have a man. I gotta move out.”

  “And you can’t smoke.”

  “Oh, lash the dog!”

  “You’re lucky I don’t confiscate your cigarettes.”

  “You’re not helping with my bad mood. Where was I? No house, no man. Oh, yes, we’re in a recession. Times are tough. On top of everythin
g else, my ex-husbands could get wiped out. What would I do then?”

  Cora tapped a cigarette from the pack and took out her lighter.

  “You light that, I’ll throw you in jail.”

  Cora flicked the lighter defiantly. Stopped. Blew it out. “Say, there’s an idea.”

  Harper frowned. “What?”

  Cora smiled brightly. “Arrest me!”

  Chapter 26

  The steel door of the holding cell clanged shut.

  Cora put her hands on the bars and yelled, “You’ll never hold me, copper!”

  Chief Harper smiled grimly and went out, closing the door behind him.

  Cora sat on the cot, side-spied at Minami in the adjoining cell. “What are you in for, sister?”

  Minami stuck her nose in the air. “You think you are funny.”

  “I know I’m funny. I’m a female Groucho Marx.” Cora winced.

  “Just dated myself again. You probably never heard of him. Trust me, I’m hilarious.”

  “You are trying to get me to talk. You are, how do you say, a pigeon on a stool.”

  “A stool pigeon.”

  “That is the bird. It is not nice, and it will not work. Pretending to be put in jail so I will confide in you. Did you think I would fall for so obvious a trick? Call your police friend. Have him let you out.”

  “I would, but he can’t hear.”

  “What?”

  “The door is soundproofed. For the drunks. When they arrest a drunk, they don’t want to hear him all night.”

  “Then give the signal.”

  “What signal?”

  “Do you not wear a wire? A hidden microphone? A recording device?”

  “You’re clearly unfamiliar with the budget of the Bakerhaven Police Department. The only thing they ever record is Christmas carols on Dan Finley’s iPod.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “Just as well. There’s no wire, microphone, intercom, buzzer, or any other communication device with which to signal the chief. When he locks you up, you’re here until he comes back.” Cora cocked her head. “Did he give you the puzzle?”

  Minami said nothing and looked away.

  “He didn’t give you the puzzle? He gave me the puzzle. But he wouldn’t give me a pencil. Afraid I might stab somebody. So I have to solve it from memory. Wanna help?”