Lethal Luncheon (Puzzle Lady Mystery, a short story)

by Hall, Parnell

  Cora beamed like a teacher watching her prize pupil recite, as the cop left Betty Flagstaff, marched to table number ten, and put his hands on the shoulders of Marcy Fletcher.

  “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Cora said driving home.

  “No, not at all,” Sherry said ironically. “Someone got killed, and because of the quiche you were a murder suspect, but aside from that it went great.”

  Cora piloted the car around a curve, cursed at an oncoming driver who had swung a little wide. She came out of the turn, stepped on the gas. “You know the best thing about it?”

  “Sure. The case is solved.”

  Cora waved it away. “No, silly.” She grinned, her trademark Puzzle Lady grin. “It didn’t involve a damn crossword puzzle.”

  CIOPPINO: PUZZLE LADY STYLE

  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

  3 flat fillets of anchovies, drained

  6 cloves garlic, crushed

  1 bay leaf

  2 celery stalks, chopped

  1 medium onion, chopped

  1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers

  1 cup dry white wine

  1 1/2 cup water

  1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes

  1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dry thyme

  11/2 pounds cod or halibut, cut into 2-inch chunks

  Salt and pepper

  8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

  16 to 20 raw mussels, scrubbed

  In a large pot over moderate heat combine oil, crushed pepper, anchovies, garlic, and bay leaf. Let anchovies melt into oil.

  Add chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper. Saute a few minutes and add wine. Simmer the wine until reduced by about half. Then add water, tomatoes, and thyme. Bring sauce to boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.

  Season fish chunks with salt and pepper. Add fish and simmer 5 minutes. Add shrimp and mussels and cover pot. Cook 10 minutes.

  Serve with crusty bread.

  Serves 4.

  Books by Parnell Hall

  Stanley Hastings private eye mysteries

  Detective

  Murder

  Favor

  Strangler

  Client

  Juror

  Shot

  Actor

  Blackmail

  Movie

  Trial

  Scam

  Suspense

  Cozy

  Manslaughter

  Hitman

  Caper

  Stakeout

  Steve Winslow courtroom dramas

  The Baxter Trust

  Then Anonymous Client

  The Underground Man

  The Naked Typist

  The Wrong Gun

  The Innocent Woman

  Puzzle Lady crossword puzzle mysteries

  A Clue For The Puzzle Lady

  Last Puzzle & Testament

  Puzzled To Death

  A Puzzle In A Pear Tree

  With This Puzzle I Thee Kill

  And A Puzzle To Die On

  Stalking The Puzzle Lady

  You Have The Right To Remain Puzzled

  The Sudoku Puzzle Murders

  Dead Man’s Puzzle

  The Puzzle Lady vs. The Sudoku Lady

  The KenKen Killings

  $10,000 in Small, Unmarked Puzzles

  Arsenic and Old Puzzles

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Short Story

  Books by Parnell Hall