Lethal Luncheon (Puzzle Lady Mystery, a short story)
Page 3
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