by Parnell Hall
“Uh huh. What about Melvin Crabtree?”
“Who?”
“The defendant. He works for you.”
“Oh. Him. He doesn’t really work for me. He picked up a few brochures, asked me if he managed to move a house if he could keep whatever he got over the list price as a finder’s fee. I said sure, but I didn’t expect much. He hasn’t sold any. He hasn’t shown any, either, at least on the inside. He’d have to get a key. At least I hope he would.”
“He ever made any advances at you?”
“Not that I noticed.”
“Not even a subtle hint?”
“He’s not around much. I’ve got a young man helping me, doing some actual work. Johnny Dawson. He’s got keys, shows houses. Nothing sold yet, but he’s got potential.”
“Has he now?”
Judy frowned. “Was that catty?” her eyes widened. “Oh, for goodness’ sakes. Melvin is Cora’s ex. Has she been getting the wrong idea?”
“With Melvin, any idea is the wrong idea.”
“She’s barking up the wrong tree.” Judy sighed. “Poor, Cora.”
Chapter
60
“Very well,” Judge Hobbs said. “Defendant is released on ten thousand dollars bail.”
“I have it here, Your Honor,” Becky said.
Cora squeezed Becky’s arm hard. “If I find out you got that from Melvin,” she whispered.
“Try not to maim me till we get outside.”
“I mean it, Becky. If it’s his money, I won’t go.”
“Your niece posted bail. And a good thing, too. I can’t have all my clients in jail. Just hang on till we get outside.”
Rick Reed was waiting to pounce.
“Maybe hang on a little longer,” Becky said.
“Cora Felton, is it true you’ve been arrested trying to free your ex-husband?”
“Just keep walking,” Becky said.
Cora broke free. “Yeah, Rick. I staged a jailbreak. I baked a file inside a pie.”
“It’s no laughing matter. This is a very serious charge.”
“Don’t I know it, Rick. Have you ever tasted my cooking? That pie poisoned the whole cellblock.”
Becky pulled Cora away. “Must you?”
“Rick Reed brings out the worst in me.”
“Melvin doesn’t do a bad job, either.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Can you wait till we’re alone?”
Becky hustled Cora up to her office.
“Okay,” Becky said. “If you want to say something stupid, here’s the place.”
“I don’t want to say something stupid. I just want to figure this out.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You can start off by leveling with your lawyer.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the Melvin factor.” Becky put up her hand before Cora could bite her head off. “No, I don’t want to hear it. That’s the whole problem. Everything about this case is Melvin, Melvin, Melvin. And I don’t believe it’s because he’s guilty, and I don’t believe it’s because you’re trying to protect him. I mean the rest of this nonsense. I want to put that aside and pretend it doesn’t exist and look at this crime rationally. The police arrest you for planting evidence in Peggy Dawson’s truck. A witness saw you do it. That witness is Judy Douglas Knauer. You immediately jump to the conclusion she’s trying to frame you because she’s having an affair with Melvin. You take it for granted, even though you know she probably did see you planting evidence in Peggy Dawson’s truck.”
Cora opened her mouth.
“No, no, I’m not done. I’m a pretty good judge of witnesses. And from talking to Judy Douglas Knauer, two things are abundantly clear. She’s not having an affair with Melvin, and she saw you do something with Peggy Dawson’s truck. It didn’t have to be planting evidence—though how you’ll convince me of that when you already expressed the desire to do so I don’t know—but you did something, she saw it, and that’s how we’re in this mess.”
Cora blew out a breath. “I stopped at the Country Kitchen, I looked in Peggy Dawson’s truck, I realized it was a bad idea, and I didn’t do anything.”
“You want me to believe that?”
“It’s the truth.”
“I bet it’s not the whole truth.”
“Well, if you want to be picky.”
“Cora.”
“He really wasn’t having an affair with Judy Douglas Knauer?”
“He wasn’t working for her, either. He never asked for keys, he’s never shown a house.”
“That son of a bitch.”
“Why would he say he was?”
“So he’d have a reason to be here. When in fact he’s merely getting material for his book.”
“You should consider making a deal with him. Half the royalties for an acquittal.” Becky’s eyes widened. “You didn’t, did you? Tell me that’s not what this puzzle is all about.”
“There’s going to be another homicide in a minute.”
“I’m just saying.”
“I don’t know who framed Melvin. I don’t know who constructed the puzzle. I don’t know who planted it in Peggy Dawson’s truck. I don’t even know who stole the puzzle from Peggy Dawson in the first place. That’s where this all starts. With the purloined puzzle. Back before anyone was dead. For some reason or other, someone or other wanted me involved in this crime.”
Cora smiled, spread her hands. “Well, they certainly got their wish.”
Chapter
61
Cora got home to find her niece sunbathing on the front lawn.
“Oh, good, you’re out of jail,” Sherry said.
“Auntie Cora’s out of jail!” Jennifer whooped, turning cartwheels on the lawn.
“She’s going to be a big hit at show-and-tell,” Cora said.
“One of the perks of having a famous relative.”
“I hear you put up bail.”
“It seemed the least I could do. I wrote a check on the Puzzle Lady account.”
“I’m glad I gave you power of attorney.”
“That was nice of you, allowing me to share the fruit of your labor. Your bridge partner turned you in?”
“It was her civic duty.”
“No hard feelings?”
“How could there be? Her mind was clouded by Melvin.”
“Are you serious?”
“No. According to Becky, she barely knows who he is. Which makes sense. Apparently he dropped by the real estate office and picked up enough knowledge to bluff an unofficial working relationship to give him cover for being in town.”
“He really is slimy, isn’t he?”
“Hey, that’s my ex-husband you’re talking about.”
“Auntie Cora,” Jennifer said brightly. “Did you do a perp walk?”
“What are you teaching her?”
“Some of the lingo. I don’t want her to seem uneducated at show-and-tell.” Sherry smiled. “Well, I got something for you. I hope it helps.”
“What’s that?”
“I solved the puzzle.”
Cora blinked. “There’s another puzzle?”
“No, I solved the one we got.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The one with the nonsense rhyme. I figured it out. I feel like a fool for not solving it before.”
“You solved it before.”
“Yes and no.”
“Sherry.”
“I solved the nonsense rhyme. I know what it means.”
“How did you do that?”
“Putting it aside and coming back to it. Things look different with a fresh start.”
“All right, what does it mean?”
“Brother.”
“What?”
“It means brother. See for yourself.” Sherry quoted the puzzle:
“IF NOTHING
IS A BOTHER
ADD ONE ARE
GO FARTHER.
“Peggy Dawson’s brother?”
“Why not? She’s the one with the purloined puzzle.”
“My head is coming off.”
“Yeah. That’s the way with jailbirds. Takes awhile to adjust to society.”
“I have to rethink everything.”
“Is that bad?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, nothing you thought of was working. Starting over’s not a bad idea.”
“You’re having too much fun with this.”
“I’m not the only one. Aaron’s having a ball. He finally got something he can write. It may be the arrest of a family member, but it’s from an outside source. He’s got the inside scoop on an outside story. It’s the best of all possible worlds.”
“Glad I could help.”
Chapter
62
Chief Harper’s mouth fell open. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought we should have a little talk,” Cora said.
“I can’t talk to you. You’re a suspect, you’ve been charged, you’re out on bail.”
“Thanks for the update, but I actually remembered that.”
“Then you ought to know why I can’t talk to you. Particularly outside the presence of your attorney. I could contaminate the case. Henry Firth would have a fit.”
“Really? Let’s get him over here. See what he says.”
“I’m not calling the county prosecutor.”
“Why not? It’s a win-win. You didn’t ask me anything. You didn’t contaminate anything. The minute I showed up you called him and asked him what he wanted you to do.”
“I know what he wants me to do.”
“Yeah, but let him tell you. Get it on the record. Or don’t call him, and you can explain why you let me hang out in the police station without my lawyer and you didn’t do anything about it.”
Harper made the call. Whether Henry Firth appreciated it or not, he was there in five minutes.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
“Ah, you want me to talk?” Cora said. “That’s a refreshing change. Do I understand you’re asking me questions outside the presence of my lawyer, and you want me to answer?”
“If you answer a single question and then try to show malfeasance on my part, I will expose your action for the hollow sham it is. Chief Harper is my witness. The only question you’ve been asked is why you insist on this meeting that you yourself instigated.”
“Works for me,” Cora said. “Does that work for you, Chief? You’re going to tell the world that I’m a conniving woman who manipulated the police and the prosecutor into contaminating the evidence in order to beat the rap. If we’re all happy with that, let’s have a little talk. If you’re not happy with that, just shut up and listen to what I have to say. Because I’m tired of this case dragging on while you tiptoe around all the legal niceties.
“Okay, here’s the deal. Someone framed Johnny and someone framed Melvin. Uh uh! Don’t say anything. If you say something, this becomes a discussion, and you don’t want that. Just keep quiet. It doesn’t mean you agree. There’s no reason to proclaim your dissention.
“Where was I? Oh, yes. People framing people. Someone framed Melvin, someone framed Johnny. Obviously it’s not the same person—what would be the point? You frame Melvin to get Johnny off the hook. You frame Johnny to get Melvin off the hook.
“Or so one might think. There is the other possibility. You frame Johnny to get Johnny on the hook. You frame Melvin to get Melvin on the hook.
“That’s pretty hard to sort out with two separate framers. It’s only slightly better than one.”
“What are you talking about?” Henry Firth said.
“Couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Cora shook her head. “All right, I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. All open and aboveboard. Chief Harper, please make note of the fact the county prosecutor Henry Firth didn’t really ask me that, it was an involuntary exclamation.
“If I may continue. You guys automatically assume I’m responsible for anything that helps Melvin. I have the advantage of knowing I’m not responsible for any of the evidence that helps Melvin. That means someone else is, and that’s very interesting, because I can’t think of anyone who’d want to help Melvin. It’s not just because I was married to him. But it does color my judgment. Because helping Melvin is a concept I can’t quite understand.
“Anyway, the evidence that helps Melvin comes in the form of crossword puzzles. The evidence that implicates him comes in the form of physical evidence and eyewitness testimony. This is unfortunate, not just because it implicates me, but because it clouds the picture. Particularly for you guys who start at a disadvantage. But look at it from my point of view.
“There I am, minding my own business. A girl brings me a crossword puzzle, and the next thing I know two people are dead and I’m in jail. That hardly seems fair, does it? Don’t worry, that wasn’t an attempt to draw you in, you don’t have to answer.
“Anyway, you got two suspects. Melvin and Johnny. Arrested them both, as I recall. So who’s the real suspect? Gotta be Johnny. Johnny was arrested first, the puzzle points to him.
“Is there anything to contradict that theory? Only the fact the puzzle that points to him wasn’t discovered until after Melvin was arrested. Melvin was arrested, and Johnny was released. Then we get a puzzle implicating Johnny. Was this a desperate attempt to turn the tables, to say, no, no, you got it right the first time?
“And why would someone do that?
“Both of the victims were members of the construction crew. I’ve heard rumors the construction crew is linked to drugs. The police haven’t pursued those rumors because they already have a suspect in jail. Melvin’s arrest was pretty convenient for the workers on the construction crew. And who saw Melvin put the damning evidence in his car? A member of the construction crew. It’s going to be mighty embarrassing when Becky gets the police on the stand and they admit they haven’t even looked into it.”
Cora shrugged. “Just a hint.
“For your information, Johnny Dawson stopped by the construction site to tell the guys to stay away from his sister. She’s sixteen, by the way, not that it seems to stop her. Anyway, when you couple that with rumors of drug use, it paints a pretty interesting picture.”
Cora put her hand over her mouth. “Oh. Did I just give you a motive for Johnny Dawson? I hope not. I wouldn’t want to be accused of slanting the evidence to get Melvin out.”
Henry Firth frowned.
“Anyway, would you please tell Judy it doesn’t matter in the least what she may or may not have seen me do? I know what I did, and that’s all that matters, because you guys aren’t playing with a full deck anyway. But not having planted a puzzle on Peggy Dawson, the field of suspects is rather thin. Peggy wouldn’t do it because it implicates Johnny. The ones with the motive are the boys on the construction crew, and I would say the odds of them coming up with a puzzle range from slim to none. That’s just prejudice on my part; they might be geniuses, but I tend to doubt it. But were they capable of it, they’re your best bet.
“You with me so far? Once again, don’t answer that.
“Now then, I’m sure I can prove myself innocent of all charges in the event of a trial, but I don’t intend to let it go that far. I mean to solve this thing. When I do, I’ll let you know. I’m not sure how long it will take, because I don’t know how many roadblocks you’re going to throw in my path. But I’ll get there.”
Cora nodded in agreement with herself. She smiled, raised her hand.
“Incidentally, Harvey missed something. The nonsense poem about it being a bother? The word ‘are’ equals the letter ‘r.’ You add it to ‘bother’ and get ‘brother.’”
Cora du
cked out the door of the police station and walked down the street to the Bakerhaven Gazette.
Aaron Grant was hard at work typing his story.
“Good news, Aaron. You got an exclusive. The police are investigating drug use on the construction crew, and Peggy’s poem spells ‘brother.’”
Chapter
63
It was funny watching Rick Reed fall all over himself trying to catch up with the exclusive the Bakerhaven Gazette had rushed into print. No one was eager to be interviewed, but he managed to snag his buddy Dan Finley, who knew virtually nothing about it.
That made two of them. There was nothing in Rick Reed’s report you couldn’t get from reading the article except for wild speculation. It was like watching a man drowning.
“Boy, this is fun,” Aaron said in between bites.
The family was having dinner in the living room in front of the TV. Sherry had whipped up a new recipe, and the gourmets were sampling.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Cora said. “Anytime I can get arrested to help you out, just say the word.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant,” Aaron said.
“Don’t let her rain on your parade,” Sherry said. “Cora’s enjoying it as much as you are.”
“That’s hardly possible,” Aaron said. “Though it sure is nice watching Rick Reed flounder.”
“Are the police actually investigating drug use on the construction crew?” Sherry said.
“They have to now. They’re not about to deny the report and have people ask why not.” Cora speared a forkful. “What are we eating, by the way?”
“What do you mean, what are we eating?”
“I know it’s food, I just don’t recognize it.”
“Wow! You don’t get praise like that every day.”
“Whatever it is, it’s very good. It’s just not one of the essential food groups.”
“What are the essential food groups?” Aaron said.
“Tacos, burgers, and ice cream.”
“I’m afraid none of those are represented,” Sherry said. “We’re having swordfish, fennel, and risotto.”