Death on the Diagonal Part 18

"Silly me. Of course you do. Abe has the three previous puzzles on file. Could you ask him to fax them over? And while you have him on the line, see if he's authenticated the handwriting of the constructor. The last one was found in Jack Curry's pocket."

"Oooohhh . . . The Case of the Puzzling Corpse. The Case of the Puzzling Corpse."

"There's no evidence he created it, however. And besides, you just received this."

"A plant, then! I amend my offering to The Case of the Killer Creator. The Case of the Killer Creator."

"Do you want me to solve the clues or gab?" Belle chuckled.

"Oh, solve, solve . . . resolve, absolve, dissolve . . . I will turn mum as a mummy. I need to curry curry favor with you, after all, favor with you, after all, Bellisima. Bellisima."

"You're incorrigible, Bartholomew." Belle laughed again and went back to work. By the time she'd completed the puzzle the fax had arrived with a note reading, Handwriting as yet unconfirmed. Keep us posted. We're here late today. Surprise. Surprise. Handwriting as yet unconfirmed. Keep us posted. We're here late today. Surprise. Surprise.

"Jack Curry . . ." Kerr uttered as he paced the room. "One would not have thought he had the brains required for these lexical leaps, but if he is is your mystery constructor-or your mystery constructor-or was was-then I'll be forced to eat my inky words." Bartholomew peered at the puzzle.

"There's a structural problem with this one, too," she said. "But I guess this is no time to nitpick over details."

"What problem?"

Belle pointed at the paper. "Well, you see how the crossword is broken into three sections . . . and there are no interconnecting words that flow from the center section to this part in the upper left, or to lower right? That type of flaw is a big no-no in the puzzle world."

"Perhaps the mistake was done on purpose?"

"Not likely. The other puzzles had problems, as well. But what's interesting is that the constructor dropped the Chip and Angel business favored in the other puzzles and is now focusing on Ryan and Kelly; albeit Robert RYAN and Grace KELLY . . . but the fact that the film t.i.tles a.s.sociated with each actor are DEAD OR ALIVE and HIGH SOCIETY seems more than a simple coincidence." Belle stood and spread the crosswords across Kerr's desk. He positioned himself beside her.

"Well, we know RYAN certainly didn't murder anyone," he said. "Unless she did it from the grave. Which, given her personality, seems entirely possible."

"No, no, Rosco and I believe these cryptics may have nothing to do with King Wenstarin Farms. We think they could be related to another case Rosco's been working on that might have involved Chip Collins and his girlfriend, Angel."

Kerr's ears instinctively perked up. "And what case case might that be? It's not polite to keep secrets from your close friends, dear one." might that be? It's not polite to keep secrets from your close friends, dear one."

"You know I can't tell you about any of Rosco's investigations, Bartholomew," Belle said with a smile. "So don't even ask."

"Well, you have all the evidence spread out before me, in my own office, and on my own desk, I might add. I can hardly see any purpose in keeping me in the dark."

Belle attempted to backtrack by saying, "I'm afraid to disappoint you, but it has nothing to do with the society set."

"Really? Well, if Grace KELLY wasn't HIGH SOCIETY, I don't know who was. And Chip Collins is as social as you're going to get in Newcastle. So let's go, lady, out with it."

Belle scanned the four puzzles quickly; other than the single mention of WALT Disney in the "To Catch a Thief " puzzle, there were no other possible references to Walter Gudgeon.

"Okay," she said, "I'll fill you in on what we've been working on, but I can't mention the name of Rosco's client. Understood?"

"Please, do go on, my dear. And out of respect to that fine man you're married to, I promise not to mention a word of what you say, even if 'Biz-y-Buzz' figures out who's at the center of it all . . . my lips are sealed."

Belle proceeded to tell Kerr the entire Gudgeon story, being extra careful to omit his name. When she'd finished he observed a pragmatic, "Well. There's no fool like an old fool. A terrible tale, but one that occurs more often than you might think-and all across the country." He removed his enormous gla.s.ses and wiped them with a linen handkerchief that was as large as one of the formal dinner napkins favored at Sara's showy table.

"You'd be surprised, Bellisima Bellisima, how often this sordid sort of thing happens within the social set. After all, who has an excess of lucre? And who is most afraid of having the nasty tales displayed on the front pages of their local rags? Which is why these con artistes artistes so often amble away scot-free. What's a quarter of a million dollars if it keeps your name from being bandied about in coa.r.s.e and malicious whispers?" so often amble away scot-free. What's a quarter of a million dollars if it keeps your name from being bandied about in coa.r.s.e and malicious whispers?"

Belle sat up in her seat. "Are you saying this has happened before in Newcastle? Because I'm afraid this Dawn person is setting her sights on Sara."

Kerr raised his hands high over his head. "I confess I know of no other similar confidence games being perpetrated on the Newcastle uppercrust. Although when I was vacationing in Palm Beach three years ago all the hubbub revolved around a mess that was nearly the carbon copy of the one you have described. Right down to the supposed kidney transplant. In fact, the mark was a horse person, and the dollar figure was the same: $250,000."

"But Rosco's client isn't a horse person-"

"I was merely looking for parallels, dearest." Kerr sighed. "This elderly gent in Florida-unlike your nameless pal-was more than anxious to see justice done. I suppose it was because he had no children to embarra.s.s. He was an irascible old-timer set on revenge with a capital R R, and he could have cared less who knew it. Stuart Stewart. What a name. He made quite a cause celebre of his missteps. Alas, it seems that in Florida the con-gal a.s.sumed the ident.i.ty of an innocent local; when the authorities untangled the muddle and chased after the true perpetrator, they vanished into thin air. Naturally, before an arrest could be made. Apparently, she'd worked the scheme in other locales across the country."

"They?"

"Yes, I believe the coppers discovered that it was some type of a gang." He plopped his gla.s.ses back onto the bridge of his nose. "Wouldn't it be an absolute howl if your Dawn of the Kidneys Dawn of the Kidneys was the same person who'd used her magic tricks down in Florida three years ago?" was the same person who'd used her magic tricks down in Florida three years ago?"

Belle thought for a moment. "Well, if that's what happened here, I'll bet the puzzle constructor, Jack Curry or not, knew who had a.s.sumed the true Dawn's persona and had conned Mr. Gud-Rosco's client."

"Ah, ah, ah, be careful with that tongue of yours. You almost let the cat out of the bag. What I can't understand, however, is why your ghostly wordsmith didn't simply come forward and state his or her case? Why play this game with the puzzles?"

"Fear of reprisal?" Belle guessed. "Or perhaps, whoever is making these is playing his or her own weird game."

"And I gather with good reason. Look what happened to Jack Curry, if he turns out to be your man . . . well, we do have two dandy murders." Kerr glanced at the puzzles once again. "It's interesting that the constructor mentions Grace KELLY in this latest puzzle, but in the 'To Catch a Thief ' puzzle, when the word GRACE GRACE appears at 8-Down, the clue is appears at 8-Down, the clue is Meal prayer. Meal prayer. Odd, especially when you consider that Grace Kelly was the star of Hitchc.o.c.k's Odd, especially when you consider that Grace Kelly was the star of Hitchc.o.c.k's To Catch a Thief To Catch a Thief." Bartholomew lifted the graph paper and pointed to 31-Across. "And there's WALT. See what I mean?"

Belle sighed. "I was afraid you'd recognize Mr. Gudgeon's name."

A confused look swept Kerr's face. "Walt's Wire Wagons? That Gudgeon? What's he got to do with this?"

"Oh. Oh, nothing at all . . . er, he was just doing some electrical work on our house," Belle lied, inadequately attempting to cover her gaffe.

But Kerr saw right through her. "Ahh, my dear, that seems thoroughly unlikely, since he retired a dozen years ago. So he's your old fool. Is that it? Well, not to worry, sweetest, as I said, your secret is safe with me. It's not the first juicy tidbit I've kept under my proverbial hat."

"Thank you, Bartholomew. You're an angel."

"Harumph, not like your killer ANGEL I hope?" he turned back to the puzzle. "No, the WALT I was thinking of is WALT Kelly, the cartoonist. If Kelly were the name he-or she-desired our crucicriminologist, i.e., you, to discover, there were other opportunities-"

But the gossip columnist didn't have the time to complete the thought, because Belle interrupted, raising her voice in excitement as she pointed to 47-Across. "Look at this! GENE . . . which is another Kelly placed in asymmetrically opposite position from WALT . . . And similarly, opposite GRACE, we have THYME, which is a kelly green herb."

"Timely, perhaps, dearheart, but a bit of a stretch . . . However, I do believe we're on to something. Because here at 1-Across there's JIM-which could easily become JIM Kelly the football player rather than Brown or Thorpe Brown or Thorpe, which is what the clue currently reads. While opposite that on the bottom at 69-Across we have NED, which instead of being the solution to Mr. Beatty Mr. Beatty could easily be NED Kelly, the notorious Australian outlaw-" could easily be NED Kelly, the notorious Australian outlaw-"

"And right down the center is SNOW TIRES. Who hasn't heard of Kelly tires? Oh, Bartholomew! Do you think we've discovered a secret message?"

"Well, Kelly does seem to be a theme."

Belle stared and stared at the crossword, while Bartholomew continued to speak.

"Could it be, Bellisima Bellisima, that Orlando's wife was masquerading as Dawn Davis? And that this newfound friend of Sara's is innocent of any wrongdoing? Just like the woman in Florida?"

When Belle didn't answer, he added a teasing, "Well?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking . . ." Belle's eyes crinkled in concentration. "But if someone suspected that Kelly was pretending to be Dawn, why did they design these puzzles to make it appear as if Angel and Chip were the guilty parties?"

Bartholomew also thought. "Well, perhaps Angel and Chip are culpable-of something. This Kelly situation could refer to another matter." He picked up the crossword he'd received. "Do you know, if you look at this 'Social Climber' puzzle the black squares resemble a set of stairs that one might actually climb, landings and all . . . and since we have the t.i.tle of the film UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE as a solution to 23- and 47-Across . . . and if you follow the steps up . . ."

Belle looked over his shoulder. "Starting at the bottom at 62-Across and climbing to 12-Down-" Her words ceased. She gasped, then gazed at Bartholomew in wonderment. "Wow! That's all I can say: simply, wow!"

"I'm sure you can invent fancier speech than that, Lady Lexicon."

She kissed him on the cheek. "You're a genius. An absolute genius. Did anyone ever tell you that?"

"All the time, honey lamb." He marched his fingers up the puzzle's diagonal line and read the message aloud, "GO ON THE DIAGONAL. What do you think that means?"

Belle began skimming the previous crosswords, starting with the first she'd received as she searched for other sentences that might be hidden on the diagonal. When she reached the third grid she exclaimed, "Ah-ha! Here it is. In the 'Measure for Measure' submission. Going down the staircase this time . . . read from 12-Down to 72-Across. What does it say?"

Bartholomew took the paper from her. "KELLY'LL DAWN ON YA."

CHAPTER 31.

"Well, that's all well and good, Belle," Lever said as he " reached for his pack of Camels. "And I've already got the bunko boys going after Kelly Polk. As soon as she gets back from Kentucky, they'll pick her up; but right now I've got two murders to solve." He lit his cigarette and looked around the room. "Sorry folks, my office, my rules." Rosco and Abe simply rolled their eyes.

"But isn't it possible that it was Kelly who killed Jack because he'd discovered she was a con artist and was threatening to expose her?" Belle protested. "You just told me his handwriting was confirmed in the 'Measure for Measure' crossword found on his body, as well as in 'Social Climber'-"

"I'm afraid that theory doesn't hold water," Abe Jones interrupted as he fanned cigarette smoke from in front of his face with his hand. "Because we've also confirmed that the two previous puzzles you received were constructed by another person. The style is similar, yes, but not the same. Meaning the 'To Catch a Thief ' grid that references your KELLYs wasn't created by Curry. If Ms. Polk intended to kill anyone anyone it would've been the person who constructed it would've been the person who constructed that that crossword rather than Jack-" crossword rather than Jack-"

"But KELLY'LL DAWN ON YA is right there in the puzzle you retrieved from the murder scene," Belle persisted.

"Right," Rosco said, "but that crossword has only been examined by the people in this room-and Bartholomew Kerr. The same can be said of the 'Social Climber' puzzle. Basically, meaning that n.o.body else has seen a Jack Curry puzzle."

"That's just an a.s.sumption, Rosco," Belle stated.

"You're right. It is. But it seems a fairly safe one. We know Curry's cottage was searched, so I'm suggesting that a crossword might well have been the object of the hunt. If it had been found, it wouldn't be in this room right now."

No one spoke for a moment, but smoke continued to plume through the air.

At last, Belle sighed heavily. "I don't know, maybe Heather has been the killer all along, and I'm trying to make too much of these word games. Maybe they were simply designed to expose Kelly as a con artist. But then why two different handwriting samples? And who's the second constructor?"

"And who's my murderer?" Al said, his voice burdened with the same amount of frustration.

"Unless," Belle continued, seeming not to have heard Al's question. "Unless Jack Curry had-"

She was interrupted by a tap on the door. Without waiting for a response from Lever, a man entered. He was in his late fifties, tall and slim with a neatly groomed, graying mustache. His slacks and shirt were perfectly pressed; he also wore a stain-free tie-all of which made him the visual ant.i.thesis of Al. A gold detective's badge clipped to his belt indicated that he was Nick Simpson, head of the Newcastle P.D. Fraud Unit. Belle had met him at at a few PAL fund-raisers, so any introductions would have been superfluous. And Simpson was pure business.

"Sorry to bust in," he said, "but I've picked up a few items of interest that I think you folks should be aware of." He then coughed and added, "How can you people stand all this d.a.m.n cigarette smoke?"

Lever grumbled and smashed his Camel into the ashtray. "Just out with it, okay, Nick? We don't need any lectures on clean living."

"Maybe the rest of them don't, but I'm not sure you fall into that category." Simpson walked over and stood beside a bookcase in the corner of the office so that he could face everyone. "Okay, I just finished up a lengthy conference call with the Louisville Police Department. It seems-"

"Hold it right there, Nick," Lever said holding up his hand, "we've been through this. You've got a case of fraud on your hands, fine, but I've got to concentrate on these homicides."

"Hear me out, Al, we've got a connection. I'm not sure what to make of it, but it's there."

Again Lever groaned, but acquiesced. "All right, shoot."

"We know Kelly Polk decamped to Louisville, so I figured why not have the folks down there pick her up, just in case she's feeling the heat and opts not to return to Newcastle. Louisville offered to put an APB out on her and send a team to the airport. I pa.s.sed along a description of both her real appearance, and what she might look like in a red wig that falls halfway down her back. And that's when they took some serious notice."

"What do you mean?" Belle asked.

"Suddenly, they were genuinely interested in the details of our case. After I broke it down for them, they said they had a duplicate situation brewing out there. An old guy, a horse breeder, hooked up with a young woman needing a kidney transplant. Same dollar figure-$250,000-the works. The description matches Kelly Polk-this time with a short brunette wig. Only the name in Kentucky is Sue Reynolds, which happens to be the same name as a local woman who recently had minor surgery. I'll add that this Sue Reynolds is also a brunette-as if anyone couldn't have surmised as much."

"So, were still talking con job," Al tossed in. "Where's the connection?"

"You'll never guess who this guy's barn manager was a while back."

"Orlando Polk?" Lever said, making no attempt to hide the fact that he considered this entire line a complete waste of time.

Simpson shook his head and smiled. "Guess again. It was Jack Curry . . . your dead man."

"I wonder . . ." Belle mused.

"What?" Rosco and Abe said together.

"Bartholomew Kerr told me about a similar case in Florida several years ago. I wonder if it's related? That man was also part of the horse-show world."

"This is Bartholomew Kerr over at the Crier Crier?" Simpson asked. "I'll give him a call. I'd like to follow up on that."

"It was three years ago in Palm Beach, and the mark was Stuart Stewart. The police in Florida believed it might have been of gang of con artists-one that possibly moved around the country."

"I'll see what I can find out," Simpson said before leaving.

Al watched the door close. "I'm guessing, and let me know how this sounds . . . because I'd still like to find my murderer . . . Okay, here goes: Curry worked at the farm in Kentucky. Quite possibly he remained in touch with the owner . . . who, maybe, told him about this pretty little gal and her medical woes. Jack then began to suspect that Kelly's trips out there weren't to visit an ailing father . . . About the same time, he noticed the same situation developing with Gudgeon, which led him to create the incriminating puzzles, and Kelly stabbed him when she found out."

Rosco chuckled. "Who wants to be the first to shoot Al's theory full of holes?" He then counted off his objections on his fingers. "One: Why wouldn't Curry have simply confronted Kelly with his suspicions? That would have been more his style. Two: There's no indication he knew Gudgeon. They weren't part of the same circle. And three: Who made the first two puzzles?"

Lever threw up his hands. "Well, would someone please give me a solid motive that Heather might have for killing Jack? Because I don't have one."

"Let's go back to something Belle said," Abe tossed in. "Bartholomew mentioned a movable gang in Florida. What if it's the same people? Florida, Kentucky, and now Ma.s.sachusetts? And if that's the case, who are they? Certainly not any of the Collins clan."

"Kelly, we know is up to no good," Belle said.

"Right, so if she's part of a ring, who are the others?"

"Orlando?" Al suggested.

"No. He's been working for Collins for six years," Rosco said. "He only married Kelly a short while ago. That's not to say he didn't kill Jack, but I'd guess he knew nothing about his wife's con of Gudgeon, or her previous history-if she is a con person."

"There's Michael Palamountain," Belle offered, "but again, he's been at King Wenstarin Farms forever; and he's hardly in need of cash. Which would clear him of being involved in any scam, although not the murder of Curry . . . or Ryan, for that matter." She grumbled aloud and then said, "What about Angel, Al? Do you know anything about her?"