Read A Crossworder's Holiday Online
Authors: Nero Blanc
It was Belle who finally broke the magical spell. “So, there was a rumor that Katlin had a love affair with Tom?”
“Not in those words
per se
,” Angus responded slowly. “But I believe that was the general feeling hereabouts which, given Richard's intensely proud personality, must have been unendurable. He was a man of truly Victorian Era sensibilities. And for someone like that, being a suspected cuckold would have beenâ”
“Now who sounds Victorian?” Judith teased.
“At least I've made the transition into the twentieth centuryâ”
“Except that we've entered the twenty-firstâ”
“Picky, picky.”
“At least you're not time traveling with old Livius Andronicus,” Judith said while Rosco asked a simple:
“Who?”
“Don't get him started, Rosco ⦠We're talking 240 B.C. A former Greek slave turned Roman poet and dramaturge ⦠Angus's latest scholarly work is a reinterpretation of Andronicus's Latin translation of the
Odyssey.
”
“I see what you mean.” Belle laughed, then changed the subject. “So ⦠Richard, the purported âcrossword fiend'â”
“Aha!” burst in Angus. “I knew we'd get you hooked on our wee chronicle of suspense!”
Judith turned to Belle. “When we bought the house, we were told that after Katlin's disappearance, Richard became a regular hermit, even ordered the electric light shut off, and never ventured into townâ”
Angus continued. “When Father Time finally came knocking, the house went vacant, and remained so for many, many years. Apparently, no one in the village wanted any part of itâ”
“Some people even claimed it was haunted,” Judith added.
“Quite a natural conjecture, too,” her husband agreed. “It didn't help that the owner had been a âRichard.' Too many brains jumped to allusions of King Richard IIIâthe little princes locked away in the Tower, and all that other historical goreâ”
Judith interrupted again. “It took two newcomer newlyweds to take a leap of faith and purchase the place. Angus
et moi
snagged it at a bargain price.”
“Although it's not going to be any âbargain' refurbishing these ancient walls, I can assure you.” Across the candlelit table Angus gave his wife a smile.
“Elbow grease is all we need.”
“
And
a pot of buried treasure if we're to accomplish the myriad renovations you've set your heart on.”
“What became of the gardener in question?” Rosco asked after a moment.
It was Judith who answered. “Ah, here's where the plot really thickens. He also vanished without a trace.”
Belle's gray eyes grew wide. “But wouldn't the police have immediately assumed that Richardâ?”
“With no
corpora delecti
?” Angus replied. “And no substantive leads either? What could they possibly charge him with?”
“Katlin was American,” Judy said. “Did we tell you that? Like me ⦠Married to an Englishmanâand a scholar.”
Belle regarded her friend. “I trust you fare a good deal better.”
Judith smiled again. “Oh, I am ⦠I am ⦔
I
T
was that night that Belle found the crossword. Or rather a piece of one. Hand-drawn on a yellowed scrap of aged paper, the puzzle lay beside her nightclothes when she opened the dresser drawer. She picked it up, turning to show it to Rosco, but he'd disappeared into the bathroom. As she crossed the room, a sudden icy draft wafted across her shoulders. She shivered as the paper's thin corners fluttered in the agitated air, then grabbed a heavier sweater, tossing it hastily over her shoulders.
“You won't believe what I found,” she called through the door that separated the “lav” from the bedroom.
“Is it black and white, and does it have letters and corresponding numbers?”
Belle laughed. “You know darn well it is ⦠So, who put you up to this little trick? Angus or Judy, or both?”
Rosco reemerged. “Whatever they did, they did on their own.”
Belle gave him a knowing glance, then concentrated on the crossword, perching on the bed as she did so. “You three have done yourself proud ⦠This is quite intriguing ⦔
Rosco looked down at her, an amused smile on his face. “I thought you were complaining of jet lag toward the tail end of dinner.”
Belle cocked her head to one side. “Is that a subtle hint?”
“I didn't think it was that subtle.”
Belle laughed again, then dropped the torn word game on the nightstand. “You're right ⦠Practical jokes can wait.”
A Ghost of Christmas Past
Across
1.Â
Bath, e.g
.
4. “___
on a Grecian Urn
”
7.Â
Siouan
10.Â
Hostelry
13.Â
Where C. Parr died
15.Â
___Barrios, Sp
.
16.Â
Born
17.Â
Rumpelstiltskin's rod
18.Â
Alphabet starter
19.Â
Past
20.Â
London to Cambridge dir
.
21.Â
Certain title
23.Â
Water, Sp
.
25.Â
Doctrine
28.Â
Christmas decoration
31.Â
Male sheep
32.Â
Town on the Meuse
33.Â
Kalita's son
34.Â
Attempt
35.Â
Shade maker
37.Â
March date
.
38.Â
What evil men do with good women
40.Â
Equal, comb. form
43.Â
Salutes
44.Â
American fiver
47.Â
Aâland
49.Â
Certain cars
50.Â
High card
51.Â
Logical lead-in
?
52.Â
Scottish cap
53.Â
Sprouted
54.Â
Minster Lovell
___
55.Â
Havana Mrs
.
56.Â
24-Down foe
58.Â
4-Down updated
60.Â
Encumbent
64.Â
Crew
65.Â
Irish grp
.
66. ___
Falls
67.Â
Unusual
68.Â
Evanston, Ill. sch
.
69.Â
Canadian prov
.
70.Â
Evergreen
Down
1.
Snake sound
2.
Small dog
3. “
I
”
4. “
Ye___Sweet Shoppe
”
5.
Costa___Sol
6.
Ogle
7
Siberian town
8. “
V
”
9.
Future King of Sweden
?
10. “
VI
”
11.
Not pos
.
12.
New, comb. form
14.
Sicilian town
22.
Double-check the gun
23.
Mona Lisa, e.g
.
24.
Lincoln's Men; Abbr
.
25. “
III
”
26.
Domingo or Antonio
27. “
IV
”
29.
Knot
30. ___
Royal Highness
32.
Big___house
36.
Confused
38. “___
twinkle in his eye.
”
39.
Road curve
40.
Attention getter
41.
Gorilla, e.g
.
42. “
II
”
44. “
VII
”
45.
Chill
46.
___castle
48.
Borrowed
53.
Pirate quaff
55.
Quarrel
56.
Pigeon noise
57.
Unhappy
59.
Muslim month lead-in
60.
Greek god
61.
Writer Anais
62. “___
long, you'll learn the truth
”
63.
Uncooked
To download a PDF of this puzzle, please visit
openroadmedia.com/nero-blanc-crosswords
The Answers
To download a PDF of the answers, please visit
openroadmedia.com/nero-blanc-crosswords/answers
A Crossworder's Holiday
The Proof of the Pudding
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Mum's the Word
A Ghost of Christmas Past