Last Puzzle & Testament (34 page)

“The woman who runs the place only remembered her once,” Cora said.

“Yeah, but Minnie’s husband’s on duty half the time,” Harper pointed out. “And Ray Wishburn’s got a brain like a sieve. Anyway, Chester claims that’s what he did. So when you found that phony set of clues, and declared that solving them would mean winning the game, Chester Hurley couldn’t have that. It wasn’t that he wanted to win. He just didn’t want anyone
else
to win. Which is why he showed up and turned in his puzzle. Yes, it’s a solution from bogus clues, and should mean nothing. But him being first eliminates the nuisance of some other heir claiming to win, if you get what I mean.”

“It makes sense in a very convoluted way,” Sherry said carefully.

“And what about Mildred Sims?” Cora said. “What’s the story there?”

Chief Harper smiled. “I must say, that one I kind of like. According to Chester, he was having no luck at the greenhouse. He tried to get Mildred to admit she was the one Emma Hurley had sent around with the puzzle clues. He says Mildred denied it, and he believes her. Apparently, they’d always had a decent enough relationship.”

“And just
why
do you kind of like this?” Cora said.

“Amateur detectives,” Chief Harper said. “Far be it for me to say anything against amateur detectives.”

&Ӏn="justi#x201C;Come again?”

“Chester Hurley’s rather sharp. Has to be, living alone in the woods like that. Has keen senses. Animal instincts, you might say.”

“So?”

“So, he comes out the door of Mildred Sims’s house, and what does he see? Two women in a Toyota watching him from the road. And darned if it isn’t the car belonging to the contest judge. Chester Hurley takes one look, and knows he’s being tailed by amateurs. So, what’s he gonna do? He’s not gonna let you follow him to the greenhouse, that’s for sure. Not that he couldn’t ditch you if he wanted to, but why should he bother? Plus, he’s got his own bill of goods to sell.

“So, he ducks back inside to Mildred Sims, who has just gone through this whole routine saying she’s sorry she couldn’t help him, but if there was ever anything she could do, and Chester says, As a matter of fact, you can, Mildred. Could you rush on down to Odds and Ends before it closes and buy me a dish rack? I’d go myself, but I don’t have time because of the puzzle. If you could do that for me now, I’ll pick it up later tonight. Only, don’t tell anyone it’s for me, because I don’t want them to know what I’m doing.

“And Mildred figures it’s a pretty weird request, but she can’t really say no, because she just offered to help. So, off she goes and gets in her car, and, just like Chester Hurley intended, you follow her to Odds and Ends. Which does two things. It helps sell the five-and-ten in the puzzle he altered, and it keeps you away from the greenhouse.”

“And what about the puzzle?” Cora Felton demanded. “Do you buy the fact he did it all himself? I mean, what about the theory the puzzle expert did it for him, and that’s why he brained him?”

“I don’t much like it. I could see Beerbaum helping Chester solve the puzzle—nothing really wrong with that—but altering it is something else. Beerbaum’s gonna help Chester rig a contest with millions of bucks involved? I don’t think so. He’d be risking his whole reputation. I just can’t see him doing it.”

“Because you have Daniel Hurley in jail?” Sherry said.

“For one thing.”

“You gonna tell us why?”

“For starters, he’s the one with the big opportunity. You’ll recall he was in the parking lot with Beasley just before Beasley got killed. Annabel Hurley came to call on him the night she got killed. And he was in the Country Kitchen last night with Harvey Beerbaum.”

“Not
with
Harvey Beerbaum,” Cora objected. “They were both there, big deal.”

“But close enough to have overheard you, isn’t that right?”

“He—”

“Oh, please,” Sherry interrӀSherry iupted. “Let’s not quibble. Daniel had opportunity. So had lots of people. What about motive?
Why
is he doing this?”

“How’s fifteen million dollars sound? Say Daniel Hurley wants the money. He came here to get it by fair means or foul. Jeff Beasley knew that—how, I don’t know yet—but he did. Beasley said so in the bar. Called Daniel prodigal son. Let Daniel Hurley know he was on to him.”

“On to
what
?” Sherry said. “Give me a break.”

Chief Harper’s face darkened. “You want this or not?”

“We want it, we want it,” Cora said. “Sherry, shut up, let the man make his case. Go on, Chief, what else have you got?”

“Well, that’s Beasley. He’s in the Country Kitchen that night with Daniel Hurley and Harvey Beerbaum. So say Daniel Hurley came here specifically to win the contest. Only he’s no good at crossword puzzles. And his way of cracking the puzzle happens to involve Harvey Beerbaum.”

“Wait a minute,” Sherry objected. “I’m not going to be quiet and let something like that go by. This is the night
before
the will is read. Nobody even
knows
there’s a puzzle. How could Harvey Beerbaum be part of Daniel Hurley’s plan
then
?”

Chief Harper shrugged. “You say nobody knows there’s a puzzle because the will hasn’t been read. But who wrote the will? Emma Hurley.
Emma
knew there was a puzzle. She could have
told
someone there was a puzzle. Like the housekeeper, Mildred Sims, for instance. Or like Annabel Hurley. Or anyone else, for that matter. So, say someone knows there’s a puzzle. And say that information reaches the ears of Daniel Hurley. And say that night at the Country Kitchen he has a reason to be meeting with the puzzle constructor.”

“You arrested him on speculation like that?” Sherry said, incredulously.

“I did
not
,” Chief Harper said. “I’m
indulging
in speculation like that to counter some of the objections I’ve been hearing. But it’s not why I arrested him at all.”

“You said this was his motive.”

“It’s tied into his motive. But go back to the original premise. Daniel Hurley’s trying to outfox the other heirs and get the millions. Jeff Beasley’s on to him. Daniel does Jeff in. Annabel is Daniel’s confidant and co-conspirator. Not in the murder, but in trying to solve the puzzle. She’s shocked and terrified by Beasley’s murder. She goes to Daniel, to find out if he’s involved. He denies it, of course, but she’s suspicious. She becomes expendable.”

Chief Harper raised his hand to override any possible objections. “But I don’t wanna argue that now. I’m just trying to give you an idea of where I’m coming from so you won’t be so shocked when you see the news tonight.”

“When we see
what
on the news tonight?” Cora Felton asked.

“My statement on the arrest of Daniel Hurley. I’m going to have to make one sooner or later. When I do, I can assure you none of this will be in it.”

“What will be?” Cora said.

Chief Harper grimaced. “Well, now, that’s the thing. At the moment I’m waiting for confirmation. I kind of hate to say anything until I get it.”

“Confirmation of what? No one’s quoting you here, Chief. Just spit it out.”

“Okay, but this doesn’t leave this room.” Chief Harper ran his hand through his hair. “I got witnesses.”

Sherry Carter and Cora Felton stared at him.

“Witnesses?” Cora said. “You care to elaborate on that, Chief?”

“Not particularly. It’s a little tricky. The problem is, they’re kids.”

“Kids?”

“Yeah. The Goldfarb kids. Jesse and Abby Goldfarb. They had a sleepover last night at the Olsen house. This morning they’re coming back through the meadow behind the old paper mill, you know where I mean?”

“Not at all,” Cora Felton said.

“Right, you wouldn’t,” Chief Harper said. “Well, the mill’s by the creek, of course. And there’s a culvert, where the stream goes under the road. The road’s barely used anymore, now that the mill’s shut down. Well, except if you were going up to the ranger station, only no one ever does, it’s not like it was a public park.”

“Chief.”

“Sorry,” Harper said. “Well, like I say, the Goldfarb kids are coming home across the meadow. And they see a motorcycle coming up the road. Which is a rare enough occurrence that they pay attention. Particularly when it stops just where the stream goes under the road. So they’re there watching while Daniel Hurley in all his long-haired glory gets off his motorcycle, unbuckles his saddlebag, takes something out, climbs down the bank beside the road, and throws whatever it is into the culvert. Then he climbs back up, gets on his motorcycle, and drives off.

“Well, the Goldfarb kids are falling all over themselves to see what it is, and they scurry down the bank, and Abby winds up knocking Jesse into the creek, and Jesse gets up and pushes Abby down, and they’re both wet and muddy and hopping mad by the time they find it. Plus they’re kids, which is why they just pick it up without stopping to think.”

“Pick what up?” Cora was raging with impatience.

Chief Harper shrugged. “I won’t know for sure till the lab’s done with it. Which is why I’m holding up my statement. But it’s a big carving knife with blood onӀwith blo it, and five will get you ten it’s our murder weapon.”

“It doesn’t add up,” Sherry said.

“Eat your pasta,” Cora told her.

Sherry, who’d been too agitated to cook, had still managed to whip up a pasta salad with the pesto she’d made the day before. Cora was digging in ravenously, but Sherry had barely touched hers. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered.

“You
are
hungry,” Cora told her. “You just
think
you’re not hungry, because you’re upset.
I’m
upset, but I don’t let that affect my appetite. It’s a good lesson to learn. You can’t accomplish anything if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“What are you babbling about?”

“Well, I like that.” Cora was indignant. “Look, I’m not telling you not to think. I’m just saying think
while
you eat. You put the fork in the pasta, you put the pasta in your mouth. You chew it around and the mind keeps going. Your mind doesn’t short-circuit just because some young man gets accused of a murder.”

“That’s not it.”

“Or because some other young man’s too busy to see you because he’s writing the crime up.”

“That’s not it either.”

“Well, that should be. This murder, quite frankly, is none of your business. Your personal life is more important.”

“Is that how you feel?”

“No. But I’ve been married several times. A relationship right now is not my number one priority.”

“Aunt Cora—”

“You, on the other hand, have had one disastrous marriage. You now have a shot at something better. You would be wise not to blow it.”

“Aunt Cora. Not now.”

“And the way to blow it would be getting hung up on a young man just because he was unfortunate enough to get charged with murder.”

“I am not hung up on Daniel Hurley.”

“Then what are you obsessing about?”

“Something’s not right.”

“Granted,” Cora agreed placidly. “In fact, there are a lot of things that aren’t right. But I assume you are referring to the arrest of Daniel Hurley.”

“Of course I am. It simply makes no sense.”

“I’m not saying I don’t agree, but you want to tell me why you think so?”

“Come on,” Sherry protested. “He kills Annabel Hurley, holds on to the murder weapon, carries it around with him for a day and a half, and then—and only then—decides to get rid of it? I mean, what is his thought process supposed to be here, assuming he’s a clever murderer?”

“That’s your argument?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, expect for one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Becky Baldwin should be making it.”

Sherry glared at her sharply.

Cora Felton put up her hand. “Sorry. But that’s the case. And that’s what’s hanging you up here. Daniel Hurley’s been busted, and who’s helping him? Becky Baldwin. Not you. And it’s not so much that you want to do it, it’s that you don’t want her to.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not. But you wouldn’t be normal if you didn’t feel that way. Hey,
I
feel that way, and I’m old enough to be her mother.” Cora fed a forkful of pasta salad into her mouth. “Now, eat, and let’s discuss this like normal people.”

Sherry absently speared a piece of rotelli. “The premise is all wrong …”

“Which premise?”

“The whole thing. The idea Daniel Hurley is the killer.”

“That’s a given. Besides
that
.”

“The idea he was in league with Harvey Beerbaum.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It doesn’t fly. Oh, I heard what Chief Harper said. Maybe old Emma Hurley let something slip, maybe Daniel Hurley knew all about the puzzle before her will was read, and that’s why Beerbaum was there the first night. But, granted all that, why does Harvey Beerbaum freak out last night and try to talk to you?”

“Okay, why?”

“Chief Harper’s theory is Harvey Beerbaum got nervous because he knew the puzzle we were all working on was bogus. Well, that works if Beerbaum was in league with Chester Hurley. Beerbaum would know it was bogus because he’d be the one who helped Chester rig it. But if he was helping Daniel Hurley, it just doesn’t fly. Because Daniel Hurley wouldn’t have had the fourth quadrant of the puzzle.”