A Crossworder's Holiday (9 page)

“Try me,” Rosco said as he lifted the receiver to phone Belle in Massachusetts. He found the line dead, then sighed a half-amused, half-frustrated: “No electricity, no phone … Is this a plot?”

“Hey, folks did just fine before the advent of the information superhighway.”

“That's a joke, right?” He reached into a zippered pocket in his parka and pulled out his cell phone. “Tah-dah, modern technology saves the day.”

By the thin and snowy light filtering through the windows, Rosco continued to peruse clues while waiting for Belle to answer. “Oregon border town?” he asked the moment she picked up. “Five letters, begins with N.”

Her reply was a quick chuckle and an indulgent: “NYSSA … and hi to you, too … Or are we dispensing with the formalities from now on?” Then she added, “What gives? I thought you were helping Steve with an inheritance issue.”

“I am … I think … What about a Washington border town beginning with K and ending with O? Five letters.”

“KELSO.” Belle laughed. “What are you guys doing: playing Scrabble? No proper names; remember the rules?”

Rosco answered with a rather lame, “It's snowing—”

“It's December. It's
supposed
to snow. We're getting pounded up here, too. A good day to be curled up in front of the fire … With someone you love … If you get my drift. Pun intended.”

“Actually, what happened is that Steve and I found a crossword—”

“And I love you too, Rosco … Look, if you wanted to become a word game addict, you could have stayed home … In front of the fire, with someone you—”

“No. It belonged to Meg.”

“Something tells me I'm not getting through—”

“It's a published puzzle grid to which she added her own words and clues.”

A quick intake of breath greeted this information. Rosco could tell that his bride was mentally sitting up and taking notice now. “Let me guess … Your theory is that she left a message hidden in the crossword—”

“It sounds loony, I know—”

“No, it doesn't. I remember reading about a case like that in England … it was five or six years ago … Look, I don't want to cast aspersions on your lexical talents—or on Steve's—but why don't you just fax me the crossword. It'll save time.”

“I told you it was snowing—”

“And?”

“And the electricity's off. The phones, too.”

Belle groaned, and Rosco laughed.

“Don't say it,” she groused.

His response was a not-so-innocent, “Say what?”

“‘Curiosity killed the cat.'” Belle sighed. “Call me as soon as you discover anything … Call me for any reason
whatever
… Or I could just stay on the line—”

“Not on
my
cell phone bill you don't. Besides, we
are
two grown men, Belle—with
reasonably
developed vocabularies.”

She didn't respond to this sally, instead asking a pointed, “I guess you're not willing to supply further info?”

“Not yet … All we've got to go on is a hunch and a questionable cause of death.”

“But I thought Meg—”

“I'll let you know if I learn anything.”

Again, Belle sighed. “I'll be here. I'll be waiting.”

“One quick thing before you go—”

“What's that?”

“A five-letter word for
Not right
?”

“Wrong?”

“Hah! Nice try … but no way, José. Keep those home fires burning!”

A
N
arduous hour later, the crossword was complete. Steve stared at it without speaking, and in that space of time, a single lamp in the kitchen glowed into life, although neither of the friends was aware that the world of electrical current and high-speed communications had soundlessly returned to the Lancaster County hamlet.

“Why do you suppose Meg created this and then hid it?” Steve wondered aloud.

“Could she have been worried about Greta's reaction?” Rosco asked. “Worried about possible consequences? That it would be destroyed out of hand?”

Steve continued to gaze at the crossword. “But Meg and I were so close. She could have—”

“Maybe she believed she
had
shared this with you already. Remember, her mind was playing serious tricks on her.”

Steve said nothing while Rosco returned his attention to the crossword. “No month or year … no newspaper of origin … Even with Meg's own words, there's no way we can contest the will Greta possesses. Like you said, we need a date.”

The men sat in discouraged silence until Rosco suddenly reached for his cell phone.

“Just because there's no date left on the newspaper doesn't mean there wasn't one there to begin with.” He punched ten numbers into the phone; Belle answered on the first ring.

“No, all we have is a grid and Meg's handwritten clues …” Rosco cupped his hand over the phone and turned to Steve. “I was right, Belle thinks she may be able to trace the puzzle by its design. She knows most of the puzzle editors at the major daily newspapers. If we could just get to a fax—”

Simultaneously, both men became aware of the change in light.

“The power's back on …” Steve almost shouted. “And yes, I have a fax in my studio …”

Rosco raised his eyebrows in a mocking fashion.

“And no, I don't want to hear any quips about the modern age. Remember, I'm a businessman.” He had his jacket and gloves on before he stopped speaking.

Rosco bowed facetiously and said, “Please lead on, oh Twenty-First-Century Man.”

I
N
Steve's woodworking shop, time passed and the fax remained dishearteningly silent. Rosco paced among the tools of Sutter's trade, picking them up and examining them as if they were as strange to him as surgical instruments.

“Jigsaw?” he asked as he placed his hand on the base of one of the few power tools.

“Band saw.”

“Right … And of course, this would be a … a …?”

“Lathe.”

“Absolutely. That's what I thought.”

Rosco picked up another tool from the workbench, and Steve said, “Coping saw,” without waiting for Rosco to ask.

“Huh. No glue gun? Everything in our house is held together with a glue gun. It's my tool of choice. Kind of a Martha Stewart thing … I've been thinking of getting a holster for it.”

Steve was giving only partial attention to Rosco's banter. “I hope we don't lose power again …” he muttered under his breath. “Maybe a tree limb took out another phone line.”

Suddenly the fax sprang to life, spitting out Meg's crossword and a lengthy note from Belle. Rosco read it and began paraphrasing for his anxious friend. “The puzzle, i.e. the grid and original clues, was syndicated throughout the country July twenty-third of this year. Bingo, we're dated! That's nineteen days after Amos's death, and almost eighteen months
after
the will Greta has—”

Steve interrupted. “So the end of the message at 42-and 61-Across—”

“No question about it … I say they definitely refer to Amos's passing. And Meg's illness, too … Looks like your Christmas gift has arrived just in time, my friend.”

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

ACROSS

1.  Not right

6.  Roll of cash

9.  Barcelona buddy

14.  Richardson or Fiennes

15.  Writer Levin

16.  Enticed

17.  A Bird in the Hand, 1

20.  Stomped on

21.  Butterfly snagger

22.  Smokehouse specialty

25.  Englishmen's sun?

34.  Sib of sis

31.  “___my word”

33.  Distress

34.  Watermelon annoyance

35.  A Bird in the Hand, 2

40.  Fountain treat

41.  Set of two

42.  A Bird in the Hand, 3

49.  Certain milkweed

50.  Corn unit

51.  Stratagem

52.  Consumed

53.  Confused

57.  Partnership inits.

58.  Air; comb form

59.  Consumer

61.  A Bird in the Hand, 4

69.  Ryan or Tatum

70.  .001 inch

71.  Spell of indulgence

72.  Unique individuals

73.  Knot

74.  Missouri feeder

DOWN

1.  Big name at Notre Dame

2.  ___de mer

3.  Under the weather

4.  One way to dispose of 34-Across

5.  Clipped

6.  Certain flounders

7.  Mr. Onassis

8.  28-Across parent

9.  Back street

10.  Join

11.  Ms. Lupino

12.  Head of state? abbr.

13.  Little bill

18.  Seek affection

19.  Three___match

22.  Hovel

23.  Mil. address

24.  28-Across parent

26.  Drama from 37-Down

27.  Tough place to crawl out of?

28.  Wax maker

29.  Gun

30.  Lyric poem

32.  Oregon border town

34.  Remove paint

36.  Tip the noggin

37.  Tokyo, formerly

38.  Rogue

39.  Letter opener?

42.  “Found it!”

43.  Home site

44.  Affirmative vote

45.  Treat for Trigger

46.  Building addition

47.  Storage tub

48.  Stop

53.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

54.  NYC subway line

55.  Sugar; suffix

56.  Washington border town

58.  A ways off

60.  Tears

61.  Also

62.  Rest stop

63.  Catch sight of

64.  Rescue pro

65.  Jr.'s son

66.  Time of note

67.  Broc. or spin.

68.  Shoe size

To download a PDF of this puzzle, please visit
openroadmedia.com/nero-blanc-crosswords

Mum's the Word

Mum's the Word

ACROSS

1.  Grudge

5.  1-Across, e.g.

9.  Ploy

11.  Criticize

13.  With 4-Down, New Year's Day

14.  Philly's strutters

16.  Antique

17.  Pitch

19.  Merida Mrs.

20.  Quaker foe?

21.  Saunters

23.  Poker pile

24.  “___luck!”

26.  Web address; abbr.

27.  Drudgery

29.  Herman and Allen

31. Hightails

33.  Alien craft; abbr.

34.  Some hosp. rooms

35.  Odd-ball

38.  “___in St. Louis”

41.  Behind the___ball

42.  A Gardner

44. Bloodier

46.  NBC offering

47.  Breathes their last

50.  Retirement acct.

51.  Here, in Italy

52.  Stinks

53.  Russian fighter

54.  A-One

57.  Jail bird

60.  Compositions

61.  TV show opener

62.  Some msgs.

63.  H. H. Munro

DOWN

1.  Not so honest hombre

2.  Old French coin

3.  Flight info

4.  See 13-Across

5.  Schuylkill sight

6.  Actress Dawber

7.  Cash mach.

8.  “X Marks___”

9.  37-Down ingredient

10.  Island off Turkey

11.  Like 52-Across

12.  “The Comedy of___”

13.  Actor Grey

15.  Quench

18.  Super ending?

21.  Untimely demise?

22.  Plate passers?

25.  Bridge position

28.  Certain perennial

30.  Hither and___

32.  Runner Sebastian

35.  Revolutionary man?

36.  Least attractive

37.  Candles

38.  In Europe it's common

39.  Pyramid architect, formally

40.  Odder

41.  Some lwyrs.

43.  Strive

45.  Fad

48.  Takes a look inside?