The KenKen Killings Part 31

"Yes, there is. Who's making that allegation?"

"What?"

"You said keep you out of it. So you're not making the complaint. And the witness isn't making the complaint."

"What about the police?"

"It's not like it's a criminal proceeding. This is a civil suit. A squabble about money."

The young man started to protest.

Harper put up his hand. "Yes, you're still not allowed to intimidate a witness. And, yes, it's a crime. But unless someone is making that allegation..."

"Like who?"

Harper hesitated. The obvious "who" was the defendant in the action. But the thought of telling Cora Felton her ex-husband was making trouble was more than he could deal with. "Okay, I'll talk to her. See if she wants to make a complaint."

"You're going to talk to Lilly?"

"Sure."

"Then she'll know I told."

Harper sighed. As if it weren't bad enough having an unsolved murder. "Where does she live?"

"She rents a room. From the Hunters. Paul and Sally. You know them?"

Harper probably knew them on sight. He ignored the question, said, "She has a room in the house?"

"Over the garage, actually. She has her own separate entrance."

"But the garage is near the house?"

"Yes."

"And there's neighbors? People who could have seen this man go in?"

"You mean people who could have reported an intruder?"

"Best I can do for you." Harper picked up the phone, called the First National Bank.

"You'll be discreet?"

"I'm the sole of tact," Harper said dryly. "h.e.l.lo? Who's this?... Oh, hi, Ben. Chief Harper here. Listen, could I speak to Lilly Clemson?... She's not?" He glanced at his watch. "What time does she usually get in?... Is she often late?... I see. Thanks, Ben."

Harper hung up the phone, got to his feet.

"She's not there?"

"No."

"Call her room. I got the number."

Harper called, got no answer.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. But I don't like it. Let's take a run over there."

"My car's out front."

"Fine. I'll take mine. You lead the way."

Harper fell in behind Luke Haas, who'd been parked down the block, and drove out to Lilly Clemson's.

He had half a mind to call Cora Felton. One of the witnesses who testified at her hearing was dead. Now the other one was missing. It didn't necessarily mean foul play, but even so it was an ominous coincidence. The only thing that stopped him from calling was the fact that Lilly Clemson was a witness in her case. As long as the alimony dispute was pending, Harper didn't want to do anything that might taint the results.

Haas pulled into the driveway of a two-story frame house on the outskirts of town. A separate garage, painted white with green trim to match the house, had a wooden stairway up the side to a platform in front of a doorway in a dormer. It was rather ugly architecturally, but it did create a garretlike artist's residence above the garage.

Harper climbed the stairs with the boyfriend hot on his heels.

There was no doorbell.

Harper pounded on the door.

There was no answer.

"d.a.m.n. We'll have to break in."

The boyfriend looked embarra.s.sed. "Um..."

"What?"

"I have a key."

"Why didn't you say so? Open the door."

Haas unlocked the door.

Harper pushed it open and stepped inside.

Lilly Clemson lay in the middle of the floor. Her eyes were open and staring. Her throat had been slit. A straight razor lay in the pool of blood that had seeped from the wound.

Luke Haas took one look and gagged.

"Get out!" Harper grabbed the young man, spun him toward the door. "Throw up outside!"

Harper thrust the young man out the door, turned back toward the body.

Sighed.

He wished like h.e.l.l he'd trusted his instincts and called Cora Felton.

There was a KenKen on the body.

CHAPTER.

41.

By the time Cora got there, there were two police cars, the medical examiner, an EMT unit, and the Channel 8 van.

Rick Reed pounced as soon as she got out of her car. "I'm talking with Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady, who has just arrived at the scene of the crime. What can you tell us, Miss Felton? Did the police call you in?"

"Why, did they call you?" Cora said.

Rick Reed, who had been called by Dan Finley, was taken aback. He recovered quickly, said, "Does this mean there's a puzzle involved?"

Cora smiled, pushed on past. She nodded to Sam Brogan, who was handling crowd control and riding herd on Luke Haas.

"Who's he?" Cora said.

Sam popped his gum. "Boyfriend."

Cora ducked under the crime scene ribbon and went up the stairs.

It was crowded in the little room. Barney Nathan was trying to examine the body without kneeling in the blood. The EMT team was at the top of the stairs, waiting to go in.

"What do you want, Chief?"

Harper glanced around. He had no place to pull her aside except for the tiny bathroom. He considered it, shuddered, motioned to her to hang on.

Barney rose from the corpse. "Pretty straightforward. Killer cut her throat. Doesn't appear to be any contributing cause of death."

"When did it happen?"

"Sometime last night."

"Not this morning?" Cora said.

The doctor regarded her with a jaundiced eye. The Puzzle Lady's a.s.sessments of his talents had not always been glowing. She might even have hinted at botching an autopsy or two.

"I wasn't aware of your authority to ask questions."

"Consider I'm asking," Harper said.

"It was last night. It could have been the middle of the night, but not as recent as this morning. The blood's coagulated. The body's cooled. It's been a while."

"Was that so hard?" Cora said.

The doctor gave her a look and went out.

The EMT unit came in, fetched the body.

"Okay, Chief. What was it you didn't want to spill in front of them?"

Harper gave her the KenKen.

Cora looked disappointed. "Is that all?"

"Can you solve it?"

"Of course I can solve it. It's not going to mean anything."

"The other one did."

"That was a little different."

"How is it different?"

Cora wasn't sure how to answer that. It was different in that she was lying about it, but that wasn't what she wanted to tell him.

"In that case, there was a crossword puzzle involved. Was there one this time?"

"If so, I haven't found it yet."

"Thank goodness."

Chief Harper looked at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, the case is confusing enough," Cora said breezily. "So, you want me to take a look at the KenKen?"

"Yeah. I want you to solve it for me and tell me what it means."

"I a.s.sume you already added up the numbers in it?"

"Yeah. They come to one eighty-two. Does that suggest anything to you?"

"Not at all."

"I suppose we should check out any address with a one eighty-two in it. One eighty-two Oak Street. One eighty-two Main."

"What in the world for?"