A Crossword to Die For (10 page)

Rosco gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “I know … And I'll say it again: I wish I'd been there with you.”

Belle turned back to him, her gaze hurrying past the crossword motif on the curtains, the captains' chairs decked out in black and white canvas, the wooden floor painted in large, bold squares to match. “You're a good person, Rosco.”

He didn't answer for a minute. “What's troubling me is that there's no entry in your father's bank records to indicate a withdrawal in the amount necessary to purchase a good-sized motorboat … nowhere in the last six years—as far back as he kept files. Now, he could possibly have borrowed against his investment account and raised the cash. Current value is sitting around one hundred twenty-five thousand, but there's no sign that he ever applied for, or received, such a loan … Or made any regular type of payments.”

Belle raised her hand to her forehead, but her concerned frown didn't abate. “The yacht broker said Father and Woody paid for the boat in cash … but I never suspected he meant tens and twenties.”

Rosco smiled softly. “I doubt that Woody and Ted were walking around carrying a sail bag stuffed with ninety-seven thousand dollars in cold cash, so it must have been a cashier's check or something—drawn on a bank account we know nothing about.”

“Well, it couldn't have been an account of my father's. Remember, the first thing the Florida probate people did was run his Social Security number through the system. I guarantee you he had no accounts other than what appears in the paperwork I shipped up from Florida. Even a small thing like a safe-deposit box would have shown up.”

“I know …” Rosco rubbed the back of his neck. “And speaking of Social Security, I started looking at the deposit columns too. Your father had just started on direct deposit of his S-S check last year. And his investment account automatically transferred any dividend income straight into his checking account, as well.… Ever since the boat was purchased, there have been deposits of five thousand dollars made twice a year—on the fifteenth of March and the fifteenth of September, like clockwork.”

Belle sat up a little straighter in her chair. “So that would bolster any theory that my father had lent the money to Woody, and was being paid back on a regular basis.”

“That's what I was thinking. Of course, there's no proof that it was Woody who made those payments, but at ten thou a year, he would've paid back forty-five grand so far. Obviously your father had placed the owner's papers in the envelope for Woody, and hidden it, so that if—and when—he died, Woody would own the boat free and clear … Without having to forfeit any inheritance tax to the Feds or the state of Florida.”

“That makes sense.” Belle said this in a not entirely convincing tone.

“But it still doesn't explain where this ninety-seven thousand came from in the first place.”

“No …”

“Or why, when I told Woody about Father's death, he didn't ask if there'd been any documents—or even a letter—left to his attention—”

“We're back to the fact that your father didn't know he was going to die, Belle.”

“Right,” she agreed. “But that doesn't mean that when he was confronted with the information, Woody wouldn't have made a query or two—”

“Which might well indicate that the material your father hid behind the photo was no longer relevant.”

“I guess …” Belle sighed.

“Let's return to the monetary situation,” Rosco finally said. “Now, I can phone the bank, talk to his financial advisor … I can call the yacht broker, but they're all going to give me the same reply: ‘That's not the type of information we supply over the telephone.' I hate to say this, but the only way we're going to get answers is for me—or both of us—to go back down to Florida and ask questions in person … And find Woody. He's the key to all of this.”

“And Father's supposed fear of flying … Maybe we—”

The simultaneous eruption of noise—the doorbell chiming, Kit barking at the intrusion, and the fax machine ringing—burst upon the conversation like the arrival of a high school marching band. Belle jumped; Rosco very nearly did as well.

“Sounds like we're under siege,” he said. “I'll get the door … And I'm expecting that fax. It should be from American Express.”

Belle walked to the fax machine while Rosco followed Kit to the front door. A minute later he returned carrying a thick manila envelope.

“It was a messenger from the
Crier
. For the illustrious crossword editor.” He set the package on Belle's desk.

“Arrgh … More puzzles for my compendium. I really wish I hadn't taken on this project. I should have agreed to a collection of my own puzzles, and let it go at that … Look how thick this envelope is.” Belle dropped it on her desk. “It's going to take me forever to get through all these …” She pushed the manila envelope aside, unopened. “What's this fax from American Express about?”

“When we canceled your father's credit cards, we were sent closing statements—but not from Am-Ex. I called them earlier today and was told it had been mailed over a week ago, so I gather it got lost in the postal system. Anyway, they're forwarding a duplicate, but offered to fax a copy in the meantime.”

Rosco took the fax from Belle and glanced it over. “It's interesting that your dad paid for those plane tickets in cash, rather than using a credit card.”

“Why do you think that was?”

“I … don't … know,” was Rosco's distracted answer. He'd clearly moved to another line of thought as he studied the transactions on Ted's final American Express statement.

Belle noted his furrowed brow. “What's wrong? I don't like that look on your face.”

“It seems your father purchased
two
train tickets when he came up here.”

“Two?”

“Mmmm …”

“But … But that means someone was traveling with him … Who?”

“No, wait. I was mistaken … It was a single fare, but one ticket took him from Tampa, Florida, to Trenton, New Jersey; and the second ticket is for Trenton through to Newcastle. So he never did change trains in New York, as you thought.”

“Wait … Dad stopped in Trenton?”

“Yep. He also picked up a Jarvis rental car at the Trenton train station.”

Belle walked behind Rosco and peered over his shoulder at the Am-Ex statement. “Princeton …” she murmured. “He must have driven from Trenton to Princeton for some reason. The Florida train doesn't stop in Princeton …” Belle paused. “But I wonder why he never told me he was going there—”

“Well, it obviously wasn't a long stay … twenty-four hours. Forty-seven dollars sounds like a one-day rental to me. The Jarvis charge is posted on the thirteenth, the day your father was due to arrive in Newcastle—meaning that he might have rented it on the twelfth and spent the night in Princeton. On the other hand, there are no hotel charges …”

“He must have been a guest at someone's house …” Even as she posed the theory, Belle's brain began challenging it.
Who?
she wondered.
Why can't I name even one person?

“Okay … So, a hotel might not have been necessary. But I'm still confused about the whereabouts of the Jarvis agreement. Not only didn't the Boston Police find any train ticket stubs in your dad's possession; there was no sign of rental car papers, either. And obviously nothing in the luggage they returned to us.”

“Would Father have thrown them out?” Before the words were out of her mouth, Belle realized it was a stupid question.

Rosco gave her an “are you nuts?” look. “His records are pristine—six years and not a thing's out of order. He kept those airplane receipts, didn't he?”

She moved back to her desk and sat. “I don't know … Maybe … Maybe Father was beginning to lose his cognitive skills … He did have a heart attack less than twelve hours after returning the rental car. Perhaps coronary disease can affect thought processes … or alter habitual modes of behavior …”

Rosco shook his head in thought. “Could be, I guess … But my suggestion is that I go down to New Jersey and look into this. It'll only take a day, and maybe I can unearth some explanations.”

Belle considered the suggestion. “I'll go with you.”

“You could, Belle … Obviously, you could …” He paused, searching for words. “But perhaps it's better that I nose around in more of a professional investigator mode … and not as your husband.”

Belle stared at the floor. “And you don't believe a ‘daughter looking for the truth' approach is going to work as well?”

“To be honest? No. Folks have a way of overcompensating with people they think are connected to law enforcement … They say more than they should—or far less than is normal … Either way they send up a flag. We need closure here, Belle … You may be right in thinking that a heart condition was governing your dad's final actions, but I'd feel a lot better knowing exactly what transpired.”

She nodded her head in quiet agreement while Rosco placed his hands on her shoulders and massaged them lightly. “I need to prepare a few docs for the lawyers on the Leland-Marine thing. That's going to take me most of tomorrow, but I can drive down to Princeton the next day.”

Belle remained quiet for a moment. “What about Florida?”

“Let's see what turns up in the Garden State first.”

Again, she hesitated before forming a reply. “I can't help but feel I should go with you. Maybe, it's guilt talking, but it doesn't seem right for me to sit here in Newcastle while you—”

“Obviously, you're welcome to accompany me—
more
than welcome. But experience tells me the official PI mode is what we need here. Besides, remember we're in this thing together … Whatever I learn is information for us both to share … ‘All for one and one for all'? Isn't that the quotation?”

Belle smiled briefly. “Close enough … But there were three musketeers, not two …”

Kit took this as a cue to let out a bark and roll onto her back.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Across

1.  Cleo's downfall

4.  In the chips

7.  School grp.

10.  CIA predecessor

13.  Blow-hard

15.  Window treatments

17.  Jousted

18.  Some falls

19.  LEGAL HALTS

20.  CHOPIN'S #9, TO SOME

21.  Neat as a pin

24.  Summer drinks

25.  Fall behind

28.  LEON'S ISRAEL, E.G.

30.  Post LBJ

31.  Okay

32.  What pa does with his riata?

34.  Diggin' it

35.  DOCTOR'S INPUT

38.  Jai___

40.  Reason for alimony?

43.  61-Across's prize

44.  Dr. of rap

45.  “FALSTAFF,” TO VERDI

46.  ___Plaines

47.  Rip

48.  Town on the Meurthe

49.  Darlings

50.  “The Greatest”

51.  “La Traviata” tenor

54.  Skirt pocket

58.  BAD NEWS AT A BEER BUST?

59.  Eat

60.  UFO passengers

61.  Grads to be

62.  Gel

63.  Q-U link

Down

1.  Stomach muscles, abbr.

2.  Drain

3.  Links grp.

4.  INITIAL CHOICE

5.  Simians

6.  Spread hay

7.  Bad hair day for Leo?

8.  BOTTLE CAP INSTRUCTIONS

9.  Black___

10.  “___Life to Live”

11.  Cpl's boss

12.  Drafting grp.

14.  TILLS

16.  Parisian pronoun

20.  Club soda and tonic

21.  ___'dino, Russia

22.  Pitcher's stat.

23.  Errors

25.  Glove oil

26.  Picnic pest

27.  Washington or Hamilton; abbr.

29.  Fair grade

31.  CANON PRODUCTS

33.  CONCORD PILOTS

36.  Long or Block, abbr.

37.  Leaning

38.  Total

39.  Fib

41.  Chem-___

42.  Query enc.

44.  “___than a doornail”

47.  61-Across, usually

49.  Start to amble?

50.  Lotion ingredient

51.  Pub pint

52.  Building site

53.  CAMERA SETTINGS

54.  Some computers

55.  Sumerian world of the dead

56.  Some hosp. workers

57.  Asian holiday

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

CHAPTER 13

“
Signs of the Times
,” Belle mused aloud. “Clever … a nice game within a game …” She'd gathered the latest submissions to her crossword collection, working through each one individually as she always did, then arranging the puzzles in descending order of wit and intellect. The one entitled
Signs of the Times
was the clear favorite of the group.