The Sudoku Puzzle Murders Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Words and Numbers

  Also by Parnell Hall

  Copyright Page

  For Ruth, who suggested sudoku

  Chapter 1

  Cora Felton gripped the black marker firmly in her right hand and stepped up to the easel in the front of the Bakerhaven, Connecticut, town hall. On the white board was a giant square. Thick, black lines in the shape of a tic-tac-toe divided it into nine smaller squares. Thinner black lines divided each in turn into nine even smaller squares. In some of these squares, numerals from 1 through 9 had been entered, one number per square.

  A sudoku.

  In the back of the crowded town hall, Aaron Grant, just in from the airport, stashed his suitcase behind the door, and scanned the rows of seats for Sherry Carter. She had to be there. Cora Felton, the much vaunted Puzzle Lady, who hawked breakfast cereal to children in TV ads, was merely a figurehead, a kindly, grandmotherly face to adorn the nationally syndicated crossword puzzle column. Sherry actually created the puzzles. Cora could neither construct nor solve a crossword puzzle if her life depended on it. Only a handful of people knew the secret. Cora was always running the risk of being exposed as a fake. Without Sherry, she was lost.

  But Cora’s niece wasn’t there.

  Becky Baldwin, easily Bakerhaven’s attorney most likely to be mistaken for a Gap dancer, waved him over.

  “Where’s Sherry?” Aaron whispered, sliding into a seat next to her.

  She shrugged. Becky used to date Aaron, and still bristled at the name of her rival.

  “She isn’t here?”

  “Haven’t seen her.”

  “Strange,” Aaron said. He wondered how Cora was going to get through. The Puzzle Lady’s presentations were usually like a marionette act, with Sherry pulling the strings.

  Cora glanced at the board, then back at her audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, for the two percent of you who have never seen one of these, this is a sudoku. For the ten percent of you who don’t know how to solve one, I’m going to show you.”

  Cora turned to the puzzle. She knew exactly how to explain it, because Sherry had drilled it into her head the night before. “As I’m sure you know, the sudoku is a puzzle in which the numbers one through nine appear once and only once in every row and column. The numbers also appear once and only once in the nine boxes of each three-by-three square.” Cora pointed them out. “There are nine three-by-three squares in the puzzle.

  “A sudoku starts with some of the numbers filled in.” Cora pointed to the blackboard. “This is an easy sudoku. At least, I hope it is, because I’m going to show you how to solve it.”

  “Look at the three-by-three square in the upper left hand corner. There’s a two, a three, and a four in that square. See if you can figure out where to put a seven.”

  Several hands went up. Someone yelled, “Above the four.”

  Cora smiled. “I see most of you already know. That’s right, a seven goes in the box in the first row across and the third column down. And why does it go there? It can’t go in the first column, because there’s a seven in the fourth row of that column, and you can’t have two sevens in the same column. And it can’t go in the second column, because there’s a seven in the ninth row of that column. So it must be in the third column. The box in the second row of that column is already filled with a four. The box in the third row is already filled with a three. So the only place it can go is the box in the first row of the third column.”

  Cora curtsied and gestured in the direction of the person who shouted. “Which is the box above the four.

  “Using the same sort of logic, we can figure out where the rest of the numbers go.”

  Cora quickly filled in the rest of the puzzle. She flashed her trademark Puzzle Lady smile. “And that,” she said, “is how you solve a sudoku.”

  Harvey Beerbaum pushed his way forward. The portly cruciverbalist took the microphone from Cora, flashed her a sly smile. “That’s all well and good, Miss Felton. But, as you point out, that’s an easy puzzle. Not very challenging to solve. Wouldn’t you like to try something harder?”

  Cora looked Harvey up and down, rolled her eyes at the audience. “Write your own punch line, gang. I’m afraid to touch that one.”

  Harvey frowned at the laughter, then blushed furiously. “I mean a more difficult puzzle. A tougher sudoku. A diabolical one.”

  “That sounds scary, Harvey. I’m not sure these people are up for that.”

  “What do you think, ladies and gentlemen?” Harvey said. “Wouldn’t you like to see the Puzzle Lady solve a diabolical sudoku?”

  The audience applauded.

  “Me?” Cora said. “What do you mean, me? You’re the one who suggested it. If anyone’s gonna solve it, it ought to be you.”

  Another round of applause greeted that challenge.

  “I will if you will,” Harvey said.

  Cora blinked. “Huh?”

  “Why don’t we both solve it? At the same time. In front of everybody. And see who finishes first?”

  Becky nudged Aaron. “Is this part of the program?”

  “No way.”

  “You think Cora can take him?”

  Aaron’s smile was forced. Becky didn’t know Sherry was the Puzzle Lady. Without Sherry, Cora couldn’t take him at all.

  For the moment, however, Cora was tap dancing bravely. “I wouldn’t want to show you up, Harvey,” she declared, with a twinkle in her eye.

  The townspeople hooted and applauded.

  “Oh, I’m not worried,” Harvey said. “I’ve gotten pretty good at these little number things.”

  “He’s calling them ‘little number things’ for effect,” Cora said. “He actually knows they’re sudoku. That is how you pronounce it, isn’t it, Harvey?”

  “You pronounce it very well,” Harvey said. “But how fast can you solve it?”

  “Why? You got an appointment?”

  “I actually plan to be here,” Harvey said, “for the next twenty minutes or so. Which is as long as it should take
me to complete the diabolical puzzle. I don’t know about you.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Cora declared, “this is the ultimate of chutzpah. The guy constructs a puzzle, then offers to solve it.”

  “I assure you I’ve done nothing of the kind,” Harvey said. “I can’t believe you’d accuse me of such a thing. I’m suggesting you solve a puzzle constructed by someone else.”

  “Some friend of yours?” Cora said. “I’m supposed to trust that you haven’t had a peek?”

  Cora was having a good time ribbing Harvey. There was no reason in the world why she had to accept his outrageous challenge. If she wanted, she could leave him up onstage solving his own damn diabolical puzzle.

  “Oh, I think you’ll find the constructor’s credentials unimpeachable.” Harvey pulled an envelope from his pocket, and took out a letter. He opened it and read, “Dear Harvey. Sorry I couldn’t be there in person to help with your charity drive. Please allow me to donate this sudoku. I hope you and the Puzzle Lady have fun solving it.”

  Harvey looked up from the letter and smiled. “Sincerely, Will Shortz!”

  Chapter 2

  At the excited murmurs that accompanied the announcement, Harvey smiled and nodded triumphantly. “That’s right. Will Shortz. Crossword puzzle editor of the New York Times and star of the movie, Wordplay.”

  Harvey held up another envelope. “Will’s letter came with this enclosure. A sealed envelope, containing the sudoku for the Puzzle Lady and me to solve. What do you think of that?”

  The audience answered with applause.

  “Uh, oh,” Aaron said.

  “What’s the matter?” Becky whispered.

  “That’s just like Harvey. Issuing a public challenge without asking if it’s okay first.”

  “Can she say no?”

  “With Will Shortz donating a puzzle? Not a chance.”

  Behind her frozen smile, Cora glared daggers at Harvey Beerbaum, as he bustled around the stage, setting up two sudoku grids side by side. Cora had brought only one for her lecture, but Harvey, maddeningly prepared, had brought another.

  Harvey the curmudgeon, having completely usurped Cora’s demonstration, danced around like a frenetic movie director. “We need impartial people to set up the sudoku. And who could be more impartial than our own chief of police, Dale Harper. And our own first selectman, Iris Cooper. Iris, Chief, could you come up here and supervise our proceedings?”

  Chief Harper, who’d been sitting with his wife and daughter, got reluctantly to his feet, and pressed forward with all the enthusiasm of a man on his way to the gallows.

  First selectman Iris Cooper, who had no idea she was going to be called on, looked to Cora for guidance. The Puzzle Lady merely rolled her eyes.

  “Here you are, Chief, Ms. Cooper. If you would take these black markers. And while Cora and I look away. You will, won’t you, Cora?”

  “Are you accusing me of cheating, Harvey? I may have cheated on a husband or two, but I never cheat at sudoku.”

  “So, Chief, Ms. Cooper. If you would please copy the numbers onto these two giant sudoku. Let me know when you’re done.”

  Cora and Harvey stood facing the audience. Behind them, Chief Harper and Iris Cooper worked on the puzzles.

  “Can we bet on them?” Cora grinned. “Ten bucks says Iris beats the chief.”

  “Hey, I resent that,” Chief Harper said.

  “So bet on yourself,” Cora told him.

  “Fat chance,” Iris scoffed. “He’s way behind.”

  When the puzzles were done, Harvey asked the audience, “Are they the same?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. Cora, would you like to turn around?”

  “I think you have to marry me before you start suggesting positions,” Cora said wickedly. She looked, whistled. “Wow! That’s a killer sudoku puzzle.”

  “Uh, no,” Harvey said pedantically. “Actually, the killer sudoku puzzle is the one where the numbers in adjoining squares have been added together—”

  “Good lord, Harvey,” Cora scoffed. “You’re way too literal. By killer puzzle I mean it’s diabolical. Very hard. Not easy to do. Anyone out there confused by what I just said?”

  A shaking of heads and chorus of noes.

  “No one,” Cora said. “Just the expert. We get the picture, Harvey. This is one tough puzzle. You, I take it, can solve it.”

  “Of course I can solve it. The only question is can I solve it as fast as you can.”

  “I’m sure you can, Harvey. You’re a man. You can do anything better than a woman. Isn’t that right?”

  Harvey looked aghast. “No. Of course not.”

  “Relax, Harvey. You’re a sexist pig and we love you. So, you think a woman can’t beat a man?”

  “I never said any such thing. I merely meant we could have a race. As fellow constructors. Sex has nothing to do with it.”

  “Trust me, Harvey, sex always has something to do with it. Anyway, before you went off on a tangent about how men are better than women, you were telling us what was going to happen.”

  “I was just explaining the rules.”

  “Rules? In a knife fight?”

  Harvey frowned.

  “It’s from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

  “I don’t know it.”

  “Obviously not, or you wouldn’t be standing so straight. Right after that line, Paul Newman kicks the guy in the crotch.”

  Becky nudged Aaron. “Is she stalling?”

  “She’s just having fun with him. To pay him back for trying to embarrass her with the surprise contest.”

  “In other words, she’s stalling?”

  Aaron grimaced. Figured he’d better pave the way for Cora’s failure. “I’m not sure how good she is at solving sudoku. They’re not the same as crossword puzzles.”

  “Uh, oh,” Becky said.

  “You’re right,” Harvey said. “No rules. We each have a sudoku to solve. Whoever solves it first wins. Now, Chief, if you and Ms. Cooper would just take those two large sudoku and tilt the outer edges toward the back wall. How’s that, Cora? Now you can’t see mine, and I can’t see yours.”

  Cora put her hand to her head. “Please, Harvey, don’t give me straight lines like that.”

  The crowd roared.

  Harvey blushed, then forged ahead. “All right. No rules. We just start solving. First one with the correct solution. Ready. Set. Go!”

  Harvey turned around, studied his sudoku.

  Cora studied hers. She took the microphone. “My goodness. You know, Will Shortz may be a great constructor, but he’s left a lot of numbers out. This would be much easier to solve with more squares filled in.”

  Harvey, oblivious, continued working on his puzzle.

  “You mind if I call Will Shortz, ask him for some more numbers?” Cora nodded to the audience. “I’ll take that as a yes. Anyone got a cell phone?”

  “I do,” Iris said.

  “Thanks.” Cora took the phone, punched in an arbitrary number, pretended to talk to Will Shortz. “Hello, Will? … Cora Felton … Yeah, hi … I’m working on your killer sudoku puzzle.” She listened, rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know it’s not a ‘killer’ sudoku puzzle … Why am I calling? Oh. About your puzzle … Well, it’s rather hard. I was wondering if you could help me with the numbers? … Huh? … Thanks, Will.”

  Cora flipped the cell phone closed, handed it back to Iris.

  “Hey, Harvey!” Cora called.

  Harvey, deep in thought, took awhile to react. “What?”

  “I was just on the phone with Will Shortz. He gave me some help with the puzzle. I think it’s only fair I share it with you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I told him the puzzle was too hard, so he gave me a number.” Harvey frowned. “What number?”

  Cora smiled innocently. “Three.”

  “Three?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. So where does the number three go?”

/>   “Oh. He didn’t tell me that,” Cora said. “But, trust me, there’s a three in the puzzle.”

  Harvey stared at her. Blinked.

  A ripple of laughter spread though the town hall as the audience slowly realized Cora was putting him on.

  Cora shook her head. “No sense of humor. He seems to be doing pretty well with the puzzle, though.”

  Harvey was.

  “He’s more than half done,” Becky whispered to Aaron.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s she doing? Is this like a chess tournament where one player lets the clock run to try to psych their opponent out?”

  “I have no idea,” Aaron said. He was speculating wildly on what excuses Cora might come up with for not being about to solve the puzzle.

  “Ah, you’re no fun, Harvey.” Cora picked up the marker and began writing numbers at an astounding rate. Within minutes she had filled the board. “Done!” she announced.

  The crowd burst into applause.

  Harvey, startled, looked around in surprise. He was nearly three quarters done.

  Cora winked at him. “You just ain’t ready for me yet, kid.”

  Harvey gawked.

  “Cincinnati Kid, Harvey. Steve McQueen. Rent it some time.”

  Cora set down her marker, curtsied to the crowd, and walked out.

  Chapter 3

  Cora Felton stood in the parking lot behind town hall smoking a cigarette.

  “You mind telling me how you pulled that off?” Aaron Grant said.

  “Oh, hi, Aaron. You got back in time to see my performance?”

  “I sure did. How the hell did you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Solve the sudoku?”

  “Weren’t you listening? You put nine numbers in each row and column.”

  “I know the concept.”

  “There you are.” Cora took a drag on her cigarette, blew it out.

  “But you can’t do puzzles.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says you. You’re terrible at puzzles.”

  “Shhh. You never know who might be listening.”

  “Come on. Were you and Harvey in on it?”

  “In on what? The guy surprised me onstage. He tried to trip me up. Just like he always tries to do.”

  “Right. With a sealed puzzle from Will Shortz. So how’d you get a look at the puzzle?”