Death on the Diagonal - By Nero Blanc Page 0,85
he’d known what she’d been up to and then smile like the Cheshire Cat as he watched her walk down that long lane and off the farm—wouldn’t even call a cab for her. Oh, yeah, Ryan was killed by a jealous lover, but it sure as hell wasn’t Mr. C.”
“Well, who’s left, besides you?” Kelly only smiled, and Belle added, “Unless . . . Ryan was having an affair with someone else?”
“Like I said—a dirty little cesspool.”
“Palamountain? Chip?”
“Not hardly. Those boys don’t like to live that dangerously. Cross the old man? I doubt it. Guess again.”
“Fiona killed Ryan . . .” Belle said slowly, finding the concept bewildering, but also very plausible. “Because Ryan was . . . she and Jack were . . .”
“Now you’re cookin’, girlie.” Kelly waved her gun at Belle. “Start the car. We’re going to the beach. I was leaving late that night, when I saw Jack slip in. I knew what he was up to. Him and Ryan had been on-again, off-again for years, but I wanted to be certain I had my information straight, so I stuck around till he left. I sat in Mr. C.’s Bentley and watched the whole thing take shape. Ryan came down and saw him out, gave him a big smooch. That’s how I know he didn’t kill her.”
“And then you saw Fiona go in?”
“You got it. I guess she was out lookin’ for him. But she saw that big, fat kiss just as sure as I did.”
“Which beach are we going to?”
“Munnatawket. Drive slow.”
“You don’t need to keep pointing that gun at me, Kelly. I’m not going to try anything.”
“Yeah, right, like I trust you.”
Belle glanced into the rearview mirror and began to maneuver the car out of the parking place. But she hit the brakes when she saw another car coming her way. The driver stopped and waved her on. “Why didn’t you tell the police what you saw?”
Kelly laughed at her. “You really don’t get the life do you? You don’t get the grift. I don’t talk to cops; never have, never will. No matter what. We have our own society; you have yours. If anyone out there hears I talked to a cop, my name’s mud. Besides, I had Fiona right where I wanted her.”
“You were going to blackmail her,” Belle stated.
“Hey, you’re a bright girl,” Kelly said facetiously. “I was sittin’ pretty. We’d all found ourselves a nice comfy home. Ryan had the old man, Jack had half of Fiona, and I had the other half, money-wise, that is.”
“But he found out you were conning Walter Gudgeon.”
“Yeah. He thought I was putting the whole operation at risk. That’s when he got the bright idea to start making those puzzles and set Angel up as being the one on the grift. I didn’t like it; I thought it was real stupid, but he kept sayin’ it was what the ‘smart-set’ liked . . . little games of what person’s got the goods on another. And besides, Angel was easy to waste. She wasn’t family. And Chip would never have stood up to his pop if Todd had told him to dump her.” Kelly shook her head in anger and disbelief. “There I was drawin’ out these damn grids and writing clues, and Jack’s feeding me words that all but shout Kelly, and I don’t see a thing. Not a thing! And it’s not like I trusted the creep, either. Well, he got what he deserved. Both of them did.”
Belle slowed for the stop sign at the corner and glanced again into the rearview mirror. It was obvious that the driver of the car behind her either didn’t see her stop, or didn’t see the sign, or was dialing a cell phone, or was distracted in some manner, but whatever the case, he was going to rear-end her. She pushed her foot firmly down on the brake pedal to avoid being catapulted into the intersection and braced her body as she waited for the impact. Kelly gave her a strange look; it all happened in the blink of an eye.
It wasn’t a light tap; it was a forceful collision. Belle’s seat belt held her in place, but Kelly lurched forward, her forehead colliding with the hard dashboard. She was knocked unconscious immediately and slumped forward in the seat. A small trickle of blood rolled across her face, as Belle straightened her body and took the gun from her lap.
“I can take that pistol if you’d like,” the voice said from outside the car. “I know how to use it.” It was Walter Gudgeon.
“I was coming to your house to apologize for being so hard on your husband,” he said, “and saw her marching you out to the car. That’s the Dawn I knew. That blond hair and outfit didn’t disguise her for a second.”
Belle unhooked her seat belt and stepped from the car. She rolled her head from side to side to loosen her neck and back muscles.
“Sorry about rear-ending you like that. I didn’t know what else to do. I saw you put your seat belt on, so I was hoping it would work.”
“It sure made a mess of your nice car.”
He shrugged. “It’s only a car. I called the police on my cell phone. Do you want to call Rosco?”
“No, he should be on his way home. Thank you, Mr. Gudgeon. It appears as if you saved my life.”
“I guess it’s all in how you see it, how you look at life. As I was about to plow into you, do you know what I was thinking?”
“No.”
“I was thinking that this old Dodge is the exact same color green Young Walt wants to paint the fleet of Walt’s Wire Wagons.”
“And . . . ?”
“I’m beginning to think it’s not a half-bad idea.”
Across
1. Grp. for those with 2-Down
4. Fort Worth campus; abbr.
7. Belief
10. Fib
13. Dupe
15. British singer, Chris
16. Coach, Parseghian
17. Horse sense, part 1
20. Talent of 47-Across
21. Some towns
22. Computer key
23. Doctor
26. “___ Rider,” Eastwood film
27. Outlaw, Kelly
28. 63-Across task
31. Swan’s former coworkers?
35. 50 plus grp.
36. Horse sense, part 2
40. Irish nobleman
41. Pirate gallows?
42. Hosp. workers
43. 43-Down locale
46. Mister in Munich
47. Author of horse sense quote
49. Be in charge; abbr.
52. Aiming
55. Tierney role
56. Horse sense, part 3
60. Grassland
61. MMMC ÷ II
62. Gin cocktail
63. Ambulance workers; abbr.
64. Ship’s heading
65. Extra work for 31-Across; abbr.
66. ___ Moines
Down
1. Wide open
2. Sedans and wagons
3. Specific
4. Cash drawer item
5. Gear tooth
6. Spanish article
7. Certain patch
8. Peaceful
9. Potato option
10. Lion portrayer
11. Some savings accts.
12. Comfort
14. Coach, Hodges
18. Horseshoe peg
19. Greek goddess
23. Vaccine developer, Jonas
24. Away from the wind
25. Had been
26. Pistol ___
28. Author, Caleb
29. Spring dance
30. Tach readouts
31. Headliner
32. Skinny
33. “. . . lend me your ___”
34. Mole
35. Way off
37. Comedian, Mort
38. Annoyed
39. Certain satellite; abbr.
43. Stage backdrops
44. Internet discoveries?
45. Prickle
47. Talent of 47-Across
48. Type of trip
HORSE SENSE
49. Amor
50. Pooh creator
51. Don
52. Ready and willing follower
53. Appear
54. School grps.
55. Tiny particle; abbr.
57. Sgt. or Cpl.
58. Grass
59. Chicago trains
The Answers
OFF TO THE RACES
SUBMISSION
TO CATCH A THIEF
MEASURE FOR MEASURE
SOCIAL CLIMBER
HORSE SENSE