And a Puzzle to Die On by Parnell Hall Page A

onions for the pot roast.
    “I solved your puzzle,” Sherry told her.
    Cora Felton dropped her purse on the kitchen table, flopped into a chair, and groaned. “Don’t tell me. It’s a secret message, warning me off the Daigue case.”
    Sherry’s mouth fell open. “What makes you say that?”
    Cora stared at her. “You mean it is?”
    “Not at all. I’m just wondering where you got the idea.”
    “Oh, everyone’s telling me to lay off the case. I’m starting to get a complex.”
    “Then this isn’t as bad news as I thought.”
    “Bad news?”
    “It’s
not
bad news,” Sherry said. “It’s just how you’re going to take it.”
    PARTYFAVOR
by Nancy Salomon

    ACROSS
1
Illegal act (foiled by the birthday gal)
6
Spill the beans
10
Enthusiastic, and then some
14
Butler’s lady
15
“Othello” fellow
16
Writing on the wall
17
The birthday gal
19
Egg on
20
Sailors’ assents
21
Souped-up Jaguar
22
Niece of the birthday gal
24
Has a bite
26
Cooks in a 47-Down, perhaps
27
Final transport
30
Simon Templar
31
Mil. training program
32
Early Peruvian
34
O.K. Corral name
38
The birthday gal’s crime-solving cohort
42
Put-on
43
Fable feature
44
Denver-to-Detroit dir.
45
Just for laughs
48
Distress call
50
Feeds a crowd
52
Bore for ore
53
Constructor sending best wishes to the birthday gal
54
Delta rival: Abbr.
55
Not fatty
59
Naysayer
60
The birthday gal’s alter ego
63
Write-off
64
In the thick of
65
Southwest desert risers
66
Single-named New Age singer
67
“The Right Stuff” org.
68
“I’m all ears”
    DOWN
1
Caesar’s sidekick
2
“Hello, sailor!”
3
Cut back
4
Miscalculator’s aid
5
The “so few” of 1940: Abbr.
6
Defrauds
7
After the bell
8
Many moons ___
9
Japanese miniature tree
10
Enterprising one
11
Love, Italian-style
12
P, N, R, e.g.
13
Pop artist Warhol
18
Reach out
23
Barbarian
25
“Get real!”
26
Relatively rational
27
Mystery author Edward
28
Sound on the rebound
29
Gobi’s locale
30
Permanent place?
33
“The Stranger” novelist
35
Impersonated
36
Sofer of soaps
37
The hunted
39
Emigrant’s document
40
Skater Dorothy
41
Fed head Greenspan
46
Born abroad
47
Cooking utensil
49
Disney dog Old ___
50
Maker of cameras and copiers
51
Pretentious
52
Miata maker
53
In good shape
54
Israeli submachine guns
56
“Piece of cake!”
57
Rodin sculpture at the Met
58
Big Board inits.
61
Emma’s portrayer in “The Avengers”
62
CPR expert
    “What do you mean by that?” Cora said suspiciously.
    “Oh, for goodness’ sake. Just take a look at it.”
    “Where is it? On the computer?”
    “No, I printed it out. It’s right there on the kitchen table.”
    There were some pages next to Cora’s purse. She snatched them up.
    On the top was the filled-in crossword puzzle grid.
    “Yeah. So?”
    “Look at the long clues.”
    “Clues?”
    “Solutions. The three long entries going across.”
    Cora looked. Her eyes widened. “
Cora Felton!
What the hell is this? Oh, my God!
Chief Dale Harper? Puzzle Lady?
”
    “Look at clue 17.”
    “
The birthday gal. Cora Felton
. Oh, no!”
    “Oh, yes. It’s a birthday card crossword puzzle.”
    “But I don’t even
know
this Nancy what’s-her-name.”
    “No, but someone else does. Look at 53 Across.”
    Cora read, “
Constructor sending best wishes to the birthday gal. Harvey
. Son of a bitch!”
    “He meant it nicely.”
    “Nicely, hell.
Nicely
isn’t a crossword puzzle.
Nicely
is a gold necklace.
Nicely
is a ruby ring.”
    “Cora, what does it hurt? I solved the puzzle for you. You can read it, you can thank Harvey for it, and we’re done with it.”
    “I have to
thank
him for this?”
    “You can hit him with it, if you’d rather.” Sherry dropped the onions in the pan. “So how’d it go with Harper?”
    “It didn’t.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I told you. He warned me off the case. He was totally negative. Told me nothing that would help.” Cora grimaced. “Except …”
    “Except what?”
    “It’s a small thing. So small