The Puzzle Lady vs. the Sudoku Lady by Parnell Hall

for single occupancy.
    The only alternative was to get her New York apartment back. The couple who sublet would be shocked after so many years to suddenly find themselves evicted, especially with the rents Manhattan apartments were commanding these days. Cora hated to do it. She had a heart of gold. On the other hand, maybe she should raise the rent.
    Cora folded the paper and threw it on the coffee table. The red
envelope was lying there. Cora pulled out the sudoku from Minami. The girl said it was hard. It looked challenging, but Cora was good at sudoku. She picked up a pencil, went to work.
    It took her nearly fifteen minutes.

    Cora scanned the answer to make sure she was right. That was the only problem with the damn things. If you were sloppy and didn’t watch out, you might wind up with two sevens in the same line.
    The phone rang.
    Cora picked it up in the kitchen.
    It was Chief Harper. “Better get in here.”
    Cora padded down the hall to the office where Sherry was working on a crossword. “I gotta go to town.”
    â€œDamn. I’m almost finished with this puzzle.”
    â€œSo, stay here.”
    â€œI need the car. I’ll have to drop you off and come back.”

    They headed for town, Sherry driving.
    â€œWhen I move out, you’ll have to get your own car.”
    â€œI can use Aaron’s.”
    â€œThen you’d have to drive him to work.”
    â€œOh. I guess you better stay.”
    â€œFor a car? That’s a dumb reason.”
    â€œWhat’s Harper want?”
    â€œI don’t know. He didn’t sound happy.”
    â€œIt’s the economy,” Sherry said. “No one’s happy these days.”
    â€œTell me about it.”
    Sherry pulled up in front of the police station. “How long you gonna be?”
    â€œI have no idea. Why don’t you come on in?”
    â€œWhat if Chief Harper doesn’t like it?”
    â€œThen you’ll leave.”
    Dan Finley was at his desk.
    â€œChief wants to see me,” Cora said.
    â€œYeah, I heard.”
    â€œYou know what he wants?”
    â€œI think he needs rescuing.”
    Cora raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”
    â€œSee for yourself.”
    Cora and Sherry slipped into the office. Chief Harper sat behind his desk. He looked harried.
    Minami, in full regalia, sat opposite. Her niece, slumped in a chair next to her, looked bored.
    On the other side of Minami sat a man in a custom-tailored three-piece suit, a pink shirt, and a purple tie. Cora’s eyes practically crossed. She had to refocus them to look at his face. It was pudgy and thin at the same time, a remarkable achievement. Puffy eyes, bulbous lips, but sunken cheeks. He looked like something
out of a forties’ monster movie. Only they were in black and white.
    Cora jerked her thumb. “Who’s he?”
    The man was on his feet, smiling grotesquely and extending a hand. “Irving Swartzman,” he said. It was a pronouncement. “I represent the Sudoku Lady.”
    Cora frowned at Minami. “You brought a lawyer?”
    â€œHe is not my lawyer.”
    â€œOf course not. I am her agent. I am here to represent her rights.”
    â€œRights? What rights?”
    Michiko rolled her eyes. “This is really stupid.”
    â€œSo,” Cora said, “you brought your niece and your agent. That’s hardly fair. My niece is my agent. It’s three against two.”
    Chief Harper put up his hands. “Please. I have a small problem here. We have the matter of Ida Fielding’s death. I would like to clear it up as quickly and quietly as possible. This man, on the other hand, would like to exploit it.”
    Swartzman’s eyes widened. The effect was eerie. “Did I say that? I merely said that credit should be given where credit’s due. If the Sudoku Lady has solved a crime that otherwise would have gone unnoticed, that’s a story. You can’t expect me to