MT could stand for either mountain or empty. ”
“Excellent,” Sydelle Pulaski remarked. Her partner was beautiful, but not dumb. “Read all the clues together now.”
Sydelle was disappointed. “ It is not what you have, it’s what you don’t have that counts. And what we don’t have is a verb. Nothing makes sense without a verb. What about the judge?”
“Judge Ford thought her clues were an insult, and she said something about playing a pawn in Westing’s game. And she had a clipping of the obituary on her desk. This obituary.” Angela handed Sydelle the newspaper taken from Turtle’s drawer.
“What’s that?”
It was a knock on the front door.
It was footsteps in the living room.
It was Theo. “Anyone for a game of chess?” he asked, leaning through the bedroom doorway.
“No, thank you,” Sydelle replied, looking very busy.
Theo smiled shyly at Angela and left.
Sydelle read the obituary in Turtle’s newspaper. The words two hundred million dollars were underlined, but she found a more interesting item. “Sam Westing was a master at chess; no wonder Theo’s so interested. Do you know anything about the game, Angela?”
“A little,” she replied slowly, putting the pieces in order. “The judge says she’s a pawn and Otis Amber says he’s the king, Crow’s the queen—Oh well, it’s probably just a coincidence.”
“We can’t leave any stone unturned,” Sydelle insisted. “As the will says, Object of the game: to win. ”
“What did you say?”
“Object of the game: to win.”
“How about: object of the game: twin. Maybe the murderer is a twin.”
“Twin!” Sydelle liked that. The only problem would be getting the murderer to admit that he (or she) is a twin. “Let’s get back to my apartment. It’s time I transcribed those notes.”
Angela helped the invalid to her feet and nervously peered in both directions before stepping into the hallway.
Sydelle chuckled at her timidity. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Angela. Westing was murdered for his money, and we’re not rich yet. We won’t be rich enough to be murdered until we find the name, and by the time we get the money from the estate, the murderer will be locked up in jail.”
In spite of the impeccable logic, Angela looked back over her shoulder several times on the way to 3C.
“Strange.” Sydelle stood before her open apartment door. She had slammed it shut on leaving, but had not locked the dead bolt; after all, not even a burglar could get into a snowbound building. Unless . . .”
Angela, too frightened to notice that Sydelle ran through the apartment with her crutch in the air, found her partner in the bathroom frantically tossing soiled towels from the hamper.
Sydelle Pulaski stared at the bare wicker bottom, then sank to the rim of the bathtub, shaking her head in disbelief. Someone in Sunset Towers had stolen the shorthand notebook.
9
LOST AND FOUND
EARLY THE NEXT morning a typed index card was tacked to the elevator’s back wall:
LOST: Important business papers of no value to anyone but the owner. Please return to Sydelle Pulaski, 3C. No questions asked.
The shorthand notebook was not returned, but the idea of a bulletin board was an instant success. By late afternoon the elevator was papered with notices and filled with tenants facing sideways and backwards, reading as they rode up and down.
Lost: Silver cross on filigree chain, topaz pin and earrings, gold-filled cuff links. Return to Grace Windsor Wexler, 3D. REWARD!
All players willing to discuss sharing their clues come to the coffee shop tomorrow 10 A.M.
WHOEVER STOLE MY MICKEY MOUSE CLOCK BETTER GIVE IT BACK. JUST LEAVE IT IN THE HALL IN FRONT OF APARTMENT 3D WHEN NO ONE’S LOOKING.
TURTLE WEXLER
ORDER DOWN, NOT UP!
Or come on up to the fifth floor
and dine in elegance
at
SHIN HOO’S RESTAURANT
Specializing in exquisite Chinese cuisine.
LOST: STRING OF PEARLS. SENTIMENTAL VALUE. IF FOUND, PLEASE BRING THEM TO APARTMENT
“Excellent,” Sydelle Pulaski remarked. Her partner was beautiful, but not dumb. “Read all the clues together now.”
Sydelle was disappointed. “ It is not what you have, it’s what you don’t have that counts. And what we don’t have is a verb. Nothing makes sense without a verb. What about the judge?”
“Judge Ford thought her clues were an insult, and she said something about playing a pawn in Westing’s game. And she had a clipping of the obituary on her desk. This obituary.” Angela handed Sydelle the newspaper taken from Turtle’s drawer.
“What’s that?”
It was a knock on the front door.
It was footsteps in the living room.
It was Theo. “Anyone for a game of chess?” he asked, leaning through the bedroom doorway.
“No, thank you,” Sydelle replied, looking very busy.
Theo smiled shyly at Angela and left.
Sydelle read the obituary in Turtle’s newspaper. The words two hundred million dollars were underlined, but she found a more interesting item. “Sam Westing was a master at chess; no wonder Theo’s so interested. Do you know anything about the game, Angela?”
“A little,” she replied slowly, putting the pieces in order. “The judge says she’s a pawn and Otis Amber says he’s the king, Crow’s the queen—Oh well, it’s probably just a coincidence.”
“We can’t leave any stone unturned,” Sydelle insisted. “As the will says, Object of the game: to win. ”
“What did you say?”
“Object of the game: to win.”
“How about: object of the game: twin. Maybe the murderer is a twin.”
“Twin!” Sydelle liked that. The only problem would be getting the murderer to admit that he (or she) is a twin. “Let’s get back to my apartment. It’s time I transcribed those notes.”
Angela helped the invalid to her feet and nervously peered in both directions before stepping into the hallway.
Sydelle chuckled at her timidity. “There’s nothing to be scared of, Angela. Westing was murdered for his money, and we’re not rich yet. We won’t be rich enough to be murdered until we find the name, and by the time we get the money from the estate, the murderer will be locked up in jail.”
In spite of the impeccable logic, Angela looked back over her shoulder several times on the way to 3C.
“Strange.” Sydelle stood before her open apartment door. She had slammed it shut on leaving, but had not locked the dead bolt; after all, not even a burglar could get into a snowbound building. Unless . . .”
Angela, too frightened to notice that Sydelle ran through the apartment with her crutch in the air, found her partner in the bathroom frantically tossing soiled towels from the hamper.
Sydelle Pulaski stared at the bare wicker bottom, then sank to the rim of the bathtub, shaking her head in disbelief. Someone in Sunset Towers had stolen the shorthand notebook.
9
LOST AND FOUND
EARLY THE NEXT morning a typed index card was tacked to the elevator’s back wall:
LOST: Important business papers of no value to anyone but the owner. Please return to Sydelle Pulaski, 3C. No questions asked.
The shorthand notebook was not returned, but the idea of a bulletin board was an instant success. By late afternoon the elevator was papered with notices and filled with tenants facing sideways and backwards, reading as they rode up and down.
Lost: Silver cross on filigree chain, topaz pin and earrings, gold-filled cuff links. Return to Grace Windsor Wexler, 3D. REWARD!
All players willing to discuss sharing their clues come to the coffee shop tomorrow 10 A.M.
WHOEVER STOLE MY MICKEY MOUSE CLOCK BETTER GIVE IT BACK. JUST LEAVE IT IN THE HALL IN FRONT OF APARTMENT 3D WHEN NO ONE’S LOOKING.
TURTLE WEXLER
ORDER DOWN, NOT UP!
Or come on up to the fifth floor
and dine in elegance
at
SHIN HOO’S RESTAURANT
Specializing in exquisite Chinese cuisine.
LOST: STRING OF PEARLS. SENTIMENTAL VALUE. IF FOUND, PLEASE BRING THEM TO APARTMENT
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