The Sudoku Puzzle Murders Read Free Page A

practiced all week and figured I didn’t.”
    “But you triumphed easily. Even after giving him the lead.”
    Cora shrugged. “I have a knack for sudoku. Don’t ask me why.”
    His eyes widened. “But you are the Puzzle Lady.”
    “Yeah, yeah. Doesn’t mean I’m the fastest thing on two wheels.” At his confused expression, Cora said, “I’m not sure what that means myself. To be honest, I can’t solve crossword puzzles nearly as quickly.”
    “Interesting.”
    “Why?”
    He frowned. “What?”
    “Why is it interesting? Why did you drive all the way from New York to see me?”
    “I am sorry.” He took out a business card, handed it to Cora. “I am a publisher. Takiyama Publishing is third largest house in Japan. Fiction and nonfiction. We do mystery, romance, science fiction.
Sudoku are most popular. I would love to do a Puzzle Lady sudoku book.”
    “You want to put me in a book?”
    “Do you know how big you are in Japan?”
    That tripped her up. How big she was in Japan? What a touchy subject. Cora had put on ten pounds in the last two months. Not the end of the world, still nothing she wanted to be reminded of. Of course, Mr. Fujifilm wasn’t making a comment on her girth. He was far too polite to do that. He was clearly referring to her celebrity status. On the other hand, Asian women tended to be small and slim, and what was fair about that? Oh, hell, was there anything she could say that didn’t sound irritated, off-putting, or couched in an offensive racial stereotype?
    Hideki misunderstood her hesitation. “I am sorry to speak business with you. Is it not done? Should I be speaking with your agent?”
    “Actually, I don’t have an agent.”
    “Is that so? You do it all yourself? How extraordinary.”
    “My niece Sherry Carter handles my business affairs. She’s not my agent. More like a partnership.”
    “I see. So I should talk to Miss Carter?”
    Cora grimaced. “Miss Carter has wedding plans just now.”
    “Oh? And when is the happy event?”
    Cora waggled her hand. “The date’s not set yet. Some trouble with her former husband.”
    “The divorce is not final?”
    “He doesn’t think it is.”
    “Does she have a good lawyer?”
    “Her husband does.”
    He frowned, uncomprehending.
    “His lawyer is my lawyer,” Cora explained. “An excellent lawyer. But she used to date the groom.”
    “The present groom?”
    “Yes. Now she is the attorney for my niece’s ex-husband.”

    “I see.”
    Cora judged from his expression he probably didn’t. She smiled, said, “No matter. Here’s Sherry’s number. I’ll tell her you’re going to call.”
    Cora fished a handful of assorted papers from her floppy drawstring purse, riffled through, came up with an Exxon receipt. Surely her tax man didn’t need that. After all, he had her credit card statements. At least she hoped he did. Cora scrawled the number with a rather blunt pencil, recalled too late as always Sherry urging her to get business cards. Maybe next time.
    “Here. Call her later this afternoon. After I get a chance to talk to her.”
    “You will tell her about me?”
    Cora smiled. “Count on it.”

Chapter 4
    Sherry Carter was at the computer, typing a puzzle into Crossword Compiler. Sherry was a little behind in her work, which was why she’d skipped Cora’s sudoku presentation. That and her desire to let Cora fly on her own. Any Puzzle Lady appearance that didn’t involve Sherry was a godsend. Cora was good at bluffing her way through luncheon talks where no cruciverbal skills were required, but a chance of displaying actual expertise was too good to be true. Cora couldn’t solve a TV Guide puzzle with a pencil, two erasers, and an answer sheet. But she was an absolute whiz at sudoku. Something clicked in that loopy mind of hers, that miswired mare’s nest of nerves and impulse centers, which allowed her to make near miraculous deductions concerning motivations, inclinations, and cause and effect, just as