Free Another Word for Murder by Nero Blanc Page B

abbr.
    37.  Airport info
    38.  “The Grasshopper & the——”
    41.  Vol/time fig.
    42.  Mythical bird
    43.  Cobra kin
    44.  Ghostly sound
    45.  British honor; abbr.
    46.  Gals’ dates
    48.  Puss in——
    50.  Fish eggs
    52.  With 20-Down, Tibetan terrier
    55.  Against
    56.  Wood preservative
    59.  Nursery rhyme
    63.  Marvelettes hit
    66.  Cartoonist Browne
    67.  Fall back
    68.  “The Mind Benders” actress
    69.  Pitcher’s stat.
    70.  “… little girls——made of.”
    71.  WNW counterpart
    72.  Mr. Beatty
    73.  Steal
    74.  Buddhist temple
    75.  Morning shakes
    Down
    Â Â 1.  Book support
    Â Â 2.  Hugh, Pat, or Edmond
    Â Â 3.  Nicaragua fighter
    Â Â 4.  Nursery rhyme
    Â Â 5.  Bone; comb. form
    Â Â 6.  A man in a tub
    Â Â 7.  Beatles hit
    Â Â 8.  Lotion ingredient
    Â Â 9.  “Three Blind——”
    10.  48-Across, e.g.
    11.  Orange or lemon add-on
    12.  ——favor
    20.  See 52-Across
    22.  Newspaper, informally
    23.  Siouan
    26.  Like the Owl & the Pussy Cat
    27.  “——Hang On!”, 4 Seasons hit
    28.  Snare
    31.  Nursery rhyme
    32.  Nursery rhyme
    34.  Edwards or Andrews; abbr.
    36.  Old French coin
    38.  “Dancing Queen” group
    39.  Twelve
    40.  Blow one’s horn
    47.  Tie back
    49.  “Once upon a——”
    51.  Wood sorrel
    53.  Like Polly Flinders
    54.  “Finally!”
    57.  City in Madagascar
    58.  Rims
    60.  “The cow jumped——the moon”
    61.  Roman fiddler
    62.  Lackluster
    63.  Good times
    64.  Mine find
    65.  Little——Riding Hood
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CHAPTER 11
    Unaware of Karen’s calamitous news, Belle pulled into the small driveway in front of her house on Captain’s Walk. After leaving Rosco to catch up on work following their weekly rendezvous with the Breakfast Bunch, she’d decided to give the dogs a brief run in the cliff-side park before settling down to an afternoon of crossword editing. The morning was simply too pleasant to resist; and she’d found the surprisingly visitor-free park a welcome relief after the emotional roller coaster of the previous forty-eight hours—as well the equally impassioned or trenchant comments Dan Tacete’s disappearance had elicited from the crowd at Lawson’s.
    Reflecting on Sara’s kindly concern, on Martha’s joking skepticism, on Abe Jones and Al Lever’s seen-it-all world-weariness, Belle realized how nice it was to toss a Frisbee or a stick while gazing at the salt waves of the bay and feeling the heat of the sun beating through the cooler ocean air. It felt good to clear her brain.
    Watching Gabby and Kit bounding along, tearing after squirrels and each other, Belle considered how much humans could learn from studying the behavior of their canine friends. Joy was immediate; worry and fear became issues only when the need arose. Dogs didn’t have sleepless nights fretting over mortgages or leaking roofs or roving spouses; they didn’t torture themselves over past mistakes or unkindnesses or those many sins of omission. They existed to give love, receive love—and eat. Which wasn’t a bad notion as long as someone else was paying the bills.
    It was in this reflective frame of mind that Belle—along with Kit and Gabby—had finally returned home. As the three climbed the stairs to the porch, Belle noticed that the front door was slightly ajar and that there was an envelope wedged in the crack. Pulling it out, she noted that her name and street number were handwritten, that the script appeared feminine in shape, and that there was no return address.
    Belle walked inside as she opened