Chapter 8 of 10
The sale letter surfaces where important mail always ends at the Lakeview, in the wire basket on the bookkeeping desk, filed under T. Lawyers' paper, city letterhead, and the sentence that turns rumor into arithmetic: completion effective the first of October, vacant possession, present staff not retained. The envelope has been opened cleanly, the letter refolded, and refolded wrong, the creases fighting each other the way paper remembers. The sheriff holds it to the light a moment. Who opens the mail here, he asks, already knowing; the whole county knows. Gordon reads it, Harriet files it. He looks at the wrong-way creases again, and at the date on the postmark, ten days before the last dance, and writes one line in his notebook. For ten days, somebody at this desk had known exactly how the season was going to end.
Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.
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About this case
A chapter of Bitter Almonds, a mystery told in word searches. Each chapter leaves you one clue; the finale needs them all.
How a mystery chapter works
- 1Read the scene first.Every chapter opens with a scene from the case. The word list is drawn from it, and so is the clue.
- 2Find the words.Tap a word's first letter, then tap along to its last, or press and drag. Found words colour themselves in and cross off the list.
- 3One listed word is not in the grid.Find the other nine and the word left over is the chapter's clue. Note it down, or let the case page keep it for you.
- 4The finale needs every clue.The last puzzle's word list is the clues you collected, and once you find them all, the leftover letters spell out who did it, and why.
Prefer pen and paper?
Print Bitter Almonds as one large-print booklet: every chapter and its puzzle, a clue ledger, and the ending sealed on the last page.