The final chapter
It ends in the dugout on a Tuesday, before practice, no league men present: Doc Freels, a chart he finally got to write, and a twenty-year-old with his cap in his hands telling his teammates about an elbow that has been keeping its own score since June. Nobody looks at anybody, which is how a dugout listens. And out along the first-base line, a groundskeeper waters his dirt in the morning sun, in front of everybody, the way it will be done from now on. Lay the nine clues in the scorebook where they belong: the punctual infield, the wet hose, the mapped clay, the drowned bunts, the pitch counts, the shaken elbow, the innocent dugout, the pennant countdown, and the roster's two Malones. Find them in the grid. The letters left over, read left to right, top to bottom, spell out the verdict, and it is addressed, as it always was, to one man with a hose.
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 The Seventh Inning, a mystery told in word searches. Each chapter leaves you one clue; the finale needs them all.
Prefer pen and paper?
Print The Seventh Inning as one large-print booklet: every chapter and its puzzle, a clue ledger, and the ending sealed on the last page.
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 color 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.