EQMM 1979-03 by Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

Author:Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine [Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

PROTEST NATIONAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST NEW YORK.

Underneath it said, “Join the march on City Hall on October 20. Demand that Congress recognize the rights of the poor to a quality education. There is no disgrace in being a New Yorker. We are Americans, every bit as much Americans as the people of Tar Heel, North Carolina, and we want our rights as Americans. No more, but certainly no less.”

“Is that all?” said Avalon in astonishment.

“That’s all,” said Burry.

“What a remarkably foolish message,” said Avalon. “Why march on City Hall? City Hall is helpless. What’s more, no one is ever going to get much sympathy from small-town America by making fun of it. Tar Heel, North Carolina! I admit that ‘tarheeler’ is a nickname for a North Carolinian because of the early production of rosin and tar from pine trees in that state, but that kind of name only sounds well when used by those who are so-named. To make up a name like Tar Heel, North Carolina is a deliberate insult. It would be like having a Southerner refer to the town of Damyankee, Massachusetts. What do they hope to gain?”

“Nothing,” said Rubin, smiling, “because it’s not a call to action. I’ll bet there isn’t any march scheduled for October 20, is there, Mr. Burry?”

“I don’t know,” said Burry. “I haven’t heard of one.”

“Then it’s a message, all right,” said Rubin.

Burry said, “Where? I tried looking at initial letters, final letters, every other word, every third word. I can’t find anything.” Mario Gonzalo shook his head slowly and with a moderately insufferable air of superiority. “It couldn’t possibly be any of those things, Mr. Burry. I could have told you that before I ever saw the letter.”

There was a moment’s complete silence and every other Black Widower turned to stare at Gonzalo. “Good God,” said Drake, blinking through cigarette smoke, “he sounds like Sherlock Holmes.”

Gonzalo said, “If you don’t mind, there’s five dollars riding on this, so just listen.” He put aside the free-flowing caricature of Burry which he had drawn in the course of the discussion and said, “John got the message as Mr. Burry was watching, and he handed it over promptly. But he looked at it first, isn’t that right Mr. Burry? Just a glance?”

Burry hesitated and said, “Yes, just a quick look.”

“Exactly! If it was a message, he had to see what it was before he handed it over, and if a quick look was enough, then he had no time to match up first letters or last letters or skip words. And if we take just a glance at the letter we’ll see what he saw.”

Rubin said with elaborate politeness, “And would you kindly tell us what you see.”

Gonzalo said, “I told you what to look for at the start of the evening. Look for the irrelevancy. Tar Heel, North Carolina is irrelevant. They could have made up the name of any other town — Jet Air, Utah, or Lollipop, South Dakota. Why insist on Tar Heel? Because it’s the key.

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