Crossword editor Belle Graham and P.I. Rosco Polycrates are sharpening their pencils and their minds to solve this latest puzzler from Nero Blanc.

When Belle's deadbeat dad doesn't show up at the train station, it isn't much of a surprise. What does shock her, however, is that there is a legitimate reason... apparently, he died of a heart attack en route. But Belle and Rosco are suspicious. And once they start searching for clues, they discover a sketchy past that includes her father's secret "assistant", a mysterious neighbor - and a pricey yacht he bought for a man know only as "Woody."

What was he trying to hide? And what is the truth behind her estranged father's strange life - and death?