17-Across was wrong. It had to be. 12-down was nine letters for “head of a tribe” - obviously “CHIEFTAIN” - and Max had correctly scribbled it in, albeit with shaky hands. If 12-down was correct, that meant 17-across had an “I” at the fifth letter.
“Goddammit,” Max muttered to himself as he tapped his pen on the coffee mug in front of him. Jean, a waitress as much a deli staple as the worn, checkered linoleum floor she worked across, approached pot in hand.
“More coffee...
