6.9 Side by Side by Side

by Mark Halpin and Dave Shukan

ANSWER: TONYS

 

The story is, not surprisingly, a logic puzzle. It has the following solution (two variations containing detailed derivations of this solution may be found here and here):

 HOUSE 1HOUSE 2HOUSE 3HOUSE 4HOUSE 5
COLORorangewhiteBLUEyellowpink
VEHICLEunicycleballoonmotorcycleLIMOUSINEpenny-farthing
PETfishpotbellied pigmonkeyGUIDE DOGtiger
DRINKmilk shakePerriericed teaespressoCOCKTAIL
JEWELRYwhite tiarapink braceletyellow earringsORNG BROOCHblue necklace
FOODpizzagrm crackersSOUFFLEpot roastcoq au vin
HEALTH CLUBkickboxingJazzercisePilatesswimmingYOGA
BOOKRELIG TOMEcomic bookencyclopediaromance novelFarmer's Almanac
LAWNpink flamingosyellow rosesorange pumpkinsblue gaze globeWHITE FENCE
TOOLband sawdrill pressWRENCHlathecrowbar

As hinted by the flavor text ("five little housewives", "flower-bedecked lane", etc), and the parentheticals in the question (which are too specific to be meaningless), each question relates to the plot of a particular Desperate Housewives episode. Indexing the associated house number (from the logic problem) into the title of the episode yields the phrase PLAY TITLES:

EpisodeHouseLetter
COME PLAY WIZ ME5P
HELLO LITTLE GIRL4L
THANK YOU SO MUCH3A
EVERY DAY A LITTLE DEATH5Y
SOMETHING'S COMING5T
LIAISONS4I
DON'T WALK ON THE GRASS4T
COLOR AND LIGHT3L
THE MIRACLE SONG3E
SUNDAY1S

As is true with most titles of Desperate Housewives episodes, each title is a lyric from a Stephen Sondheim song. Indexing the house numbers into the titles of the plays that those lyrics appeared in gives the new phrase NO, IT'S TONYS -- and thus the answer is TONYS.

EpisodeHouseLetter
ANYONE CAN WHISTLE5N
INTO THE WOODS4O
DO I HEAR A WALTZ3I
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC5T
WEST SIDE STORY5S
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC4T
ANYONE CAN WHISTLE4O
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE3N
ANYONE CAN WHISTLE3Y
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE1S