The Class Menagerie

Then she flung herself at the plastic bottle, capped it, and wrapped it in several layers of cleaning rags. Jane returned again to Crispy’s room, Hector trying to trip her the whole way. The smell had diminished somewhat. “Is she okay?“ Jane asked Crispy.
    Crispy looked pale and stricken. “I think so.“
    Edgar knocked at the bedroom door before poking his arm into the room. He was holding the plastic bag Jane had asked for. Jane tossed the whole wad of deodorant bottle and rags into the bag. “Triple bag it, Edgar, or it’ll stink up the whole neighborhood.“
    “What is it?“
    “A trick with deodorant.“
    “Somebody used it? Smelling like this?“
    “I imagine she just unscrewed it and took a quick swipe before the smell hit her. I think you better report this to the police. It could be harmful. Poison or something.“
    “No, don’t!“ Beth shouted from behind the bathroom door. The shower had stopped running. “It’s just a foul odor. I’m perfectly all right.“
    “You’re sure?“ Edgar called to her.
    “Absolutely sure.“
    “Edgar, before you decide, come look at Avalon’s room,“ Jane said.

    “All right, start from the beginning,“ Mel said.
    Mel had said he would take an official report from Edgar in a moment, but first wanted to speak to Jane privately. They were in the driveway, sitting in .his car where they couldn’t be overheard. Jane was still gasping the fresh air as if she’d never smelled it before and wondering if she’d ever get the lingering odor out of her hair and clothing. Mel wasn’t getting too close. She’d made some rough notes while waiting for him to arrive and consulted them. “First, Pooky’s and Avalon’s purse contents were exchanged. I told you about that earlier.“
    “Anything missing or tampered with?“
    “Apparently not.“
    “When did this happen?“
    “The day they got here. Wednesday afternoon sometime. The next thing was the alarm clocks overnight. Cheap wind-up ones had been hidden in people’s rooms and set to go off every couple of hours. I think I told you about that, too.“
    “Who got them?“ Mel asked wearily.
    “Beth, Mimi, and Kathy.“
    “Okay, nobody hurt. No property damage,“ Mel said as he made a note. “Next?“
    “I guess the next thing was the doorknobs. Apparently there’s a screw in the outside half that holds it together. Somebody took the screws out of a couple, so that when the people in the rooms tried to open the doors, the doorknobs and the shafts came away in their hands.“
    “Could have been dangerous if there had been a fire,“ Mel said. “But not inherently dangerous.“
    “The doorknobs turned up in a flour canister in the kitchen. Along with all the Screws,“ Jane added. “So there was no real damage done. I guess the next thing was that Crispy’s underwear disappeared. Sometime while the police were here yesterday morning.“
    “Did she find it?“
    “Oh, yes,“ Jane told him about the display of it in the living room, with the additional items added.
    “So, nothing really stolen that wasn’t returned. No property damage. Next?“
    “Pooky’s room was searched and messed up and an antique pen set that she was bringing along to another classmate was stolen. We found it in a wastebasket, unharmed. No property damage,“ she said before he could.
    “Next?“
    “Avalon’s room was wrecked this morning.“
    “Wrecked?“
    “No, sorry. Messed up horribly. Drawers open, bedclothes yanked off. But she says nothing is missing. And nothing was torn or broken, for all the mess it was. And then the deodorant trick on Beth.“
    “My lab man says he’s pretty sure it’s something you can get in fishing and hunting stores. Something you either attract animals with or scare them off, I don’t remember which he said,“ Mel murmured.
    “What do you think?“ Jane asked.
    He smiled at her. Dazzlingly, she thought. “About what? Practical jokes in general? They’re dumb and these aren’t even particularly elaborate or funny. Not like slipping a horsehair into someone’s cigarette.“
    “You think that’s funny? The male mind never ceases to amaze me. No, I mean what do you think about these jokes?“
    “I don’t know. I’m just taking the report. What do you think, Jane? You’ve gotten to know these women. Who do you think’s doing it?“
    “I have no idea. It obviously wasn’t Lila, though. Some of the jokes didn’t happen until after she was dead.“
    Mel went down the