The Class Menagerie

better get inside. You’re shivering and I’ve got to take Edgar’s official statement.“
    “Mel, what about the practical jokes? What have they got to do with the murder? Are they just meant as a distraction? Or spite? Or what?“
    “Hell if I know,“ he said. “Yet.“

- 15 -

    Jane let Mel go ahead and stood in the driveway a moment, still puzzling over what they’d talked about. It took a crazy to kill somebody. That was obvious. It also took something of a crazy to keep pulling these stupid jokes. It had to be the same person, unless one assumed that two of them were completely around the bend. That seemed impossible odds. Two out of seven. Two out of six, really. Lila couldn’t have been either the murderer or the Joker.
    Lila!
    Jane remembered the notebook again. She’d meant to tell Mel a moment ago, but hadn’t wanted to get sidetracked.
    She hurried inside, but he was in the library with Edgar. Astonishingly, Mimi and Pooky were hunched in front of the television set, each with a Nintendo controller in her hand. They were competing loudly with each other in a shoot-’em-up game. “I got you! I got you!“ Pooky crowed.
    “I’ve got two lives left and three bottles of magic potion. I’ll get you yet!“ Mimi said, sitting farther forward and executing a complex maneuver that involved both hands and a lot of body English.
    “Could you pause the game?“ Jane asked. When they had, she said, “I’m going back to work. When Detective VanDyne’s through, would you keep himhere and let me know?“ She started to say that there was something important she’d forgotten to tell him, then thought better of it. “I need to talk to him about some plans we made for next week.“
    “Next week? You’re dating him?“ Pooky asked. “Wow! He’s really good-looking! Oh, so that’s why you’ve been talking to him so much! It’s nothing to do with us; it’s that he’s your boyfriend.“
    Jane realized she was blushing and stammering. “I’ve got to finish up the rooms,“ she said.
    “I’ll help,“ Pooky said.
    “No, you’re having fun. I’m almost done anyway.“
    Jane made a break for it before Pooky could argue.
    Beth was in her room, sitting in the grandmother chair by the window, reading through a stack of paperwork. There was a hint of the earlier horrible smell, but whether it came from Beth herself or just lingered in the room was impossible to say.
    “No rest for the wicked?“ Jane asked, gesturing toward the pile of work Beth was sorting through.
    “More like no rest for the perpetually understaffed and underfunded.“
    “Are you all right now?“
    Beth smiled and Jane could see for a moment what a very pretty girl she must have been. “I’m fine, thanks. I made a real fool of myself this morning. I’m so embarrassed. I normally don’t overreact that way.“
    “Anybody would have. That was a horrible thing to do to you. Do you have any idea who—?“
    “Absolutely none in the world,“ Beth said.
    Jane had suspected that Beth would be too discreet to make guesses or get involved in gossip of any sort, but was disappointed to find that she’d been right.
    “Do you know what it was? The smell?“ Beth asked. Her voice was actually a bit trembly. “Some kind of fish bait smell, I think. Harmless.“
    “Harmless...“ Beth mused. “I didn’t know...“
    “Didn’t know what?“
    “That anybody disliked me that much.“ A definite crack in the last word.
    “You shouldn’t get your feelings hurt,“ Jane assured her. “I’m sure it wasn’t personal any more than any of the other tricks. Maybe you’re the only one who had that roll-on kind of deodorant along that the liquid could be added to. I’m sure that’s it.“
    Beth smiled. “You’re a nice person to say that. I hope you’re right.“ Then she sniffed slightly, sat up straighter, and started sorting her papers. Obviously she wasn’t accustomed to talking about her feelings to anyone and it made her very uncomfortable.
    “Will I disturb you if I tidy up a little?“ Jane asked. The room obviously couldn’t be tidier, but she was supposed to change the sheets and towels.
    “Not in the least. I still can’t get over how generous it is of you to help Shelley. She’s fortunate to have such a good friend.“ Unlike Pooky, it didn’t occur to Beth to help out.
    “I’m fortunate, too. I’ve had some bad times I wouldn’t have gotten through without Shelley.“
    “Oh? I’m sorry to hear