The House of Seven Mabels

powerful fans to clear the odor out.“
    “Where do you rent fans?“ Bitsy asked.
    “Ask your contractor,“ he replied. Jane thought there was a hint of a sneer in his remark, but couldn’t be sure. Unless he had had a run-in with
    Bitsy before, it was a logical question for an ordinary person to ask. Jane herself would have had to ask.
    The ambulance people had moved the women who were ill away from the house and put them on blankets on the ground with damp cloths over their faces, and were taking their blood pressures.
    Jane approached Sandra and asked, “How are they? And who are they?“
    “Friends of Bitsy’s she wanted to show the house to,“ Sandra said with irritation, fidgeting with the strap of her purse. “I wish she’d picked any other day. The nurse in the van says since they didn’t ingest anything and it only smelled like something rotten, not chemical, they’ll probably be okay. But someone has to drive them to the hospital to confirm whether it was dangerous fumes.“
    Jane knew what Sandra really meant. That she and Shelley had nothing better to do. “Weren’t other people in the house? And they might have felt like gagging, but no one else is sick, are they?“
    “I don’t imagine you’re free to...?“
    “No. Shelley and I were on our way to an appointment.“ After a moment’s thought, she added, “To see an attorney about Bitsy’s contract. I suppose since they’re Bitsy’s friends, hauling them to the hospital is her job,“ Jane said.
    “I guess so. But she really needs to be here.“
    “Who needs to be here, Sandy?“ Bitsy asked, approaching the two.
    Jane got as far from them as fast as she could. “Shelley, let’s hide out for a bit,“ she said, grabbing Shelley’s arm. “Sandra and Bitsy are trying to figure out how they can shove the responsibility for taking those two women to the hospital on us.“
    “I’m not letting strangers I didn’t invite over here, and probably stink for a number of reasons, ride in my van,“ Shelley said. Jane’s first thought was how callous this sounded, but she realized that quite honestly, she’d feel the same way.
    “Let’s go and have breakfast somewhere if you’re up to it. I need a cup of coffee to get the smell out of my head.“
    There was a pricey coffeehouse a block or two away, and as they sat down with their cups and the pastries they couldn’t resist, Shelley said, “I guess we’d better wait awhile to hit Bitsy with more bad news.“
    “I don’t know,“ Jane said with a wicked grin. “It might be interesting to see how much she can take before she crumbles.“
    Shelley laughed so hard, she almost snorted coffee up her nose.
    When she’d recovered, Jane asked, “What do you think caused that odor?“
    “One thing it isn’t is a body,“ Shelley said. “It wouldn’t fit in a furnace or a duct. It could be just a dead animal that already was awfully ripe, and turning on the blower created a crisis.“
    They dawdled just long enough to be present at the renovation site when Wesley, in protective gear and what looked like a World War I-era gas mask unearthed from Mrs. Stanley’s attic, reappeared with a heavyweight plastic bag at the front door. He removed the gas mask.
    “Someone shoved a wad of frozen shrimp way back into one of the ducts,“ he shouted across the yard at Bitsy. “You’re going to have to find a way of disposing of it.“
    “Put it in the Dumpster,“ Bitsy yelled back. She had already either delivered her friends home or forced someone else to do so. Come to think of it, Jane decided, the ambulance people should have taken them along to the hospital. Apparently the women didn’t want to make any more fuss.
    “No, the bag will probably explode.“ Wesley set it down on the lawn and came over to them. Jane and Shelley got close enough to overhear the conversation, but not so close that they could smell him. Sandra and Bitsy moved around a bit to get Wesley downwind of them.
    “I had to tear a lot of the duct work out to find it,“ Wesley complained. “And the smell is just as bad as ever. You’ll have to call in someone to deodorize the whole house.“
    “There are people who do that?“ Bitsy said with awe. “What will that cost?“
    “I have no idea,“ Wesley said. This time the contempt in his voice was clear. “And those fans that are coming off that truck next door aren’t strong enough. You must air the house out thoroughly first. The stench is in the wood