“Like what?” Clark asks.
How do I salvage this situation? “I don’t know. It was dark. But it stinks like a mixture of garbage and vomit.”
“That’s quite the combination,” Jessa says, wrinkling her nose.
Burton shakes his head. “There’s something dead in your apartment, and you’re here? Let’s go back and see what it is.” His eyes light up, and his smile turns devious.
Shaking my head, I say, “Not a good idea. It’s in my roommate’s room.”
“You can’t live there if you don’t know what’s going on, right?” Clark asks. “What if you die in your sleep?”
That’s not a visual I need to add to this situation. “The last thing I want to do is go back there and see what it is.”
“But you said you only saw it in the dark, right? Maybe you just need to turn a light on?” Jessa asks, turning on her blinker when the light changes to green.
Shaking my head, I say, “Let’s just brainstorm. When are you thinking of doing the event?”
Clark shakes his head and claps his hands together. “There’s no way I can worry about a fan event when we could solve a possible crime and keep you safe. All we need is a dog who eats Scooby Snacks, and we could have our own television series.”
“Let’s solve this mystery first, and then we can go from there,” Jessa says, her tone making it seem like the practical thing to do. She turns the wheel so we’re back on the road close to my apartment.
My stomach tightens. How did this go from a casual workday to wondering if I’ve been sleeping in the room next to a murderer for the last week? Maybe I should move back in with Grammie and Grandpa.
Okay, so I’ve been hooked on some of the older mystery movies lately, but I haven’t had a problem with it twisting my real life, until now. Unless it’s not twisting.
I get out of the car once Jessa parks. She, Clark, and I wait as Burton practically unfoldshimself out of the backseat. If I wasn’t so worried about what we’ll find upstairs, I might’ve laughed.
I lead the way up to the second floor and stick the key into the lock on the second try. If only my hand would stop trembling. I’ve seen a lot in my life, and I’m usually more composed than this, which is part of being a sideline reporter. I have to be ready for anything, which I usually am.
“You’re right, it smells like something died in here,” Clark says, pinching his nose.
“It’s over here on the left,” I say, walking over one step at a time as if whatever I saw in the room is going to come out and attack us.
Before I get to the door, I stop, frozen in place.
“Is this the one?” Burton asks, pointing to the door.
I barely nod before he twists the handle and pushes it open. He hits his hand against the wall a few times, feeling for the light. Jessa gags, and the smell finally knocks me back next to the bathroom.
“Well, you were right about there being something dead,” Clark says, his voice nasally. I take a step forward to see that he’s still pinching his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
“What is it?” I ask, covering my own nose as I walk closer.
Burton is holding the white sheet in his hand. Andunder it, on the ground, is the body of a large animal. I’m not exactly sure what until I see a deer head in the corner, its glassy eye staring at me.
“The smell must be this solution,” Burton says, uncovering a small bowl and jerking back quickly. “Gross.”
“What are you doing in my room?” a voice says behind me.
I turn to see Chandie’s furious expression. “I’m so sorry, Chandie. We couldn’t figure out what the smell was when I got home, and they were helping me track it down.”
“Please get out,” she says in a firm tone. “That’s a school assignment, and I don’t want to fail.”
“What are you studying?” Burton asks on his way out of the room. Jessa looks nearly green by the time we’re in the hallway.
“Taxidermy. You didn’t touch anything, did you?” Chandie asks, her eyes going wide as she storms into the room, spinning to check.
We all shake our heads in unison.
