Crush. Candy. Corpse. Read Free

themselves how fragile the residents are.
    As for the odour, Alexis had a method for conquering smell that she used when she volunteered at the animal shelter. I decided to test it. I put some Vicks VapoRub up my nose and called Donovan. He agreed to a walk at Sulphur Springs, where the water smells like boiled eggs.
    “If you have a cold, we could have gone another time,” he complained when I got in the car.
    I explained my experiment.
    “Oh Sunny, no. You can’t block up stink with more stink. Let’s go to the perfume department at The Bay. I’ll get you a nice musk and that will be way more pleasant for everyone around you.”
    When he says “get,” I’m never sure he means “buy.” But I didn’t want to insult him, so I let him drive me to the mall. First I washed off the Vicks in the ladies’ room, then we headed for the cosmetic department where I sampled a number of scents. “Donovan, what about this one?” I asked after a third lady in a white jacket sprayed my wrist. Why was Donovan so far away? “Donovan?”
    From the third counter over, he shook his head at me and winked.
    Oh no. I stepped away from the woman all ready to spray me with Excitement, the latest cologne out for the fall. “Um, that’s all right. I can’t smell the difference anymore.”
    “Here.” She offered me a coffee bean. “Wave it under your nose. It will cleanse the palate.”
    I did and the little brown bean actually overpowered all the sweet flowery smells. Wow. Right then and there I realized the solution to my problem with Paradise Manor. No purchase or theft required. “Um, thank you.” I waved madly at Donovan, then smiled at the cosmetics clerk. “We’ll come back another day.”
    Still, back in the car, Donovan proudly presented me with an Eau de la Terre tester. “Sorry. Couldn’t get you an unopened bottle.”
    “Donovan!” I pulled my hands away.
    “What? It’s a green perfume, made from organic ingredients. Never tested on animals.”
    “I can’t get picked up for shoplifting again. Next time it will stay on my record.”
    “If I thought I would get caught, I wouldn’t have grabbed it.” He pushed the cologne to me.
    I shook my head at him.
    “Oh, come on. It’s not a small store.” He sprayed some in the air and it did smell nice. “No one’s gonna take a hit for it. They’ve got insurance.” Donovan smiled then, and his dimples melted my heart. “You know I would have bought it for you if I’d had any money.”
    I frowned. But I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. He’d stolen for me, after all. Finally I took the cologne and sprayed some on my wrist.
    Then Donovan kissed me.
    The next day Wolfie helped Alexis and me make coffee-bean necklaces. We found we couldn’t poke the needle through, so he stuck the beans in some putty and drilled the holes for us first. I had a green sweater the beads would really offset nicely. Maybe I’d wear my earth-toned gypsy skirt, too. Theme-wise it would go well with the Terre cologne.
    Monday after school I waited for Mrs. Johnson in the lobby of Paradise Manor. It was very cozy there. A gas fireplace burned cheerily and a few life-sized ceramic dogs sprawled across an oriental rug. Then a poufy-haired woman in a skirt and jacket set bustled in. All business, that was Mrs. Johnson. She made me fill out some forms as we sat on the leather easy chairs in front of that fire. Then she insisted I head for the counter to sign the guestbook and use the hand sanitizer. That stuff smells like insect repellent and vinegar combined. You can actually use it as a lice killer — I read that in a magazine. I took a quick whiff of my necklace and ran my hands over the beads to get rid of the scent.
    Next she introduced me to Gillian Halliday, the volunteer coordinator, who had a wide, white grin and a head full of tiny braids.
    “It’s time for the patients’ supper,” Gillian told me. “Let’s head for the dining room and you can help me feed Johann.”