“Dean’s. I recognize the pattern. It looks like argyle, but it’s really his initials arranged in a design all over. His wife told me she gets them from a place in Beverly Hills that makes socks to order.”

“Dean might have been a genius, but his personal habits could have used some work.” Hannah picked up the other sock, which was lying smack dab in the middle of the aisle that led down the center of the trailer. She put both socks in a plastic bag she found on top of his desk and turned to her youngest sister. “Do you think we should save these for Sharyn?”

“It seems a little silly now that he’s dead. I mean, what’s she going to do with them? And it’s not like she doesn’t have a whole drawer full of others just like them at home. Let’s toss them. It’s quicker and easier.” Michelle used two fingers to gingerly pick up a grungy handkerchief from the desk chair. “And let’s add this to the bag.”

Once Hannah had relegated the bag to the wastebasket next to Dean’s desk, she followed Michelle down the hallway toward the rear of the trailer. As they progressed, the bad smell grew stronger and Hannah coughed slightly.

“Yuck,” Michelle commented as she passed a closed door. “That smell seems to be coming from the bathroom.”

“Maybe I’d better check it out,” Hannah offered. Her mother had accused her of being a dead body locator and she didn’t want Michelle to share that reputation. And while it didn’t exactly smell as if anyone had died in the Winnebago water closet, something definitely reeked.

“Go ahead, Hannah.” Michelle agreed so fast, Hannah knew her youngest sister had hoped she wouldn’t have to step into the small, smelly room. “Just holler if you need me. I’ll be right out here.”

Hannah put her hand on the doorknob and hesitated. The smell was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. She had just turned the handle and was getting ready to inch open the door when the reels spinning in her memory banks came up with triple red sevens. “Skunk!” she exclaimed.

“Skunk?”

“Definitely skunk. Is there a window in the bathroom?”

“I’m almost sure there is.”

“Then it must have crawled in through the bathroom window.”

“Do you think it’s still in there?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah said with a shrug.

“Do you think we should try to rescue it?”

“Absolutely not, if we want to have anything to do with people for the rest of the day. I’m fresh out of tomato juice at The Cookie Jar.”

Michelle looked confused. “What does tomato juice have to do with it?”

“If you pour it all over, it’s supposed to get rid of the skunk smell.”

“Does it work?”