She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens Read Free Book Online

enthusiasm.
    “This sucks,” Emma finally stated. “I need a victim and no offense Yuki, but your carrot sticks are lacking in controversy.” She raised one eyebrow at my bag of carrot sticks and for a moment my stomach twisted at the memory of Calvin pulling the same face just a few days before.
    “I did hear someone once claim that carrots had nervous systems and so could therefore feel pain,” I said trying to keep the conversation going. I knew I was desperate when Emma’s rants were a necessary distraction from my thoughts.
    “Really?” she asked hopefully. Both of Emma’s eyebrows were raised now and the hopeful look on her face was kind of funny.
    “Mm hmm, though the information hasn’t been verified,” I added trying to sound serious. Emma was big on scientific proof for her arguments.
    “This sucks,” she moaned again and put her face down on her hands. “Where is Cal when I need him?” she whined.
    My thoughts exactly .
    “So Emma, want to go on a spying trip after school?” I asked.
    “Like double-oh-seven?” she asked picking her head up off the table.
    “Totally,” I replied. “There may even be multiple counts of bee slavery on the premises.”
    “Really? I’m so there,” she answered.
    Thank goodness for bee oppression .
    “Should I dress up? Do you think there will be any hot double agents?” she asked hopefully.
    Thinking of Jared Zempter I shuddered. More like Frankenstein’s monster . “Maybe. Bring lip gloss,” I said and forced a laugh.
    Emma waved as she shoved an orange wedge into her mouth and ran to class. Looks like she got her appetite back . If I couldn’t get my boyfriend back today, then maybe I could settle for getting rid of my ghost.
     

Chapter 16
     
     
    Emma pulled her car onto the gravel road and I told her to pull us to the side and park. When we got out and stretched she looked from the sign for Green Orchards Apple Cider Vinegar Company with its Always natural. Now certified organic claim and back to me. She was looking at me like I had three heads.
    “What?” I asked rolling my eyes.
    “Yuki. This is an organic farm. Please tell me we are not doing some covert raid on an organic farm !” Emma demanded.
    “But they’re the evil overlords of bees,” I said lamely.
    Son of a dung beetle . This wasn’t going as planned, though I had to admit that I didn’t actually have much of a plan. “Emma look, I just need to go up to the main house and get a sense of the old lady inside. If she seems like a nice grandmother type and invites us in for cookies, then I can fix my ghost problem. If she is more of an evil stepmother who murders her sons and husband type, then we can run like crazy back to your car. Either way you can write an article for the school paper about how they oppress bees and steal their honey,” I pleaded. “It would help to raise awareness,” I added hopefully.
    Emma crossed her arms but agreed. “Alright, but you owe me one,” she said as we walked towards the house on the hill.
    Grace Green turned out to be an energetic woman who my mom would say has lots of spunk. She was dressed in blue jeans, a flannel shirt, and a sun hat that left a cross-hatch of shadow across her tanned face. Grace was busy working in her herb garden at the side of the house, but stopped when we approached. We had explained that we were working on an article for our school paper and Emma went on to ask her questions about raising honey bees. I was doing my best to observe Grace while trying to sense any difference in her husband’s smell impression. This is harder than I thought .
    I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to get a fix on a ghost’s intention from a smell. When we were looking for clues I had known that we were getting warmer when the smell became stronger. But would a strong smell around Grace mean she was the one to give the inheritance to, or just the opposite? Would it mean he loved his wife, or that his wife was a cold hearted