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The Perfume Counter
The Perfume Counter

Clockwork

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Chapter 2 of 10

Frank builds the calendar on butcher paper: every shortage, every Thursday, June through August, forty-one dollars each. He marks paydays, deliveries, half-day closings, the church bazaar, the heat wave that emptied the square. The shortage sails through all of it, indifferent as a timetable. He walks the floor on a Thursday with his hat off, being a customer badly. Nothing at the perfume counter looks like opportunity: Peggy works the drawer with both hands visible, the stock girl runs the tube capsules to the mezzanine, the floorwalker orbits on his squeaking shoe. Punctuality, Frank writes that night, is the signature of paper, not people. People get sick, get shy, get greedy near Christmas. Paper does the same thing forever. He underlines it and sleeps better than he has since June.

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Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.

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About this case

A chapter of The Perfume Counter, a mystery told in word searches. Each chapter leaves you one clue; the finale needs them all.

How a mystery chapter works

  1. 1
    Read the scene first.Every chapter opens with a scene from the case. The word list is drawn from it, and so is the clue.
  2. 2
    Find the words.Tap a word's first letter, then tap along to its last, or press and drag. Found words colour themselves in and cross off the list.
  3. 3
    One listed word is not in the grid.Find the other nine and the word left over is the chapter's clue. Note it down, or let the case page keep it for you.
  4. 4
    The finale needs every clue.The last puzzle's word list is the clues you collected, and once you find them all, the leftover letters spell out who did it, and why.

Prefer pen and paper?

Print The Perfume Counter as one large-print booklet: every chapter and its puzzle, a clue ledger, and the ending sealed on the last page.

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