Snuffed Out (Book 2 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) (8 page)

Now what had I gotten myself into?

I grabbed my clothes and headed downstairs.
My regular coffee wasn’t going to be enough to get me jump-started
this morning; it was going to take some of Millie’s special
brew.

Instead of her usual warm greeting though,
she faced me with a grim look as I approached the counter of The
Crocked Pot.

“
Good morning,” I said. “I
need something strong.”

She slid a piece of paper across the counter
without explanation.

“
What’s this,” I
asked.

“
I think you should settle
your bill before you order anything else.”

It was a substantial amount, but I didn’t
doubt the total. I’d gotten lazy, taking many breakfasts and
lunches at Millie’s counter. It was a great deal easier than going
out someplace, and I wasn’t all that fond of eating alone up in my
apartment. Still, it looked like I was going to have to make more
of an effort, with the total now staring at me.

“
I’m good for it,” I
said.

“
Sorry, cash only until the
bill’s settled, landlord or not. And before you get any cute ideas
about my lease, I just renewed it.”

So that was what this was all about. I sat
down hard on the stool and said, “I gather you’re not pleased about
Sanora coming back either.”

“
Harrison, how could you?
She’s already been thrown out once, and now you’ve let her back
in.”

“
First of all, I didn’t know
she’d been thrown out. And second, her lease is only for two
months. She’s here on a trial basis. Would you mind telling me what
she did that was so wrong?”

Millie eased her scowl for a moment. “I’m
sorry, I shouldn’t take it out on you, you didn’t know. Heather
came by, and she got me worked up all over again.”

“
So what
happened?”

Millie said, “Coffee first, then we’ll
talk.”

She poured me a mug of steaming coffee, and
I took it gratefully. After a sip, I slid the bill back to her.
“Here, put it on my tab. I left my wallet upstairs.”

She laughed. “This one’s on me.” She tried
to reach for the bill, but I snapped it up first. “I’m going to pay
this tomorrow, as soon as Ann Marie brings me my check.”

“
There’s no hurry,” she
said.

“
I don’t like having
outstanding bills, Millie. I’m happy to settle it. Now tell me
about Sanora.”

“
Well, you know me, I hate
the spread of idle gossip, but there was money missing from a few
tills, and someone saw Sanora coming out of shops she didn’t have
any business being in.”

“
So she was accused of
stealing. What did the police say?”

“
There was no evidence,” she
admitted reluctantly. “But Gertie Braun swore up and down she was
ninety-eight dollars short the day she saw Sanora slip out of her
shop. She had the space Heather’s in now, and she sold needlepoint
supplies. Gertie’s got quite a slick way with designs, but she was
a nightmare for the business details. Sanora denied it, but Belle
was itching for a fight when she issued her ultimatum.”

“
You heard it yourself?” I
asked.

“
It happened right over
there,” she said as she gestured to a table by the window. “I
thought they were going to come to blows, Belle was so
mad.”

I shook my head as I took another sip of
coffee. “So now I’ve let her back in. I wondered why Cragg insisted
we sign the papers last night.”

“
It’s no secret Gary Cragg’s
had a crush on Sanora Gaston since the day she came to River’s
Edge, married or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the one who
put the thought of coming back into her head.”

“
So what am I going to do?
Heather’s talking about leaving.”

“
I’ll have a chat with her
after she’s had a chance to cool down. I wouldn’t worry about her
skipping out, though. She signed her new lease the day I did. We’re
both going to be here for at least another year.”

“
She can still break it,
can’t she? You don’t know how upset she was when she woke me
up.”

“
I’ve got a good idea. She
was building up a head of steam here before she came up to give you
your wake-up call. There’s something else you’re forgetting. Aaron
broke up with her to go back with Sanora, and once they were
through for the second time, he didn’t want her anymore. It’s got
to sting like the devil’s tail to have to see the other woman at
River’s Edge. Stay out of Heather’s way for the next few days and
things will be fine.”

“
Thanks, Millie, I
appreciate the advice, the information, and the tab. I’ll talk to
you later.”

“
Bye, Harrison. Sorry I was
snippy with you.”

“
You? Snippy? I don’t
remember a thing.”

I started for At Wick’s End, but it was too
early even for me. I noticed a pickup truck in front of The Pot
Shot, quickly filling up with things from inside. Sanora was boxing
up some of Aaron’s things, and from the look of it, she’d been at
it awhile. I’d just assumed she’d use his equipment and materials,
but evidently I’d been wrong.

“
Need a hand?” I
asked.

‘
Thank goodness. I thought I
was going to have to dismantle this thing before anyone offered to
help. Grab an end, would you?”

I did as she asked, and was surprised to see
we were removing the pottery wheel Aaron had been throwing at the
night he’d died. It wasn’t taking her long to get rid of it.

“
You should have told me,” I
said as I grabbed the end with the motor mounted, surprised by how
heavy the rig was.

“
I don’t even have to ask
what you’re talking about. Gertie Braun was senile if she thought I
took that money, and Belle should never have believed her. I was
innocent then, and I’m still innocent today.”

“
Why would
you want to come back, knowing how folks around here feel about
you?” I asked as I lifted my
end
onto the back of the truck. There was a scattering of tools in the
truck bed, and I had to nudge aside a pair of wire cutters as I put
my part of the pottery wheel down.

“
I thought they’d be over it
by now. I know Belle was your family, but it was wrong of her to
throw me out. I love River’s Edge. It’s the perfect spot, as far as
I’m concerned, and I’m not going to let a few cold shoulders drive
me out. You’re not going to try to break my lease, are you? Gary
warned me you might.”

“
The lease we signed was
binding,” I stated simply.

“
And after that, we’ll see,
right? That’s all I ask, a chance to prove myself to
you.”

“
Fair enough.” I patted the
old wheel. “What are you going to do with this?”

“
It’s going straight to the
dump. I couldn’t bear to have it around, knowing it was the cause
of Aaron’s death.” She added, “Listen, thanks for the help, but I
need to get back at it if I’m going to open in three
days.”

“
Three days? Are you sure
you’ll be ready?”

“
At the rate I’m going, I
shouldn’t have any problems.  Bye, Harrison.”

I watched her go back inside and started for
At Wick’s End, but as I did, I kept wondering why she didn’t try to
sell the electric wheel instead of getting rid of it at the dump.
All it needed was a new power cord. Or was that why she was getting
rid of it? Could it be incriminating evidence? She’d tried to
explain away Aaron’s presence at the electric wheel, but Markum and
Heather had been adamant; Aaron Gaston didn’t believe in them.

I’d seen a set of wire cutters among the
tools on the back of the truck, so I walked back to it and grabbed
them while Sanora was still working inside.

Rashly, I clipped the wire where it left the
motor. I wanted a closer look at the insulation to see what I could
find.

As I put the cutters back down, I heard a
voice behind me, full of cold steel.

“
Harrison? What are you
doing?”

Chapter 6

I tried to discreetly coil the cord as I
turned to face Sanora.

“
I dropped my watch when we
loaded the truck,” I said. I tucked the cord in the back of my
shirt as I turned to face her. Thank goodness I’d worn a bulky top
that morning, due more to the chill in the air than any thoughts of
hiding things.

“
What’s wrong with your
back?”

So I hadn’t been all that slick in my
movement. “I must have gotten into some poison ivy. It’s been
itching like crazy. Is that another box for the truck?”

She nodded, and I added, “Let me do that for
you.” I took it from her and placed it near where the power cord
would have been. She might or might not notice it once she got to
the dump. I was hoping she wouldn’t, but if she did and asked me
about it, I’d say I thought it had been gone when we’d moved the
wheel. Let her think the sheriff took it. At least it had been
coiled up and tied into a neat oval.

“
Thanks again,” she said as
I walked away, hoping she didn’t spot the extra bulge in my rugby
shirt.

“
No problem.”

I walked past Heather’s
store and saw a large handmade sign in the window. In hard black
letters, it said,
moving
sale
, and I felt my heart flutter in my
throat. So it looked like she was following up on her threat to
leave.

Not if I could help it. I didn’t have all
that many friends in Micah’s Ridge, and I was in no mood to lose a
single one of them. I wasn’t going to let Heather go that
easily.

I stashed the cord in my office, but not
before examining it a little closer. I’d expected the edges to be
frayed more around the cuts, but it looked cleaner than it should
have. Maybe Pearly or Markum could take a look at it later. For
now, I was glad it was in my office and not on the way to the
dump.

I’d just tucked it behind a few boxes in the
corner when I heard the front door open. Eve called out her
greeting, and I said, “Be there in a minute.”

I joined her by the cash register, fully
expecting her to light into me, too, as soon as she found out about
Sanora. I had two choices; wait till she heard about it on her own,
or just get it over with. I chose the latter. I never have been one
to be able to wait for the other shoe to drop.

“
Eve, there’s something you
should know.”

“
About Sanora? I think it’s
a wonderful idea.”

“
You’re not mad?” I
asked.

“
Harrison, you know I loved
Belle like a sister, but she was too hard on Sanora. Gertie Braun
was as likely as not to have tucked that cash in a book and
forgotten it the next second. I tried to tell Belle that, but she
wouldn’t hear of it.”

“
Heather’s threatening to
move now,” I said glumly.

“
She’s upset, that’s
natural, but I don’t think she’ll go, Harrison. She’s happy
here.”

“
Well, she was before all
this happened. I’d hate to lose her.”

Eve said, “Worried about replacing another
tenant, or is there something deeper there?”

“
I just hate the idea of
losing a friend,” I said, admitting nothing more.

“
As do I. Take heart, things
will work out for the best. I believe that with all my
heart.”

“
I hope you’re
right.”

It was a slow morning out front, and I
needed to get ready for my next candlemaking lesson with Mrs.
Jorgenson. She’d gotten the knack for dipping from the start, and
if I knew my star student, she was practicing at home like mad on
the basic techniques. I had to have something really special for
her, and some research had given me a great idea. Eve had been my
teacher from the beginning, and she was a pro at the basic
techniques, but Mrs. J wouldn’t stand for the simple after she’d
conquered it, and I wanted to be ready for her.

I said, “If you can watch the front, there’s
something I need to take care of in the classroom.”

“
More monstrosities for our
benefactress?” Eve had caught a glimpse of Mrs. Jorgenson’s last
lumpy candle and had found no charm in it at all.

“
I’ve been studying a new
technique,” I said. “If you need me, just give me a
yell.”

She said lightly, “I believe I’ll be able to
handle anything that comes up. Go on and play.”

“
Hey, this is serious
stuff,” I said as I smiled at her.

I did a tandem dip with beeswax as I’d shown
Mrs. Jorgenson during her last lesson, alternating between two
pairs to allow one to cool while the other was being dipped. When
the first set was built up to about half an inch, I let it cool a
few minutes, then grabbed both candles in one hand at their bases
and twisted them together. I loved the look and set the twist
aside. I repeated the same twist with the second pair, but this
time I over-dipped the twist, not enough to obscure the curving
lines, but enough to give it all a more solid look. I trimmed both
bases before the wax hardened too much, then looked in the dipping
can to see if I had enough wax to try another. There wasn’t enough
wax to dip another pair, but I wasn’t going to stop dipping. I had
an idea, remembering a candle I’d seen in one of my dozen reference
books. I quickly dipped another half-inch taper just before the
remaining wax started to congeal on the surface of the water. As
soon as it was cool enough, I took out a rolling pin and flattened
the candle on the tabletop, leaving a rounded base so it would
still fit into a stand. The next step had looked tricky in the
book, but I had to try it at least once. Grabbing the base in one
hand and the exposed-wick end in the other, I gave the flattened
candle a twist. It was outstanding; the taper looking elegant and
extremely difficult to make. I was certain Mrs. Jorgenson would be
pleased.