At Wick's End - Tim Myers [63]
“I’d better go see what’s going on, then.” I wondered if she’d gotten another warning telephone call, or if the killer might have tried something even more direct.
I walked over to Mrs. Jorgenson and said, “We don’t have a lesson scheduled for today.”
“No, but I wanted your opinion about something. Pardon me for just dropping in like this.”
“You’re always welcome here, you should know that,” I said. “Where did you get that?” I asked her, noticing the elegant taper in her hand.
“I wanted you to see it for yourself,” she said as she held it out to me for inspection. I took the candle from her, looked at the smooth seemed edge, the carefully rolled body and the tight seating of the wick.
“So,” she asked, waiting for my pronouncement. “What do you think?”
I studied it a moment longer, then said, “Well, we don’t normally take candles to sell on consignment, but we might be able to find room for yours on the shelf.”
Her delight was evident, though she tried to hide it. “Posh. I don’t want to market it. I was just curious about your opinion.”
“I heartily approve. If you’d like more practice rolling candles, we can have another lesson, but frankly, I don’t think you need it.”
“No, I believe I’ve grasped the basics. Is it time to pour yet?”
I rubbed my hands together. “You bet. I’m dying to get to it.”
Chapter 16
After Mrs. Jorgenson was gone, Eve looked as if she were ready to cry.
I said, “Don’t worry, we’ll live to fight another day. She’s excited about the next phase in her curriculum.”
Eve didn’t have a chance to respond, as another customer came in, but the relief on her face was evident.
After I rang the sale up, I was ready to dig back into my books and start boning up on candle-pouring techniques.
Eve mentioned casually, “By the way, you had a visitor while you were at lunch.”
I couldn’t imagine Becka coming back, not after our last scene. “Who was it?”
“That attorney fellow.”
“Cragg? What did he want?”
Eve said, “No, the one who used to have Markum’s office; Belle’s attorney, Lucas Young. Honestly, that man used to flirt shamelessly with me.”
I had to fight my grin. “Did he want anything in particular, or was he here asking you out on a date?”
“Harrison, I don’t find that at all amusing. Actually, he seemed more interested in speaking with you than with me. I’m sure he’ll be back.”
Fighting to hide my grin, I said, “Maybe he really came by to see you, but he lost his nerve at the last minute.”
“Bite your tongue. He was here for you, but I imagine we’ll see him again soon. The man apparently has nothing better to do than to hover around Wick’s End.”
“Then I don’t have to worry about calling him back, do I?” A man walked into the shop, and I turned to Eve and asked, “Do you want this customer, or shall I take him?”
“By all means, be my guest,” she said.
After another long day, I was happy to head up to my apartment and lock the world out on the other side. I was beginning to realize that living on-site was a mixed blessing. It made the commute a breeze, but unfortunately, it also meant that I was there around the clock, good or bad, whenever anyone took the notion to see me.
Belle’s sanctuary on the roof began to make more and more sense. I thought about going up to the skyline retreat, but one glance out the window told me it wouldn’t be the best time to be outdoors. It was starting to rain, and the breeze was stirring up. In the distance, there was a hint of I thunder rumbling in the air. From the look of things, the weather wouldn’t be settling down anytime soon.
I had no desire to face the world though. I turned off the ringer on my phone, ate a quick sandwich, then curled up on the couch to read. It wasn’t Dame Agatha this time, as much as I would have loved to rejoin her in Miss Marple’s garden. I took the reference books I’d brought with me from the shop downstairs and started pouring over the texts. The bank deposit was still in its bag beside me, but in all honesty, I didn’t have the heart or the desire to fight the coming storm or my weariness. I’d drop it off tomorrow