At Wick's End - Tim Myers [66]
Eve said, “It’s really rather good.”
Millie turned to me. “Harrison, what do you think?”
“Honestly? It’s too soon to tell. I don’t suppose you have another I might try, just to compare the uniformity of the product?”
She handed me another doughnut with a smile on her face. “You scamp. Thanks for trying it.”
“Millie, I’ll be your taste-tester any time.”
Heather came by half an hour later. If she noticed the window, she didn’t mention it. “Harrison, I’ve got another picnic ready. Care to join me?”
I almost turned her down, since I wanted to watch that window. But couldn’t I see the front of the store from the steps? And if someone reached in to grab my bait, I’d be there in time to catch the culprit red-handed.
“Okay, but I can’t stay long,” I said.
As we walked out of the candle shop, I asked, “What do you think of our new display window? I just finished it this morning.”
She studied it a few moments, then said, “You know, Belle was always after me to learn how to make candles, but I kept putting her off. Do you think you might be able to find the time to teach me someday?”
“Absolutely. I’ll even give you my River’s Edge discount.” It appeared that my candlemaking display was lost on her as a clue to Belle’s clever hiding place.
As we walked down to the steps where we’d eaten before, Heather produced two homemade turkey clubs and offered me a Sprite.
I said, “I’m going to have to take you somewhere fancy to make up for this.”
She said, “Sometimes I get so tired of eating alone. Having your company is nice.”
“So who’s watching The New Age? Is Mrs. Quimby working this afternoon?”
“No, at the moment Esmeralda is my only employee. She should do just fine on her own though. She’s very competent, you know.”
“So you’ve trained her to run the cash register and answer the telephone too?”
Heather grinned. “That wasn’t the toughest part. It turns out that making change gives her a headache.”
“She’s in good company.” The entire time we ate, I kept my vigil on the window, waiting for a hand to swoop in and take the candle. A very real part of me hoped it wasn’t Eve, but she probably had more reason to wish Belle harm than anyone else, especially if my great-aunt had confided her intent to give me the business instead of her.
“Harrison, is something wrong?” Heather asked.
“No, why?” I asked, keeping my gaze on the store.
“You seem distracted.” She paused, then suddenly said, “I bet I know what it is. It’s about the Dodge, isn’t it?”
“What about the Dodge?”
She looked down at her sandwich. “Harrison, it’s not that I was ashamed of driving it or anything. That’s not why I changed my mind. I just couldn’t bear the thought of going there alone. Honest.”
“It sounds like you’ve got every reason in the world to avoid that place when you’re by yourself,” I said. “I understand completely.”
“I’m glad.”
After we finished our meal, Heather asked, “Would you like to take a walk along the riverbank? It’s really beautiful this time of year.”
“I’d like to, I honestly would, but I can’t leave At Wick’s End right now.”
“I shouldn’t leave my store either,” she said with her head bowed slightly. “Another time, then.”
“I promise.”
I glanced over to check on the candle when I walked back into the shop, just in case I’d missed something. It was still there, crying out for attention. The display had to work. I didn’t know any other way to catch the killer. I just had to accept the fact that it might take longer than I’d hoped for the culprit to show up.
We had a steady flow of customers coming in and out for the rest of the day, buying the gamut from basic kits to some of our most sophisticated and expensive molds. If I’d been focusing just on our income, it would have been a banner week even without Mrs. Jorgenson’s cash infusion a couple of days before. I found as time went by, I was referring fewer and fewer customers to Eve and was handling their requests myself. It felt good, growing in competence, but that blasted candle in the window took away every ounce of joy from the experience.
Finally, Eve commented on