At Wick's End - Tim Myers [75]
By the time I got back downstairs, Morton was nearly finished with his flash photography. Pearly was standing by the doorway watching intently.
The second he saw me, he reached for one of the bowls. “You’re a scholar and a gentleman, Harrison Black. Thanks, I can surely use this.” He took a bite, then said, “Ice cream is man’s finest hour, wouldn’t you say?”
“I’d have to go with penicillin, but I like the way you think.”
Pearly gestured inside with his spoon. “Terrible business, that.”
I nodded, then watched as Morton came out, put his camera down, and took the other bowl out of my hands. Oh well, there was enough for one more serving upstairs, if it didn’t melt by the time I got back to it.
The sheriff took a bite, then said, “I pulled the plug from the outlet, so if you want to reset the breaker, you’ll most likely have power.”
Pearly said, “I’ll do it instantly.” I was kind of hoping he’d forget about his ice cream, but he remembered and took it with him back to the boiler room where the fuse box stood.
Less than a minute later, half the stores in River’s Edge lit up, including At Wick’s End, The New Age, and The Pot Shot in front of us. “That will make taking the rest of the photos easier,” Morton said. “I’ll be here a while, but I’d like to talk to you before I leave. Will you be upstairs?”
“I wish, but no, I’ll be in the candleshop. I’ve got a big day tomorrow, and I’ve got to get ready for it.”
“No rest for the landlord, is there? I’ll be by soon.”
I made a detour back upstairs before going to the candleshop. I wanted to check on Esmeralda. I was concerned when I couldn’t find her anywhere in the apartment, but when I looked in my small bedroom again, I found her curled up on my pillow, sound asleep.
It appeared that she had settled into my place quite nicely.
I headed back downstairs, jiggling the door to The New Age as I walked past. At least Heather had locked up before coming to find me in front of the pottery shop. I had assumed she had been outside looking for me after the power outage, but after seeing her reaction when I’d told her of Aaron’s death, I suddenly wasn’t all that sure.
As I reentered At Wick’s End, I tried to put Aaron, Heather, and the rest of it all from my mind. Making candles, especially when working with scalding hot wax, is serious business, and I needed every bit of concentration I could give it if I wanted to keep from getting burned.
I was building up a nice blue taper when Morton walked into the store, the chime announcing his arrival. “You’re really burning it at both ends, aren’t you?”
I tried to smile. “What better place for that than a candleshop? Are you finished?”
“They just took the body away, and I’ve finished my preliminary work. I’ve got a forensic team coming in the morning, but with so many folks out sick, it might be a while. I taped the door, just in case, so don’t let anyone in there, okay?”
“They won’t get in with our key,” I said, “But I can’t stand around and guard the place.”
“You’ve got your hands full, don’t you,” he said as he gestured to the wax.
“You want to know the truth? It’s great fun. I’d be happy to give you a lesson sometime, if you’re interested.”
Morton shook his head. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” I said.
He looked around, then said, “I’ve got a pretty good idea. Oh, that’s right. You don’t know about my ex-wife. She was quite the candlemaker. The whole thing kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, you know?”
“Well, if you ever change your mind, I’m here,” I said.
Morton tipped his hat, then left me to my dipping.
I glanced at the clock and saw it was approaching ten. If I was going to be fresh in the morning for my one-on-one class, I needed to get some rest. Besides, there wasn’t all that much wax left floating on top of the water, and what was there