At Wick's End - Tim Myers [9]
“It’s adequate for a first try. You’ll get better as you practice. If this were a regular class, we’d dip the tip and butt of the candle in melted beeswax, but it’s not necessary right now.” She unrolled the candle, handed the sheet and wick back to me, and said, “Now let’s try that again.”
By the time I’d finished my fourth try, I was really starting to enjoy the process. “Hey, this is fun,” I said as I laid the finished candle down.
Eve said, “I believe you’ve got the hang of it now. This is the simplest form of candlemaking we teach. Now we can move on to shaping unique candles with the sheets of wax. Mrs. Jorgenson will want to be able to do that, I’m sure.”
Eve was just starting the next lesson when the door chime announced another customer. “That will have to do for now,” she said. “We’ve still got a shop to run, you know.”
I wanted to follow her out and observe, but Eve said, “Practice makes perfect, Harrison.”
So I went back to my wax and started a brand-new candle. I was beginning to see why Belle had gotten hooked. Candlemaking could be a lot of fun.
After I’d rolled and rerolled candles more times than I could count, I was ready for a break. Eve was involved in a deep discussion with one of our customers about the advantages of pellets versus blocks, a conversation that went entirely over my head. I waved to her, said I’d be back soon, and decided it was time for another cup of Millie’s coffee. If I was lucky, maybe I’d get a dollop of insight about what really went on around River’s Edge too. I had a feeling that if anyone had her finger on the pulse of the place, it would be the owner of The Crocked Pot.
I was just leaving the shop when a uniformed police officer walked up. “Are you Harrison Black?” he asked in a deep baritone.
“I am,” I admitted. “I assume you’re here about the robbery. Where did Mr. Young go?”
“He had to get back to his office, but not before he assured me that nothing had been taken. Pardon my saying so, but there’s not much there worth stealing. It could just be that the thief tore up the place out of frustration. That would explain the mess.”
“I don’t buy that for a second,” I said. “Nobody’s going to walk up to the only apartment on the second floor of this building and break in on a whim. Whoever did this was after something.”
The officer shrugged. “I can pass your concerns on to the sheriff, but there’s really nothing else I can do here.”
“Thanks for coming by,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
The officer must have caught it, though. “I’d honestly spend more time on this if anything of value was missing, but we’ve just had a homicide committed during a jewelry store robbery and we’re working on it with every free man-hour.”
“I heard about it on the news. The store owner was the one killed in the robbery, wasn’t he?”
“That’s why we’re giving it so much attention. There was half a million dollars in diamonds taken. Don’t worry, we’ll catch them soon enough.”
“And I’m left to my own devices. I understand perfectly.”
The cop looked at me a second more, tipped his hat and walked to his squad car.
It appeared that Belle’s break-in wasn’t going to be a high priority for the local police.
I’d just have to solve that particular mystery myself.
Chapter 3
“This one’s on the house too,” Millie said as she slid a cup of coffee across the counter to me. “Having to deal with Belle’s death, your inheritance, and a break-in all in the same day is too much to expect of anybody.”
“How did you know about the break-in?” I asked as I sipped the coffee. It had a nutty taste that startled me at first, but it quickly grew on me.
Millie laughed as she took a swipe at the counter. “Oh please, Harrison, I knew what happened long before the squad car showed up. There’s something you should know—River’s Edge is a great deal like its own small town. It’s hard not to know what’s going on in other people’s lives around here. With one obvious exception.” She hesitated, towel in hand.
“I’m waiting,” I said after taking another