Death Waxed Over - Tim Myers [23]
I walked outside the candleshop with Pearly and asked, “So where would you like to talk? We can take Belle’s truck somewhere.”
“That won’t be necessary,” he said. “The steps here will be fine.”
I followed him down the concrete steps in front of River’s Edge that led to the Gunpowder River, and we sat three levels from the water’s edge. It was nearly as good as the tailgate of a truck for talking. Most Southern men didn’t like a lot of eye contact when they talked to each other, and any pretense to avoid it was acceptable.
As he stared out over the water, Pearly said, “Harrison,
I owe you so many apologies I don’t even know where to begin.”
“My friend, you don’t owe me anything. You come here every day and do a fine job keeping River’s Edge afloat. It’s all I have any right to expect of you.”
“You said it yourself, though. We’ve become friends since your Great-Aunt died. And a friend owes you more than an employee does. I should have told you from the beginning that I was keeping company with Gretel. In my defense, I didn’t know that she’d planned to open a candleshop until she’d already bought the place. The fool woman paid cash for the building and her franchising fee, if you can imagine that.”
“She wasn’t just renting? I can’t believe she owned the space outright.” I was more than a little jealous. If I lived to be eighty, I might own River’s Edge, but that depended on a lot of good luck to happen along the way.
“She got some kind of incredible inheritance when her parents died. Her brother squandered his, but Gretel had a knack for making her portion grow. They ended up hating each other because of it. It bothered me at first, knowing how much she was worth, but Gretel never put on airs about it. I’m doing this badly,” he added with a heavy sigh.
“You’re doing fine,” I said. Though I knew Pearly’s history as a psychologist, I also realized that professional relationships and personal ones were quite different. While I never doubted for an instant that he had been good at his job, I knew it was difficult for most people to apologize.
“Don’t be so sure. There’s more I haven’t told you yet. I’m afraid she got the idea for her shop from me, at least indirectly. I was bragging about what a fine job you’ve been doing here, and she started to ask questions. I thought she was just taking an interest in my life, but it turns out she was mining me for information. I probably should have walked away after that, but blast it all, it’s been difficult for me to find a woman who challenged me like she did.”
“Nobody has the right to expect that kind of loyalty in their friendship. You followed your heart, Pearly.”
“You’re being too easy on me, Harrison. She thought River’s Edge was coming between us, and I’m afraid she started to resent you. She told me she was going to wipe you out, so I broke it off with her.”
“When did all this happen?”
“The night before she was murdered,” Pearly said, his voice nearly choking. “I was at the fair to make amends—to see if we couldn’t work out some kind of compromise— but it took me too long to work up my nerve, and by the time I was ready to talk to her, she was dead.”
I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. His unresolved issues with her would probably haunt him the rest of his life, and I didn’t envy Pearly that at all. And to think I’d called my troubled sleep nightmares!
“I’m sorry if I played any part in your grief, Pearly.”
“I’ll work it out, Harrison. I have to find a way to live with what happened. The first step is making things right with you.”
“We’re fine, Pearly. If you need someone to talk to, I’m right here.”
He nodded, then we both stood. As he offered me his hand, Pearly said, “I appreciate the offer, but what I really need right now is a few days away to clear my head. Would that be all right with you? I’d like to go up into the mountains alone and sort this out.”
I could hardly deny his request. “Take as much time as you need.”
“You’re