Death Waxed Over - Tim Myers [30]
She said, “As much as I appreciate the offer, I’m not about to accept it, and you know it. I’ll pay my own way, Harrison Black. I always have, and I always will.”
As I headed back to At Wick’s End, my mind was buzzing with ideas. I’d added two suspects in my hunt, one that didn’t surprise me and one that had knocked me off balance. I had no trouble visualizing Runion as a killer, but I just couldn’t see Mrs. Jorgenson doing it, despite what Frannie had told me. I wondered if Gretel’s brother would be interested in completing the deal his sister had refused. I’d surely like to talk to the beneficiary—the only person with a real concrete reason to want Gretel dead—but if the police couldn’t find him, I didn’t have a prayer. It was time to head back to River’s Edge.
I worked the last hour with Eve, and though I could tell she was dying of curiosity to hear about what I’d been up to, I kept my thoughts to myself. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her about Mrs. Jorgenson’s possible involvement in Gretel’s death. I wasn’t even willing to acknowledge it myself, let alone say the words aloud.
After we locked the door and ran our reports from the meager totals, she said, “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
“See you in the morning,” I said.
She huffed once, then let herself out, not bothering to lock the door behind her. I waited a minute, then walked over and slid the deadbolt into place. I still had to make out the deposit, then head to the bank. I’d learned early on that the shop’s business had to come first. If there was time and energy left over, I could spend it however I wished. I had to admit, At Wick’s End—and River’s Edge in general—was a great amount of work to handle. I found myself admiring my Great-Aunt Belle more every day as I tried to follow in her footsteps.
After I dropped off the deposit at the bank, I decided to head straight back to the complex instead of grabbing a bite out. There was peanut butter and jelly in my larder, and while it wasn’t a meal fit for a king, it would do for me. I slapped a sandwich together, made a tall glass of chocolate milk, then headed up to the roof. It was a little brisk for a picnic, but I needed some open space around me, and there was no place in the world more open than my secret getaway.
Though it was still early, darkness had crept in like a thief and stolen the last bits of sunlight while I’d been making my meal. The roof was shrouded in shadows, but I knew the turf well enough to head unerringly to the cache holding my chair and blanket. As I settled in to eat, I marveled once again at the stars above me, punctuating the night with their brilliance. There was a halo around the moon, and a crisp bite to the air that made me feel alive. The wind kicked up off the river, and I shivered against its intrusion. It was a small price to pay for the sights and sounds I was experiencing. As I ate my sandwich, I took in my surroundings, happy that Belle had entrusted it all to me, but sad about the way I’d acquired it all.
The cold finally drove me back inside before I was ready to give up the sky. I promised myself that when summer came, I’d bring a hammock and stand up on the roof if I had to hoist it with a crane so I could spend a night high above Micah’s Ridge.
As I rinsed my dishes back in my apartment, there was a pounding on my door, and from the sound of it, whoever wanted me wasn’t there to share good news.
I opened the door and found Markum standing in the hallway.
“You’re back early,” I said, stepping aside as the big man came into my apartment. “Did something go wrong?”
Markum had always been sketchy about what he did, and whenever I pressed him, he’d always say, “You’ll have to come with me sometime before you’ll get a word out of me,” and he’d leave it at that. I kept promising myself that someday I’d join him on one of his adventures. Markum had offered the possibility of great reward, and an equal amount of risk.
He laughed heartily, and I knew