Snuffed Out - Tim Myers [50]
“What reason is left, now that Aaron is gone?”
I shook my head. “We’d have to know the motive before we can say that.”
Markum nodded. “You’re right, of course. It might be something besides scorn that drove the killer.” He yawned once, then said, “I’m not sure this latest project is worth what it’s costing me in sleep. Let’s meet again tomorrow night and discuss it more, if you’re game.”
“I’ve got nothing planned,” I admitted reluctantly.
“You sound remorseful about it. You haven’t really dated much since you came to River’s Edge, have you?”
“I’ve been busy,” I said.
“I know how much time this place takes, but surely, for your own well-being, there’s time to step out now and then. I know I find time for the fairer sex, and my schedule’s worse than yours.”
I said, “There are a couple of prospects, but I seem to be more interested in them than they are in me.”
He stood and put a meaty paw on my shoulder. “Patience, my friend. Where there’s life, there’s hope.”
“And then there’s the hopeless,” I said, trying to make a joke out of it. I wasn’t all that comfortable sharing my horrific dating record of late with Markum.
“And on that note, I’ll leave you.”
“See you tomorrow, then.”
‘Tomorrow it is,” Markum said as I let him out.
I wrapped up what was left of the pizza and put it in the refrigerator. It would do for lunch tomorrow or a snack tomorrow night. I couldn’t afford to throw it away, not on my budget. At Wick’s End hadn’t turned out to be a goldmine, or even a tin one, for that matter. I was a little better off than I’d been before inheriting the place, but not enough to change my standard of living much.
Still, it was good to have a place to call my own, a worthwhile business to occupy my time, and enough friends around me to keep life interesting.
Sometimes though, I found myself wishing it wasn’t quite so interesting.
At a few minutes past midnight, I still hadn’t been able to fall asleep, though I’d been trying for the last hour or so. Tired of tossing and turning, I decided I might as well get up, since sleep was a long time from coming. Bundling up in sweats and a heavy coat, I climbed the ladder to my rooftop getaway. It was a calm night for a change, a whisper of crispness in the air and no wind coming off the river below. I had a clear view of the water from my aerie, and to the north I could see the outline of the mountains against the sky. The stars were out in all their brilliance and I pulled my chair from under its canopy and stared up at the autumn sky. That lasted a few minutes, and then I retrieved the blanket I kept under cover, wrapped myself in its warmth, and enjoyed the view.
I’d had no intention of falling asleep, but as the sun rose in the morning, I awoke to a new day. There was a crick in my neck and a cramp in one of my calves, but I couldn’t remember getting a better night’s sleep. Once summer came to River’s Edge, I promised myself more nights up there in the tranquility of the night.
But that would have to wait till the cool temperatures had come and gone. It took me a few minutes to work the stiffness out of my body, and I promised myself an air mattress before I attempted another campout.
After a hot shower and a bowl of oatmeal, I was ready to tackle the world again.
Locking my apartment door, a note fluttered to the floor at my feet.
It was from Markum.
“Harrison. Called away on urgent business. Watch your back.”
So if anyone was going to solve Aaron Gaston’s murder, it appeared that it was going to be up to me.
“Good morning,” I said to Eve as I locked the door to At Wick’s End behind me.
“What’s so good about it?” she asked plaintively, I knew right off the bat what kind of day I was in for. Whatever had gone wrong lately in my employee’s life, she wasn’t shy about bringing it to work with her.
“Let’s see,” I said, trying to be positive despite her disposition. “It’s a gorgeous day out, we both have a place to work, and we have our health.”
She didn’t answer, unless her scowl could be counted as one. I wasn’t going to let her bring me down, though. “Listen,