Snuffed Out (Book 2 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) Read online

  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 was starting to congeal.

  I still probably had time for that last bowl of ice cream before I went to sleep.

  Sometime in the middle of the night, I bolted upright in bed in pitch darkness, having barely survived a dream where I was attacked by a giant feather duster that was trying to choke me.

  Esme barely stirred on the pillow beside me as her tail flopped lazily toward where my face had just been.

  It was going to take some time getting used to sleeping with a cat in my bed, and I wondered when Heather would come back for her charge.

  I worried about my new friend, but there was nothing I could do for her at the moment.

  And in a few hours, I was going to have to get up and prepare for another assault by Mrs. Jorgenson.

  Chapter 2

  I had half-expected Heather to wake me sometime in the night to collect Esme, but when my alarm clock suddenly jumped to life the next morning blaring out a song I hadn’t heard in twenty years, my houseguest was still with me.

  “Morning,’’ I said automatically to the cat as I got up and stretched. Esmeralda opened one eye, looked at me as if I’d just handed her a bill for her night’s stay, then promptly went back to sleep. What a tough life.

  The shower managed to wake me up, but not before I turned off the hot water supply and endured a sudden and heart-stopping icy stream. I’m not normally a proponent of cold showers, but I’d lost too much sleep tossing and turning the night before, and I had to be fresh for Mrs. Jorgenson.

  I knew just what would take care of whatever cobwebs remained in my head that the shower hadn’t reached. I left fresh water for Esme, added a little food to her bowl, then headed downstairs for a cup of Millie’s coffee.

  Millie Nelson ran The Crocked Pot, River’s Edge’s answer to Starbucks, and she was also quickly becoming my best friend.

  “Look what the cat dragged in,” Millie said cheerfully as I took a seat at her long counter. There was a display of pumpkin doughnuts on hand, something I’d first tasted recently but had quickly found addicting. As I started to reach for one, she said, “If you can wait two minutes, I’ll have a fresh batch ready.”

  “I can wait. Coffee,” I grunted, and Millie laughed.

  “Harrison Black, did you tie one on last night?” She was too cheerful to have heard about Aaron Gaston, and I dreaded having to break the news to her.

  “You haven’t heard,” I said as I took a grateful sip of the coffee. It was hot enough to scald, but I barely noticed. The older I get, the harder it is for me to deal with sleep deprivation. And for me, anything short of eight hours is just not enough.

  “Heard what?” she asked as two golden pumpkin doughnuts suddenly appear before me.

  “Aaron Gaston. He died in his shop last night.”

  Millie dropped the mug she was holding, and it shattered on the hardwood floor.

  “Millie? Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Heather doesn’t know yet, does she?”

  “She found out last night. The second I told her, she tore out of here like River’s Edge was on fire. She even left Esmeralda with me. What’s going on?”

  Millie ignored my question and retrieved a dustpan and broom from the kitchen. As she swept up the shards of pottery, I asked again. “Why did Heather react like she did?”

  “I’m not one to spread idle stories,” she said, chasing the last fragment with her broom.

  “There’s nothing idle about this. A man died here last night.”

  Millie blanched slightly, then asked, “How did it happen?”

  “I’ll answer your question if you answer mine,” I said.

  “You first,” Millie insisted.

  I nodded. “It was an accident. It appears that a bucket of water spilled on a frayed power cord while he was working.”

  Millie looked somehow relieved by the news. “Okay then. Heather and Aaron used to go out together.”

  “How long ago was this?” I couldn’t imagine Heather and Aaron together. She’d treated him with frost the few times they’d bumped into each other when I’d been around them both.

  “They broke it off just before you came to River’s Edge,” Millie said evenly. “Evidently it was Aaron’s idea. Something about his wife. His ex-wife, I guess I should say.”

  “Heather must have taken it pretty hard,” I said.

  “You could say that. Harrison, you should know that Aaron Gaston was a nice enough man most of the time, but he could be a real jerk when it came to his love life. The second his precious ex came back into his life, he dropped Heather in a heartbeat. Of course the reconciliation didn’t last, not with that woman’s history, but Aaron couldn’t even manage to be cordial to Heather after that. It was as if he somehow blamed her for his wife leaving him again.”

  “Funny, the last time I talked to Aaron, he told me there was a new woman in his life. Then he chuckled and said that he wasn’t sure you could call her exactly new. I wonder if it’s possible he was talking about his ex-wife? Who knows, he could have even meant Heather.”

  I took a bite of doughnut, then Millie said, “Are you eating those exclusively, or would you like to branch out a little?”

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked. “I’m always open to new things, but you’re going to have to go quite a ways to top these.”

  “The recipe’s not quite there yet, but I’m getting close. Maybe you can be my guinea pig tomorrow if I’m ready.”

  “I’m your man,” I said, “But if you keep feeding me like this, I’m going to have start exercising more than just a walk every now and then.”

  “You can join my health club,” Millie said, “Though I confess, all I seem to do lately is pay the monthly fee.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with walking for now.”

 
She said, “Then you might want to add an extra lap or two today. This treat isn’t exactly low calorie.”

  “That’s my favorite kind,” I said as I grabbed my last doughnut, along with the coffee, and headed over to At Wick’s End.

  Tick Dearborn was opening her antique shop as I walked past, and I thought about moving on to the candleshop, but it appeared I was the designated deliverer of bad news. Tick was a middle-aged woman who’d never grown out of her big-hair phase, and I wondered how much ozone she’d personally destroyed with hairspray every morning in the course of her lifetime. What I liked best about her was that she had a ready smile and always seemed to think the best of people.

  “Tick, have you heard the news?”

  She turned to me and said, “Were you talking to me, Harrison?”

  I saw her eyes were red and she had a handkerchief to her nose. “Never mind. Somebody already told you.”

  “Told me what?” she said as she dabbed at her eyes. “These allergies are killing me. I’m dripping and stopped up and sneezing my head off. I swear I’m going to move to Arizona.”

  “Aaron Gaston died last night.”

  She took a deep breath, then said, “How sad. Was it a car accident? I’m always worried about traveling by automobile.”

  “No, he died in his shop.”

  “How tragic. Just like Belle.”

  I certainly hoped not. I said, “I guess so. Well, I’ll let you get back to work.”

  “Harrison, let me know if there’s a service. I think we should all be there.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Tick went back to opening her store, Aunt Tick’s Antiques. Her real name was Patricia, but she’d told me the story that when her younger sister had been a toddler, she couldn’t say that, so she came up with Tick instead of Trish. Tick was in her early fifties and had been selling antiques for the twenty years since her husband had died, leaving her with his inheritance from his own family, an old Victorian mansion stuffed full of antiques.

  I felt like a ghoul passing the word around to the folks at River’s Edge, but my tenants had a right to know.

  After unlocking the door to At Wick’s End, I found Eve Pleasants already there, though she wasn’t due in for another hour.

  “Going for some overtime?” I said with a smile as I locked the door back behind me.

  “I wanted to be sure you were ready for this lesson. Harrison, I don’t mean to put any extra pressure on you, but we can’t afford to lose Mrs. Jorgenson. Not now.”

  “Are you worried? She seems happy enough.”

  Eve said, “Let’s just keep her that way, shall we?”

  I finished up the last bite of my doughnut and said, “There’s something I need to tell you. I’m afraid it’s bad news.”

  “Something besides Aaron’s death? Is this place cursed, Harrison?”

  “How did you hear about it already?” I asked.

  Eve looked sheepish for a second, then said, “We live in a small town.”

  “News travels fast in Micah’s Ridge, doesn’t it? What did you know about the man? I wasn’t around him enough to get much of an impression one way or another.”

  “He was nice, I suppose, but you should really ask Heather. They were quite close.”

  “So I’ve heard.” I took a sip of coffee, then asked, “How close were they, would you say?”

  Eve started to say something, then obviously changed her mind. “Why don’t you ask her? I’m not comfortable discussing this with you.” Eve frowned, then added, “Aaron’s death is going to leave you without a tenant. Have you thought about that at all?”

  “It never occurred to me,” I said. “I suppose I’ll put an advertisement in the paper or something.”

  Eve shook her head. “Belle never advertised, and she managed to keep full occupancy here. She even kept a list of tenants on a waiting list. Didn’t you find it in her apartment?”

  “I never saw it,” I admitted, “But I haven’t gone through all her papers, either. It can keep.”

  “You shouldn’t tarry on this, Harrison.”

  I patted her hand gently. “You worry too much. Everything’s going to be fine.”

  I hoped. I never considered the prospect of any of my tenants leaving, certainly not by dying on the premises. Would anyone even want a store where the owner had died on site? That was how I’d inherited my shop, but I wasn’t sure just anyone would be willing to do it. What would happen with Aaron’s equipment? Was there an executor, or was that something I was going to have to take care of? I’d have to call Gary Cragg, an attorney with an office on the second floor of River’s Edge. Knowing Cragg, he’d probably charge me for the advice, but I had to ask someone.

  That was all I needed, more details to muddy my mind when I should have been focusing on dipping candles.

  I had just finished practicing my third dipped candle of the day when Heather came in.

  Eve saw her and said, “I’ll go see what she wants, Harrison. Finish your candle.”

  I studied the slim tapers in my hand. My previous attempts had all been singles, dipped with one strand of cotton wick dangling down into the melted wax atop a reservoir of very hot water. This time I’d decided to try a tandem. Both ends of the wick were dipped into the wax at the same time, leaving a narrow strip of untouched wick for me to hang on to. A couple of the dips had come rather close to immersing my fingertips, and I was beginning to see Eve’s point that I should have been using a wire holder instead of my own precious hands. Knowing Mrs. Jorgenson, though, she wouldn’t sit still for it. The closer she could get to the process, the better she liked it.

  Heather came back with Eve close on her heels. “I’m sorry, Harrison, I know you’re busy, but I want to get Esmeralda.”

  I glanced at my watch. “My lesson’s not for another fifteen minutes. We’ve got plenty of time.”

  Eve said, “Give her your key, Harrison, she can get the cat herself.”

  I brushed off Eve’s advice. After all, At Wick’s End was my store, not hers. Besides, Mrs. J hadn’t been early for a lesson yet.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back,” I said as I handed her the dual tapers in my hand.

  “I don’t want to put you out,” Heather said as we walked outside. I’d thought about putting in a secret entrance I could use to get me from my store to my apartment directly upstairs over the store without leaving the building. I’d been thinking about a pole like the firemen used, but that wouldn’t do me any good getting back up. As it was, we had to go outside, then up to my place.

  “You’re not putting me out,” I said. “I was happy to watch Esme for you. Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

  Heather said, “Yes, I do. Harrison, I don’t want to go into it, okay?”

  “Fine,” I said. If she didn’t want to tell me, that was her business.

  I unlocked my door, and Heather brushed past me to search for her cat. Esme was still on my bed, asleep on my pillow. She didn’t even wake up when Heather collected her.

  “Thanks,” she said as I locked up behind me.

  “Any time. Esme’s a pretty good houseguest.”

  Heather merely nodded, and it was all I could do to keep on her heels as she rushed down the stairs. She managed to duck into The New Age before I could say another word. I saw Mrs. Quimby inside and waved. She was a graying lady with a quick smile and a love for cats and minerals, and she helped Heather out now and then with both.

  I thought about following Heather into her store and not leaving until she gave me some reason for dumping Esme on me like she had. Millie had said Heather and Aaron had dated, but it had been over before I came to River’s Edge. Was her reaction because of unresolved feelings toward the potter, or was there more to it than that?

  I glanced at my watch and realized any cross examinations would have to wait. Mrs. Jorgenson was due in five minutes, and I had just enough time to get things ready for her first lesson in dipping candles.

  “I
told you not to go,” Eve said shrilly as I walked into the store.

  “I’ve still got five minutes to spare,” I said as I walked in.

  “You’ve got more time than you think,” she said with a grim shake of her head. “Mrs. Jorgenson’s come and gone. We’ve lost her, Harrison.”

  “What do you mean, we’ve lost her? I had five minutes.” I said the last a little harsher than I should have.

  Eve said, “She came thirty seconds after you left, walked into the store, looked around in a huff before I could say a word, then stormed out. I was so stunned by her reaction that I didn’t even have a chance to apologize.”

  “She was early,” I repeated, hoping if I said it enough times, it would make a difference. “What makes you think she’s not coming back?”

  Eve said, “I’ve seen that look before, Harrison. You get only one chance with a woman like Mrs. Jorgenson.”

  I shrugged. “I’m sorry she’s going to be so stiff-necked about it, but I wasn’t wrong to leave when I did.”

  “You’ve lost our best client because of a cat that doesn’t even belong to you. Can’t you see this is a loss we’ll not easily recover from?”

  “Okay, I’ll admit Mrs. Jorgenson’s cash infusion was nice, but we’ll do all right without it.”

  Eve raised an eyebrow. “Do you honestly believe that, or are you just trying to make yourself feel better about blowing it?”

  “A little of both, probably,” I said. “There’s nothing I can do about it now.”

  “I suppose you’re right. It had to end sooner or later,” Eve said.

  “It’s just too bad it’s sooner,” I said, trying to scrape up a grin. It was a pretty feeble attempt. I knew how close to the bone things were run around At Wick’s End, not to mention River’s Edge. With the double blow of losing a tenant and a star student in the same twenty-four-hour period, I was losing some of the glow I’d had earlier myself.