At Wick's End (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) (20 page)

I said, “I think we’re making them up as we
go along. Listen, I’ll buy you a beer when this is all over and let
you know what happened.”

“
I’d rather have a can of
tennis balls, with you on the other end of the court.”

“
I promise, just as soon as
things slow down. Thanks again for coming out, Wayne.”

He patted my shoulder. “Listen, if you need
backup, day or night, call me, do you hear me?”

“
I’ll do it.”

He got into his truck and drove away.

And I was left knowing that someone, for
whatever reason, was trying to get rid of me. Once and for all.

I grabbed a quick breakfast back upstairs at
the apartment, then headed to At Wick’s End.

I had a call to make.

Becka picked up on the third ring. “Hello,”
she said groggily.

“
Sorry to wake you, but you
asked me to call you.”

The transformation was miraculous as she
suddenly perked up. “Harrison. I was just about to get up. Thanks
for calling.”

“
You’re welcome. Listen, I
was wondering if you could stop by the candle shop sometime this
morning. There’s something I’d really like to talk to you
about.”

“
Really? Give me a hint.
You know how I hate surprises.” Her voice had taken on a playful
tone that for some reason I had once found endearing.

“
Sorry, you’re going to
have to wait. Can you make it sometime before ten?”

“
Give me an hour and I’ll
be there.”

That would be perfect. Eve wasn’t scheduled
to come in until twelve. “See you then.”

After I hung up, I worked at straightening
the shelves, putting items back in their original places. It was
like a game of hide-and-seek with some of the customers, seeing
just how far something could be abandoned away from its proper
spot.

Miracle of miracles; Becka was earlier than
her promised hour. She must have been more eager than I thought.
She had pulled out all the stops, opting for a short skirt that
showed off her legs, spiked heels that looked impossible to walk
in, and a hairstyle that resembled a lioness going in for the
kill.

Sure enough, she went for a kiss on the lips
as she neared. I borrowed one of her old moves and tilted my head
at the last second, giving her my cheek instead.

She looked startled by that development, but
quickly regained her composure. “It was wonderful of you to call,
Harrison. I’ve missed you.”

“
I need to talk to you.” I
took a deep breath, then said, “You’ve been to At Wick’s End before
you visited me here the other day, haven’t you?”

Her gaze shot downward for an instant, a
sure sign she was about to lie. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about. I’d never heard of this place before then.”

“
Don’t lie, Becka, it gives
you wrinkles. Somebody saw you here arguing with Belle just before
she died.”

Becka’s soft cooing voice turned into a
shriek. “How could you think that I could have possibly done
anything to that old woman? You told me it was an accident.”

“
So you admit you were here
before?”

Becka shrugged. “I don’t know who’s been
gossiping about me, but it’s true. You should have been a partner
in this place. I tried to tell her that, but she wouldn’t
listen.”

I ran my hands through my hair. “Back up and
slow down. How did you even find out about this place, and my
relationship with Belle?”

“
I was looking for a
present for a wedding shower, and I thought a candle might be nice,
one that was personalized. When I saw your aunt’s name, I casually
asked if you two were related. She told me you were, and I let her
know how you were just getting by hand-to-mouth.”

“
Is that what the argument
was about?” I asked coldly. I had no trouble believing Becka would
butt into something that was none of her business.

“
It wasn’t like that,
Harrison. You deserved better, don’t you see that?”

“
How did Belle react when
you ambushed her?”

Becka said. “She had a fit. In fact she said
it wasn’t any of my business. We had a few words, and I left
without a candle and never came back.”

I said. “Is there any way to pin down where
you were the Sunday before last?”

‘‘
Sunday? I was out of town
from Thursday to Tuesday on business. Why are you asking me that?”
She suddenly realized where I was going. “You actually believe I
could have had something to do with her accident? Harrison, I was
just trying to help you.”

“
You had no right,” I
said.

Becka snapped, “Why not? You wouldn’t have
done anything about it, and somebody had to.” Her voice eased
somewhat. “I was just doing it for you. For us, really.”

“
You shouldn’t have, and I
mean that.” I glanced at my watch. “You’re going to have to leave,
Becka, I’m opening the store in a few minutes.”

“
You’re throwing me out? I
can’t believe that.”

I held the door open for her. “I don’t think
you have any choice. Good-bye. And Becka? I do mean good-bye. Our
future’s all in the past.”

She stalked past me, taking a stab at
spiking my foot with those deadly heels, but I sidestepped her just
in time. She snipped, “You’ll call me. I know it and you know
it.”

“
Don’t hold your breath
waiting by the phone,” I said as she stormed off.

Heather was just opening up The New Age,
privy to all that had been said outside. She had Esmeralda tucked
under one arm. As Becka raced off in her car, Heather said, “You
have a real way with the ladies, Harrison. Smooth.”

I smiled. “What can I say? It’s a gift.” I
walked over, offered a hand slowly to Esme, then rubbed her head
gently. She responded with a soft purr.

“
My, you two really bonded
while you were roommates,” Heather said.

“
Let’s just say we came to
a mutual understanding.”

Heather glanced at her watch and said,
“You’ve got a

few minutes before you open. Why don’t you
come in for the grand tour?”

“
That sounds great, but I
can’t stay long.” I said as I followed her inside.

Her shop was nothing like I expected. I’d
imagined a dark, gloomy place full of tarot cards and incense,
heavy tapestries and beads everywhere. Instead, the store was
bright and cheerful, with displays of stones, portable personal
pyramids, books and pamphlets neatly on display. There were desktop
waterfalls, mini-Zen gardens and polished steel balls filling out
the shelves, and the place was friendlier and more inviting than
I’d dreamed possible.

Heather had been watching my reaction,
waiting for a comment. “You have a great shop,” I said as I picked
up a piece of quartz crystal. “Where do you get your stuff?”

“
I get those from
Hiddenite,” she said. “They honestly do have healing power. Some
folks swear by magnets, but I’m a crystal fan myself.”

“
Where’s the incense,” I
asked.

Heather laughed. “I don’t carry it, I’m
allergic. That’s why I don’t spend much time in your candle shop.
Oh, you’ve got to see this.” Heather retrieved a candle from near
the register and held it out to me. It was pale blue, with stones
floating within the wax. “It’s beautiful,” I said as I handed it
back to her.

“
Belle made it for me.
Isn’t it cool the way she stuck the stones into the
wax?”

“
Actually, the stones are
laid in the mold first, then the wax is poured in around
them.”

“
You’re becoming quite the
expert,” she said.

“
I never realized before
just how many ways there were to make candles. I’ve just started
learning two methods, and there are a ton more to experiment with.
Purely by accident, I think I’ve found my calling.”

“
It wasn’t entirely by
accident. Belle wanted you to have At Wick’s End.”

“
What makes you say that?
Did she ever say anything about her plans to you?”

Heather said, “‘No. but it was in her will,
wasn’t it?”

“
Yes, of course.” I looked
around and asked “So where does Esme hang out during the
day?”

“
Are you kidding? The
princess has her own pillow beside the cash register. It’s like
she’s watching over the store all the time. Harrison, if you’re
interested, I’ve got a friend whose cat just had
kittens.”

“
No thanks, I have no
desire to add a roommate to my place.”

She said. “Are you sure?”

I said, “I’m positive, but I’d be happy to
baby-sit Esmeralda any time you need me to.”

Heather grinned. “Just give me time, I’ll
make a cat person out of you yet.”

“
I’d say they were born,
not made, wouldn’t you? I think for now I’ll settle for having one
feline friend.” I glanced at my watch. “I’d love to stay and chat,
but I’ve got to open the shop.”

“
Come back any time,
Harrison.”

It was a quiet morning, but I managed to
sell a few things before Eve was scheduled to arrive.

It was nearly noon when Heather came into
the shop. “Harrison, I need a favor. Could I borrow your old truck
for a while?”

Now what in the world could I say to
that?

Chapter 15

Heather said, “Ordinarily I’d never ask, but
I’ve got a new shipment of quartz from Hiddenite I need to pick up,
and I’m afraid it’s too heavy for my car.”

“
Don’t they deliver?” I
asked, stalling for time so I could figure out what to do. If I
said no without a valid reason, it would certainly put Heather off.
On the other hand, could she be testing me? If she’d been the one
to tamper with the brake lines, she might be checking to see if I’d
found the problem.

She admitted, “They’ll bring my order here,
but it costs twice as much, and honestly, I can’t afford to stock
them that way.”

I asked, “So what about your store? Are you
shutting it down while you go?”

“
No, Mrs. Quimby came in a
few minutes ago, and things are kind of slow right now.” She
hesitated, then added, “Never mind, Harrison. I shouldn’t have
asked.”

“
No, I don’t mind, really.
Tell you what. Why don’t you take Belle’s Ford? I just put gas in
it.”

Heather said, “The old Dodge is fine.
Really, I don’t want to take a chance messing up Belle’s truck. She
used to fuss at me all the time about my rocks. We had an
arrangement where I’d borrow her truck, then gas it up when I got
back.” Heather sighed, then added, “She wouldn’t take any payment
from me, but she would let me buy her a pizza every now and then.
Hey, I might even make an offer on your Dodge if I like it. The
last thing in the world you need are two pickup trucks.”

There was no way to get out of this without
sounding like a nut. A sudden thought occurred to me. I could use
the situation as a test for her. “Fine. Here are the Dodge keys.
Have a safe trip.”

Did her eyebrows raise a fraction at that?
It had happened so quickly, I couldn’t be sure.

Eve came in as Heather was leaving, and I
called out, “I’ll be right back,” to her as Heather disappeared. I
couldn’t let her take the truck, not knowing that the brake lines
had been tampered with, but I did want to see how far she’d go. I
followed behind her, staying back, ready to stop her if she even
put the key in the door.

She was two steps away when her cell phone
rang. After a brief conversation, she turned abruptly on her heel,
and caught me, dead to rights, following her.

“
Harrison, what are you
doing?”

“
Eve came in to relieve
me,” I said walking toward the Ford. “I figured I’d go out and grab
a bite to eat. I thought you were going after your
rocks.”

“
I’ve changed my mind. Here
are your keys.”

“
Are you sure? I honestly
don’t mind you taking one of the trucks,” I said.

“
You don’t have two hours
to kill right now, do you?”

I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t feel right about
leaving Eve that long. She just came in.”

Heather looked disappointed by the news.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get them another time. Hey, I’ve got an idea.
Why don’t you go with me next time you take a day off? It could be
a fun field trip. To be honest with you, I hate going alone. 
My supplier’s kind of creepy, and when I go by myself he makes me
really uncomfortable. That call was from a girlfriend who was
supposed to go with me, but she bailed out at the last second.
Belle even used to ride along with me from time to time.”

“
I’ll make time to go with
you next week. I promise,” I said as I grabbed the truck keys out
of her hand. “Want to grab a bite to eat with me?” I
asked.

“
I’d better not. I’m
feeling guilty for leaving Mrs. Quimby alone. She’s got a
cold.”

“
Another time, then,” I
said as she walked back to her shop.

I honestly doubted that Heather had been
testing me, though she’d done nothing to remove herself from my
suspect list. The means and opportunity were there, but my problem
with her was the same as with everyone else.

I couldn’t for the life of me come up with a
motive for Belle’s murder. The only thing I knew in my gut was that
her death had been no accident. And someone had their sights on me
for their next victim.

I decided to go get some pizza, but April
May wasn’t at A Slice of Heaven. After lunch, I got back to the
shop to find Eve in an uproar. “There you are. I was almost ready
to call the police.”