by Tim Myers
“Absolutely,” I told him. I turned to Eve and said, “I won’t be long.”
She nodded curtly, then went back to the customer she was helping.
Outside, Morton said, “She’s all full of cheer, isn’t she?”
“Actually, this is one of her good days. So what do you think about the window?”
“It looks like you and Pearly did a good job patching it, but I’d get the glass man in here if you want to keep Sanora off your back. She can be a real pain in the neck when she wants to be.”
“You know Aaron’s ex-wife?”
Morton said, “Let’s just say we went out a few times and leave it at that, can we? I got the brick from her, but it’s not going to do any good. I found a pile of them around the back of the building. You really should get that cleaned up, Harrison, you don’t want rats moving in on you.”
“I’ve got it on my list,” I admitted. “There’s no chance of fingerprints?”
“Not off that. It probably wasn’t even planned. Some kids were probably up to mischief and it was Sanora’s unlucky night.”
“There was just one person there. Pearly and I saw him. Or her, we really couldn’t be certain.”
“I guess I won’t be calling on you as a witness,” he said. “Listen, there’s nothing I can do here. Sorry, but I don’t have a thing to go on, and I’m trying to hold down the fort until some of my people get back.” He coughed a few times. “Blast it all, I think I’m coming down with it myself. Just what I need, a case of the crud when everything’s falling down around my ears.”
“You’d better take care of yourself. Why don’t you see if Millie has any chicken soup? It’s got to help.”
“It didn’t do the chickens much good, did it?” He coughed again, then added, “I’ve got to go.”
“Hope you feel better,” I called out as he headed for his squad car, but I couldn’t be sure he’d even heard me. It looked like a great time to commit a crime in Micah’s Ridge, with half the force down with the flu. I just hoped the criminals didn’t catch wind of it.
Eve was talking on the telephone when I walked back into At Wick’s End, and from the sound of it, things weren’t going all that well. There were no customers in the shop, so I kept myself busy straightening shelves until she got off.
“Is everything all right?” I asked. Her face was a frozen mask.
“It’s just wonderful,” she said, the words dripping with sarcasm.
“Listen, I’m not trying to pry, but if you need someone to talk to, I’m right here.” 1
She started to say something, then bit it back. Her expression did ease somewhat when she said, “I’ll be fine. At least it’s not a mistake I have to keep paying for. It’s over.”
Now what in the world could I say to that? “Anyway, I’m here if you need me.”
She nodded. “I know, but it’s nothing I care to discuss. I know it’s early, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to take my lunch.” She blew out a gust of air, then said plaintively, “Truthfully, I’d rather not work today. Do you mind if I take a vacation day?”
“Go ahead, I’ve got things covered here.”
As Eve grabbed her jacket from our shared office, she said, “You don’t have to tell me that. You’ve been working so hard since you came, you’re ready to handle it all.”
“Come on, I figure there’s a lot more you can teach me.”
She sighed, then said, “Perhaps, but I doubt it. Good-bye, Harrison.”
“See you tomorrow,” I called out, but she just waved as the door closed behind her.
I surely hoped I would see her tomorrow. I hadn’t been in the candlemaking business all that long, and I certainly wasn’t ready to run At Wick’s End without Eve. Could I muddle along with it if she left? Most likely, but it wouldn’t be easy. Hopefully the day off was all she needed, but with Eve, I couldn’t be entirely sure.
I should have packed my lunch, but then I hadn’t known earlier that Eve was going to bail out on me. There was only one thing I could do as my stomach rumbled. I scrawled out a sign that said, back in 5 minutes, taped it to the door and jogged down to Millie’s for a quick bite.
There was a line of customers, including Sanora and Tick standing close together. Tick called me over. “Harrison, care to join us?”
“I’d love to, but I’m watching the shop by myself. I’ll come back later.”
Millie spotted me and said, “Harrison, come here a second.”
I walked to the counter, nodding my apologies to the folks in line. “I can wait.”
“I’m not worried about your lunch, I’ll send something down a little later. I want to talk to you about Heather’s sign.” She’d said the last in a near-whisper as she worked at filling orders, no doubt trying to keep the news from Sanora.
I stopped her. “We can talk about it when you bring me something later.”
She frowned a moment, then agreed. “I won’t be long, Mrs. Quimby is helping me out.”
“When did you hire her?” I asked.
“The second I found out Heather let her go. I’ve known her for years, and honestly, I can use the help.”
“It sounds serious, doesn’t it?” I asked. Mrs. Quimby was devoted to Heather and Esmeralda. If Heather had actually fired her from her part-time position, she really must be poised to break her lease and move.
What had I done by letting Sanora come to River’s Edge?
“We’ll talk soon,” Millie said, and I went back to At Wick’s End to wait on her. I was more interested in the conversation than the lunch, but I wouldn’t turn down either one. It looked like things were changing yet again at River’s Edge, and not for the better.
Chapter 9
“I don’t think it’s as dire as you believe, Harrison,” Millie told me as I finished the last of my sandwich an hour later. “There’s hope yet.”
For once I was happy the foot traffic in At Wick’s End was light. I needed to eat, and just as important, I had to talk to Millie. Pearly may have been the one who kept me up to date on the physical aspects of River’s Edge, but Millie knew the complex’s heart.
“How can you say that?” I asked. “She fired Mrs. Quimby and put a moving-sale sign up in her window. It can’t get much darker than that.”
“I spoke with Vera at length, and she said Heather was still unsure about what she was going to do.”
“Who’s Vera?” I asked.
“You know, Mrs. Quimby.”
“Vera is Mrs. Quimby’s first name?” I asked as I finished off my sweet tea.
“Why yes. Why does that surprise you?”
“I just never thought about it before. She’s been ‘Mrs. Quimby’ since I first met her. I never really thought about her having a first name.”
“I think Vera’s a perfectly lovely name. Now let’s get back to Heather. Are you adamant about keeping Sanora at River’s Edge, or is there any chance you’ll change your mind?”
I stood, wadded the wrapping paper from my lunch, and threw it into the trashcan. “We signed a lease, but it only runs until the end of next month.”
Millie started to say something, but I quickly added, “Her renewal is not going to depend on Heather, as much as I’d like her to stay. Millie, I’m not being hardnosed about this, but Belle left River’s Edge to me, not the entire tenants association. I have to do what I think is best. Would I have liked to have known about all this before I agreed to let Sanora reopen the pottery shop? Absolutely. But Cragg never hinted at it as he was twisting my arm. Why isn’t anyone mad at him?”
“Gary is what he has always been. I’m sure he tried to finesse his playmates in preschool, and he’s not about to change.”
“So Heather’s leaving if Sanora stays. I don’t want that to happen, and I’ll do whatever I can to prevent it, short of evicting Sanora.”
“So we’re at a standoff, is that it?”
“My hands are tied,” I said. “If I had a chance to talk to her, I might be able to change her min
d.”
“I wouldn’t mind speaking with her myself, but Vera told me Heather was leaving town for a few weeks. She’s got a friend in Charlotte she’s going to be staying with.”
“Well, that’s a good sign, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
I said, “Think about it. If she’s not in town and Mrs. Quimby is working for you, Heather can’t start selling off her stock.”
“I suppose.”
The bell above my door chimed and I saw Mrs. Simms walk in. I told Millie, “I’d love to help, but I’ve got to keep my eyes on this woman. She steals for the fun of it, but I haven’t been able to catch her with the goods yet.”
“I’ll leave you to it.”
Millie gave Mrs. Simms a wide berth as she left the store, and I approached the woman as if she was my best customer. I’d come up with a plan for her next visit after watching her walk off with a pricey candle during her last trip to the store, but I couldn’t prove it.
“Mrs. Simms, how are you today?”
“Fine, fine,” she muttered, and I could smell the liquor on her breath. It was hard to tell how long she’d been at it, but I imagined it had started well before lunch.
“So what can I help you with today?”
She looked around, then said, “I’m just browsing. Go ahead, do whatever you need to do.”
“Nonsense, my first priority is each and every customer. Now we have some specials today. Let me show you.” I took her arm and dragged her from spot to spot, making up odd specials that would have driven Eve insane if she’d been there to hear them.
Mrs. Simms was obviously uncomfortable with my close presence, since it meant she wasn’t free to stuff something under her coat. I gave her ten minutes to flee from the store, but it took her only seven. As she started to bolt, I said, “Mrs. Simms, I feel guilty for deserting you in the past, but those days are over. Whenever you come back to At Wick’s End, and I mean whenever, I will be right by your side, helping you pick out just the perfect thing, no matter how many other customers are in the shop. I will be right there, do you understand?”
She muttered something as she broke for the door. I doubted she’d be back, not with all my “special attention,” but if she did venture in my door again, I was bound and determined that she wouldn’t leave with a single thing she hadn’t paid for.
Things were quiet for most of the afternoon, and I was glad we were just open till five. I knew Erin’s shop didn’t close until six, so if I hurried preparing my deposit, I could drop it off at the bank and still have half an hour on the water. I was eager to get back to it. Seeing the proprietress wouldn’t hurt, either.
At two minutes before five, I bolted the door to At Wick’s End and headed for the bank.
Erin was totaling out her own register when I got there fifteen minutes later. “You’re closing early, too?” I asked, failing to hide the disappointment in my voice.
She smiled. “Don’t look so grim. I decided it was a slow day, and to be honest with you, I thought making those candles might be fun. You can still take a kayak out if you’d like.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a quick lesson in candlemaking first?”
“That’s all you need, teaching candlemaking on your time off.”
“Hey, I’m happy to do it. I really enjoy making them.”
She shook her head. “You go grab a kayak and I’ll muddle through on my own.”
I grabbed a paddle, then asked, “Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”
“Go,” she said, adding a smile to the command.
Erin didn’t have to tell me twice. I untied the kayak nearest to me and a minute later I was gliding through the water. It really was a glorious time to be out. I had that stretch of the river to myself, if I didn’t count the ducks and fish. The opposite bank of the river rose up straight into the mountains, and the patchwork of autumn leaves still clinging to the trees made the reflections shimmer and glow with color. It was stunning, and I found myself wishing I’d brought my camera to capture it. I paddled around, fully enjoying myself when I happened to glance at my watch. It was quarter after six! I’d made Erin stay after work, something I knew she hated. Paddling fiercely back to her dock, I made it in four minutes and noticed that all the other boats had been pulled up onto the dock and chained down.
I lifted the kayak out and headed for her office at a dead run.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I said as I burst in. “I got lost in my thoughts.”
She was frowning over one of the lumpiest rolled candles I’d ever seen in my life. Beside it were two more, each worse than the one before. She didn’t even glance at the clock. “Okay, I admit it, it’s harder than it looks.”
“Do you mind some advice?” I asked as I stored the paddle in its rack.
“I don’t have much choice, do I?”
I picked up the candle closest to me and said, “It looks like the wax was a little stiff when you started rolling. That’s not your fault at all. You don’t happen to have a hairdryer around here, do you?”
“Are you kidding? I can’t go a week without someone tipping over and getting drenched.” She retrieved one from the bathroom as I rolled her effort back out. The sheet kept a concave shape and refused to flatten, but the wax itself was intact, so I figured it would be fine. I ran the blow-dryer over the wax and stopped as it relaxed into a flat sheet. Taking her wax, I pinched the leading edge over the wick and was satisfied with the way it rolled as I started it.
“Try it now,” I told her, and watched carefully as she finished rolling the candle. It was too loose to burn very well, but it was an absolute improvement over what she’d done before.
“Look, it’s perfect,” she said.
“Not quite. Now let’s try it again. This time, try to roll it as tightly as you can. The better you do, the longer it will burn.”
“But I can’t just mess it up. It’s so pretty.”
“Keep it if you want to, but I wouldn’t burn it.” I reached for one of her other efforts and started the process over again. She watched raptly, and refused when I offered her another try. “You do it. Let me learn at the feet of the master.”
“I’m hardly that,” I said as I quickly pinched the wick into the softened wax and rolled a tight candle.
She took it when I offered my effort and compared it to her own. “Okay, I see what you mean. I’ll practice more.”
“That’s all it takes,” I agreed.
“I wouldn’t say that. I think you’ve got the knack, Harrison. Did you have a nice time on the river?”
“It was glorious. The leaves are beautiful, aren’t they?”
“Absolutely.” She looked at the clock over her desk and said, “Is that the time? I’m late. Sony, Harrison, but I’ve got to go.”
“Do you have a date?” I asked casually.
As she shooed me out the front door, she said, “That is none of your business, sir.” To take the edge off her words, she added, “Thanks for the lesson.”
“Thanks for the row. I’ll be back.”
“I’m counting on it.”
As I headed back to River’s Edge, I found myself wondering who Erin was meeting. It was frankly none of my business, she’d made that clear enough on more than one occasion, but there was a part of me that wished she’d been rushing around to meet me.
Pearly was just finishing up mounting the last security light when I drove back to River’s Edge.
I said, “They look good.”
“If you don’t mind the irony that we’re putting them up a day late, I suppose you’re right.”
“Do think this is a waste?” The bill for the lights was pretty healthy, but I didn’t feel I’d had any choice.
“No, Harrison, don’t pay any attention to me. I’m in a dark mood, and I’m not afraid to admit it to the world. The only company I’m fit for tonight is my own.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” I said as I excused myself.
“Now don’t go off like that. I wasn’t talking about you. It’s the finer gender I’m discussing.”
“If you have problems with the woman in your life, I’m the last one to discuss it with. I’m going through a bit of a dry spell myself.”
“Dry spell? Don’t I wish. I happen to be in the awkward position of having three different women vying for my attention at the moment.”
“Why Pearly, I never would have taken you for a ladies’ man.” I hated to admit it, but I was enjoying some of the man’s discomfort.
“Laugh if you will, but it’s serious enough. Harrison, since my dear sweet wife died, I haven’t been involved with anyone. The hole where she isn’t is still entirely too large. I believed, in my naïveté, that if I dated several ladies at the same time, I wouldn’t be confronted with any one of them getting too close. I wasn’t necessarily trying to keep secret the fact that I was seeing them all, but confound it, they somehow managed to find out about one another anyway, and now they’ve given me an ultimatum. I’m to choose one or lose all three.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “Pearly, I wish you the best, but I wouldn’t trade places with you for anything in the world.”
“I’d say you’re a wise man for that decision alone, Harrison. Well, I’m finished here. What say we give them a test?”
“What do I do?” It was nearly dark, with the hours of sunlight lessening with each passing day.
“Stand here in the shadows and we’ll check them. Let me throw the breaker first.”
He came back a minute later, and I said, “Sorry, it didn’t work.” It was as dark as when he’d left.
“Ah, watch this.” He stepped off the porch and the lights suddenly came on in all their intensity, nearly blinding me.
‘They work on motion sensors,” he explained. “That should scare off any would-be vandals, don’t you think?”
“It should do the trick. I know it will certainly get my attention upstairs.”
“The perils of living at the establishment you own,” Pearly said as he put his tools away. “We each have our own problems, and I trust we haven’t been given more than we can handle.”