Death Waxed Over (Book 3 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) (18 page)

“
So she likes candles. It
makes sense that she’d talk to two chandlers, wouldn’t it?
Harrison, you’re getting paranoid again.”

“
No, I’m saying she was
right there when Gretel went down. She might have seen something. I
need to talk to her.”

I ran out the door and scanned the other
shops when I saw she wasn’t in the parking lot, but it was too
late; she was already gone.

I told Eve she had vanished, then headed
over to Millie’s for lunch. Normally I ducked upstairs to grab a
quick sandwich, but I wasn’t in the mood to be alone. Millie’s
place was crowded, but I found a spot by the front window after I
ordered my meal. I was sipping a Coke when I nearly choked on the
drink. The woman with the frosted beehive hairdo I was looking for
came out of Millie’s bathroom and headed toward the counter.

I approached her and asked, “Excuse me, but
do you have a minute? I’d really like to talk to you. I’d be happy
to buy you a cup of coffee, or even lunch.”

“
You’re from the candleshop,
right,” she said, studying me curiously.

“
At Wick’s End, that’s
right. My name’s Harrison Black.”

“
Mr. Black, I’m flattered, I
really am, but I’m afraid I’m not interested. It isn’t you. You’re
just not my type.”

“
Ma’am, I promise you I’m
not trying to pick you up. I just want to ask you a few
questions.”

She said, “Surely it’s not about
candlemaking.”

“
Please? If you don’t want
to eat with me, give me two minutes of your time and I’ll leave you
alone.”

She thought another moment, then turned to
Millie and ordered the most expensive combo on the menu. “Put it on
his bill,” she said.

With what her lobster salad sandwich was
costing me, I hoped the woman had some answers for me. Millie
raised one eyebrow, but I nodded my agreement to the deal.

“
First off,” I said as soon
as we were at my table, “I don’t know your name.”

“
I’m Evelyn,” she said. “No
last names. You can’t be too careful these days.”

“
Evelyn’s fine.” I took a
sip of Coke, then said, “I saw you at the Founder’s Day Celebration
the day Gretel died. In fact, you were standing right beside
her.”

“
Are you accusing me of
something, Mr. Black?”

“
No, of course not,” I said,
though if the sheriff’s forensic team had found powder burns on
Gretel’s back, I would have. “I was just wondering if you saw
anything.”

“
I saw a great many things
that day, and heard even more,” she said. “Of course you mean when
that poor woman was shot. I was quite shaken when I saw her
collapse. You were nearby yourself, weren’t you? Did you hear the
shot? I didn’t, but there were so many dreadful fireworks going on
that day it’s a wonder we’re not all deaf.”

“
So you didn’t see
anything?”

She said, “I wouldn’t go that far. You saw
the clown too, didn’t you?”

“
Clown? What are you talking
about?”

“
Standing
just to the side of you was a man in clown makeup. He had on a red
and blue suit and wore those ridiculous floppy shoes, too. I
thought it odd that he had one of those toy guns that
said
bang
on a piece of cloth unfurled from the barrel just after that
poor woman was shot. Quite inappropriate, if you ask
me.”

“
I missed him,” I admitted.
“I was more focused on Gretel falling.”

“
He was standing right
beside the cannon, I don’t know how you could have missed
him.”

“
Did you tell the police
what you saw?”

She said, “I tried, but the moment I
mentioned the clown, the deputy I was speaking with got an odd look
on his face, as if he were trying not to laugh. Well, sir, I know
when I’m being mocked. I wasn’t about to just stand there and take
it.”

“
I don’t suppose you could
identify this clown if you saw him again, could you?”

“
Mr. Black, are you making
fun of me as well?” she asked as she started to rise out of her
chair.

“
No, Ma’am, I just remember
reading that most clowns like to stick to a particular design in
their makeup. I was just wondering what this clown’s face looked
like.”

“
They really are evil,
aren’t they, always mocking us,” she said. “This one had teardrops
running down each cheek, and a huge frown painted across his mouth.
That’s all I remember. Honestly, I shouldn’t even have been there
in the first place, but I went by Flickering Lights and they were
closed.”

“
Are you sure about that?” I
asked.

“
Now Mr. Black, to be fair,
I didn’t even know about At Wick’s End. I just moved to Micah’s
Ridge.”

I waved a hand in the air. “I’m not worried
about where you were shopping. I thought Flickering Lights was open
all day Saturday.”

“
I’m sure the store was open
at some point, but I must have caught Mr. Grant on his lunch hour.
I knew Gretel was operating a booth, so I decided to drive over to
New Conover on the spur of the moment.”

I fully realized that there were businesses
that closed during lunch, especially on Saturdays, but Jubal had
claimed to have worked through his lunch hour that day. Had he lied
to me, or had he stepped into the restroom for a discreet break,
unwilling to leave the candleshop unattended for even a few
moments? Or perhaps he’d stepped out for a bite and didn’t want to
admit that he’d closed the shop. I envied him the ability to do it
if that was the case, but it just highlighted the differences
between working at a store and owning it. When I’d first taken over
At Wick’s End, I was reticent to even close the place down at
night, and it was obvious from my conversations with Jubal that
candlemaking wasn’t a passion for him.

Our food came before I had the chance to ask
any more questions, and once that sandwich was in front of Evelyn,
she lost all interest in talking to me. It was amazing watching her
devour her order. It took me a few minutes to remember my own
sandwich, lying half-forgotten on my plate.

When she’d finished, Evelyn said, “That was
wonderful. I’ve been dying to try it since I first came here. Thank
you, Mr. Black.”

I couldn’t believe she’d taken advantage of
me like that, but there was nothing left to do but be gracious
about the whole thing. “You’re most welcome. I have another
question. Would you be willing to talk to the police again about
this clown you saw?”

She stood and said, “I doubt it. What do you
expect me to do, pick him out of a lineup? Come now, he was in full
makeup. I wouldn’t know the man if he walked up to me on the street
and slapped me in the face with a dead fish.”

“
What makes you think it was
a man?” I asked.

“
Come now, it was a general
expression.” She started for the door, then paused and looked back
at me. “Actually, I’m fairly certain it was a man. He had an
average build, but there was something about the way he carried
himself that made me assume his gender. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t
be more help to you.”

She bolted out the door before I had the
chance to ask her anything else. Millie came over to bus our table,
and as she stacked the plastic baskets on top of one another, she
said, “I don’t even want to know what that was about.”

I shook my head and said, “Good, because I
wouldn’t know where to begin to tell you.”

Millie said, “Wrong answer, my friend. How
am I supposed to live with not knowing why you bought that dreadful
woman lunch?”

“
Do you know her?” I
asked.

“
She comes around for the
soup of the day, my dollar ninety-nine special, then cleans out my
cracker supply. Whooee, she saw you coming, didn’t she?” Millie
cleaned off the tabletop with a damp rag, then said, “You’re not
dating her too, are you?”

“
Come on, give me more
credit than that.”

“
So why the free lunch?” she
asked.

“
She was at the fair when
Gretel died,” I said as Heather walked in.

“
Who was?” she asked as she
joined us.

“
Nobody,” I said. “It’s not
important.”

Millie said, “Heather, I’ve got your
sandwiches ready.”

As she went to get them, I said, “Did she
say plural? Don’t tell me you’re taking somebody else out to lunch
yourself.” Heather and I shared a picnic lunch occasionally on the
concrete steps that led from the River’s Edge complex down to the
water of the Gunpowder River. Since the weather had turned cold, we
hadn’t had any outdoor feasts, but there was no doubt we’d renew
the habit once things warmed up.

“
I can’t wait around forever
for an invitation from you,” she said with a smile.

“
So who’s the lucky lunch
mate?”

She said, “Sorry, it’s not all that
exciting. I may be working late tonight, so I thought I’d get
something for the fridge. I keep plenty of Esme’s food on hand; I
don’t know why I can’t keep things around for myself.”

“
Bon appétit,” Millie said.
“I hope you enjoy both meals.”

“
Thanks,” she said
distractedly as she took the bags from her. The residents of
River’s Edge all kept a tab with Millie and settled up at the end
of the month. It was handy for us that way and easier for her to
collect it all at once. After she was gone, Millie said, “That was
odd.”

“
I know, I thought she was
buying lunch for somebody else, but she explained that one sandwich
was for now and the other was for later.”

Millie nodded, “I guess that explains it.
But who in their right mind would want to eat the same meal twice
in a row?”

“
You’re kidding, right? If
they were your sandwiches, I’d do it myself if I could afford
it.”

She snapped a towel playfully at me and
said, “Harrison Black, you aren’t half as charming as you think you
are.”

I returned her smile. “Hey, if I’m halfway
there, I’m still doing pretty well.”

Millie frowned, then said, “Do you happen to
know when Pearly’s getting back?”

“
Why, is something wrong
around here? You know I’m pretty good with a tool belt
myself.”

She sighed. “No, nothing’s in need of
repair, but I do miss him.”

“
We all do,” I said. I
considered sharing Morton’s dim view of our favorite handyman with
her, but decided against it.

Speak of the devil and he appears, the old
saying goes, but I hadn’t said anything aloud about Morton, just
focused on him briefly in my thoughts, and yet there he was,
walking into the cafe like he was a man on a mission.

Unfortunately, I suspected I knew just what
that mission was.

Chapter 14

“
I’m going to ask you one
more time. Where is he, Harrison?”

“
I told you, I don’t know
where Pearly is. We are talking about my handyman, aren’t
we?”

Morton scowled at me, then said, “You know
it. I can’t believe you’d flat-out lie to me.”

I let my voice get loud enough to match his.
“And I can’t believe you’re accusing me of it.”

Millie joined us and said in a calmer voice,
“Would you two like to take this shouting match outside? I’ve got
customers who are trying to have a peaceful lunch.”

I looked around and noticed that most folks
eating at The Crocked Pot weren’t even pretending to look away.
When our gazes met, though, they dropped their chins and stared at
their plates, but I knew they were still listening.

“
She’s right,” I said.
“Let’s take this outside.”

Morton turned on his heel and stalked out of
the cafe. Millie asked, “What’s he talking about, Harrison?”

“
I wish I knew,” I said.
“You haven’t seen Pearly around, have you?”

“
No, I haven’t seen him
since he left.”

“
I haven’t either, so why
does he keep harassing me about it?”

The sheriff was outside waiting impatiently
for me, his arms crossed over his chest.

I cut him off before he had the chance to
say a word. “Listen, I don’t know where you’re getting your
information, but Pearly’s not here.”

He snapped, “So I won’t need a warrant to
search your apartment?”

“
Be my guest. Come on up,
I’ll show you around myself.”

He followed me upstairs, and as we climbed
the steps, I said, “I swear to you, I don’t know where he is.”

Morton just grunted. I unlocked my apartment
door and he brushed past me. “You normally leave tools laying
around on the furniture?” he said as looked down at the hammer
perched on the end table by the entry.

I’d been using it to hang pictures and had
forgotten to return it to Pearly’s workbench. “Absolutely. There’s
a chain saw on the bed, and I’ve got a router sitting in my
bathtub.”

He ignored my jibe and started looking
around. It didn’t take him long to search the apartment, it wasn’t
that big a space. The only place he even hesitated at was the
ladder-bars in my closet that led up to the roof. “What’s
that?”

I wasn’t all that excited about sharing the
place with him, but I didn’t have much choice. “It’s the roof
access. It’s there for maintenance.”

“
Let’s go,” he
said.

I started out of the closet when he called
me back. “Not out there. We’re going up.”