Snuffed Out (Book 2 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) (11 page)

“
I’ll call Ann Marie in the
morning. Whether it’s in the budget or not, we’ll find the money
for that.”

He patted my shoulder. “Now let’s go see if
we can clean up that mess.”

I phoned the vandalism in to the police
department, and once the dispatcher found that there was no one
hurt, she promised to get someone out there first thing in the
morning. The virus that was going through the police department had
left them severely short-staffed, and she was frank about their
nonemergency response time.

It took us an hour to sweep up all the glass
and mount a sheet of plywood over the hole until I could call the
insurance company and a glazier in the morning. We found a jagged
piece of brick among the debris, and though I doubted it would
yield fingerprints, I still picked it up with my handkerchief and
set it aside. An errant thought raced through my mind. Was it
possible Heather had thrown the brick, instead of a vandal? No, I
knew she despised Sanora, but I couldn’t see her acting out so
destructively.

Before we started cleaning up, I’d asked
Pearly, “Should we call Sanora and tell her what happened?”

“
There’s nothing she can do
about it tonight. Why ruin a night of rest for her, since it may be
the last one she gets for a while?”

“
Why do you say
that?”

Pearly said, “Wouldn’t you say this is a
message for her? We saw for ourselves that it wasn’t exactly a
random act of violence, now didn’t we?”

“
It did seem pretty
deliberate. Can you start on those lights in the
morning?”

“
I’ll put it at the top of
my list. You might also consider mounting some security cameras
around the perimeter.”

“
Even if I could afford it,
I’m not interested in living in an armed camp. Tell you what. 
I’ll see if Morton can step up his patrols out here if anyone ever
shows up tomorrow.”

We surveyed our work, then locked the store
back up. Pearly said, “Well, if there’s nothing else, it’s been a
long day.”

“
Thanks, Pearly. For
everything.”

He shrugged. “It’s my pleasure, as well as
my responsibility. I’ll see you in the morning, Harrison.”

I saw him drive off, then mounted the stairs
to my apartment. I hoped there were no more emergencies that night,
because I was through answering my door. Ultimately, it always
seemed to lead to nothing but trouble.

Chapter 8

The next morning, I’d barely been in At
Wick’s End ten minutes when there was an urgent staccato knocking
on the front door. Some mornings were like that, when impatient
candlemakers had to get their supplies before I was ready to open
the shop. I was tempted to let them in early, since I was already
there, but Eve had taught me that it was setting a bad trend, and
in all honesty, we were open enough hours to fit just about
anyone’s schedule.

It was impossible to concentrate on putting
together my supply order with that constant barrage though, so I
gave up and walked out front.

Sanora was there, and from the expression on
her face, she was loaded for bear.

“
What happened?” she
demanded as quickly as I could open the door.

I said, “Calm down. There was some vandalism
last night Pearly and I put up the plywood until I could call a
glazier.”

“
Why didn’t you call me,
Harrison? It is my store, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “It’s also my building, and I’m
responsible for what happens to it.” I tried to keep my voice calm
and level. She had every right to be upset. The vandalism was a
violation, and she no doubt felt like lashing out at anybody or
anything within range.

“
You should have called me,”
she said, quieting down a little.

“
I thought about it, but why
ruin your night? Pearly and I saw it happen.”

“
So who did it? Did the
police arrest them?”

I admitted, “It was dark, and they got away.
We’re putting in security lights over the next couple of days. I
know it might feel like we’re locking the barn door after the horse
is gone, but it should help from now on. I’m truly sorry it
happened.”

The rest of the steam went out of her. She
said softly, “Who would do this? Is someone trying to run me
off?”

“
I honestly don’t
know.”

Sanora took a deep breath, then said, “Well
I’m not going to give them the satisfaction. I’m staying,
Harrison.”

“
I’m glad to have you here,
Sanora.” And it was true. What had happened in the past wasn’t a
part of my time at River’s Edge. She’d been an ideal tenant since
coming back, working hard and keeping out of trouble. Her check
even cleared the first time through, something I couldn’t say about
some of my other folks. For all the money Tick took in at her
antique shop, it was a rare check indeed that went through the
first time, no matter how steep I made my fee for bouncing
them.

Then I remembered how quickly Sanora had
gotten rid of the evidence in Aaron’s death. Would an innocent
person do that? Was she being efficient, or was it something much
more sinister? The problem was, I liked her, and I was afraid it
might be clouding my judgment.

She studied me a moment, then said, “Next
time, call me. Day or night.”

“
I promise.”

Sanora nodded, satisfied, then said, “As
soon as I get my hands on Pearly, I’ll read him the riot act, too.”
She shook her head, then added, “Thanks for cleaning up.”

“
It was the least we could
do after letting them get away. Tell you what, why don’t I buy you
breakfast?”

“
I appreciate the offer, but
I’m not all that sure Millie wants me here. This vandalism has made
her frosty toward me again.”

I shrugged. “It’s your call, but I thought
you just said no one was going to run you off.”

Sanora shrugged. “I’m willing to face her if
you are.”

“
Let’s go,” I said, then
locked the shop door behind me as we headed for The Crocked
Pot.

As expected, Millie wasn’t all that thrilled
seeing Sanora with me. “What can I get you?”

“
Two Rise and Shiners sound
great.” Millie baked the most wonderful muffins, as big as dinner
plates and tender as a baby’s laughter.

I said, “Did you hear about the break-in
attempt last night?”

Millie, carefully keeping her gaze away from
Sanora, said, “I saw the plywood.”

“
Pearly and I were there
when it happened. We both chased the bad guy, but he got
away.”

Sanora asked, “It was a man, then?”

I shrugged. “Might have been. Of course, it
could have just as easily been a woman.”

Despite her pressed lips, Millie said, “Now
there’s a description the police can use.”

“
Hey, what can I say? It was
dark. We’re putting in security lights the next day or
two.”

“
Belle had always planned to
add them. She just never got around to it.” Millie put our muffins
and coffees on two separate trays, and I was about to tell her to
put it on my tab when Sanora slid a ten-dollar bill over the
counter.

Surprised, I said, “Hey, I invited you to
breakfast, remember?”

“
You can pick up the next
one.”

Millie made change without a word, then
busied herself behind the counter as we found a table near the
window. I always enjoyed watching the water, and now that I’d been
out on it in one of Erin’s kayaks, the river had taken on a new
meaning for me. If I could manage it, I wanted to get back out
there as soon as possible. One trip out on the water and it was
already getting in my blood.

After some small talk and most of our
breakfast, I asked, “So is this going to slow down your
opening?”

“
I’m set for tomorrow,
whether the glass is replaced by then or not.” She lowered her
voice and added, “I can’t afford to stay closed that long,
Harrison. That’s why I’ve been working like a demon over here. I’m
counting on enough of Aaron’s old customers to join mine to make
this work, but it’s hard to say what will happen.”

“
Do you have any press
coverage or ads planned?” I’d just recently started looking into
promotion opportunities for At Wick’s End. It was nearly impossible
to run a small business, I was discovering, without letting the
world know you were out there.

“
Maybe later, but I didn’t
have time to do anything but the basics. This was all kind of
sudden. Who would have believed Aaron would die like he
did?”

That was an opening I just couldn’t resist.
I took a last sip of coffee, then asked, “Have you considered the
possibility that Aaron’s death wasn’t an accident?”

She dropped the muffin onto her plate. “What
are you talking about?”

I’d committed myself, and was starting to
regret the bluntness of what I was about to say before it was even
out of my mouth. “That power cord could have been frayed on
purpose, and it’s a mighty big stretch to think he kicked over a
bucket of water at exactly the wrong time in exactly the wrong
place.”

Sanora bolted out of her chair as if it had
been electrified. “Are you insane, or just incredibly cruel? What
comes next, an accusation? Aaron and I were friends, even after our
marriage broke up. I didn’t want him
dead.”                                                                                                    

She stumbled toward the door and nearly ran
Cragg down on her way out. He gave me a quick look of venomous
displeasure, then followed her out.

Millie came over and said, “I should
apologize to you. I never thought you’d bring her here to grill
her.”

“
Millie, I asked her
something I had no right to, and Sanora was right. I was out of
line.”

“
Hey, where are you going?”
she called out as I headed for the door.

“
I’m going to apologize,” I
said.

Sanora was at The Pot Shot, and Cragg was
there holding her hand.

I said, “I need to talk to you.”

“
She’s through talking to
you,” the attorney said firmly.

“
Okay, she doesn’t have to
talk, but I need her to hear this. Sanora, I’m sorry. I was out of
line.”

“
You’ve said your piece,”
Cragg said, the dismissal thick in his voice. “Now go.”

“
It’s okay, Gary,” Sanora
said, dabbing at her eyes with his embroidered linen
handkerchief.

“
Sanora, I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to imply anything.”

“
I overreacted, Harrison.
You didn’t say anything everyone else here wasn’t already thinking.
I loved Aaron in my own way. There was no way I’d wish him
harm.”

Cragg said stiffly, “If I’m no longer needed
here, I’ve got to prepare for a case today.”

He brushed past me with barely a nod.

“
I didn’t mean to run him
off,” I said after he was gone.

“
Don’t worry, you couldn’t
get rid of Gary with a blowtorch if he really wanted to stay. I’m
afraid he’s got a bit of a crush on me.”

“
A bit? It looked like more
than that to me.”

Sanora dabbed at her eyes, then said, “You
wouldn’t believe how furious he was when Aaron and I started dating
again. I thought he was going to have a stroke.”

“
He took it that
hard?”

“
Gary asked me out a dozen
times, but I kept telling him we were just friends. Then he saw me
with Aaron last week at The Shallows and misunderstood completely.
I never got the chance to explain.”

“
He is overprotective of
you, isn’t he?”

Sanora said, “And there was no reason for
it, either. Aaron was even seeing someone else, though he admitted
he was about to break it off. My ex-husband was much better at
acquiring girlfriends than he was in keeping them.” She looked
around the shop, then said, “Listen, I would appreciate it if you’d
call the glazier for me and tell them it’s a rush job. It’s as dark
as a tomb in here. Oh, no.” She bolted for the bathroom in back and
I let myself out. A tomb is exactly what the shop had been, if just
for a few hours.

Instead of going back to At Wick’s End, I
walked down the steps to the river. It was the perfect place to
think before the stores at River’s Edge started to fill up. It was
hard to wipe the image of Gary Cragg out of my mind as he’d hovered
over Sanora. Her admission that he’d had a crush on her started me
thinking. Could the attorney have frayed that cord himself in an
effort to get rid of an obstacle in his way? If he’d seen Aaron and
Sanora cozying up at a restaurant, it might have been enough to
drive him into action. I wished I could say that Cragg was above
murder, but I honestly didn’t know if I believed it.

I was still thinking about it when Tick
jogged up. “You’re out early,” I said as she stretched beside
me.

“
I jog three miles every
morning. You should join me sometime.” 

“
I like my exercise at a
more leisurely pace,” I admitted.

“
What happened to the
window?” she asked as she looked at the pottery shop.

“
We had a little vandalism
last night.”

Tick shook her head. “What is this world
coming to? Well, I’ve got to grab a quick shower before I open the
shop. See you later.”

She started to go when I said, “Tick, I
appreciate you spending time with Sanora. You might want to drop in
on her before you open.”