High Strung: A Glass Bead Mystery (The Glass Bead Mystery Series) by Janice Peacock Page B
Authors: Janice Peacock
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as I headed back to the studio. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I hoped, since
he was such a scaredy-cat, he hadn’t bolted out the front door. Once I was dressed, I headed off to Fremont Fire hoping Stanley and Marta were not going to destroy anything while I was gone.
EIGHT
When I got to Fremont Fire, I spotted Tessa at a table on the raised platform that would be used for today’s beadmaking demonstrations. She’d moved some of the worktables aside to make room for the rows of seats the girls had set up yesterday. It was looking like an official classroom. On each chair Tessa had placed a brochure promoting the upcoming classes at her studio. Clever, clever Tessa, always marketing her services and products.
“Where the heck have you been?” Tessa blew her bangs out of her eyes, a sure sign of exasperation.
“I am so sorry I’m late. I forgot that Marta Ellison was staying at my house this weekend, and she showed up right as I was getting ready to leave.” This, of course, was a lie. I had still been asleep when Marta arrived. In some ways, it was fortunate she showed up when she did, or else I might still be sleeping.
I saw Nick and Misty working in a corner of the studio that hadn’t been re-configured for today’s sessions.
Nick was working at a tabletop torch. Misty was cleaning mandrels, thin metal rods beadmakers wrap glass around when they are making beads.
“Hey, Jax,” said Misty.
“Do you need some help dipping mandrels in bead release?” I asked.
“It’s okay, I’m almost done,” Misty said, dunking a couple of inches of each mandrel into jar full of what looked like a clay milkshake, and then placing each wet-tipped mandrel into a hole in a wooden block to dry.
I’d chatted with Misty and Nick at Fremont Fire a few times, and I’d seen them selling their beads on the street, like yesterday. They used Tessa’s studio to create batches of beads they would sell. My friend supported Nick and Misty by letting them use her scrap glass, and she often gave them free rental time on the torches to help them make a few extra things to sell.
I admired some of the beads that had just come out of the cold kiln, now sitting on the counter, still on their mandrels.
“ Oh, these are some of my favorites,” Misty said, noticing that I was admiring her beads. “That red color. It’s hard to work with.”
“ All right, you guys need to finish up,” Tessa said, “we’ve got people coming in here to watch demos in about an hour.”
“ Yeah, we’ve gotta stop. No more money to keep going,” Nick said, as he turned off the torch.
“ Well, don’t worry about paying me. You can pay me back some other time.”
As Nick moved away from the torch, he knocked over a small jar of bead release, and Misty helped him wipe up the mess on the countertop.
“I dipped some extra mandrels for you, Tessa,” Misty said with a smile. She seemed happy to be able to do something nice to help Tessa in return for all she had done for them.
“Misty? How much for the red bead?” I asked.
“Is $20 okay with you?”
“It’s worth every cent,” I said.
Misty pulled the bead off the mandrel. The bead release crumbled away as she did, leaving in its place a perfect hole. She placed the bead in my hand, happy to have made a sale.
I handed her a bill and pocketing the bead.
“Hey, thanks,” said Misty with a small wave, as she and Nick headed for the door.
“Not staying for the demos?” Tessa asked.
“Yeah, we’re not really into hanging out with so many…”
“Bead ladies?”
“Uh, yeah, sort of,” said Nick. And they were gone.
We bustled around, getting ready for the demos. They were scheduled to start at 11:00, and just a few minutes before that, Fremont Fire was packed with people sitting in the audience.
“ Hey, Tracy,” I said noticing her taking a seat on the aisle. “I didn’t think you’d make it here for the beadmaking demos.”
“ I’ve never been over here
he was such a scaredy-cat, he hadn’t bolted out the front door. Once I was dressed, I headed off to Fremont Fire hoping Stanley and Marta were not going to destroy anything while I was gone.
EIGHT
When I got to Fremont Fire, I spotted Tessa at a table on the raised platform that would be used for today’s beadmaking demonstrations. She’d moved some of the worktables aside to make room for the rows of seats the girls had set up yesterday. It was looking like an official classroom. On each chair Tessa had placed a brochure promoting the upcoming classes at her studio. Clever, clever Tessa, always marketing her services and products.
“Where the heck have you been?” Tessa blew her bangs out of her eyes, a sure sign of exasperation.
“I am so sorry I’m late. I forgot that Marta Ellison was staying at my house this weekend, and she showed up right as I was getting ready to leave.” This, of course, was a lie. I had still been asleep when Marta arrived. In some ways, it was fortunate she showed up when she did, or else I might still be sleeping.
I saw Nick and Misty working in a corner of the studio that hadn’t been re-configured for today’s sessions.
Nick was working at a tabletop torch. Misty was cleaning mandrels, thin metal rods beadmakers wrap glass around when they are making beads.
“Hey, Jax,” said Misty.
“Do you need some help dipping mandrels in bead release?” I asked.
“It’s okay, I’m almost done,” Misty said, dunking a couple of inches of each mandrel into jar full of what looked like a clay milkshake, and then placing each wet-tipped mandrel into a hole in a wooden block to dry.
I’d chatted with Misty and Nick at Fremont Fire a few times, and I’d seen them selling their beads on the street, like yesterday. They used Tessa’s studio to create batches of beads they would sell. My friend supported Nick and Misty by letting them use her scrap glass, and she often gave them free rental time on the torches to help them make a few extra things to sell.
I admired some of the beads that had just come out of the cold kiln, now sitting on the counter, still on their mandrels.
“ Oh, these are some of my favorites,” Misty said, noticing that I was admiring her beads. “That red color. It’s hard to work with.”
“ All right, you guys need to finish up,” Tessa said, “we’ve got people coming in here to watch demos in about an hour.”
“ Yeah, we’ve gotta stop. No more money to keep going,” Nick said, as he turned off the torch.
“ Well, don’t worry about paying me. You can pay me back some other time.”
As Nick moved away from the torch, he knocked over a small jar of bead release, and Misty helped him wipe up the mess on the countertop.
“I dipped some extra mandrels for you, Tessa,” Misty said with a smile. She seemed happy to be able to do something nice to help Tessa in return for all she had done for them.
“Misty? How much for the red bead?” I asked.
“Is $20 okay with you?”
“It’s worth every cent,” I said.
Misty pulled the bead off the mandrel. The bead release crumbled away as she did, leaving in its place a perfect hole. She placed the bead in my hand, happy to have made a sale.
I handed her a bill and pocketing the bead.
“Hey, thanks,” said Misty with a small wave, as she and Nick headed for the door.
“Not staying for the demos?” Tessa asked.
“Yeah, we’re not really into hanging out with so many…”
“Bead ladies?”
“Uh, yeah, sort of,” said Nick. And they were gone.
We bustled around, getting ready for the demos. They were scheduled to start at 11:00, and just a few minutes before that, Fremont Fire was packed with people sitting in the audience.
“ Hey, Tracy,” I said noticing her taking a seat on the aisle. “I didn’t think you’d make it here for the beadmaking demos.”
“ I’ve never been over here
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