Snuffed Out (Book 2 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers

“Don’t beat yourself up over
either one of them. Heather’s got a lot on her plate at the moment,
and Erin’s trying to break free from a boatload of bad
memories.”
    “ What do you know about
her?” I asked, interested in her insight. April seemed to me to be
a pretty good judge of character working behind that counter day in
and day out.
    “ If she wants you to know,
she’ll tell you herself. I wouldn’t give up on either one of them,
Harrison, those are both jewels in the rough there.”
    I smiled gently and asked, “Now I know how
much the pizza is, but how much should I kick in for the
advice?”
    She snapped a dishtowel at me and said,
“It’s a two-for-one special today. The advice is free, worth every
penny it cost you.”
    I nodded. “Thanks. I do appreciate it.”
    “ You’re most welcome, not
that you’ll probably listen to a word of it.”
    Outside, the sun had slipped away and the
darkness was creeping in. The days were getting shorter, and when
Daylight Savings Time kicked in soon enough, there would be more
night that daytime.
    I’d had enough of people for the time being.
All I wanted now was to slip quietly into my apartment and spend
some time with Ms. MacLeod and my latest mystery.
    It turned out that was one more wish I
wouldn’t be getting that day.
     
     

 

    Chapter 5
     
     
    Gary Cragg was waiting at my door when I
walked through the hall to my apartment.
    “ I didn’t stand you up, did
I?” I asked, knowing full well we hadn’t scheduled a meeting,
though getting together with the attorney had been on my list of
things to do.
    “ No, but I need to speak
with you.”
    I unlocked my door. “Come on in.”
    He hesitated outside my apartment, then
said, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather do this in my office.”
    It wasn’t much of a commute, since his
office space was fifty steps from my apartment, but he’d come to
see me. Then again, I wasn’t a huge fan of Cragg. Did I really want
him inside my apartment? It was my refuge, after all.
    “ Your office it is,” I said
as I stepped back out and locked my door.
    I followed him down the hall and into his
office. Cragg took his seat, and I noticed the client’s chair
across from his desk was lower than a normal chair. It gave the
attorney a perfect opportunity to loom over his visitors. The man
was always looking for an angle.
    “ What’s so important that it
interrupts my time off?” I asked, not even trying to be diplomatic.
I knew running River’s Edge was a full-time job, but I didn’t have
to like it.
    “ Sorry for the late hour,
but this couldn’t wait.” Wow, an apology from a lawyer. I’d have to
start keeping a diary just so I could write that one down. He
continued, “I need to speak with you about Aaron Gaston’s
estate.”
    “ He’s got an estate? His
pottery shop must have done a lot better than my candlemaking
business does.”
    Cragg dismissed my sarcasm and said, “All
his worldly goods go to his ex-wife, Sanora Gaston.”
    “ Sounds like he was a
generous man. So what do you need me for? She’s welcome to come
collect his stuff any time.”
    “ That’s just it. Ms. Gaston
is a potter of no small ability herself. You may not be aware of
it, but when River’s Edge first opened, she was the co-owner of the
business.”
    “ This is all fascinating,
but is there a reason you’re telling me all this?”
    If Cragg was perturbed with my attitude, he
was hiding it well. “Ms. Gaston has approached me about the
possibility of taking over the shop, including the lease. Aaron’s
agreement is good until nearly the end of the year, but she’s
interested in negotiating occupancy for a longer period, say three
years.”
    I’d gone through some of Belle’s papers and
I knew she never offered more than one year of guaranteed occupancy
to any of her tenants, including At Wick’s End. “That’s out of the
question,” I said. I wasn’t ready to change any of Belle’s policies
unless I believed