Death Waxed Over (Book 3 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) Read Online Free Page B

all about?”
    “ Just hold still. It’ll only
take a second.”
    The deputy rubbed different parts of both of
my hands, studied the swabs, then shook his head. “Nothing
here.”
    That’s when I got it. “So now you know I
didn’t fire a gun today.”
    “ Not without gloves on,
anyway.” Morton scratched his jaw. “It’s procedure. You’re not
planning any big trips anytime soon, are you?”
    I couldn’t believe he thought I could have
killed her. “No, you know where I spend all my time. If you need
me, I’ll be at River’s Edge.”
    I walked off before he could say anything
else and returned to my table. Most of the items for sale were
gone. “What happened, did someone rob me while I was away?”
    Heather said, “Are you kidding? As soon as
that woman accused you of shooting Gretel, people started buying
your stuff like crazy. I had half a dozen people make offers on the
giveaway candle.”
    ‘ That’s just great.” I
started gathering up what was left of my display and shoved it all
in a box I had stored under my table.
    Heather said, “You’re not quitting, are
you?”
    “ I don’t feel like staying
here, not after what happened. Don’t worry, I’ll come back and help
you break down this evening.”
    “ Harrison, if you run now,
folks are going to think you really did shoot her.”
    “ And if I stay, I’ll do
myself more harm than good. I’ll be back later to get our stuff,
Heather. I promise.”
    The last place on earth I wanted to be was
at that table. I needed to get out of New Conover, and if I had my
way, I’d never come back.

    I thought about going by the hospital to
check on Gretel’s condition, but I didn’t want anyone to think I
was there to finish what I’d started. I’d have to rely on the
grapevine at River’s Edge to tell me what was happening. No worries
there, though. Millie Nelson, the woman who ran The Crocked Pot,
had more information contacts than the police and the newspaper
combined.
    Millie handed me a cup of coffee, strong and
black, the second I walked in the door of her cafe. An apron
covered most of her ample form, and a frown creased on her lips as
she saw me. “Harrison, are you all right?”
    “ I’m guessing you’ve already
heard about the shooting.”
    She nodded. “One of the sheriff’s men was
here getting coffee. We heard the call go out on the radio. It’s
terrible, isn’t it?”
    “ I didn’t shoot her,
Millie,” I said flatly.
    “ Now who in the world thinks
you did?”
    “ Some woman claims to be an
eyewitness. She seems pretty convinced she saw me do it. All
because I was standing at the wrong place at the wrong time and
happened to throw my orange juice container away, though I still
can’t see how she thought it was a gun.”
    “ Okay, back up. You lost me
there.”
    “ I grabbed a quick bite on
the run, and as I was walking back to my sales table, I saw Gretel
Barnett fall over. There was blood spreading out on the back of her
dress, but before I could do anything, a woman named Wanda Klein
started screaming that I was a killer.”
    Millie shook her head. “Wanda is a lunatic,
everybody knows that.”
    “ Try telling the sheriff.
Maybe he’ll believe you. I surely didn’t make any headway with him.
So you know this woman?”
    “ Oh yes,” Millie said.
“We’ve butted heads more times than I can count over the years. She
once threatened to sue me because my coffee was too hot. I warned
her, but she gulped it anyway. Honestly, nobody takes
responsibility for their actions anymore.”
    “ So what
happened?”
    “ Her husband convinced her
to buy her coffee somewhere else and drop it. At least one member
of that family has some sense.”
    “ So you don’t think I have
anything to worry about from her?” I asked.
    “ I wouldn’t say that,
Harrison. Evidently that was the first time in twenty-four years of
marriage that Hank Klein ever disagreed with her, and he’s been
regretting it ever since. I wouldn’t be