At Wick's End (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers Page A

had been delighted to share the
information. She’d always wanted the two of us to get together.
“There was nothing there for me anymore,” I said.
    There was a pause, then Becka said, “Aren’t
you going to invite me over to your new place? I’m dying to see it,
and my schedule’s completely open.”
    “ Sorry, but I’m not in any
shape for company tonight,” I said.
    Most likely it was a first for Becka, being
turned down like that. “Come on, Harrison, I won’t stay long. I’d
just really like to see you tonight.”
    “ You’re welcome to come by
the shop sometime,” I said, knowing that Mrs. Harper had no doubt
shared that particular news with her as well.
    “ Absolutely, I have every
intention of coming by, but I thought we could get together
tonight. I’ve got some of your favorite wine,” she added, ignoring
my refusal completely.
    It was time to be blunt. “Listen, I’m beat.
I’m going to bed.” I didn’t even give her a chance to protest as I
hung up the telephone. It appeared that Becka had forgotten how
nasty she’d been while breaking up with me, but the “I never want
to see you again” still rang in my ears.
    In another minute, I was back in Dame
Agatha’s world, happy to leave mine far behind.
     
    A pounding on the apartment door brought me
fully awake. I’d dozed off on the couch reading, and looked at the
nearest clock through blurred vision.
    It was 2:00 am.
    Whoever wanted to get in was quite adamant
about it.
    I picked up an old baseball bat I’d found
cleaning out Belle’s closet, something she’d probably kept for
self-defense herself.
    “ Who is it,” I called out
through the door, studying the man on the other side through the
peephole. He was huge, with shoulders that would barely fit through
the doorway. His hair was the color of midnight, untamed and
wild.
    “ It’s Markum. I got your
note.”
    I opened the door, the bat still firmly
clutched in one hand. “It’s two o’clock in the morning,” I
protested. Close up, the man had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen,
as if they had been cut from the coldest emeralds on earth.
    Markum shrugged. “Sorry, I was on the
telephone when you came by earlier. Long distance, different time
zones, that sort of thing. What can I do for you?”
    I dropped the bat on the couch as I walked
deeper into the apartment, Markum close behind me. “I just thought
it would be nice to meet you, since I’ve just inherited the
building.”
    “ Sorry about your
great-aunt,” he said easily. “You don’t happen to have any coffee
around, do you?”
    “ I’ve got instant,” I said,
going for my transported stash in the freezer.
    “ No, I’d rather go without
than drink that slag,” he said with a grimace. “If that’s it, I’ll
be going then.”
    “ Excuse my asking, but I
was wondering what exactly it is you salvage and recover” I asked,
the lateness of the hour accounting for my direct
approach.
    He grinned slightly. “Oh, this and that. If
it’s gone, I’ve got a knack for finding it.”
    “ And I bet you go here and
there to do it, don’t you?” I replied.
    “ Now you’ve got it. If
that’s it, I’m going to go scrounge up some real java.”
    “ Thanks for stopping by,” I
said.
    He nodded and headed out the door. What an
odd bird he was. I’d learned absolutely nothing about him, except
for the fact that if he’d wanted Belle dead, shoving her off that
ladder wouldn’t have been a problem for him at all.
    Now that I was wide awake, what in the world
was I going to do with myself for the next six hours? Going back to
sleep was out of the question; once I’m up, I’m up. It was a curse
I’d had since childhood.
    There was really only one thing I could do
that made any sense at all. I got dressed quickly and headed down
to At Wick’s End.
     
    “ You’re here early,” Eve
said as she came in, removing her jacket and hanging it carefully
up on a peg in the office.
    “ I couldn’t sleep,” I