A Flicker of Doubt (Book 4 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers Read Free Book Online

there, I asked, “So, are you
ready for ‘ your next lesson? We’re going to tackle pouring next,
right?”
    ‘ That’s what I wanted to
speak with you about”
    I felt a sudden icy ball in the pit of my
stomach. Was she leaving my class—and my shop—at last? I’d been
dreading the day, but I wasn’t any more prepared for it than I had
been the first time she’d walked through my door. “Go ahead. I’m
listening.”
    She said, “Is there any chance you have time
for a lesson now? I’m really quite eager to get started on pouring
techniques, and I’m not at all certain I can stand to wait another
minute.”
    Something must have shown on my face,
because she added, “Harrison, I know you’ve had a difficult day. If
you’d rather not, I understand completely. I do want you to know
that I’m willing to pay extra for the privilege for such short
notice if you’re willing to teach me today.”
    “ Mrs. Jorgenson,
candlemaking is exactly what I need in my life right now. I won’t
even charge you extra for the privilege. Let me tell Eve, and then
we’ll get started.”
    Eve was watching behind me as I approached
her and started gathering up some of the basic supplies I’d need
for the lesson. “What did she say?”
    “ She’s decided she wants a
candlemaking lesson right now. We’re going to do a pour if you can
handle the front by yourself.”
    Eve nearly shoved me back to the classroom
as I finished grabbing the last few items I needed from our stock.
“Go. I’ve got this covered.”
    I walked back into the classroom and offered
Mrs. Jorgenson the choice between using pellet wax and a solid
block, and she didn’t disappoint me.
    “ What’s the difference
between the two?” she asked.
    I held up a bag of pearly white pellets.
‘These melt faster, and the results are the same as using wax you
break up yourself. I thought you might want to save some time
today.”
    “ We’ll break the wax up
ourselves,” she said firmly. “No shortcuts, particularly the first
lesson, you know that, Harrison.”
    “ Okay, here’s the best way
to do it.” I chose a heavy Mock of translucent wax, then grabbed a
flat screwdriver and a hammer. As I slipped on a pair of goggles
from the selection on the shelf behind me, I said, “The object here
is to break this block of wax up into small pieces so it melts
faster. I like to have chunks about the size of a fifty-cent piece
before I’m ready to melt.” I put the wax in a large plastic
container on the work table and gave it a few good whacks. Then I
retrieved one of the pieces and handed it to her. “That’s a good
size.” I started the water boiling on one of our hotplates and put
the double broiler on. “The wax melts in here,” I said as I added a
few of the chunks I’d freed. “It needs to be around two hundred
degrees before we’re ready to pour.”
    Mrs. Jorgenson took one of the other pairs
of goggles and picked up the tools as if she’d been using them all
her life. She attacked that wax block like it owed her money. As I
added her shavings and scraps of wax to the double boiler, she
said, “I always thought each wax came to you tinted.”
    I showed her an array of the blocks I’d
grabbed from one of our displays. “It’s a lot easier this way. You
can choose whatever color you like. You can even make your own
shade or hue, if you’re interested.”
    “ One step at a time, Mr.
Black. Let’s make a basic poured candle first: no dyes, no
perfumes, no additives; just the wax and the wick.”
    “ We can do that,” I said,
wondering why anyone would want to make such a simple candle,
though not surprised that Mrs. Jorgenson had chosen that route. I
showed her how to check the temperature of the wax with the candy
thermometer—we weren’t anywhere near where we needed to be yet—and
then I showed her how to coat the mold with release. She’d chosen a
small tin cone mold to start, one that came with its own
base.
    “ And we just pour the