A Pour Way to Dye (Book 2 in the Soapmaking Mysteries) by Tim Myers Read Free Book Online Page A

a
vocation for me, it was an avocation.
    When I got back to Where There’s Soap, I was
pleased to see that the parking lot was full, and only one of the
cars belonged to the Perkins clan. When I walked in, there was a
healthy crowd inside, and I recognized some of my students from
past classes. I ducked back into the classroom to prepare for the
day’s lesson when Kate joined me.
    “ Thanks again for pointing
me in the right direction,” I said as I retrieved the hand graters
out of a box and set some of them out on the five tables of the
classroom. It was a nice space, with room for supplies and
materials, microwaves and hot plates for melting soap, and plenty
of room to work.
    “ Was he mad at me?” Kate
asked.
    I grinned. “He wasn’t all that happy with you
until I told him I had to practically torture you to get the
information. I kind of think he was proud of you for holding out as
long as you did.”
    The relief on my sister’s face was obvious.
“Thanks for that.”
    “ Hey, it’s the truth.” As I
started lining up some of the oils, fragrances, and other additives
we’d be using, I added, “Is Cindy around? She’s helping me with
this class today.”
    Kate nodded. “She’s coming in a second. In
fact, I’m to give you express orders not to start without her. What
did you say to her to get her to change her mind about
teaching?”
    I shrugged. “I guess it’s just part of my
charm.”
    Kate frowned. “There’s got to be more to it
than that.”
    I threw a clean dish towel at her. “Thanks
for your vote of confidence. You’ve delivered your message. You can
go now.”
    She tossed the towel right back at me. “Oh,
there’s one more thing. There’s somebody out front who’s been
asking about you.”
    I glanced at the clock and said, “I don’t
have time to talk right now. I’ll have to speak to them later.”
    “ Believe me when I tell you
that you’ll want to see this visitor before she gets away. She’s
tall, a brunette, and prettier than you have any right to expect.
Believe it or not, she seems to be very interested in my big
brother. You’re still dating Kelly, aren’t you?”
    “ As far as I know.” I had to
admit, Kate had intrigued me.
    I started for the door, and she said, “Hey, I
thought you had a class to teach.”
    “ I do, but I can’t be rude
to our customers, now can I? Would you mind finishing the setup for
me?”
    She grinned at me as I walked out of the
classroom. “I guess I could, since you’re dealing with a
customer.”
    “ Wipe that smirk off your
face,” I said with a smile of my own. Who in the world could be
visiting the soap shop and looking for me? It didn’t take long to
find out. Waiting just outside the classroom door was a tall,
curvaceous woman I instantly recognized.
    “ Diana? What are you doing
here?” Diana Long owned and operated a mystery bookstore in town
called Dying To Read. I’d had some dealings with her in the past,
and we’d gotten along from the start. Her long brown hair was
always pulled away from her face, showing off her big brown
eyes.
    “ Hi, Ben. You talked so much
about this place the last time you were in the bookstore that I had
to come see for myself.” There was a twinkle in her deep brown eyes
that made her appear to always be up to something, and a smile just
waiting for an excuse to burst out.
    “ And you trusted the place
to Rufus?” The young man in question was her assistant manager and
head clerk, a college student with an inordinate fondness for
murder and mayhem.
    “ Are you kidding me? He’s
constantly complaining that I’m never gone from the bookstore. I
think he’s been planning a coup from the first day I hired him.
He’s in absolute heaven.”
    Cindy came toward us, tapping her watch as we
made eye contact, then walked into the classroom. I said, “Listen,
I don’t mean to be rude—I’m thrilled you came by—but I’ve got a
class to teach.”
    She nodded. “I know, I’m signed up