Etched in Tears

by Cheryl Hollon

  “Mr. Webb broke the law?” Jacob said in a high-pitched voice. “He wouldn’t do that.”

  “In this case, he did. I think that’s one reason he decided to encrypt all the records. He didn’t want anyone to know who was involved. What Dad didn’t know was that Chuck was the one who gave Dennis’s brother the drugs that caused his death.”

  “But how did Dennis find out?” Amanda asked.

  “I think he found that note in his high school papers when he was looking for documents to etch into his collection pieces. I don’t think he understood the danger of making that public. Because Charles King was a respected Florida State congressman now, I don’t think Dennis realized what a risk he was taking. It angered Chuck enough to stop acting as one of Dennis’s patrons. It’s all sad.”

  The party succeeded in that warm pleasant way that required no effort. Everyone seemed happy to nibble and chat about perfectly ordinary normal activities. Savannah blessed her lucky stars for finding this group as her family.

  Edward motioned for Savannah to follow him down the tiny hallway to the bedroom suite. He kissed her quickly. “What’s the idea behind bringing Rooney? He’s going to scare Snowy out of her skin again. I thought we wanted them to get along, don’t we?”

  Savannah smiled. “I have a clever plan. Where is she?”

  “She’s under the bed, of course. She’ll stay there until everyone leaves.”

  “Good. I’ll take charge when everyone is gone.” Savannah gave him a warm kiss and went back into the living room.

  The party worked itself out in a couple hours and soon they were the only ones left on the balcony.

  “Go on then,” said Edward. “Tell me about this clever plan to introduce Snowy to Rooney.”

  “Go ahead and get her food ready and I’ll make sure that Rooney stays calm. It would be best if it’s a special treat for her—wet food, if you have it. I’m going to stay with Rooney over here on the far end of the couch.”

  Edward went into the galley kitchen that had a large pass-through window into the dining-living room. He opened a can of cat food and spooned it into Snowy’s aluminum food dish. As soon as he set it on the floor, a white streak dashed from the bedroom into the kitchen. She scarfed up the meal, then began a loud purr as she licked her paws.

  “Now that she’s really, really full”—Savannah motioned for Rooney to lay down at her feet in front of the couch—“bring her over to me.”

  Edward scooped up the tiny white bundle and gave her to Savannah.

  “Rooney, stay down,” she said when he lifted his head.

  He lowered his head onto his feet, but his eyes were straining to look at Snowy. Savannah took the little bundle, snuggled her, scratched behind her ears and under her chin, and rubbed down her belly. Snowy responded with a loud purr and tried to catch Savannah’s fingers.

  “Edward, come and sit next to me and pet Snowy, too.”

  He snuggled next to Savannah and they held Snowy together.

  “Okay, Rooney. You can smell—gently!”

  Rooney sniffed the white fur and laid his head on Savannah’s knee.

  “Stay there, Rooney.”

  Snowy opened her eyes wide and looked deep into Rooney’s. She reached over with a kitten paw and tapped him on the nose. He blinked but stayed still. She tapped him again, then turned herself over and stretched out her paws upside-down to touch his nose. He sniffed. Without warning, Snowy jumped up and tucked herself under Rooney’s chin and began kneading bread on his chest. Rooney moved back to the floor and Snowy tumbled down, too.

  Edward reached to snatch Snowy, but Savannah’s arm blocked the move. “This is just what we want. Let them make friends their own way.”

  Rooney moved to the center of the living room and stretched out flat. Snowy followed him with her bouncy pouncing and attacked his large paws in play fighting. After a minute with Rooney staying still, Snowy decided it was time to nap and curled up between Rooney’s front legs. Rooney followed suit and laid his head back on the floor. The only sound from the two of them was Snowy’s purring.

  “Houston, I think we’ve solved the problem.” Savannah put Edward’s arm around her shoulder, tucked her feet underneath her, and snuggled into his chest. “A few more introductions like this and”—she poked him in the chest with her finger—“you can move into my place.”

  He sealed that deal with a kiss.

  GLOSSARY

  Etching Adding designs to glass by applying hydrofluoric acid or a similar product.

  Fused Glass Glass that has been fired in a kiln at a temperature high enough to melt different pieces together.

  Kiln Insulated chamber for heating and cooling glass or ceramics.

  Kiln-formed Glass that is altered, fused, shaped, slumped, or textured by the heat of a kiln.

  Sandblasting Creating designs by using high-pressure air mixed with sand to carve texture on the surface of glass.

  Slump A technique used to form glass using a mold, heat, and gravity.

  INFORMATION ABOUT ETCHED GLASS INSTRUCTION

  Making gifts of glass is my favorite hobby. My husband and I have a large kiln in the small studio behind our house that we use to fuse glass. In addition, we have been creating a series of etched glass books with the cover of each book in the Webb’s Glass Shop mystery series.

  Although it looks and sounds intimidating, etching glass is straightforward. Most stained-glass shops offer workshops on how to make sand or chemical etched plates, platters, jewelry, and my personal favorite—Christmas ornaments.

  Webb’s Glass Shop is inspired by the real-life Grand Central Stained Glass & Graphics business owned by our good friends Bradley and Eloyne Erickson. Their website is http://www.grandcentral-stainedglass.com.

  You can find a class in your area by searching the Web for fused, etched, or stained-glass classes in your city.

  My husband and I have scaled back our glass work to making gifts for friends, family, and book promotion. Our current interest is making vases using a draping technique over a cylinder mold. They are gorgeous and I usually have one with me when I have an event at a library or festival. To see the process we use in making these vases, go to the website sponsored by Kensington Books. https://www.hobbyreads.com.

  Don’t miss the first book in the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery series,

  Pane and Suffering

  On sale now wherever books and ebooks are sold!

  Chapter 1

  Monday Morning

  Savannah fingered the key ring her late father had used only a week ago. She knew each key by memory, having used them from babyhood up through borrowing his car with her newly issued driver’s license. She clenched them in her fist and took a deep shaky breath. Dad will never twirl them barely out of my reach again.

  Paint flaked off the heavy, fireproofed and double-bolted back door. It’s like Dad, she thought, well-worn, but strong and solid.

  How could her smart, funny, marathon running dad die of a heart attack?

  Savannah unlocked the shop, stepped into his office, and keyed the alarm code. With walls built of salvaged barn wood, the tiny space awakened a vision of his shoulders hunched over a mountain of paperwork. The sharp smoky scent of his aftershave clutched her heart.

  Stop thinking about him. The students will be here soon.

  Forcing a slow breath, she dropped the keys onto the rolltop desk that had once been her grandfather’s. Small pilings of papers, files, bills, and Post-it notes covered every available flat surface and all the pigeon holes were stuffed like magpie nests. Grandpa Roy had used the sturdy desk for the motorcycle business he’d started after World War I. In continuous use by her family since the 1920s, it looked at her with serious expectations.

  I guess you’re mine now. I’ll do my best.

  She ran her hand over the top and smiled when her fingers reached the dent caused by a wildly thrown toy rocket when she was five. Her dad had yelled at her.

  He seldom yelled.

&n
bsp; Startled by the ringing of the black wall-mounted phone, she cleared her throat and picked up the receiver. “Webb’s Glass Shop. May I help you?”

  “Oh my. I wasn’t expecting a real person. I meant to leave a message.”

  Good guess. I don’t feel like a real person today. “It’s okay. I’m opening up. May I help you?”

  “I wanted to know if class has been cancelled. I would completely understand, you know, because the funeral was on Saturday. It was so awesome—all those young men in military uniforms.”

  Savannah flinched, recalling the haunting echo of Taps floating behind the gravestone that marked the final rejoining of her parents. She swallowed quickly. “Classes are being held as scheduled beginning today. Which one are you taking?”

  “I’m in Beginning Stained Glass.”

  “It starts in half an hour. What’s your name?”

  “Amanda Blake. I signed up for more classes with John, I mean with Mr. Webb, last month, but I thought the shop might close.”

  “Hugh Trevor is taking over the classes for Dad. I mean Mr. Webb. I’ll see you in—”

  “Oh my goodness. Are you Savannah?”

  “Yes, I’m—”

  “I am so, so sorry. I saw you at the funeral. You must be devastated. Mr. Webb was so proud of you. He talked about you all the time.”

  “Thank you. I have to—”

  “He was so proud that you were studying at Pilchuck Glass School on a special scholarship. He told every class about how you won the Spinnaker Art Festival on your first entry when you were only seventeen.”

  “How embarrassing. Every class?”

  “Yes, it was always in his first lecture.”

  Savannah struggled to keep her voice from breaking. “It’s going to be difficult to—”

  “Your dad looked so strong, so healthy, and so positively vital . . . if you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, it was a shock.”

  “He was such an excellent teacher and mentor. How are you going to manage everything?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” Savannah’s stomach fluttered. “Sorry, but I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in class.” Savannah clicked the receiver down before Amanda could continue.

  You’re not the only one who is confused about why he died.

  Savannah finger combed her short black hair, tugged up the waistband of her skinny jeans, and rolled up the cuffs of her classic white shirt. It was her basic teaching uniform. Calm, she focused on getting the shop ready for the day’s business.

  Shoving the key ring into her back pocket and picking up the waiting stack of student handouts, she walked into the classroom. Situated between the office and the retail area, the large classroom contained six sturdy worktables for students, each with a tall wooden stool. As she placed a large brown manila envelope on each of the worktables, she remembered how her dad had experimented with various table sizes, table heights, stool types, and the number of students per table.

  He’d tried to rope in Hugh to help, but his longtime assistant had no empathy for a student’s environment. However, the crusty Hugh could teach a mule about the beauty, art, and mystic nature of always-liquid glass. Her dad’s meticulous research had resulted in the current configuration of three rows of two worktables facing a whiteboard on the front wall and an instructor worktable facing the class. He’d practically wiggled with joy after he’d found the perfect environment for his students to create great glass art.

  She switched on the overhead natural lighting that illuminated the projects of former students displayed around the walls. Her heart wrenched when she noticed her dad had placed her first piece, the traditional green turtle sun catcher panel, on the narrow shelf of the whiteboard. He had been planning to use it for the first demonstration project. Tears immediately formed and she pulled a tissue from her back pocket to press them away.

  In her mind’s eye, she saw her nail-bitten child’s fingers struggling with the pieces of green glass. She had desperately willed them to be nimble and sure as she assembled the little turtle under her dad’s watchful guidance. It must have pleased him to no end to use it as an example for the class.

  After switching on the task lighting lamp for each worktable, she walked to the room at the front of the shop facing the street. It served as the student display gallery and retail section. It was neat and orderly as he’d always kept it.

  Off to her right, she looked at the closed door of her dad’s custom workshop. They had spent many, many hours working on delicate restorations, complicated repairs, and amazing consignments from almost every church in the city.

  Deliberately delaying opening up the workspace that held her oldest and strongest memories, she found the right key and unlocked the front door. If I don’t open the workshop door, I can imagine that he’s still in there working on his latest project. I know it’s childish, but I don’t have to be a grown up all the time.

  At twenty minutes before ten, it was a little early to open the shop, but some students preferred to arrive early so they could lay claim to their work area. She looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows that ran the length of the storefront to see a short man with an elaborate comb-over getting out of a red BMW, then striding up to the door.

  “Rats,” she muttered. It was the owner of Lattimer’s Glass Shop, her dad’s competitor. She pushed down a rush of panic and put on her face reserved for welcoming customers. Savannah opened the door. “Hi Frank. What brings you down here to the Grand Central District? Your shop is still downtown, right?”

  Frank pursed his soft lips into a thin line. “Good morning, Savannah. I see you’re opening up. I thought we could talk about my offer to buy Webb’s Glass Shop.” He stepped closer, but she blocked him from entering.

  “I’m not ready.”

  “What’s to get ready? Why are you torturing yourself when you could accept my offer and be on your way back to Seattle?”

  Not slamming the door in his face took willpower. “I’m on bereavement leave. My scholarship will still be there when I get back. Besides, I haven’t worked out all the finances yet.”

  “You can trust me on this. It’s a generous offer.”

  Savannah started closing the door, “Yours is not the only offer, you know.”

  “Oh sure, that land shark Smythe can mention a tempting figure,” he said, putting a name to the corporate real estate tycoon who wanted to buy the block to build a Big Value Store. “But he has to work through his corporate office and get the other stores to sell along with you. I’m only trying to save you time and trouble. Come on, Vanna. Your dad would have signed in a heartbeat.”

  Savannah snapped, “That’s a bald-faced lie. The two of you hadn’t spoken in ten years.”

  “You know he was a good businessman. That doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t approve.”

  “Approve? You didn’t even come to the funeral. He would expect me to have thrown you out on your ear.”

  Frank was quiet and the silence between them grew large and heavy. He looked down. “I’m sorry. I was busy. We did have some pretty wide differences. But that’s only natural between teacher and student. He really was a wonderful teacher. I never thanked him for all he taught me. Now it’s too late.”

  Savannah looked at the floor and took a calming breath. “Look. I need to check the books. I’m not turning it down. Quite the opposite. I need to make sure everything is ready and that there are no financial surprises.”

  “No one was a better businessman. John would have approved.”

  “He sounded stressed the last few . . . Never mind. Let’s meet downtown for lunch, say Wednesday at the Casita Taqueria just down the street. I promise I’ll give you either an answer or a counteroffer.”

  “Fair enough.” Frank nodded his head. “I’ll see you then. Vanna, trust me. John would have approved.”

  She leaned out the door. “Don’t call me Vanna,” she yelled as an afterthought, watching him scrunch back into his sleek status symbol, screeching tires
as he drove away.

  She had been lying. She had no intention of selling to Frank. If all went well, she would leave for Seattle the next day and let Hugh handle everything else. I should have told Frank, she mused. A little suffering would do him good.

  Closing the door gently enough not to jangle the bell at the top, Savannah slipped behind the retail counter facing the entry door and tentatively pushed the power ON button to the point-of-sale PC. She watched it nervously, her fingers crossed that it would start up. Pushing the button was all she knew how to do.

  I hope Hugh is on his way. It’s more than strange for him not to be here already. I better call again. We need to finalize the transition plan of ownership of Webb’s. I also need him to teach this class.

  Savannah picked up the phone beside the screen and ran her finger down the tattered list of contacts taped to the counter top, stopping at Hugh Trevor. She dialed the number and heard his answering machine message. “I’m out. You know the drill.” Beep.

  “Hugh, are you there? It’s Savannah. I need your help to open the shop. I hope you’re on the way. Please be on the way. Please. See you soon.”

  As she spoke, the doorbell jangled fiercely and a tall man dressed in black western boots, black jeans, and a French blue oxford shirt topped with a black string tie bolted through. “Don’t touch it,” he cautioned in a BBC-newscaster accent. “If the cash register starts up wonky, it’ll be ages before it sorts itself out.”

  Savannah looked into his seriously green eyes and caught a faint whiff of Polo Black. He crowded her to the side and peered at the PC screen. As she was six feet in stocking feet, not many men looked down on her.