Free A Murderous Glaze by Melissa Glazer

he’d officially retired, but the only thing the man could make with any consistency were pancakes and scrambled eggs. He’d made a standing offer to me that any time I didn’t want to cook or eat out, he’d provide the dinner, but it was a rare night I was willing to face either one of his specialties.
    I wondered where I could find Betty’s ex-husband, Larry Wickline. Butch had tracked him down at a bar, but I wasn’t eager to brace the man in one myself. Not that I’m a teetotaler. I like the odd glass of wine on occasion, but I got mine from the grocery store, not from a pub. I scatted back to the shop to look up Larry’s number in the phone book. Miracle of miracles, David was actually helping a customer at the cash register when I walked in! When she turned around, I saw that it was Cindy Maitland, one of the waitresses from the coffee shop.
    “Don’t mind me, I just need something in my office.”
    David was oblivious, but Cindy actually blushed. “I was just leaving.”
    “Don’t rush off on my account.” Gad, now I was driving customers away from my shop.
    She said, “I was on my break, but I need to get back.” As she was leaving, she turned to David and said, “I’ll see you later.”
    “Okay. Come back any time.”
    After she was gone, I said offhandedly, “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
    “If you like redheads,” he said absently.
    “That’s right, you prefer brunettes. Or should I say, one brunette in particular?”
    “Don’t start, Carolyn.”
    I wasn’t going to let up, though. “David, sweet, dear David, I understand why you think Julia Roberts is beautiful. My lands, even People magazine thinks so. But she’s married. With kids. You need to find someone more, well, for lack of a better word, attainable.” David had one of the biggest crushes in the world on Julia Roberts. Hannah told me his room was wallpapered with posters from her movies and signed photographs he’d bought on eBay. Hannah had gotten so tired of watching her movies that she’d bought him a personal DVD player just so she wouldn’t have to watch Mystic Pizza yet again.
    “I just like her movies,” he said stubbornly. “Now can we talk about something else? Anything else?”
    “Fine, the lecture on your love life is officially over. How have our sales been?”
    “Cindy was it. She bought one of your ornaments, so that’s $2.95 in the till we didn’t have before. What’s wrong with these people, Carolyn? How could they imagine you had anything to do with Betty’s murder?”
    I patted his shoulder. “David, this will pass. We just need to ride it out. In the meantime, did you have any luck with that new signature color you’ve been looking for?”
    “I don’t know. I’ve got one kiln going right now. We’ll see in the morning.”
    I glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten minutes until closing time. “Tell you what, why don’t you go on home. I can close up tonight by myself.”
    “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather just stay here until my class tonight.”
    I took in his hangdog expression. “Things a little rough at home?”
    “She’s being so unreasonable. I never wanted to go to Travers in the first place. I’m a potter, Carolyn, not a student.”
    “Why can’t you be both?” I asked. “You’re getting a golden opportunity for a free education, and your mom’s been pretty easygoing about you working here, too.”
    “Up until now. You’ve got to talk to her, explain to her that I’m doing something serious here.”
    “David, I’m afraid your mother and I have our own set of problems. I’m not going to do either of us any good if I start in about you.”
    The front door chimed, and I was honestly surprised to see Hannah walk in. “Were you two talking about me?”
    David started to stammer out an answer when I cut him off. “Your ears must have been on fire. I’m guessing you’re not here to throw a pot.”
    “Why, do you have an ugly one you want shattered?