Organized for Murder

by Ritter Ames

  "We must have scared 'em off." Meg picked up the rake. "Or it was nothing more than one of the mansion's doors closing in a draft."

  "Don't be ridiculous," Valerie strode ahead. "We heard the back door slam, and it wasn't a draft. It was someone. Someone who wasn't supposed to be here. I'm not saying anyone dangerous, but definitely a person or persons unknown who wanted his or her identity kept that way."

  "I'm still for calling the police," Kate mused, as she and Meg followed Valerie back to the parlor. "After all, we picked up the key today, and the lawyer said, except for his own key, we had the only copy."

  "Like he has a clue how many keys are in circulation." Valerie sniffed, planting herself in the middle of the sofa, and laying her arms possessively along the back. "I'll bet any number of people has access to this mansion."

  Thinking of anyone in particular? Kate knew her face mirrored the look on Meg's, and that they shared the feeling Sophia could, and would, enter anytime she wanted. Who else might have a similar agenda?

  "Good point, Valerie." Meg closed the laptop and shoved it back into the case. "We have nothing to offer the police if we called. We can't even narrow down suspects. After all, the alarm wasn't set when we arrived."

  "You're right." Kate retrieved her cell phone. "However, Mr. Walker should be notified, for our own protection."

  Valerie jumped up from the sofa. "I need to find a ladies' room. My nerves are too sensitive for this kind of stress."

  If she met Meg's eyes, Kate knew they would both burst into laughter. A deep breath later she dialed the attorney's number.

  "I think you should leave immediately," Walker said, after his secretary left Kate on hold for more than five minutes. "The slammed door may have been a ruse to get you outside, leaving the intruder to hide inside. I'll send out a security team, but I don't want you to take any chances with safety, Ms. McKenzie."

  "I quite agree, Mr. Walker. Security looking around is a good idea, but activating the alarm system already in place is useful as well."

  "Generally, the alarm is on," Walker explained. "But knowing your group was coming this afternoon, I went by at lunch and deactivated it. I'm not authorized to release the code to anyone. Insurance you understand."

  Kate did understand. Her first job out of high school was interning at one of the nation's largest insurance companies, and she found many of the rules arcane and illogical. Besides, if the intruder was a family member Amelia had likely given out the alarm code herself.

  "Have you reset the code following Miss Amelia's death?"

  "Not yet. But I'll have the security team take care of it this evening."

  The answer did nothing to reassure her Walker was on top of the situation. "When you came by to deactivate the alarm, did you open the back door?"

  "No, I entered and exited through the front." The lawyer coughed. "Listen, Ms. McKenzie, in case someone is in the house, I want you to—"

  "Don't worry, sir," Kate interrupted. "We're leaving."

  "Well, one day down," Valerie remarked, coming in at the end of the conversation. "Even if we haven't gotten anything inventoried, time to close shop for today."

  The laptop case hung from Meg's shoulder.

  Kate nodded. "Let's clear out and meet back here in the morning, after I get the green light from security."

  Valerie scooped up her tiny, faux alligator bag and headed for the door. "Well, if I don't hear anything different in the early a.m., I'll assume I should report at nine."

  "Whoa, missy." Meg dropped the bag gently to the floor, and ran after the departing decorator.

  "What?"

  "We still have to search each other."

  "But we didn't get any work done."

  "But we've all been in the house." Meg walked back into the parlor and scooped up the video camera, the red light signaling it was resolutely recording everything within view. She pointed the lens at the other women. "Katie, you and Valerie search each other then one of you can hold this camera while the other searches me."

  "I'm not removing any clothes—" Valerie protested.

  "Don't be absurd," Kate snapped. "We're not making an Internet porno flick for crying out loud." She shoved her tote-sized purse into Valerie's grasp and held out a hand until the diminutive reptile bag was released to her.

  Nothing out of the ordinary surfaced, as expected, and the tension diminished slightly by the time she finished Meg's search and Valerie turned off the camcorder. Once outside, Kate credited her careful planning for another job success and pulled out her van keys as Valerie's Miata tore down the drive.

  "She is more agreeable than I'd expected." Meg slid the side door open. "I think this may work out, despite the odds. She simmers pretty high but never boils over."

  "I agree." Kate opened the driver's door, then froze as her eye fell on an item propped in the bucket seat. An African death mask, one she knew normally hung with the collection displayed in the conservatory, sat angled comfortably against the upholstery and stared sightlessly out the windshield.

  Kate's hand shot to her chest. "Omigod! Meg, look!"

  "Now we know why we were lured to the back of the house," Meg said as she stepped closer.

  "Yes, to taunt us with something else that should be in the house." Kate took a cleansing breath and snapped the rubber band on her wrist. She leaned in and used a two-handed grip to extricate the mask from the seat and shoulder belt. All she needed now was to mar some priceless artifact. "At least we can get this returned before Sophia or anyone else can miss it."

  Meg took a long look around, her gaze sweeping every direction. "You don't think someone is taking pictures of us with this mask, do you?"

  "Stop." Kate used her hip to close the driver side door, and laughed shakily. "I'm the worrier in our group. Your job is to always minimize my reactions. If you turn paranoid now, I'll have to find a new best friend."

  Meg hurried up the porch steps to unlock the front door. "You're right. This is where I should have said, 'Don't worry, Katie, even if we do get arrested we can testify in the defense of each other, and share a cell while we await the verdict.'"

  "Thanks. I needed that."

  Kate and Meg re-hung the mask, then rushed home and scanned the video at super-fast speed. Since the walkie-talkies hadn't squeaked a bit of evidence, they were desperate to spot any sign of the mask thief. Nothing and no one came to light.

  "But the conservatory is on the opposite end of the house from the parlor. It would be a fluke if the video caught anyone." Kate sighed.

  Meg nodded. "The intruder probably went out the back door with the mask, and headed for the front while we were investigating the back."

  "Some sleuths we are."

  "One misstep, Batgirl, nothing more."

  Kate held up her purse and key ring. "Even more scary, though. These stayed safely in the parlor's video range the entire time."

  *

  Keith had a rare evening off thanks to the radio station replaying his interview with Wayne Gretzky. Kate would have normally lined up a babysitter for a night out, but circumstances remained far from normal. Instead, she, Keith, Meg, and Gil all sat around the McKenzie kitchen table and discussed the growing seriousness of the situation. Thumps and bangs echoed from upstairs to indicate the kids were taking full advantage of their parents' preoccupation and enjoying the usually forbidden game of indoor dodge ball.

  Meg had already filled Gil in on past days' events, and his thick blond hair showed the evidence of having run frustrated fingers through repeatedly. True to their natures, the husbands telegraphed their feelings in open expressions: Keith's showed relaxed interest, while Gil's fair complexion turned stormy.

  "I think you need to go to the police," Gil said, tilting his head ceiling-ward as an unusually loud whomp reverberated from the upper floor. "Maybe I should go—"

  Kate touched the top of his left hand, halting his rise from the chair. "Wait. See if anyone screams." When nothing more than another round of bumps a
nd thumps followed, she finished, "They're obviously okay, and as long as they're focused on the game we can talk out our options."

  Keith raised an eyebrow. She knew he probably wondered who this strange blond woman was not racing upstairs to assess the damage, but she ignored the questioning brow and seconded Gil's recommendation. "I agree we should probably take this to the authorities. The mask was too blatant. Almost a dare."

  "No, Kate—" Meg began.

  "The police may not see things our way," Keith cut in.

  Gil shook his head. "Whoever this is, the level of potential threat is escalating."

  "But what if setting me up does have something to do with Amelia's murder?" Kate bit her lip.

  "You're right. Exactly," Gil said. "One more point for going to the authorities."

  "Handing Kate over to the police as a potential thief isn't the answer either." Meg's thin brows made a jagged line above angry eyes. She turned to Kate. "Think hard before you do this, honey. You can't control what conclusions they may draw in order to close a high-profile murder case." She clasped her friend's hand. Kate's fingers felt cold next to Meg's warm ones.

  "Right." Keith moved to the back of his wife's chair, and wrapped his arms around her, bending to rest his chin on the top her head. "You've already been interrogated once and cleared, but who knows what may happen if you go in again. The state police are under pressure to find her killer, and you don't want to be accused of concealing evidence in a murder investigation."

  She twisted to look up at him. "One more reason to go. If they're aware someone is trying to frame me—"

  "They might think you're doing it to yourself to cast suspicion elsewhere," Keith added.

  "That's ridiculous, I've been cleared."

  "And we want you to stay that way." Meg squeezed her hand. "Don't jeopardize your freedom."

  Overwhelmed, Kate looked at Gil, who appeared thoughtful. She asked, "What's your take on this?"

  He stared at her a moment, then shrugged. "Actually, I'm beginning to think our spouses make a number of good points." He checked at his watch. "My surveillance guy should be here any minute. Let's find out what help he can offer for your work time in the mansion and get his opinion on everything else."

  The doorbell chimed.

  Jefferson Meeks was a former all-state tackle, and he looked like he could still pull down a six-pack of halfbacks. His huge left hand dwarfed a leather portfolio, and at Gil's introductions, he used the other to shake all around.

  "This guy's the best in the business," Gil said, smiling. "No matter what the situation, if I need to find out anything on anybody, I call Jeff."

  The big guy ducked his head modestly, then grinned, his smile bright as moonlight on snow against his dark skin. His voice rumbled. "Gil's one of my biggest fans."

  "Well, hopefully we'll all be fans after tonight," Keith said. Once confidentiality assurances were obtained, Keith laid out the situation and addressed everyone's fears.

  Meeks's answer was a long whistle. "If anyone needs my help, you ladies do. How 'bout I meet you on-site in the morning around seven and get more cameras set up to monitor who goes where and why?"

  "Sounds great," Gil said.

  Practical as always, Kate had to ask, "How much will this cost?"

  "Doesn't matter." Meg turned to Meeks and said, "You can send the bill to Charles Webster Walker."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  STACKED IN YOUR FAVOR

  KATE MCKENZIE, PRES.

  Tuesday, April 13th

  WORDS TO STAY ON-TRACK:

  "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it's not all mixed up."

  — Christopher Robin —

  GOAL(S) FOR THE DAY:

  1) Meet with Meeks.

  2) Get "you-know-what" put back.

  3) Go by Mrs. B's and check out kitchen.

  4) Attend Amelia's funeral this afternoon.

  *

  True to his word, Jefferson Meeks waited in front of the Nethercutt mansion the next morning as Kate and Meg arrived a little before seven. He climbed out of his nondescript white van as Kate and Meg debarked from their blue one. Mrs. Baxter's place showed closed curtains and no lights, but Kate couldn't tell if the house was uninhabited or the woman chose to sleep late since she didn't have to report to a job. Regardless, she wanted to see inside the cottage again.

  "I've worried about not first getting approval of your expenses," Kate said to Meeks.

  "No problem." His voice sounded even gruffer in the early morning. "Spoke to Mr. Walker myself late yesterday evening. Told him your concerns and what surveillance I thought necessary. Like was said last night," he nodded toward Meg, "the man told me to just send a bill to his office."

  "I have the key, but not the security code." Kate trailed the other two to the front door, everyone's arms laden with notebooks and cases holding the paraphernalia of their respective professions. "Did he happen to mention that as well?"

  "Nope, but it doesn't matter," Meeks replied. "I got here about ten minutes ago and did a reconnaissance through the windows. The security system isn't activated."

  Sure enough, when Kate opened the door the alarm remained silent, and everything appeared exactly as the previous afternoon.

  "You think Walker's security team really came by?" Meg asked, waving a hand at the panel. "Or were his promises yesterday all talk?"

  "Doesn't matter." Kate smiled at Meeks, "We came prepared."

  He grinned. "I'll do some inside recon. See if anybody's been up to any foolishness in the nighttime hours." He pulled a clipboard and pen from his heavy briefcase before leaving it by the door. "A few diagrams will help the process, too. Gotta note where cameras can do the most good."

  Meg removed her backpack and withdrew a thermos and cups. "Want coffee before you start?"

  "Naw." He shook his head. "In surveillance you learn to begin the day with at least a pot, and my morning punched in a couple of hours ago."

  "Remind me never to join his profession," Meg said to Kate, as she handed over a full cup.

  "You and me, both." She led the way back into the parlor, and added, "Enter my web, the spider said."

  "Huh?" Meg joined her on the settee, their knees inches from the carved rosewood coffee table.

  Kate waved a hand. "I'm beginning to get superstitious about this room."

  Meg was quiet for a moment and sipped her coffee. "The action does all seem to start whenever you're in here. From the tea with Amelia where you unwittingly became a suspect, to the heir gathering where we witnessed Thomas's and Danny's devastation over not getting the flowers, to yesterday and the ominous door slam and eventual death mask in the van."

  Kate laughed shakily. "Glad to know I'm not the only one seeing patterns."

  Leaning to pat her friend's knee, Meg reassured, "We're going to get to the bottom of this, Katie. Come on, let's think. I decided on a few things last night to ask Valerie, like exactly what she did do on the way to and from her bathroom trip yesterday."

  "Yes, after finding the mask every action seems suspect, but there's no proof she did anything. Besides, why leave the mask where we could easily replace it right after discovery?"

  "Beats me, but I'll certainly be tagging along anytime Miss V. takes a future potty break."

  "I'm sure she'll have something to say about that."

  Meg grinned. "Don'tcha just bet."

  They heard Meeks make his way across the floor over their heads.

  At least I hope it's him.

  An irrational sensation struck Kate. "This is going to seem silly, but I feel like the parlor is laughing at me."

  "At this point you're right to feel paranoid."

  "Something else." Kate stood still, waiting for her jumbled thoughts to clarify, and an image of the cursed death mask hit in a strong and worrisome way. "What if the mask was left on the seat so we would immediately bring the thing back into the house?"

  "What do you mean?"


  Kate pulled white cotton gloves from her pocket. "We're using these while we work to keep from damaging anything we touch, but we took them off yesterday as we left."

  "I don't follow."

  "I wasn't wearing gloves to take the mask back inside." An icy chill slithered along her backbone. "The death mask and my fingerprints are hanging on the conservatory wall right now. At least I hope they are."

  Without another word, the two jumped and raced to the rear of the house. At the entrance to the conservatory, the horror was apparent even before the women skidded to a stop. A large empty spot, highlighted by a silver hanging hook, revealed the worst.

  "Gone!" Kate wailed. "You know what this means don't you?"

  Meg nodded, "Someone wanted one of us to touch the mask."

  "No. The blasted thing was left in my seat. He or she wanted my prints on the mask, and I delivered everything exactly as ordered. How could I be such an idiot?"

  "You're no idiot, Katie, just conscientious." Meg wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  "We were caught up in the moment and wanted to quickly minimize the damage."

  "And made everything worse." A lump grew in Kate's throat.

  "Made what worse?" Meeks's rumble startled them from behind.

  Kate blinked back angry tears and filled him in on the latest situation. His expression hardened. "You need to call the police, little lady." He offered a clean handkerchief to Kate. "You're right to worry about what folks will think, but this isn't anything to mess around with here. Someone's setting you up for some serious shit."

  "What could be more serious than murder? They've already set me up for that."

  "Uh-huh, but getting tagged again is going to make the suspicions much harder to get away from," Meeks replied.

  Kate glared at the empty spot on the wall. I've had just about enough. It's time to kick butt and take names. "What do you suggest for a next step? Other than me wearing gloves all the time?"

  Meeks crossed his arms and looked like a huge god of thunder. "Soon as I get through today, think I'll mosey back over to your house and set up some more cameras."