by Ritter Ames
Kate felt a tickle of apprehension at the mention of the upstairs but hid her trepidation. "I guess your plan sounds workable. Okay with you, Valerie?"
Valerie produced a perfect, disdainful shoulder roll shrug. "Like it really matters what I think."
Meg cocked an eyebrow and planted a hand on her hip. Kate recognized a zinger was coming, but letting a war of words erupt offered little productivity. Valerie acted offended at not being included in Kate and Meg's friendship, like a teenager left out of the in-crowd.
When Meg opened her mouth to respond, Kate cut her off with, "We all agree. Great. We'll move on to the study."
True to the description, the study was every bit as disastrous as the parlor. Kate assembled one of the boxes, placing it near the desk. On the wall behind were almost life-sized framed portraits of Amelia and Daniel. Hers seemed extra illuminated by all the diamonds she wore against her robin's egg blue gown. Daniel's captured a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, belying the staid three-piece dark suit, and traditional gold and onyx signet ring on his right hand.
"What are you doing?" Valerie asked.
"Preparing to store any papers. I don't want to be responsible for losing anything important. This afternoon I'll take everything to the lawyer's office for safe keeping."
"You and Meg already planned to work in here." Valerie's tone was accusatory. "That's why you brought those boxes today. I guess the whole question thing in the kitchen was one big charade, huh? Another joke on Valerie."
Kate felt her blood pressure rising. "No. I brought the extra boxes in case I needed them. Just as I'll bring more boxes tomorrow, and the next day, and each subsequent day until we're done with this job. One last time, do you want to continue working with us, or do you want to act like an adolescent?"
"I want to know where I stand." Valerie crossed her arms and tapped a foot.
"You're a contract employee of Stacked in Your Favor," Kate replied, wondering if Valerie's fit of pique was a new ruse she and Sophia had cooked up to aid in the spying activities, possibly engineered to divide and conquer. "You're working per the contract you signed. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm only going to ask one more time, what is it going to be?"
Valerie picked up her purse and stalked out the door.
*
With their least productive employee gone, Kate and Meg settled into a quiet partnership. Kate wasn't sure how they could get the whole job done, and she could tell by the crease between Meg's eyebrows that her friend was worrying along the same lines, but there was no reason to stop working on the study. There wasn't anything in the room they couldn't identify, which had been one of the key attractions to hiring Sophia's little mole.
"Of course, Valerie must renew her regular connection with the dark one," Meg snarked. "As a last resort we can accept Charles Webster Walker's offer for loan of his law clerk."
"Or quit, and forget access to the mansion," Kate replied. "If we're bound by the contract, that means Valerie is, too. Right?"
"Let's wait and see if we want her to be. Litigation may be less stressful than her working with us."
The cameras were in place and recording every movement. Meg had taken the opportunity while Kate was at the funeral to 'inventory' the box and the fan as if they were simply items found in the parlor. Kate planned to mention them to Walker later, implying Amelia brought the items downstairs instead of them going missing, and let him deal with Sophia.
In the study, bookshelves towered along one wall, and the mahogany desk called to Kate like a siren's song. She couldn't wait to open its deep drawers. First, however, they studied the scattered collections of children's toys, some strewn and others meticulously displayed along the room's perimeter. This included dollhouses depicting various countries and decades, all quite old and valuable.
"Dollhouses, die-cast trucks, and half-sized, non-working stringed musical instruments." Meg surveyed the widespread assortment. "Now what?"
Where to start? Kate stood in the middle of the room, on the muted rose-patterned carpet, and did a complete three-sixty. "Beats me."
"Well, you're the expert." Meg flashed a grin.
"Don't even go there." She pointed at the computer. "Get that laptop up and running. Pronto."
"Yes, boss." Meg's grin grew bigger. She placed the computer in the middle of the desk and took a seat in the green leather chair.
"We'll start with the dollhouses." Something about the structures seemed wrong to Kate, but she couldn't decide what. She stared for several seconds at a trio beneath one of the leaded windows before the incongruity came to her. To be sure, she leaned over to get a better view through the back of each before speaking. "How strange. There aren't any dolls. Just…well…stuff."
"Huh?" Meg got up and walked over. "There aren't any figures, are there?" She twisted around the pagoda and the country house, rattling their contents. "Whoever heard of a dollhouse without a doll family?"
"Definitely weird," Kate replied. "Kind of like this place now."
That's when they heard the front door open and close.
"I thought you locked up again after Valerie left," Meg whispered.
"I did, and reset the alarm." Kate pulled a cell phone from her purse to call 9-1-1. Then she smelled Chanel No. 5, and dropped the phone into her pocket. "Don't worry, it's Sophia. But how did she get the new code?"
"Valerie either read the note Meeks gave you or watched you key the number in this morning," Meg replied. "Shows she reports regularly."
Kate nodded. "We must be high on Sophia's priority list. Valerie was beside me last night when he gave me the number. But it was so quick. She could only have caught a flash of the code."
"Some spies are highly trained." Meg chuckled. "But I think in her case we can chalk the unprecedented success rate up to a highly developed nosiness gene."
A moment later, Sophia stood in the doorway. "What are you doing in here?"
"Our job," Meg replied, oozing sarcasm.
"Aren't we the clever one today?" Sophia took two steps closer, reaching out to tap Meg's cheek. "I meant this room. I expected you to start organizing all the clutter upstairs."
"We'll be inventorying the upstairs next," Kate clarified.
Sophia sighed and pulled a vintage-styled alligator bag up to rest in the crook of her elbow. "Well, I'd love to trade little witticisms with you, my darlings, but I have far too many things to accomplish this beautiful day. I'm here to pick up Daddy's coin collection. He always said the coins come to me, you know."
A wave of perfume followed as she crossed to the desk and opened a lower drawer.
"Hey, missy, you can't take that!" Meg stomped across the room and snatched away the large metal case that appeared out from the depths.
The action took Sophia aback for only a moment. She grabbed one end and tried to wrestle the collection from Meg. Through clenched teeth, she said, "You will let go."
"Not a chance." Meg's face was redder than her hair. "Kate, call the police."
"Police?" Sophia's expression mixed complete disbelief with the effort of the struggle. The next instant she caught a foot around Meg's ankle and the redhead went down in a heap, allowing Sophia to gain complete possession of the heavy case. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Why you—" Meg grabbed a harmonica from a nearby lamp table, and aimed for Sophia's head.
"Stop," Kate cried. The two adversaries turned toward the sound of her voice. "Sophia, Meg is right. I can't let you take anything—"
"I can extract whatever is mine from this house, and you will end all of this silly discussion about telephoning the authorities." Sophia circled around the far side of the desk, to avoid further contact with Meg.
Kate closed the door and blocked the brass knob with her body. "Okay, but you have to sign a receipt stating you took the coin collection. I must have proof. I won't be held responsible."
"What makes you think I would even consider doing such a thing?"
Meg joined Kate at the door. "Because
the surveillance camera is recording this entire incident, and you'll look like you're trying to pull a fast one otherwise."
The smirk disappeared. "What surveillance camera?"
Kate pointed to the corner where Meeks' little mechanical wonder arced back and forth, documenting every action the shiny lens witnessed. Sophia's jaw dropped.
"Daddy never put a camera in here."
"No, we did," Kate said.
"On whose authority?"
"Your family's attorney," Meg replied, leaning casually against the wooden door, as if to emphasize the shift in power.
"So, are you going to sign a receipt for the coin collection?" Kate asked. "Or do you want to chance looking like a thief, and give your siblings a video record to use against you in court?"
"But they're mine." Sophia hugged the silver case. Her words held pain and bitterness. "If that damned Amelia hadn't decided she had to take her stupid Washington trip and tire Daddy out with her last party, these coins would still be his. Now, though, they're mine. He promised."
"And I'm sure you'll hear Mr. Walker confirm that when the will is read tomorrow," Kate said. "Until then, however, I need a receipt for any item removed from this house."
Sophia worried her lower lip with her teeth, and the alligator bag slipped back down her arm. While Valerie's bag was good faux, Kate had no doubt Sophia's was the real deal.
Probably wrestled the beast to its end by herself.
Deepening the frown on her face, Sophia shoved the coin case toward them. "Oh, here, just take them back. But if Mummy forgot and gives the coins to one of the men, I'll hold the two of you responsible."
"How—" Meg started.
Kate held up a hand to interrupt her, while accepting the case with the other. "Fine, I'll put the case with the papers from the desk. I'm taking everything to the attorney's office later today for safekeeping."
"Okay, I—" Suddenly, Sophia's hazel eyes grew wide, and she pivoted on her three-inch heels. "Where's Ms. James?"
"Valerie…" Kate paused, trying to decide how to word what had occurred earlier. "Let's just say she no longer wanted to work with us."
"Preposterous. She's supposed to—" Sophia stopped, her jaw snapping shut.
"Valerie's probably been trying to reach you," Meg drawled, crossing her arms. "To see what she should do next."
A flash of alarm crossed Sophia's face, but she recovered quickly. "Why would she do that?"
"Because she's your—" Meg began.
"Your design expert," Kate finished. "If Valerie's decided not to work here anymore, we thought she would want to spend more time working on the job she's doing for you."
Sophia glared at them. "I've been in meetings all morning." She pulled a phone from her purse. "I haven't had a chance to check my messages, but perhaps I should see if Ms. James wanted to meet with me about…about the work at my home."
She put the cell phone to her ear, then immediately returned it to her bag. "On second thought, talking to her in person might be more expedient. Make for a more fruitful discussion when we discuss the…project…if we are face-to-face."
"Or two-faced to two-faced," Meg muttered. She stepped away so Kate could open the door.
"What did you say?" Sophia demanded.
Before Meg could reply, Kate said, "Nothing. She simply offered a lunch option." Turning to Meg, she added, "Yes, tuna fish sandwiches at the Book Nook is a wonderful idea."
Sophia's eyes narrowed as she swooshed out in another perfumed haze, but the final look she shot their way said she wasn't buying Kate's lunch story.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
STACKED IN YOUR FAVOR
KATE MCKENZIE, PRES.
PROJECT ASSIGNMENT FOR Wed. Evening, April 14th
Get materials ready for tomorrow's presentation. Saree expects a lot of working women juggling kids and jobs. Make up tip sheet on how to find time, something like: 1) Sign up with news sources for email reports & get all news in one place or via a home page.
2) Order prescriptions online or ahead by phone, and avoid pharmacy wait times at pickup.
3) For any shopping, call ahead to check stock and order groceries online then pick up at store.
4) Screen calls. Don't be afraid to nicely tell people you're too busy to talk.
5) Sign up for automatic bill payment.
Maybe call this "Top 5 Ways to Make Time in the Day." Or add two more for "Seven Ways to Save Time & Sanity," adding ways to energize as well as save time. Like— 6) Combine exercise with errands, wear pedometer & walk to stores & appointments.
7) Avoid clock-watching stress. Set a timer when there's limited time to do a task.
*
"This is much better than those cold sandwiches we stashed in the cooler," Meg said, attacking her Book Nook Cobb salad with gusto. "You don't suppose Sophia killed Miss Amelia because she thinks step-mummy caused Mr. Daniel's death, do you?"
"I wondered the same thing. The suspicion is even stronger if she learned about the uncomfortable comment Amelia made to me the day she died." Kate blew on a spoonful of soup. The aroma alone was nirvana.
They sat tucked away in a corner table, reveling in the warmth and cheerful views of the surrounding windows. The sun, beaming down from the day's gorgeous blue sky, offered a solar massage across Kate's back. Between the radiating heat and Saree's soup d'jour, perfect beef-barley comfort food in a bowl, Kate's taut muscles released the morning's tension.
Book-buying patrons swamped the store during the noon hour, and the women were nearly finished before Saree could break free to stop at the table. Dressed in a vibrant magenta sheath, with a necklace of hammered gold medallions draped around her neck, the bookseller could almost compete with the day's outdoor brilliance. When she smiled, on the other hand, there was no contest.
"Well, chickies, my food is good today, no?" Saree planted fists on her narrow hips, gold bangles cascading down each arm in chime-like tones.
"The food is wonderful." Meg loaded her fork with egg and avocado. "Exactly what we needed."
Saree lifted a suspicious eyebrow at Kate's order, pointing with a graceful. "This soup…" She wiggled a scarlet-nailed forefinger. "…most unlike you, chickie. You are adventurous eater, always. Do you have troubles this beautiful mornin'?"
Kate shook her head, smiling. "No one can hide anything from you, can they, Saree?"
"Ah, but masters teach me." Saree half-closed her dark eyes. "For this shop I buy Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie. I read very close and follow their methods. Human behavior. Spot sameness in people, note differences to individuals."
"Excellent observation." Meg sipped her iced plum tea. "If this job gets any crazier, we might need to hire you as a consultant."
A crease formed between Saree's eyebrows, and she turned back to Kate. "Job? Another job givin' you worries?"
Kate shook her head. "No, actually this is an offshoot of the original Nethercutt commission. Meg and I are inventorying the contents of the mansion to fulfill the terms of the will. Well, Meg and I and Valerie James that is."
"Valerie James? You work with her? She is…" Saree looked wildly around, as if hoping the right word would come to her through the air. "She is, she is conceited, and, and…" Throwing her hands in the air with an elegant gesture, she signaled defeat.
"You understand why I needed comfort food today." Kate grinned. "Things should be looking up, though. Valerie stormed off the job this morning."
"That is good, chickies." Saree walked to the counter and removed two snicker doodles from the cookie display. She returned to their table and set a cookie-laden napkin beside each of the partners. "Here, eat. Rejoice that witchy woman gone."
Meg touched the top of her cookie with one finger and licked off the sugar and cinnamon, adding, "Well, one anyway. We still have Sophia."
Saree tsk-tsked, and placed a hand on Kate's shoulder. "But you will still speak here on spring organizin' tomorrow night, yes? The books, they are stacked in back, the ones we discus
sed. And I have brand new line, too, sent from good publisher. You are not too busy—"
"Don't worry, I'm all ready. I've even put together a little takeaway paper to give people ideas and reading lists after they leave tomorrow night."
"What about the newsletter thing you've been tossing around?" Meg asked.
"Newsletter?" Saree echoed.
Kate waved the idea away. "Oh, just an idea I dreamed up to attract a little business. I thought about doing a quarterly newsletter, using the seasons to keep people on track. Maybe get them to consider hiring me to help organize their homes or businesses. Just to keep my name in front of the public. But I'd have to find some place to put the newsletters—"
"Why not here? My counter is wide, and stack should not take big space." The shop owner's face lit up again as a new idea came to her. "Oh, the home center. They should leap for your excellent information."
"I don't know about excellent—"
Meg made a pshaw sound. "Don't be modest, Katie. Your newsletter would be great. Plus, Saree's right, home centers would be a perfect compliment to your ideas and offer all the organizing shelves and storage options people need."
A book-laden line of customers formed at the cash register. Saree excused herself with a quick smile and wave. "A demain," she called over her shoulder.
Kate smiled. "Until tomorrow."
*
Valerie returned about three, again wearing her cat-and-the-cream smirk.
"Nice of you to rejoin the party," Meg said, looking up from her book cataloguing. "Do you intend to work or just make sure the knives in our backs are buried to the hilt?"
"Listen, Meg Berman, I don't have to take any of your—"
"Stop it you two," Kate said. No way she wanted to lose the part-time babysitter she and Meg counted on the most. "I assume you've spoken with Sophia and she's pushed you back into this project, offering carte blanche to keep us in our places. Start cataloguing the bookshelves with Meg."
The files seemed to multiply in the drawers, and Kate stacked another load into the box. Beyond the coin collection Sophia withdrew earlier, the desk held a treasure trove of items. The most interesting discovery lay tucked in the far back of the middle drawer: a satin-covered journal. Kate smiled as she opened the cover and recognized Amelia's distinctive handwriting. She set it on the blotter to go in on top of the box, and left that drawer for last as well.