by Ritter Ames
Tiffany produced an apron from under one table, and Kate slipped the top strap over her head. Meg kept busy tidying the displays and taking cash, while Kate and Tiffany moved goodies, wrapped purchases, answered questions, and restocked the sold out spots. The book sale seemed to be operating just as briskly. And though this was her first time at the book fete, the event-planner experience Kate possessed from her life previous to becoming Mrs. Keith McKenzie told her the day was shaping into an unequivocal fundraising success for the small Hazelton Public Library.
By one o'clock Tiffany's smile flagged a bit. But the teen, still a trouper, had just brought in the last load of food from the van. Stock under the tables was severely depleted. The book sale still sported crowds, but their baked goods station hit a lull. Kate imagined people were either starting or finishing lunch at the moment and hoped they'd soon be by for an afternoon of books and dessert.
"They're starting to consolidate the book tables," Meg said, waving a hand toward the volunteers grouping orphan stacks from the day's original tables and shifting the stock over to fill vacant space nearby. Excess tables were folded, and volunteers carried them and their respective chairs back to the library's storage area. "Do we want to grab one of these tables before they get tucked away, so we can get everything left on display and in sight?"
Before Kate could respond, April Stephens came forward, sans the blazer. "Hi, ladies, can I take over here so a couple of you can go and get lunch?"
"I think—" Kate started.
"That's a great idea," Meg cut her off, giving a wink. "Katie, why don't you and Tiffany run grab some food and bring me back a sandwich of some kind. You know I'll eat anything. April and I can figure our game plan for this afternoon while we have this little bit of a slow-down. We'll have everything ready for the last leg of the day by the time you get back."
"Sounds great to me," Tiffany agreed.
And it gave Kate an opportunity to see what kind of information she could extract from the teen without everyone in town hearing them. She nodded and said, "Great idea. Thanks so much for this help, April. We'll try not to take too long."
"No hurry."
Kate and Tiffany didn't wait around. They scooped their purses from hiding places and fast-walked for the door. In the van a moment later, Tiffany sighed. "Oh, wow, it feels good to just sit down."
"I know what you mean. We've really had to keep hopping today." Kate stabbed the ignition with her key then stretched back into the driver's seat. "Do you have any particular cravings? Or will any food do?"
"Caffeine. Must have caffeine. And could we just go through a drive-thru so I don't have to get out. I really just want to sit here in the van for a bit."
"Tiff, you're a girl after my own heart." Kate started up the engine. Hoping a longer drive would give them more time to talk, she asked, "Will McDonald's do? They have one in Bennington."
"Yes, beef and brew. My favorite combination at the moment."
"I heard Sydney Collier say she was vegan the day she showed me her workroom," Kate said, seeing an opening for her true purpose. One of the problems with rustic and quaint little Hazelton was that there were no nearby fast food outlets. Particularly drive-ins with huge corporate signs. The nearest was in Bennington. Vermont had only a couple dozen Mickey D's in the whole state, and it was the only state that didn't offer the option to buy a Big Mac in the capital city or even the state's largest city of Burlington. Kate appreciated the trivia, but missed grabbing a quick Egg McMuffin in the morning.
She saw Tiffany shrug as they turned to hit the main road. The teen said, "I guess. A lot of kids say they're vegan then secretly eat whatever they want. Especially bacon."
"I've always thought there should be a special dispensation for bacon anyway," Kate offered. "It's like popcorn. Once you smell it, you have to have some. It's beyond the realm of self control."
Tiffany giggled. "I like your thinking, Mrs. McK."
A huge truck pulled in front of the van and moved at a walking pace as the driver worked through the gears. Normally Kate would be steaming over this, but now it gave her a good reason to extend the driving time. She stayed on the Sydney thread, hoping Tiffany would offer a revelation. "When Sydney showed me her workshop, I was flabbergasted. I would love a purse or two, and her work pretty much indicated to me she lived by an environmentalist point of view."
"Yeah, her designs are fully sick. I'd love to have one, but I'm saving for my car."
Two things Kate had to wrap her mind around again: the fact that "sick" meant good or cool, and how Valerie was making her daughter save for her own wheels. "I've been meaning to ask you, Tiff, what kind of car are you going for?"
"Something cheap. I want to own my car, not have it own me."
"Good motto."
"It's true," Tiffany said, her voice rising a key or two as she spoke. Kate wondered if this was a discussion she had often with her mom. "Too many kids I know are getting so wrapped up in what they have or don't have. It's like Sydney, you know?"
"Are you saying Sydney is into material things?" Kate risked taking her eyes off the road to look at the teen.
"No." Tiffany shook her head emphatically. "Just the opposite. She had this great speech she gave at assembly last month, about how too many people are living as if life is just one big disposable game. She challenged us to think before we made each purchase."
"I would imagine here in Vermont that's something the students are used to hearing."
"Of course. But Sydney spoke in a personal way, you know, and really engaged people as she challenged everyone to think about the mantra 'reduce, reuse, recycle.' She emphasized how we're supposed to do the first two before we even consider recycling, to make the better impact for our resources and our world."
"All good points. Was the assembly for Earth Day?"
"Yeah." Tiffany stretched her arms above her head as much as the roof allowed, obviously letting the ride relax her. "So by the time she spoke, the kids had kind of heard this talk all day. But she still sounded kind of…I don't know…fresh? Some people heckled a bit. You know, calling out how she recycled her way into big bucks with her stuff sold in those New York boutiques."
"How did Sydney take it?"
"I think it kind of hurt her feelings, but everyone knew who was really starting it, anyway. Oh good! Here we are. I'm starving."
Drat.
If only the golden arches could have been a few miles farther, Kate thought she might have gotten the revelation she'd been praying for. However, she didn't want to push and maybe make Tiffany suspicious. She'd have to try again after they'd eaten.
As she pulled the van into the first drive-thru lane, she said, "Well, you're saving for a car and volunteering on a Saturday to help us. How about if I spring for lunch?"
"That would be sick, Mrs. McK. Thanks."
"You're welcome." Kate kept her smile firmly in place, though it truly felt like the wrong response.
Five minutes later, the van now sitting in one of the side parking spots, she'd barely started her salad before Tiffany had already devoured her burger and fries and was finishing off her iced mocha.
Ah, to have the metabolism of a teen again.
"Still hungry?" Kate asked. "We can go back through." She held up the sack with Meg's burger still wrapped up inside. "Or you can eat this one, and we'll grab another before we leave.
"Nah, I'm good." Tiffany swished the whipped cream in her coffee around with her straw so that a white, foamy bulb formed on the end. She popped it into her mouth and sighed, "I love high octane desserts."
The teen's face wore a too-relaxed, I-could-take-a-nap-now look. Kate made a fast decision and snapped the lid back onto her salad bowl. "Well, let's head on back then. I think I've had enough salad, and Meg may want half of mine with her burger. You never know."
She backed out and circled the south side of the store, getting Tiffany's help to spot when the roadway was clear for a left-turn. Within minutes they were back on th
eir way to Hazelton, and Kate tried to pick up where the conversation had left off. "You were talking about Sydney's speech—"
"It was more casual than a speech. More like a talk really. I can see her being some big corporate guru someday because she really does know how to hold her audience."
"But you said there were hecklers."
Tiffany put her hands on the dash as Kate had to make a quick stop behind a guy who stopped short. "OMG, I can't stand when people do that. It's so thoughtless. You know they just aren't paying enough attention."
Kate shrugged. "Happens too often anymore for me to get upset. We all just have so much on our minds."
"Yeah, everyone's thinking about themselves. It's exactly like the hecklers I was just talking about." Kate gave an inward sigh of relief when Tiffany found her own segue back into the conversation. "Those asshats were just Nikki Parker's minions. They don't have a brain between them all, so they do whatever Nikki tells them."
"Is she related to Erin Parker?"
"Yeah, only kid, like me. Mrs. P tried to use that 'you're both onlies' logic to get Mom and me to hang with them, but I told Mom we needed to bounce."
"Bounce?"
"You know, leave."
"So, you don't get along with Nikki—"
"No one gets along with Nikki. She's one very stuck on herself diva, and she surrounds herself with nothing but Nikki-morons. She's nasty about her mother, too, but pretends to kiss up to her to get stuff. However, she really hates Sydney Collier."
"Why?"
"A guy, natch, and because Sydney is just about the sickest person in the school. She'll be in the Olympics next time—you'll see. And she's smart and already has this great business. Then when Brad moved into town last year he picked Sydney over Nikki. Not hard to figure out why, but Nikki threw herself at him anyway. Then when her mom dated Mr. Collier and tried to get him to take Sydney to California, so Nikki could get her skate spot at camp, well…the fight in the hall was epic!"
"The two girls fought in the hall?"
"Well, Sydney had to. Nikki nearly pulled her hair out of her head. Sydney screamed, then ducked and punched, and then a couple of big dudes broke Nikki's hold and pulled her away. Brad kept Sydney back until a teacher showed up and sent everyone to the office. But everyone turned on Nikki, so now she and her asshats heckle Sydney anytime she does anything that puts her up in good public display."
Kate's brain was a swirling mass of thoughts trying to better tag the "everyone" and "asshats," as the teen spoke, but she thought she had the gist of what Tiffany said. By the time she and Meg discussed it later, she hoped her friend knew enough of the adult local gossip to fill in any blanks she might still have. It would be nice to be able to write it all down, but Tiffany would likely stop talking if it looked like Kate was keeping a record of the conversation.
Regardless, they were back in the library parking lot within a few minutes. This time, because all the baked goods had been removed from the van, Kate parked in a middle aisle. The big surprise was when they returned inside and more than half the remaining baked items were sold and gone.
"Wow! You had a run on food," Kate congratulated Meg and April. "Nice work, ladies."
"The track team made us a pit stop," Meg said, smiling as she took her bag of food from Kate.
"Do you want to eat it in the van for some privacy?" Kate asked.
"Or you can use one of the offices." April waved toward the far corner.
"No, I'll be fine," Meg said. "I'll grab a chair and sit in the back here. Then I'll be close if you need me again."
Kate surveyed the nearly empty tables and pulled the empty trays from under the white cloths. "If we get any kind of run again, or even a handful of customers, we're going to be out of business today."
"When your shelves are bare, just give the cash box to Valerie, and you can go on home," April said. "You can't imagine how much we appreciate you both stepping in at the last minute like this. Lila could always handle the job with just a student assistant, but it was too much for any one person doing it for the first time. I'll see everyone later. Thanks so much, again."
April excused herself, cutting through what was left of the crowd. Meg put her food on the chair and walked close to Kate. "Anything?" she asked.
Kate nodded. She turned to Tiffany. "You know, Tiff, you've been such an incredible help today. If you ever need either of us to write referral letters for scholarships or anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"OMG, I so appreciate that. You have no idea how important community service is for so many scholarships and grants."
"Well, don't feel you have to stay the whole day just to get extra points. We're down to empty carts and what's on top of the table. I think Meg and I can handle it from here."
"That'd be great." The teen slung her purse strap onto her shoulder and made a dash for the exit. "Thanks so much," Tiffany called, as she waved goodbye.
"You'd think she didn't trust us not to change our minds," Meg said, and laughed.
"You remember that age. Any suddenly free time was an invitation to hurry and do what you thought you really wanted." Kate pointed to Valerie manning a table across the room. "Besides, I see her mom having to work a table now. Tiff probably wanted to escape before she got tapped for relief book duty."
Since the crowds were thin, Kate pulled another chair next to the one Meg used and motioned her friend to sit. She spent the next few minutes updating what information she'd gleaned during the lunch run, keeping her voice low to reduce the risk of being overheard.
"So what do you think it all means?" Meg asked then popped the last of her burger into her mouth.
Kate pulled a notepad from her purse. "I think it's time to make another list. Let's brainstorm based on this new info"
"Please tell me you're putting Erin's kid as a top suspect."
"You like her for the role better than her mother?"
"Nah." Meg shook her head. "But you know the old chestnut about the apple not falling far from the tree."
"Why would Nikki kill Lila?"
"To frame Sydney? Everything Tiffany said seems to confirm that, and in high school being a social pariah and not getting the guy of your dreams is considered travesties punishable by peers ostracizing the odd teen out. Is it such a great leap to think she might kill to make the punishment worse?"
Kate added to the list started the previous evening.
4) Nikki Parker hates Sydney—jealous on many levels.
5) Could Nikki have sent the text that Erin received, trying to lure her mother to kill her and mistook Lila?
6) Could she kill Lila and frame Sydney for it?
"One item to note, but I can't figure where it might fit is Morgan Jackson."
"How so?" Meg asked.
Kate used her fingers to count down points. "Erin said on Thursday she had a client for the house arriving in two days. April says yesterday she has a breakfast meeting with a client flying in early this morning. She arrives before the sale with a guy in tow who looks like a billionaire and who is interested in how soon he can see the Collier place. Okay, I realize there is no proof, but the sequence of events looks like April poached Erin's whale. And remember Erin lost another big client recently to another agency. This could have been enough to make her snap."
"But why would she kill Lila if April did the poaching?" Meg asked. "And besides, maybe when she lost the house contract, she lost the potential buyer already on the hook? Or maybe it doesn't mean anything and another Uncle Scrooge is still on his way into town for Erin to ferry around?"
"Possibly."
Then a new and more frightening thought hit Kate, and she caught her lip in her teeth, as a new scenario worked its way through her mind. "What if Nikki wasn't trying to just frame Sydney? What if she was trying to make it look like Sydney killed her mother."
"But that's what the police think now."
"No, not Sydney's mother. Nikki's mother, Erin. What if Nikki got one of those shadow apps for
her phone to pretend to be Collier and sent Erin the text to come to the house. The whole town had probably already heard about the ruckus we had there that afternoon between Erin and Collier. Then at dusk, Nikki went out on the balcony, expecting to kill her mom, but murdered Lila instead. We both agreed yesterday about how the women matched the same physical type."
"Write that down."
7) Could Nikki have planned to kill Erin and lured her mother to the house to frame Sydney for it?
Meg slurped the last of her coffee then sat back and crossed her arms. "Or, here's another thought. What if Nikki thought she was sneaking up on Sydney? Sydney fits the quick physical description, too. Especially from the back. And let's face it—killing your high school rival is much better than simply shoving her into a prison cell."
CHAPTER TEN
Keep Similar Items Together
One of the main reasons for a disorganized home is when like objects, or related items, get stored in several different places. This practice also makes unpacking and finding items more difficult during and after a move. Anything that is always used with something else needs to be stored together daily, and packed together for a move. From computers to coffeemakers, label and store items that must be used together in the same place. Do this with children's games—whether they are board games or gaming systems—keeping all games and their related parts together in one cabinet or closet. Another example is gift wrapping supplies—again, don't keep paper in one closet, bows in a far flung drawer, and shipping boxes tucked away on another shelf entirely.
* * *
"Scary proposition," Kate murmured, as she added Meg's idea to the list.
8) Did Nikki murder Lila on the balcony because she thought she was killing Sydney? Then framed Sydney with the knife when she realized the mistake?
Kate tapped the page. "If the best plan fails, then this option always offers the fallback of sending your nemesis to prison for murder." Yes, it was diabolical, but perfect. A win-win for the killer either way. Especially if it was Nikki wielding the knife. "Have you talked to Gil today? To see how things stand?"