Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (14 page)

"
I just talked with Johnson about half and hour ago when I could get a second away from Morgan." April dogged Kate's every step, jogging around booksellers who moved out of the cart's way. "He said the crime scene tape will likely be removed this afternoon. I'm going by there on my way home to make sure."

Kate stopped and placed a hand on her hip.
"Then I'll see what I can do about restarting our efforts once I speak with Blaine Collier. I haven't had a chance to see how the family is doing, and I don't want to intrude if they need some space."

"
I talked to Blaine, too. He said they're staying in the hotel until moving day, but I think the kids and the animals are getting a little stir crazy."

"
Then I'll try to get something initiated tomorrow afternoon. Monday at the latest."

"
You couldn't do it today? This afternoon, I mean? I hate to ask, but if Morgan is interested in something with this kind of history I really don't want to lose the prospect. Plus, if the moving date isn't pushed back, I think that would help the family even more."

Given the fact the sale was through the corporation, Kate felt a little like she was being played. Especially considering how April made all the other phone calls before even approaching Kate. However, she also understood this was the woman
's business, and the murder complicated what could have likely been a difficult sale anyway, so a little latitude was called for in this case.
She took a breath and put on her professional smile again. "April, I would love to be able to try to make up the time this weekend that we lost over Lila's murder, but I'm probably going to be a little too tired today. However, I'll definitely try to see if I can get things restarted tomorrow."

April
deflated just a little but recovered quickly. "Oh, yes, of course. Please, just keep me informed. You did know I'm the agent of record now. Right?"

"
Yes, Valerie James mentioned the fact yesterday."

April
frowned for a second but then added, "Good, good. Well, I'll leave you to it." She turned and headed back out the front door.

Rolling the cart a bit slower and sidestepping book patrons
gave Kate a moment to ponder Morgan Jackson. She understood April's dilemma. Even beyond Lila being killed in the house, it was an upper-end property with a price that prohibited a good majority of lookers. So having a Mr. Moneybags come in who was interested in the house would obviously make April want to do everything in her power to keep the showing process moving along. But his interest in a murder house so soon after the event felt wrong on many levels. The news was all over the area media, and pictures of the house appeared on every television news broadcast and on the web.

She shrugged.
Maybe he thinks he can get a bargain that way.

Nevertheless, Morgan Jackson was a name she was definitely going to mention to Meg. If the newspaper didn
't already know who the man was, it was likely the local press needed to learn, and Gil was just the journalist to find out more.

As she drew near the bake station, the rich sugar smell mixed with
the heady scent of all the well-loved books people had kept on their shelves for years. And which would now be heading for new shelves. Sweet deals on sweet reads and sweet eats, too. Kate smiled at the connection, as well as the lovely display of goods their bake sale area presented.

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 i
n 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 their 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."