Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (15 page)

"
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 good
s 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."

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?"

"
He texted me a little while ago, but—"

A slim couple in hiking boots and
T-shirts walked up to the counter. Kate tossed her notepad onto the chair, and the friends broke off their discussion to make another last-hour sale. The customers left with a couple of cinnamon rolls and cookies. Several rambunctious boys took their place moments later. The kids were cute, each carrying books and a skateboard under one arm, but they were short the amount they truly needed. Meg grinned and 'discounted' a cookie for each of them, and Kate slipped the difference from her purse and into the cash box.

"
They're adorable," Kate said, as the youths took turns scrambling and hopping toward the exit.

"
We probably created monsters. If we weren't down to the last bits, I bet we would see them again later."

"
We should have just given them the cookies."

"
That's pretty much what we did," Meg reminded. "But now everyone's gone. Read this." She ran a finger across the face of her phone then turned it so Kate could see.
SC held for ??? 24 hrs.

Kate had her back to the tables and leaned closer to Meg.
"From Gil? If they're holding Sydney for 24 hours, that means they haven't charged her. Right? And I'm assuming the multiple question marks is his way of saying they're still asking her questions."

Meg nodded.
"Looks like they're either settling on Sydney or trying to smoke out someone by making them feel guilty."

"
I hope it's the latter and the plan works."

Someone cleared a throat behind her. Kate saw a look of alarm flash across Meg
's face, and she whirled to find Lieutenant Johnson eyeing the last of their baked goods. "Ladies. I heard you were volunteering to help the library today."

Calm, calm.
Kate balled her fists to keep from grabbing for the rubber band on her wrist. She knew her anxiety levels were off the charts, and she knew the lieutenant noticed every nuance, but she didn't need to give him absolute confirmation.

Luckily, Meg recovered quicker.
"Oh, sorry. We weren't paying attention. Talking about some end of the year school activities we needed to take care of." She took a few steps to the left and drew the lieutenant in that direction as she talked, providing Kate with a little breathing room. "As you can see, we're about ready to close up shop. But we'd be happy to offer a police discount if you'd like to take a good portion back to your men."

"
Sounds like a great deal for a worthy cause," Johnson said. He withdrew a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. "Think this would cover most of what you have here?"

"
No, it will cover everything you see." Meg smiled and grabbed a large collapsed box. "Katie, why don't you start boxing things up."

Thank goodness for Meg. Kate knew if she could just keep from talking for a minute or so
, she would be fine. She doubted the lieutenant heard what they'd been saying, but she couldn't keep the worried thoughts from hitting her. And she needed to stop the thinking right away, because this was the perfect opportunity to see what they could find out from a best—though likely most close-mouthed—source. She flashed him a smile then concentrated on pulling the box tabs so the container stood open for easy filling.