Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (21 page)

"
Probably not." Lee Ann finally looked up, then used a napkin to wipe her eyes and pinch her nose. "I was just here because…well, you know. That's the only reason I put up with Erin. It was my best job option." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "No one else wanted the job, so I was paid a premium to be her keeper. But now she has a big burly one, anyway."

"
She fired you?"

Lee Ann
nodded. "She hired a bodyguard. She's convinced she was supposed to die instead of Lila, so she has protection everywhere she goes."

Maybe the point she and Meg made about Lila and
Erin looking alike wasn't something just between them. Maybe the resemblance went too far. "Does she have a point? Or is it just more drama?"

"
A lot of people would like to slap her, me for starters, and I'm sure the whole office would like Erin to leave town. But actually kill her? I don't know. She's in hiding right now with her bodyguard, and she constantly calls me on the phone for client updates and to tell me how to do my job. But it's not hard to believe. I mean, she gives people reason every day to kill her. Why is now any different?" Lee Ann sipped her coffee, thoughtful for a moment before she added, "I could see her accidentally killing someone else when she flies off the handle. She's more of a malicious property damage sort of person. Likes to take stuff away from people and make sure they know it."

Lee Ann stopped and shook her head.
"I take that back. Erin would probably like to kill April Stephens now that both the Collier contract and Morgan Jackson went to her."

"
Erin tried to schmooze Morgan Jackson, too?"

"
Everyone tried to schmooze Morgan Jackson," Lee Ann said. "He's set to develop a huge project outside of Bennington and another just south of Hazelton once he gets all the permissions. I don't know how he's doing it, but the red tape is getting shredded faster than ever now that Lila's dead and her environmental group is leaderless. It's just been a few days, but the progress has been amazing."

Lee Ann looked at her watch.
"I hate to cry and run, but I need to get back to the office. At least until I officially give my notice. I'll move back home, near Montpelier." She stood and picked up her cup before extending a hand to Kate. "But thanks so much for talking to me. I'll take your advice and give it time. Just let Sydney know she can always find me later if she wants me."

"
Good luck," Kate said, and she meant it. She could see this woman was hurting yet hopeful.

"
Thanks."

Moments later Lee Ann set the chimes ringing again as she exited the store.

Organized People Set Goals

Assign deadlines. That is the best way to get things done. Think through exactly what you want the end result to be and when you want it completed. Then set aside time each day to meet your goal(s). Once you
've accomplished a goal, reward yourself for a job well done, but steer clear of backfires. Don't buy new collectibles to reward yourself for clearing out the old ones. Also, don't set time frames you cannot meet. Giving yourself too little time to complete a decluttering project just sets you up for failure before the job even starts. Set a time limit, and work steadily—then reevaluate, but don't give up.

* * *

Interesting. Erin thinks the murderer was after her but mistakenly killed Lila instead. True or false?

Okay, maybe that wasn
't exactly true, but Erin's actions implied fear that she should have been the victim. Was that the truth, or was it Erin's way of covering up the crime by trying to grandstand and misdirect the focus? Make herself look like the potential victim so no one would suggest she was actually the murderer?

Lee Ann may have believed her boss more likely to cause destruction than to kill, but Kate had no difficulty believing otherwise. Definitely info she and Meg needed to discuss soon. She looked at her watch.

Nope. Meg's in the middle of all the moms at the boys' tai-kwon-do lessons. Not a good place to let her know anything like this.

She would go by the Berman
's if she made it home before Jane brought the girls. As juicy as this gossip was, however, Gil had probably already heard by now anyway and likely would tell Meg before she had the chance.

After swinging by the bank
Kate made a run into the Fast Stop for bread. Seeing the silver Jeep parked several spaces down helped her recognize Timothy Oakes. He was on his cell phone, and Kate walked over to say hello when he hung up on the call and waved to her.

"
Good to see you, Timothy. I've been wondering what's happened since Saturday." Kate drew level with the open driver side window. "Have you had any luck with more interviews?"

Timothy raised his hands and spread his fingers along the steering wheel in kind of a
n "I don't know" movement. He motioned toward a large cardboard box in the back seat that had a plant sitting lopsided out of the top, as if sitting sideways on a hill. "I'm…I no longer work at Green Mountain Boards."

"
I'm sorry."

"
Thanks," he said quietly. He gripped the wheel and stared through the windshield.

Obviously, he wasn
't feeling good about the situation, so Kate remained silent a few seconds before trying to fill the conversation gap. "Was it too uncomfortable for you? Or did you get a bite from one of the positions you've interviewed for? Left to make sure you could accept right away?"

"
I was told my services are no longer needed." Timothy shrugged and let go of the steering wheel, turning to look at Kate as he spoke. "I tried telling the cops about Sydney this weekend, but I don't think the police believed me. I think they thought I was trying to make points with my boss. I said it didn't matter, that I was losing my job when Mr. Collier left anyway. One of the officers called HR and asked. They said they did it just to be clear on everything. When I got back to the office this morning, I was met by a security officer and an empty box."

"
Oh, Timothy, I'm so sorry."

"
I appreciate that. But I knew it was coming, after all. Once the murder happened and Mr. Collier quit coming into the office regular hours, despite his agreement with management when he gave his notice, I've been twiddling my thumbs on the best days and kept off the computers on the worst. My directories have all been squeezed, and they'd left me with practically nothing more to do than secretarial tasks, like no-brainer letters and memos." His gaze moved back toward the windshield, and he blew out a long breath.

Depression was obviously the man
's boon companion at the moment, and Kate wondered what to do. She wasn't sure he needed to be alone right then, but trying to get him to talk more might come off as nosy. Kate chewed her lip, wanting to give him the chance to vent if he needed it. "What kinds of things were they keeping you from doing?"

"
Our…no, I mean, the fiscal year for Green Mountain Boards starts on the first of July, so around this time there are normally a slew of R&D reports, budget and inventory spreadsheets, and notes to take at departmental meetings. Just transcribing from Mr. Collier's digital recorder could take half my week at this time of the year. But they won't let me handle any of that work now because of the sensitive nature of the material. Well, I guess I can't anyway, being fired and all, but you know what I mean."

Kate patted his arm through the window.
"I do, yes." One thing he kept saying surprised Kate. "You keep calling Blaine Collier 'Mr. Collier.' Do you just do that when you're talking to someone outside the company? Or do you always address him as Mr. Collier?"

"
Always. Why?"

"
You've worked for him four years. I know it isn't an absolute, but people often relax around each other after several years. It made me wonder if everything was still as formal as when you started working together."

Timothy looked away for a moment then nodded.
"Yes. We had a very professional relationship. Why do you ask?"

"
I'm not sure." Kate didn't have the time or inclination to try to discuss indirect verbal clues with the former PA., so she added, "No reason really. I just wondered. Do you have plans for tonight?"

"
Some friends are taking me out for drinks. They think I'll need cheering up."

I think they
're right.
Aloud, Kate said, "Oh, that's wonderful. Maybe someone will have an idea or hear of a place you can apply to."

"
About that." He offered her a tentative smile. "I've been looking at some online job postings and wondered if I could ask your advice sometime."

"
Mine? I don't know how I could help you. The only corporate job I've ever held was in event planning."

Timothy shook his head, his green eyes clouding a bit when he spoke again.
"I mean about the places. I've never lived anywhere but here. I don't know what I might like, or not like, about living in other cities. But I read the article on your husband when he came back last year to take the job at the radio station, and it sounds like your family has lived in a lot of places. I thought you might be able to give me some insight."

She smiled and handed him one of her business cards.
"I work out of my home, so feel free to call any time. I'd be happy to give you whatever information I can."

"
Thanks, I appreciate it," Timothy said.

Minutes later the Jeep sped away, and Kate
quickly made her purchase then headed back to the Collier house to finish lining up the tasks for the next day. There really wasn't any reason she couldn't start working on at least one of the bathrooms, too, as that kind of packing was easily handled by one person. She had left the project binder behind and wondered for a moment whether she should stop by her own home to grab some extra inventory sheets.

"
No, if I run out I'll just prep the items but not box them," she mumbled to herself.

It felt so strange to work through the girls
' pickup time. Almost like she was skipping school herself, or doing something naughty. She laughed as the van made the sharp turn into the Collier's neighborhood. It was time to remember why Jane always told her schedules were guides instead of laws. Her mother-in-law was a very wise woman, and Kate would do well to listen to her more.

"
Except in this case the extra time is a godsend after the two-day delay. I do have to take into account I'll have a huge moving truck and a crew of movers breathing down my neck if I'm still packing when they arrive at the end of the week." Of course, that didn't mean the Collier family would be leaving as well, if Sydney remained chief suspect. There was always something to get anxious over if she let it.

When she caught a view of the Collier house, however, all previous intentions got cast aside. A late model luxury car stood in the driveway, and two people were walking around the corner toward the patio.

"Can I help you?" Kate called moments later, after shooting the van in behind the car and slamming on the brakes. She strode toward the pair she now recognized as two women but couldn't positively identify either until they turned to face her. April Stephens and Valerie James.

Kate fixed a smile onto her face.
"Ladies…what a surprise. Can I help you?"

"
Oh, good, you're still here." April hurried across the pavers to meet Kate, her blonde hair flying in the slight breeze. She had a designer purse in one hand and a sleek tan leather brief case slung over the other shoulder to give her a free hand to shake with. "We should have called first, but I didn't know your cell number. I know we exchanged cards, but—"

"
That's fine, but if you don't mind I have a lot to do before the movers get here at the end of the week." Kate crossed her arms. "If you can tell me what you need."

Valerie stepped forward, looking fairly show-stopping in a red silk sheath. Her thick dark hair was swept up in a large clip.
"We just need to walk through and get an idea of what to start ordering. As you say, the movers are going to have it cleared by the end of the week, and we'd like to get our own people moving on this place early next week. For that to happen, we have to know what to order and determine what we already have on hand."

"
For the sale?"

"
For the staging to complement the sale."

April pulled several brochures from her bag and handed them to Kate.
"These are sales brochures of homes in the same price range as this one that I've sold in the last year. It's always better to keep things to a more universal décor, so people can feel comfortable as they look around and can imagine their own belongings in the house. Valerie handles the makeovers for me. Taking out the old and adding in the neutral."

Valerie made a face for a second, and Kate imagined she hadn
't particularly liked the "neutral" comment.