Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (22 page)

"
All the furnishings are going except for what is being donated. And the truck will be by on Thursday to pick up those items," Kate explained. "You can bring in whatever you like next week."

"
Work could start faster if I have an idea ahead of time about what works best."

"
You don't have a key yet?"

"
No," April said. "Blaine Collier—"

Kate held up a hand.
"Yeah, I know. Mr. Collier is protective of his privacy." She chewed her lip, trying to decide what to do. Everything about the previous situation regarding an agent on the sale had been specifically because of his problems with Erin. With April as the new agent, those kinds of restrictions were far less likely. And while she wasn't Valerie's biggest fan, she knew the designer had a reputation for doing this kind of work. Was it worth bothering with a call to Collier? She wished Meg was at least here to bounce ideas off of and to help her keep an eye on the pair if she let them inside.

"
Look," Kate finally made up her mind. "Right now the house is my responsibility, and I have a boatload of things I still need to do before dark. So here's my deal, take it or leave it. I'll let the two of you in for a half-hour to scope out the downstairs any way you need to. But only the downstairs. And you have to stay together so I can say I was with you the entire time. I really wasn't kidding about Mr. Collier's privacy issues."

"
We understand," April said, a smile lighting up her face.

Kate let them in through the back door. Moments later, both women were awed by the kitchen.

"This room is phenomenal and so beautifully functional," April breathed. "The built-ins alone are simply superb. Are they lighted?"

Kate nodded and flipped the switch on one so
that the interior glowed through the beveled glass fronts.

Valerie moved over to the window wall.
"I want to make sure I maximize this bright setting, and its proximity to the family area is perfect too. I'm thinking wooden bowls on the countertops, all different colors, so it's friendly looking. Maybe an abstract on the wall over there with a lot of yellow and red." She moved a hand to touch one of the cords to the blinds. "These window coverings need to stay open during a showing, to bring the outdoors in. But leave one or two down, maybe at each end, so people can see how well they block out light and offer privacy for anyone who feels they might be on display with the blinds up."

Both women looked toward the pavers.

"I forgot to check…" April started then let her words hang.

"
I called in a group of crime scene cleaners to coordinate with the police and come in as soon as the house was released," Kate explained. "They did a terrific job on the blood outside and all the fingerprint powder inside. While you show the house, no one will know any drama took place here unless they see the news or read the papers."

Valerie and April each gave a slight shudder. She could have been more sensitive when bringing up the information, but the clock was ticking on their half-hour. May as well cover everything now, as she knew Meg would ask her later.
"How many people will come just because of the notoriety of the house do you think?"

"
Good question. The murder will draw the more macabre as well," April said as they entered the foyer. "I'll show it to Morgan Jackson first thing, since he's already shown an interest, maybe have an open house right away if the clients I plan to give first dibs to don't bite. Open houses are a lot of work, but once they're finished most of the lookie-loos are out of the picture."

"
This is a great space," Valerie said, "but I think we need to change out the lighting."

"
Yes, Erin mentioned that, too," Kate said.

Valerie snorted and moved on toward the hall.
"At least there won't be any stuff cluttering up the house. You'll take care of all that."

"
The office and media room are this way," Kate explained as she and April hurried after the designer.

They stopped in Collier
's home office. April took a seat behind the empty desk while Kate stepped aside so Valerie could pace around the Oriental rug that lay across the front of the room.

"
The Oriental goes?" Valerie asked.

Kate nodded.

"But they're leaving all the window treatments, right?"

"
Yes."

It was Valerie who nodded this time, as if assuring herself all was well.
"Lila's tastes were a little boho," she spoke to the real estate agent. "But just the same, I can use what she chose for the house. Except for that entry lighting we've already discussed, of course."

April folded her hands on the desk and leaned forward asking,
"What are your ideas for the floor?"

"
Play off the natural elegance," Valerie explained, pulling a phone from her purse to make notes. "I'm going to bring in pieces made of nicely grained woods and play off what the house already has. Add lavish pieces, custom made by a craftsman in Burlington. He's wanted to branch out down here and in northern Massachusetts. He'll jump through hoops to work with me on this house."

"
Will there be time? We really need to be able to move right away."

"
He already has prime pieces in his showroom."

Valerie moved the wastebasket from one side of the desk to the other
—then she and April traded a look Kate couldn't read but knew meant something.

"
I know you said just the lower floor, but could we just get a quick view of the master suite?" April asked, rising from the chair as she spoke. "It's a space we're going to have to think over quite a bit to make sure it's exactly right. You understand." Her gaze locked on Kate's face.

Oh, yes, I understand.
Give an inch…she knew the old rule. Still, she also understood there was a point somewhere in that push for extra consideration. The master bedroom needed to be perfect, spectacular, to keep anyone coming in to view the house thinking about anything but the murder that took place there. Kate looked at her watch. "Okay, quickly, but then I do need to call time on this thing. I have to get back to my to-do list, and you both now have plenty of information to work from until the movers come at the end of the week."

"
Absolutely," April said. Valerie didn't look convinced, but she didn't argue.

The selling team walked in step with Kate as they left the room to head upstairs, just giving a perfunctory look at the enviable media room. April added an
"Oh, nice," as they moved on.

They topped the stairs, and Kate quickly stepped ahead to open the door. The more she could keep this contained from the beginning, the better chance she had of getting them to leave and resuming her own workload. They entered the large master suite as a group, the cobalt curtains over the balcony
's French doors allowing enough light to awe the newcomers. Kate used the control panel just inside the doorway to slide the lights up to a comfortable level that showed off the muted gray and slate color spectrum, yet kept the room feeling cozy and intimate. April moved quickly to ooh and ahh over the silver-veined marble in the glorious glamour bath, while Valerie homed in on the balcony. Kate remained by the door. The pair could figure things out for themselves, and she knew there were no valuables left in the space, so staying where she was seemed the best plan for herding them out soon.

Kate zoned out and let the women patter on more about window dressings and color schemes. She honestly didn
't know how they could be in there so soon, trying to figure a way to turn a profit on the house. But life went on, and everyone needed to mitigate losses in their own way. She wanted to cry for Lila. She wanted someone to anyway.

"
Okay, come on. I'm sorry, but you need to go." Kate could hardly believe her own ears as she said these words. Talk about ill-mannered. But was it any worse than what April and Valerie were doing? Using a work excuse to make sure they could see the scene of the murder at the earliest possible opportunity. "Please, I'll see you out, now."

"
Oh, dear, I'm sorry." April moved closer and put a hand on Kate's arm. "I should have thought. This has to be hard for you."

"
It's just a room," Kate said, but the words didn't even sound convincing to her own ears. "Please, if you'll follow me."

No one spoke again as they retraced their steps back downstairs. Kate followed them out the back door and watched until April maneuvered the driveway and the car disappeared out of the neighborhood. Kate moved into the great room and sat on one end of the couch.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Valerie was back and on the front stoop. April stayed in the idling car.

"
Did you forget something?" Kate asked.

"
Yes, I figured you'd sketched out the floor plan for one of your organized binder things and wondered if I could get a copy," Valerie explained.

"
Not really, I—"

"
Come on, Kate, you know I'm right."

Kate raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, yes, you're right. But it's just a rough sketch."

"
No matter." Valerie handed her a business card. "Go ahead and email a copy to the address on the card."

"
You're welcome."

"
Thank you, Kate." Valerie offered a big Cheshire Cat smile then skipped down the steps.

"
Do you always have to be right?" Kate asked, more in frustration than really wanting to hear the answer. But Valerie turned on her heel and put her hands on her hips.

"
Yes, Kate, I have to be right. I don't get referrals otherwise, so I have to always think one step ahead and one year ahead. Clients would fire me otherwise. And getting a floor plan from you now will not only make this staging a bit easier under the time constraints, but if I have the shot at decorating the house again, I'll know what may have been changed and what is original to the floor plan."

Kate felt like she
'd been verbally pummeled. "Wow, you're always figuring how to get more business, aren't you?"

"
Don't you? That's what owning your own business is all about. Marketing constantly, being ready instantly. Around the clock and every month on the calendar."

She had to hand it to Valerie. She knew this, practiced it herself, but hadn
't really nailed down the particulars. For all her continual organizing, the right-brained designer had quantified things the left-brained organizer hadn't taken the time yet to do. "I think I'm kind of getting what it's like to be you. Being a small entrepreneur in a small town in a small state is difficult, I know, but it's probably a lot harder for an interior design business."

Valerie nodded, moving her chin up as she spoke,
"Staging was a necessary extension." She turned and sighed. "It really takes a ton of research and even more PR talent than straight interior design, though. People feel they get their money's worth with decorating when they're going to live with it. So as long as you hook their tastes and come together at the beginning on the money, they're happy."

"
But…"

"
Yeah, but." Valerie gave a half-hearted laugh. "If they list their home without staging first, then use my talents as a fall back because six months has passed and the house still hasn't sold, then they're doubly difficult to please. And they over-think everything by that point. That's why it's important to get the staging job right at the beginning and to build a rapport with agents like April. It's the best way to stay sane in this business."

"
So you get all your referrals from real estate agents?"

Valerie shrugged.
"Some of the time. I can also get the job by recommending an agent to someone selling a house, then follow-up with the agent and offer my services while they're thanking me for the referral. Everyone wants the best experience. They want an offer that gives them what they want, whether it's to move up to the next level, scale back to pay off debts and retire, or start a world tour. And everyone talks to one another, especially the entrepreneurs who market even harder than I do. Networking is the way I've been able to get the staging end of my business up as quickly as I have. You need to take a lesson in this, McKenzie, and start thinking about where your next segue will be."

With those words, Valerie resumed her trek to the car and left Kate wondering.
Next step? I haven't even got this first one completely covered yet.

She balled her fists and put them into the small of her back to push and stretch her muscles. Wow, she was tense. Kate retraced her steps to the back door and stood in the warm sun on the patio. Then her gaze involuntarily shifted to the spot where the memory of the blood was no longer visible, and she decided it was time to leave. Continuing to work solo was no longer an option. It took only a few minutes to move back into the house and reset all the window blinds and make sure the alarm was back on. She slipped back out the back door and moved to her car. Was there any real reason for her to feel at odds like this? Was it some kind of internal warning or just heebie
-jeebies and a built in anathema for situations where people's curiosity overstepped her personal preset limits? Likely the latter, she knew, but the sensation of life being too over the top kept her driving toward Bennington. The funeral home was there, and she needed to pay her respects to Lila to offset the negative energy she was feeling at the moment.