Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (24 page)

Johnson sighed.
"Believe me, Mrs. McKenzie, I know far more about Mrs. Parker and her fears and conjectures than I ever planned on knowing."

"
Don't you think she could be using this to hide that she could have killed Lila? She arrived on the scene soon after the police. But who's to say she didn't circle back around after she killed Lila. Erin most likely was the one who keyed her car."

"
And you know that, how?"

"
Because she keyed Blaine Collier's."

He blew a long breath into the phone.
"Mrs. McKenzie, I appreciate your information. Really, I do. And I want you to always call whenever you learn something promising about the case. But for you own mental and physical wellbeing, quit playing sleuth. Whatever reasons you think you have, they aren't good enough."

"
Goodbye, Lieutenant."

"
Thank you, again, for calling to tell me this."

She wanted to just hang up, but she simply couldn
't. "You're welcome, Lieutenant, but just one more thing—"

"
Is this going to make me angry about you forgetting to stay clear of my investigation again?"

"
Probably."

He sighed.
"What is it?"

"
Did you know that Lee Ann Miller is Sydney Collier's birth mom?"

"
It was one of the first things we noticed when the records department pulled Sydney's birth certificate."

"
Oh."

"
Goodbye, Mrs. McKenzie."

"
Goodbye, Lieutenant Johnson."

* * *

Jane met her at the door, huge black purse in hand, as Kate walked up the front steps of home.

"
Sorry I'm late, Jane. Thanks so much for your help."

"
Pshaw." Jane McKenzie wore her "don't worry about it" face and waved away the comment. "I enjoy my time with the girls. I just saw your lights as you drove up and thought I'd get away so you could keep your family time on track. Keith called a few minutes ago to tell you he'd be home soon."

While she talked to Johnson, Kate
's phone had signaled another call was coming in, but she hadn't wanted to switch over under the circumstances. She should have checked to see who had called but forgot by the time the conversation ended. "I think he tried my cell, but I was in the middle of a conversation."

"
No problem. He'll be here momentarily." Jane reached out to hug her goodbye then said, "I'll go and hug the girls then be on my way to the car. They came back from a neighborhood walk a few minutes ago and asked if they could make peanut butter sandwiches to eat outside. I hope you don't mind. I told them only half a sandwich each. You're almost out of bread, by the way."

"
Oh, I forgot. I bought another loaf but left it in the van. I'll send one of the girls out for it later." Kate hung her purse on a hook inside the coat closet. "At least they're getting some nourishment from the snack. They usually bug me for cookies."

Jane crossed her arms.
"It surprised me, too. But even more surprising was they didn't want the chunky type when I got it off the shelf. They chose the creamy style you use for peanut butter pancakes. I thought both the girls were nuts about nuts."

"
They are. Neither ever eats creamy unless it's the only thing in the house. Something tells me I need to check on this." Kate crossed the foyer and headed for the kitchen and the back door, Jane hot on her heels.

She could see through the curtains that the back patio light was already on. She threw open the door and looked down to find her girls sitting on the steps, and stretched across both their laps was what looked like a matted up, orange and gold, and dirt-toned, dust mop. A dust mop that made a sound like an outboard motor.

"What in the world?"

"
See, Mommy, isn't he sweet?" Suzanne's face almost split, her grin was so broad.

"
He followed us all the way home," Samantha added. "We didn't have to call him or anything."

Kate rolled her eyes. The animal looked up at her, its nose smashed so flat against its cheeks it could be part pug, but the ears looked pointed under all the grime. One eye was open and bright green, and the other squinted shut, making Kate think of the Popeye cartoon. Was it a dog, a cat, or some kind of new species entirely?
"But other than filthy, what is he?"

At that moment the noisy dust mop yawned, showing a clean pink tongue in the middle of the dirty face, then offered a hearty
meow.

"
Mystery solved," Jane said, laughing.

"
Girls, get up, and go wash up," Kate said. "Better yet, go take a shower. There's no telling what this cat has in its fur, but it needs to find its way back home."

"
But it has no home, Mommy," Sam said.

"
It wants to live here with us," Suzanne piped in at the same time.

I knew it. I knew if I didn
't figure out this pet problem the girls would find one on their own. And now I'm having to fight off this monster feline.

"
He likes peanut butter, Mommy," Sam explained, stroking the cat's head. "He ate every bite we gave to him."

"
Cats don't like bread."

"
This one does," Suzanne said, running her hand down the filthy back. "He loves anything we give him. Because he loves us."

"
Girls, quit petting him and stand up. He ate the peanut butter sandwich because he's hungry, but he needs to go home now and eat. Stop petting him."

"
He likes it," they chorused.

Kate was almost ready to start snapping her rubber band, but at that exact moment the front door opened and Keith called out,
"Hello."

"
In here, son." Jane walked back to meet him, and Kate heard them whispering on the way back. She presumed her mother-in-law was filling Keith in and was grateful for the help since she was trying to hide her anxiety level from the girls.

"
What do we have tonight?" Keith asked, wrapping a strong arm around Kate's waist and kissing her right temple.

The girls gently scooted the cat off their collective lap and jumped up to hug their daddy. Kate knew right then she had lost the battle.
"We have a cat, Daddy. He followed us home."

"
Wow, just followed you home."

Kate chewed a hangnail.
"He seems to have only one eye and a lot of dirt."

"
Well, I think we can handle the dirt problem. He's probably already used to the eye situation," Keith said, breaking away from Kate and heading for the phone. "But it wouldn't hurt to get him checked out by a vet. Let me call Gil and see who they use. Maybe get him looked at tonight."

Yep, battle, war—you name it
—I lost. The McKenzies are now the uncertain owners of a half-blind eating machine that is not only as big as two regular tabbies but purrs as loudly as three or four combined.

"
Today has simply not been the day for this," Kate whispered to Jane. She thought about the phantom in the funeral home and the phone conversation she'd just had with Lieutenant Johnson. "I don't want to be a bad sport but—"

Jane patted her shoulder.
"You're not a bad sport. You're just exhausted. I can see the stress on your face." She turned Kate around, and they walked toward the stairs. "Why don't you go up and take that shower you suggested to the girls. I'll get Meg over here to help get the girls squared away with litter and food and all." She rubbed a hand between Kate's shoulder blades. "Your muscles are rock solid. Take a couple of ibuprofen, get under a hot shower, and then crawl into bed. Your whole body will thank you."

"
But I—"

"
No, Katie, no argument. Everything will look better in the morning. Including the cat. I'll call George to come over, and we'll get the cat bathed after it comes home from the vet. Relax. Let your family take over here."

My family. That sounds so good.
"Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

Jane chuckled.
"I remember being a young mom and coming home to overwhelming surprises at the end of a challenging day. Go. Take a shower. Relax and sleep. That's a mother-in-law's orders."

"
Then they obviously should be obeyed."

"
Darn tootin'."

The women laughed, and Kate headed upstairs. She still had a headache, a million body aches, and a boatload of anxiety. However, she was also filled with gratitude that she finally had the first real support system of her life and could truly believe things would be much better by morning.

"Tell the girls they have to clean up all the fur he sheds on the furniture. That's my new number one rule."

"
It's a good rule to make right from the beginning," Jane agreed. "That cat has enough hair for several animals, and I'm betting he has no intention of keeping it all through the summer."

Kate sighed as she climbed the stairs. Maybe things would just be a little hairier by morning.

A Tisket, a Tasket

Baskets are one of the most versatile organizing tools available. One set inside the regular entry door can hold mail, keys, and change, or give that last minute reminder for library books and videos that need to be returned the next trip out. A basket on a kitchen desk or corner of the countertop will hold receipts and warranties until they can be properly filed. A basket in the living room is perfect to hold remotes and DVDs. Large baskets in a closet will help for sorting tasks for later, such as using one for mending, another to hold clothes for dry cleaning, and another for items to donate.

*
* *

The next morning Kate woke up to the cat. Five minutes before the alarm was set to score at six a.m., Kate's brain pulled itself out of the foggy sleep state by noticing two unfamiliar sensations. Keith snoring much louder than normal beside her, which he usually did only if he was particularly tired, and something heavy and solid, stretched out on her chest. She opened one eye to meet the gaze of a hopeful green one. When she opened the other, it met the sight of a permanently closed eye in an orange and gold, pug-nosed face. She knew for sure it wasn't a dream when the sound of an Evinrude engine seemed to fill the room, and the cat yawned, its pink tongue curling out to just inches from the end of Kate's nose.

She frowned and gently pushed the cat to the floor so she could get up without rousing Keith. The feline dogged her steps, watching every move she made. From retrieving and putting on her house coat and slippers, to the moment she slipped into the bathroom and closed the door to discourage his following her. As she washed her face to try to wake up completely, her mind ticked off breakfast options for her family and the cat. She thought she had some tuna in the pantry. Probably would work in a pinch for this morning at least. For the cat, of course, not her family.

Suddenly, she realized the cat might be waiting for its own turn at toilet options and could have awoken her for that need instead of breakfast. She hurried from the room and turned off the light. The cat sat as still as Buddha, waiting for her, profile tall and calm, front feet tucked in close to its body, face pointed upward, expression as bright as one could expect from an animal Kate now realized had been half-shaved last night in an obvious effort to remove the unbelievably matted hair.

The cat padded after her and into the hallway. In passing the girls
' bathroom, Kate's nose picked up a new scent, and she investigated to find a litter-filled box in one corner. Its aromatic granular contents showing recent activity where the cat had used the facilities, then nearly covered over the evidence.

"
So, you did just wake me because you're hungry, then?" She kept away the thought of supposing the cat may have wanted company. This wasn't her pet. This cat and all its responsibility belonged to Keith and the girls, and they and the animal needed to know the parameters from the beginning. "I'll feed you now, since I went to bed earlier than everyone else. And your appearance this morning shows a lot of makeover time was spent on you last night by the whole crew. But don't go thinking you're my cat or anything along those lines. Understand?"

She took another look at the litter box before turning off the light.
"I have to say, you're pretty neat. You have that going for you at least."

In the kitchen, she found a bowl just inside of the laundry room with a couple of pieces of kibble left in the bottom. Next to it sat a nearly empty water dish. A bag of dry cat food had been left on the dryer, so she poured a good portion into the bowl and set the bag down on the floor. The cat looked at her, as if asking permission to eat.