Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (17 page)

"
Well, I hope it helps," Gil said. "Because when the police searched the house again this morning, they found Collier's phone in Sydney's workroom. The case still had his fingerprints on it but included a couple of partials attributed as likely being hers. It's really a mess of prints the way I understand it, though, so who knows. But the fact the cell phone wasn't wiped clean, and was left on the floor under her work desk, and has the incriminating text sent from it that asked Erin to come to the house the night of the murder—well, it was good enough for the DA. And Sydney's description matches what you both gave as the height, build, and dress of the killer. I'm not sure what's going to happen now with this alibi floating around. It will obviously muddy the facts, but I don't know it's enough to set her free. Timothy didn't actually talk to her or pick her up."

"
Of course it does," Meg argued into the speaker. "If she was on Main Street, she couldn't be at the house killing Lila, but the timing works for her still arriving just afterward. She's in the clear."

"
Besides, everyone except Lee Ann Miller and me match the height and build description of the killer," Kate grumbled. "I've never in my life been around so many people connected to one event who are just under six feet."

"
The evidence has to be pretty convincing for our DA. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

"
Gil Berman, you take that back," Meg demanded.

Kate put a hand on her arm, knowing how her friend felt.
"Don't worry. If Timothy's word isn't enough, we'll find another way to clear her."

"
Meg, honey, I wasn't trying to upset you," Gil said. "But you have to realize the police aren't just going to accept his word without checking further. He's offering an alibi to his boss's daughter for heaven's sake. The police are going to be skeptical."

"
Well, I believe him." Meg looked at Kate. "Didn't you think he was telling the truth?"

"
I hope so," Kate answered.

"
We all do," Gil seconded. "Look, honey, I have to go. Her father will get her legal representation, if he hasn't already. Don't worry. I'll try to be home in time for dinner, but no promises. This story is changing by the second."

"
Call if you learn anything else."

"
Anything I can share."

"
Gil…"

"
I love you, honey. Bye."

"
Darn, the man! He did that on purpose." Meg glared at the now dormant cell phone.

"
One huge disadvantage of not being the chief suspect this time is having to hear things second hand," Kate said, smiling. "Last time I had a pretty good idea all the time what kind of evidence the police had because of the questions they asked me."

"
Not that any of us want you to live through the experience again."

"
I wish Sydney wasn't experiencing the moment in the spotlight, either."

Meg used a finger to tap her lower lip.
"I just wonder who her father got to represent her. If he's hired anyone at all. Gil would have said a name if he knew one."

"
Of course Collier has hired an attorney for Sydney. Why wouldn't he?"

"
Maybe because he was the one who killed Lila and he wants to let the suspicion spread. You know, reasonable doubt."

"
Use his own daughter?" Kate shook her head. "No, a father wouldn't do that."

"
Maybe not, but why didn't Gil know yet if a lawyer has been hired? You know how my husband is about his stories. If the news is out there, he knows it."

"
I still can't get over the formality between Timothy and Collier after working together four years," Kate said. "Of course. Collier seems to use professional distance to any advantage. Even his and Erin's affair seemed to fizzle before it had a chance to shine. Maybe that's what made her lose it, not even having the chance to see where it would go."

"
Nah, she was sabotaging it long before the car-keying happened. Remember, she tried to get him to pull Sydney from the Olympic program before he even had the job in California."

"
Yeah, you're right. And spending even a little time with her would likely have set off his woo-woo sensor."

"
Because she's bat-crazy," Meg said, raising one eyebrow.

"
She is that."

Kate stood and walked closer to the side window, trying to figure out if the girls had any chance against the boys
in the two-on-two basketball game. Even though Mark was older, the girls were about his height already, but both boys had more experience at the game. She kept her gaze on the activity as she spoke, "I see your point, but you also know how Johnson is all about trying to keep what he deems unnecessary information from the press. Gil said himself we told him more about Amelia's case than he or anyone else could get from the state police. And Collier is probably even worse about his privacy. I don't doubt he would likely stay just as quiet in regard to Sydney's defense. Between the two of them, I'm surprised Gil is getting any information at all."

Collier Family Unpacking
Instructions/Information

The notebook marked Master List gives an itemized accounting of the packed contents in each box. Each packed box or container will have its own page(s) detailing what is inside and will note how many boxes in total are packed for each room. You will not only find the room name marked on several sides of each box, but there will be a unique number for each room on the label as well. For example, the inventory sheet will show:
Living Room, Rm#2 Box#1 of 25
. When the moving van arrives at your new house, please have the movers look for these numbers—it will be easier for them to place all the boxes for one room together in your new California home. Then, unpack one room at a time, so you can focus only on that one space and where everything is going. Doing this will help make the unpacking process less chaotic, and actually get your new household up and running much quicker.
All inventory info is entered into my computer forms and will be emailed to you to provide inventory files which are easily searchable via phone or tablet once you arrive at your new home. Given that you wanted to be able to hand off the hard copy to my counterpart on the West Coast, all data in the Master List is provided for this job in both digital and hard copy formats.

* * *

"You know, while I'm sorry the family is sequestered off-site, it will be much easier to get everything packed. We won't have to factor in people living there for the next few days," Kate said. She and Meg had sent their families on to church without them and planned to tackle the Collier home now that the police had given the all-clear. They had their van filled with supplies and all of Kate's notes, and Blaine Collier was scheduled to come by soon to cover any new instructions they needed to deal with since the family moved into the hotel.

The skies were cloudy, rain chances almost guaranteed, as Kate and Meg unloaded the stacked box flats that lay collapsed near the vehicle
's back doors.

"
Yeah, I know what you mean," Meg said, hefting a share of box flats, then propping them next to the side of the van. "I feel kind of guilty seeing any silver lining in this, but it will be much easier not having to worry about anyone unpacking what we've just packed."

Each woman wore a heavy duty apron Kate
had designed for their organizing jobs. Much like handymen wore, the twill aprons had large reinforced storage pockets to keep supplies accessible at all times. Meg scooped up a couple of extra rolls of packing tape and slid them onto her wrist like tacky bracelets. Both women had big tape guns hanging from the handles, the thick grips threaded through one of the many holster loops on each apron. Kate used a hanging Velcro line on her apron to add a spare tape roll for herself, then grabbed up a handful of black and red markers and divided them up between the big pockets. Finally, she slung one strap of a large blue backpack onto her left shoulder. Inside the bag were all of the notebooks needed for itemizing the move, with the one big master list that would go with the family the day of departure. The front flap pocket of the backpack held the pre-printed colored labels prepared for them to use in tagging and organizing the boxes and various packed items. The last thing she grabbed was a roll of red duct tape.

"
Why the colored tape?" Meg asked.

Kate hung the roll on another of her Velcro loops.
"Any box that needs to be opened first gets marked with an 'A' on the outside and taped up with this roll. That makes them easy to spot when the family is faced with a sea of boxes in each room."

"
Good idea. Sounds like a smart tip for the next time we travel."

"
Yes, I put it on the handles of every piece of luggage," Kate said. "Makes it a snap to spot our bags on the luggage carousel."

They
slammed the vehicle's back doors in unison and headed inside.

"
Why don't you go up and start packing up the kids' bedrooms," Kate said. When Meg agreed, she continued. "I brought over plastic to wrap and pad items yesterday evening. I wanted to make sure we could get in today and the crime scene tape was taken away. I left a good supply just inside the master bedroom."

She had no desire to look over the balcony, but the room was the best available community space for the upper floor. The crime scene cleaners were onsite when she was there the previous evening, finishing up any final stains and removing the last of the fingerprint powder. Kate was grateful for their diligence, as she had no desire to have to clean the dark powder from everything before packing.

"Where will you be?" Meg asked.

"
The kitchen. But those blinds will stay firmly in place today." She tossed her supplies on the granite counter, and started assembling the first box. "Just yell if you need anything and I'll run up."

Meg nodded, and started up the staircase with her load. Halfway up, she stopped and called,
"Is there a Kate McKenzie perfected moving procedure for labeling the boxes? Or do I stick the labeled tags on each side?"

"
I don't know about 'perfected,' but I have my own system," Kate said, walking into the foyer with the box she'd been working on. "With all the moves we've made during Keith's hockey career, for me the best method is to always label packing boxes three times."

She ran tape along the bottom of the box, to use as a visual aid. The adhesive filled the space with its hesitant screeches, as Kate
's pull made it release the grip on the roll and transfer hold to keep the bottom flaps affixed together. "I label one long side, and one short side, then the top. By labeling only the top, never the bottom, the movers have a quick visual so they don't stack things upside down. Then the other two sides allow for easy identification, regardless of how the boxes get slid into corners or stacked. You can label all the sides if you prefer, but I've found three sides cover most every contingency."

"
Sounds like a good plan. Never the bottom. Got it!" Meg moved on up the stairs.

The kitchen had a unique
footprint with its custom counters and built-ins, and a family of four could almost live in the walk-in pantry. Everything right at hand and offering a means of comfort and camaraderie at every turn. Kate's imagination filled with the idea of all the holidays and family meals this space created, especially with the organic flow into the family room beyond, feeling the family's soul and body until marital discord grew too strong for even this beautiful home's positive influences.

Outside, the rain started with true purpose, then settled into a steady shower for about an hour. It was nice to be able to work inside, listening to the easy rhythm of raindrops against the windows. All the week
's preplanning made their tasks go smoothly. The pair met several times to grab and trade out supplies, but the work continued efficiently. Meg went ahead and finished the closets first, hanging all the remaining clothes in large trash bags like Kate had shown her and adding the correct color coded labels for the movers to deliver each bundle into the correct Malibu closet.

Much of the kitchenware and remaining decoration was destined for donation. Collier felt it easier to buy new cookware than move the old, so Kate spent the first hour moving items out to the garage for the nonprofit pickup she
'd scheduled for the end of the week. Which meant a quick scare when she returned after one trip and found Collier standing in the foyer slapping rain off the shoulders of his light blue shirt.

"
I'm sorry, I should have called out," Collier apologized as he pulled the wet fabric away from his body.

Kate waved, speechless, staring down a moment as she caught her breath.
"We've gotten a good start, so I was probably too focused to have heard you anyway."

"
Your partner is here, too?"