Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) (25 page)

"Go on, it's yours," she said while picking up the water dish. The cat obviously understood and nearly knocked her over in its haste to now reach the food. The sound of the outboard motorboat engine rose in volume.

After returning the refilled water dish, Kate left the utility room door open enough for the cat to escape back into the kitchen. She washed her hands and set about making coffee. When she tried to find bread, she realized the new loaf was still in the van and decided to whip up a batch of muffins instead. The cat returned to the kitchen and chose a spot a few feet away to watch her.

The first dozen muffins were being slid into the oven to bake when a knock sounded on the back door. The morning sun was bright enough to illuminate Meg's profile against the cheery, cherry print curtains covering the window in the top of the door.

"
Hi, come on in."

"
You were wiped out last evening. Hope you slept all night." Meg bent down to pet the cat, who had again matched Kate's steps to the door. "Aren't you a handsome lad this morning?"

"
You're obviously being kind, or you like the punk cat look," Kate said. Now taking a better look at the animal, he did look a little better cleaned up. He'd never win any beauty pageants, and she wondered what the story was behind his eye, as he didn't seem a bit aggressive or prone to fighting. The jury was still out, but she'd give the animal a chance. For the girls' sake, of course.

Meg gave his ears a last scratch then rose and poured herself and Kate a cup of coffee.
"My second freshly brewed cup of the morning." She handed over the other mug. "Love days like this."

"
I see evidence you helped in last night's miracle endeavor. Litter boxes and food," Kate said.

"
Yes." Meg laughed. "Despite your daughters' insistence the cat loves kid food better, I thought the kibble might be a healthier and more convenient option for him. I ran out and got it when our guys and all the kids left to see what the vet said."

"
Everyone?"

"
Even your father-in-law." Meg moved to the table and took a seat. "The cat came home with a semi-clean bill of health. He was dehydrated and likely malnourished, but that's what comes from living the hobo-cat life. The vet's tech shaved the really bad parts, and then sent the group home with some heavy duty shampoo. The vet's instructions were pretty much to feed him whenever he wanted to eat. Otherwise, he should be fine. Jane and I cleaned up the bathroom after the crew scrubbed the cat in the girls' bathtub."

"
Thank you, so much."

"
No worries." Meg waved off the gratitude. "I enjoyed the time with your mother-in-law."

"
She is nice. Isn't she?"

"
Yep. And the scrubbing time also reminded me of something I've been wondering in odd moments. Do we have to clean up the Collier house once the movers get everything out? I forgot to ask if it's part of our contract."

Kate shook her head.
"No. The real estate company handles that kind of thing, just like they hired Valerie. All sales expense stuff goes their way. I only called in the crime scene cleaning team because I didn't want us to have to clean finger print powder off everything before we loaded up. But Collier picked up the tab for their bill, too. All in all, we're still pretty much like we were to begin with as far as tasks and profits go."

"
Good."

Though Meg had already offered friendship in the form of head scratching, the cat remained at Kate
's heels, staking out the floor about a foot away as she sliced melon.

"
Did they have any ideas about his eye?" Kate asked.

"
It had been medically attended to at some point," Meg said, taking a tentative sip. "The vet figures the old guy belonged to someone who moved and couldn't afford to take him along. Or maybe his owner passed away. He's probably about four years old, and can't have been roughing it that long. And the eye alone shows someone cared enough to pay for real medical treatment."

Kate set the meal-ready bowl of melon back into the refrigerator and took her mug from the countertop to join Meg at the table. She looked down at the cat.
"What's your story, fella? And for that matter, what's your name?"

The cat moved closer and rubbed against the leg of her lavender pajamas, the rumbling sound in his chest again growing.
"I assume they scanned for a chip," Kate said.

"
Yep, nothing." Meg smiled at the cat. "And as far as names go, the kids have tried out everything short of Rumpelstiltskin. Your girls have stuck with male names all along. But everyone lost it last night when Suzanne suggested Prince Charming. My boys leaned heavily toward character names used in the
Transformer
and
Lego
movies. Obviously, I need to more closely monitor their entertainment choices."

"
What? No sports heroes?"

"
Keith tried a couple, Gretzky first, of course, but I think that was just an effort to give the poor cat some dignity."

Kate shook her head and stared into the animal
's one good eye as she warned. "It doesn't matter what they name you. If you decide to live here, the girls will dress you up in goofy clothes, and Suzanne will try to put at least one tiara on your head."

The cat took the moment
's opportunity to drop into what resembled a pulley-bone position and begin grooming itself, oblivious to Kate's words.

"
Don't say I didn't warn you, fella," she added. The timer dinged. She rose to pull the muffins from the oven and set them to cool on the counter. She turned back to Meg. "I wish we'd had a chance to talk last night. Several things happened once you left yesterday. And I want to hear how it went with your mom and the yard clean up. Did she have any info to share?"

"
A little, I think. I probably need to talk it over with you to figure out if it means anything."

"
Let me wake the girls. Then I'll fill you in on my stuff, and you can tell me yours."

Meg glanced at the clock.
"As much as I'd love to get the scoop, I left my boys getting ready for school. And if I don't get back there to keep them moving along, they'll risk tardy slips."

"
How about we do coffee on the way to work?"

"
Sounds like a plan." Meg stopped walking and turned, finger in the air. Kate knew this was the tell that said she'd just remembered something. "I'll meet you at the Colliers. I have to run errands after work so I'll drive myself. Also need to get a referral for an eye doctor for Mark. I'll start by checking with the school nurse. His grades are slipping and showing all the signs of needing glasses."

Kate shook her head.
"And so it all starts, right?"

"
Yep. The dentist already gave us a referral to an orthodontist for Ben."

"
I'll grab coffee at Hazelight Donuts on my way," Kate said.

"
Good. Grab me a blueberry donut too, please."

Just as Meg was about to exit through the back door, Kate called out.
"What do I do about this guy, today?" She pointed to the cat.

"
He seemed pretty house friendly last night. Where did he sleep?"

"
Anywhere he wanted, I guess. I woke up ahead of the alarm with him lying on top of me."

Meg laughed.
"Sounds about right. He obviously adores you." She waved away the argument Kate was gearing up to make. "Never mind. If he didn't make any messes last night while everyone was asleep, he isn't likely to do more than find a sunny window today and sleep. That's what my cats mostly do. You can put him in your garage with his litter box and food, but I really wouldn't go to the trouble."

"
Should I keep a litter box downstairs, too?"

"
It wouldn't hurt. He's likely been foraging for food for awhile, so his tummy could have some issues, and closer bathroom facilities are always appreciated. And make for fewer accidents."

"
Garage confinement is looking better and better."

"
Do whatever you think is best," Meg said, smiling. "He seems eager to please you. He might even catch that mouse you've been thinking you have."

"
I know I have," Kate said, as Meg laughed again and pulled the door closed.

The rest of the hour was spent getting the girls up and fed and coaxing them closer toward the prospect of arriving on time for school. Keith made sounds a couple of times like he might be waking, too. But when the snores resumed Kate assumed he was going to stay out cold for the morning. She did close the bedroom door, so the cat had no access and couldn
't wake Keith like he had her.

The cat kept pace with her as she zoomed up and down stairs. She made a second litter box out of a large box lid she lined with a trash sack. The bag of litter was in the garage, and she almost set the box out there after filling it then decided to take Meg
's advice and see if the cat had any luck today discovering and disposing of her resident annoying rodent. She took a moment to introduce the cat to the small office tucked away in the corner of the lower floor and offered instructions.

"
While I'm gone today, feel free to spend your day here watching for the mouse that sneaks in all the time. I don't know why he likes it in this room, except maybe because he knows I want him gone. But that's your job now. Earn your keep." She put down layers of newspaper, then set the newly made litter box on top, hoping the sight and smell of the litter would convince the cat to stick to the room. She thought about adding another food and water dish as well, but that would likely exacerbate the rodent problem she already had in the space.

Better leave it at just the litter box.

The cat followed her as she left the room. Minutes later, he continued to try to follow when they headed for the van.

"No," Kate warned, standing on the front porch and looking back inside. "You stay in the house. We'll be back later. I promise."

The cat sat on the foyer tile and used his seemingly squinting eye to give her a quizzical look. She had the feeling she needed to get used to seeing this expression.

I might even start using it myself.

Since he didn
't move closer to the door, however, she took that as a good sign and shot the deadbolt with her key.

Never, Never, Never

Writing
"miscellaneous" on a box you intend to sort later may sound like a good idea, but within a week you will have forgotten what is inside. Instead, sort items by specific groups, whether it's bills or light bulbs, using several boxes as necessary. However, many people do efficiently utilize the catchall "junk drawer" to good use. The concept of a junk drawer works when it contains things that really don't go with anything else but still have a purpose in the household. The items in a junk drawer should be things that will be there until the day they are used again. This drawer should never be used as miscellaneous storage for things used often and that have a place of their own if someone would just put them where they belong.

* * *

"It's all your fault we have a cat now." Kate set the donut sack and cup carrier on the only counter space not covered in boxes.

"
How is it my fault?" Meg asked.

"
You're the perfect mom who lets her boys have all the pets they want," Kate explained. "Then my girls want one, and I say we have to plan it out, but I get stuck looking like an organizing ogre, and everyone gangs up on me to rescue a cat who is already shedding all over my house."

"
He's just settling in."

"
My vacuum cleaner notified me it's going on strike," Kate groused, then smiled.

Meg laughed.
"You're a good mom. Just wait and see. Suze will be offering to let you wear her tiara."

"
After the cat takes his turn first."

"
Of course." They both laughed that time.

The women had made great inroads
into the Collier moving job, despite the sheer scope of the project and the delays they'd had due to Lila's death. Today they were set to wrap all the furniture assigned to ship and move any final donation items to the garage that they had previously missed. Those chores alone would take most of the day. The next day the charity folks would arrive with their truck for a pick-up. Kate and Meg would spend the whole of Thursday making sure each inventory list was completed and every packed container marked clearly and correctly. Then on Friday the moving truck was scheduled, and the big move was on.

Kate had been concerned they wouldn
't have that last oversee day on Thursday, leaving her to turn over the master binder without a good double check of everything. But the extensive preplanning worked beautifully, and by having all her supplies printed and ready and easy to use and due to the great way she and Meg worked so effortlessly together, it all came out right in the end.