by Ritter Ames
ORGANIZED FOR MASKED MOTIVES
An Organized Short Mystery
By Ritter Ames
KATE MCKENZIE LOOKED out the windows of her cheery cherry-patterned kitchen curtains and watched lace-like snowflakes drift down lazily on the other side of the pane.
Definitely going to be a white Halloween, she thought. Something she was learning to count on since moving to Hazelton, Vermont. As she placed bananas into her seven-year-old twin daughters’ lunches, her energetic tomboy daughter, Samantha, barreled into the room with her coat and backpack slung onto one arm.
“Oh, good, Sam. You’re ready,” Kate said, half-glancing over one shoulder. “Is Suzanne about set to go too?”
“Yeah.” Sam chewed her lip, then asked, “Mom, can witches turn real people into zombies, or just do that to animals?”
“What?” Kate laughed and pushed on the Velcro ends of one insulated bag, sealing up the opening. She turned and faced a solemn faced Samantha. Oops. “Sorry I laughed, honey. I thought you were joking. I think I need a little more information on this zombie thing.”
“Monica says the lady down the road in the turquoise colored house is a witch and can bring animals back from the dead. But all the cats are zombies.”
This wasn’t the first wild story her twins had brought home thanks to this particular facts-challenged classmate. Kate had been meaning to visit the new neighbor, but life had a way of filling every spare minute. Now, she had an even better reason to go and introduce herself. “I think someone told me she fosters rescued cats, honey. How about we drop by her house after school with some of the jack-o-lantern cookies I made last night and introduce ourselves.”
“But Monica says she makes zombies out of the cats. They walk around and don’t see or hear anyone,” Sam persisted, just as her blonde identical twin, Suzanne, walked into the kitchen.
“Are you talking about the cat witch lady?” Suze asked.
“Yeah.”
“Girls, stop.” Kate handed each a lunch bag and steered them toward the front door, reconsidering her idea about taking the girls to meet the new neighbor. Probably best to pop in alone first, and take the girls later after she could reassure them with tangible evidence the woman didn’t turn anything into zombies. At least she hoped the fact she’d come home without being zombiefied would succeed in putting this story to rest. “There are no cat witches. And from what I know from living with our own family’s cat, I believe felines only hear and see what they want to. Probably Monica tried to call one or two of the cats, wanting to pet them, and the animals ignored her.”
At that precise moment, the McKenzie family’s large orange and gold cat wandered into the room, fixing his good eye on his favorite napping chair. He walked under the table, then disappeared with a leap onto the chair seat.
“But—”
“No, girls,” Kate pointed to their coats and ushered the girls toward the front of the house. “Suit up with those jackets and stick your lunches in your backpacks. Meg and the boys are taking you to school today. I’ll check out the new neighbor this afternoon and give a full report when I pick you up. And in the meantime, stop believing everything Monica tells you.” She opened the front door and crossed her arms in defense to the October blast of frigid air.
Meg’s silver Camry had just pulled up to the front curb, and Kate herded the girls across the lawn. As the twins crawled into the backseat with Ben, the youngest Berman boy, Meg lowered the passenger side window, then leaned across her older son, Mark, to say, “I have one stop after carpool, then I’ll be back to help with the Dawson estimate. Okay?”
“Terrific,” Kate said, hunched over both to see into the car and to try to escape some of the wind. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you want to come in the back door.”
Everyone waved as the car circled the cul de sac and headed out of the small housing addition. Kate hurried into the house.
ABOUT FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later, she had relocated the cat to his quilted bed in the living room corner and was setting pads and pens on the table, getting ready for Meg’s return. The back door burst open, and her neighbor and a good amount of snow blew into the kitchen.
“Oh, my gosh it’s cold out there,” Meg said, hanging what looked like several black plastic clothing bags on a coat hook near the door. She brushed snow from her shoulder length auburn curls with one hand and waved at the bags with the other. “I picked up our costumes after I dropped off the kids. Have you convinced Keith to be Batman for the school carnival?”
Kate nodded. A costume and party shop recently moved into a small space in downtown Hazelton. Once the women realized the costume shop was open for business, they felt it was their civic duty as good Hazelton citizens to throw support the new merchant’s way. And since the nicknames they used for each other were Batgirl and Wonder Woman, they decided to use the superheroine theme for their Halloween costumes. The merchant was happy to oblige, placing an order and making sure the right outfits in the right sizes would be ready by the holiday. Later the same afternoon, when they signed up themselves and their husbands to help with the fall school carnival, one requirement was everyone must come in costume. So Kate and Meg returned to the store and ordered gender-matching costumes for their husbands. They had been anxiously waiting for the rentals to arrive, to be sure they had everything they needed.
“Keith agreed as long as I let him wear a utility belt,” Kate said. “I don’t even want to think about what crazy things he’ll carry in it, but he found one online and has reminded me for days to look for it. I received an email this morning saying it arrives tomorrow, so help me keep an eye out for the UPS guy.”
“It’s coming just in time.”
“Right.” Kate pulled down mugs for coffee, then asked, “What about Gil? Is he looking forward to being Superman?”
Meg laughed. “Not a chance. He suggested Sherlock Holmes instead. I think the idea of standing next to Keith in a superhero costume has him feeling a little physically inferior.”
Gil Berman was a tall, lanky journalist for the Bennington newspaper, and spent most of his time sitting at a desk writing or chasing after sources for a quote. Keith McKenzie also spent most of his day in a chair behind the microphone of the town’s all-sports radio station as on-air personality, but he was an ex-NHL goalie.
“Tell Gil if Keith wasn’t coaching Sam in speed skating, his only workout each week would be changing the television channel from ESPN1 to ESPN2,” Kate said.
“No matter.” Meg paged through the hanging costumes until she reached the next to the last one and unhooked the bag to move it onto the top. Then she unzipped the bag and pulled out a large fleshy colored piece of foam. “I paid extra to rent Gil six-pack abs. I’m a little psychic that way.”
Sure enough, she held what looked like the front of a man’s chest with well-defined abs and pecs.
“You think he’ll go for it? He won’t be offended?”
“Nah.” Meg shoved it into the bag and rezipped everything. “He doesn’t have to wear it if he doesn’t want to, but I can guarantee you he will. Like teenaged girls with padded and pushup bras, skinny guys really want to look like they have more than they have. They don’t realize brains are the new sexy. Just tell him he looks terrific when you see him and I’ll bet you anything he preens. It’s like magic.”
“Will do.”
Kate handed over one of the mugs and motioned toward the table. After they took chairs on either side, she said, “Speaking of magic.” Then she related the story the girls told earlier about the rumor circulating through Hazelton Elementary. She crossed her arms and frowned. “I feel terrible I haven’t been by the new neighbor’s house yet to say hello and welcome her to our area.”
“You and me both,” Meg agreed, taking a sip of coffee before continuing. “Let’s get the planning out of the way for the Dawson job, then we can go by and see if she wants some company. Or at least stop and say hi. I don’t have to get Mother to her appointment until two o’clo
ck, and by then you’ll need to head out to get in line and pick up the kids anyway.”
Meg’s mom had been seeing a succession of doctors since her energy began flagging in late summer.
“Who’s she seeing today?” Kate asked and waved to chairs at the table.
“An allergist, and Mother just hates the idea,” Meg said, laughing. “Says she’s never had an allergy in her life and doesn’t plan to start one. Sounds just like her, doesn’t it? But the nutritionist said in this case it would be a good first step before a meal plan was developed. I really hope a new diet helps.”
Kate reached across the table and patted her hand. “Every time they’ve run a serious medical test it’s come up negative. Keep the faith and remember your mother is a fighter.”
“Don’t I know it.” Meg gave a shaky chuckle, then grabbed a pen and pad from the end of the table. “So, how about we get working and I can think about something else? Where do we start? You want to make opening lists while I concoct the job estimate for organizing the Dawson’s garage?”
“Yes, I always get queasy when I charge for services. You’re much better at it.”
“I know what we’re worth, and I’m not afraid to ask for it.” Meg winked.
“I do wonder how much Mr. Dawson is going to love this surprise garage overhaul Mrs. Dawson is hiring us to do for his birthday,” Kate said. “Men can be pretty territorial about their garages.”
“Never fear.” Meg was already jotting down numbers. “We’ll make sure we get the check cashed immediately. Before he has a chance to stop payment.”
“Mrs. Dawson said Mr. Dawson is set to retire the middle of next year. I’m wondering if he’ll see this garage organization project as a view into his future.”
“They’ve been married about forty years,” Meg said and chuckled again. “It’s kind of late for him to have false illusions at this late date.”
A COUPLE OF hours later they completed the prep work for the Dawson organization job, sent the estimates and a contract, and received an electronic copy executed with Mrs. Dawson’s signature in all the right places. Kate stacked the printed pages, put them into a marked folder, and walked everything to the file cabinet in the office, with Meg trailing behind her. Before they left the room, Kate pulled a copper-colored, medium-sized square tin off one of the closet shelves.
“What’s that for?” Meg asked.
“Housewarming-cum-I’m-sorry-we-didn’t-come-by-sooner gift for our new neighbor,” Kate said, removing the lid as they returned to the kitchen. “I have some iced jack-o-lantern cookies in the refrigerator. If you’ll get those out, I’ll line the tin with waxed paper.”
“Okay.”
The women quickly assembled the gift, and as a finishing touch Kate wound gold ribbon around and made a nice bow. “There, looks warm and inviting.”
“Good colors for this time of year, too,” Meg replied, grabbing her coat. She looked out the window. “The snow has slacked off a little, thank goodness. You might still want to wear a hood though.”
Kate pointed at the costumes. “Do you want to run yours and Gil’s by your house before we leave?”
“Nah.” Meg shook her head. “I’ll pick them up after I take Mother. I might need a cup of coffee.”
“Good. You can tell me how the appointment goes.”
Minutes later, they were on the road in separate vehicles and driving carefully the half-mile or so to reach the new neighbor’s home. The dark turquoise house stood out against the bright white snow, even with the overcast skies. Smoke curled above a dark brick chimney and a light shown from the front window. Meg pulled into the drive, parking beside a small blue hatchback. Kate slid the van into park at the curb.
They were on the porch and about to knock when the door was thrown wide. In the opening stood a tiny dark-haired woman, bundled in enough coat and scarf to add several pounds to her weight. The sight of Kate and Meg startled her. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were standing there. I was heading to the store.”
The small porch overhang kept snow from falling on them, but a sudden fierce wind seemed to almost push all three women into the house. Kate held up the tin of cookies. “We won’t keep you since you’re leaving.” Her teeth chattered a little as she spoke. “I’m Kate McKenzie, and this is my friend Meg Berman. We live close by and wanted to stop and welcome you to the community.”
Suddenly, three inquisitive feline faces—a medium sized calico, a white Persian, and a tiny black cat with sharp green eyes—pushed their way around the woman’s legs. She bent down and scooped all three up into her arms. “Oh, no. No escape tricks today.” She stepped back with the mewing cats and said, “Please come in for a minute. I shouldn’t have left you standing there in the cold.”
“We don’t want to delay you,” Meg said.
“Oh, it’s fine. We can all get warm before we set out for the afternoon. I’m Linda, by the way. Linda Johnson.”
Kate looked at Meg and raised an eyebrow in question. She received a small nod in reply, so turned to Linda and said, “For just a minute. If you have time.”
Inside, the small cottage was warm, and Linda set down the three inquisitive cats. They immediately joined a fourth large gray who held court from a pillow on the top of the short bookcase. Kate handed over the copper-colored tin, and said, “Iced sugar cookies. Just a little something to say welcome.”
“Thank you.” Linda waved them toward a blue sofa. “Would you like coffee? Tea?”
“Don’t go to any trouble,” Meg said, seating herself near one of the sofa arms. Kate took the other end. “We just wanted to visit a minute and let you know if you need anything you can call on one of us. Do you have any family in the area?”
Not yet drawn into the conversation, Kate took the opportunity to look around, and was glad Meg asked the question. The bookcase was practically empty and no pictures or personal items were displayed on the wall or scattered across the room. A friendly fire blazed in the fireplace, but the rest of the space felt as impersonal as a hotel room. Except for the cats and an expensive computer setup standing in the corner behind of the woman. The flat screen was dark, but a plethora of lights glowed in the various components on the stacked computer desk.
Linda set the cookie tin on the coffee table and unzipped her quilted coat, but kept it on as she sat in a beige-print Queen Anne chair. She fluffed her pixie cut with one hand and succeeded in making herself appear even younger than before, but the delicate lines around her eyes and mouth told a different tale. “No, I don’t have family here anymore. We did live in Hazelton when I was younger though. I went to elementary school here in the ’80s.”
“We may have been in school at the same time,” Meg said. “What year?”
“Oh, it was just a short time,” Linda said, reaching up to pull nervously at the scarf around her neck. As she continued to fidget, Kate wondered if she was a former smoker. The house didn’t smell of smoke, just the pine scent of cat litter, but her actions were revealing. Or nervous energy. Linda seemed to have caught herself, and abruptly clasped her hands in her lap before continuing her short tale, “My dad got a new job and we left soon after I started school. I really don’t remember much.”
“That’s too bad,” Meg said, “Were you here long enough for your picture to make it into the yearbook?”
“Oh, no, no.” The woman frowned, and reached up to rub the back of her neck. At the same moment, the Persian began loud cries from the kitchen. Linda waved at the noise. “I’m sorry, try to ignore her. She can have a practically full dish and still fuss as though it’s empty if any of the bottom of the bowl appears.”
Kate laughed and waved a hand between herself and Meg. “We both have cats. We know their idiosyncrasies. We also heard you foster cats. Do you work with one of the local rescues?”
“Yes,” Linda said, smiling for the first time since the conversation had started. “I currently have four, and was able to place two with families last week. If only the pub
lic realized how important it is to spay and neuter their pets. It breaks my heart how many animals are hurt and hungry because they have no home.”
The tiny black cat began weaving between Kate’s feet and legs. “Well, this one is very friendly.”
“I call him Romeo for exactly that reason,” Linda replied.
Kate noticed Meg staying unusually quiet all of a sudden and wondered what her friend was thinking. But before anything else could be said, a knock on the door had the black and calico cats racing down the hall. Linda rose again from her chair, saying, “I wonder who it could be.”
Meg stood then and motioned for Kate. “We need to go anyway. We all have errands, and we only wanted to stop to say hi and welcome. Don’t want to disrupt schedules.”
“It was nice meeting you, Linda.” Kate handed her a business card as they all moved toward the front door. “My number and email are both on the card if you need to reach us.”
“Thank you.” Linda glanced at the card face, then slipped it into her coat pocket and pulled open the door. The postman, Mr. Mac, stood on the stoop with a large box.
“Package for you. Need you to sign,” Mr. Mac said, then he saw Kate and Meg. “Oh, hello, ladies. I’ll be down your street in a few minutes.”
“We’ll leave so you can get your package business taken care of,” Meg said, as she and Kate scooted around the postman and moved down the steps. “Keep warm, Mr. Mac.”
“Yes, take care,” Kate added, waving again at the new neighbor too.
Meg hurried to her car, waving as she opened the Camry’s door. Kate crossed the yard to the van. Once she had the heater going and the mail truck had driven off, Kate headed for the school to do carpool pick up.
* * *
BEFORE SHE HAD time to get all the kids to her house and doing homework, Keith had already been home long enough to find his costume and try it on. He’d also taken Kate’s upstairs and had it in the bedroom too, removed from the bag to give his stamp of approval. She laughed when she saw the brown half-wig hanging below her purple cowl. She’d forgotten her blonde hair couldn’t show if she was Batgirl.
