Organized for Homicide (Organized Mysteries Book 2) Read Online Free
Author: Ritter Ames
older daughter, moved into sight, backtracking when she passed the doorway. The teen's long hair, brunette with highlights, flowed down the back of her green and white Hazelton High T-shirt in thick, layered curls. "Oh, sorry to disturb. I needed to come home and grab a hoodie for my run tonight. It's supposed to turn cooler with a chance of rain, and coach won't let us leave after practice if we aren't dressed for the weather."
" You didn't disturb us," Kate said. "It's nice seeing you again. This is Meg Berman. She helps me in my business."
The teen came into the room, a soft smile lighting her face. She shook hands with Meg, then cupped hands around her elbows in an almost protective measure. "Nice meeting you.
" So what's your sport?" Meg asked.
" Competitive figure skating. Individual. You know, like Michele Kwan."
" You have Olympic dreams?"
" Definitely." Sydney started backing out of the room. "I hate to be rude, but I only had enough time to run here and get back to school." She offered a quick wave. "It's good seeing you again, Mrs. McKenzie."
" You too, Sydney. If you're driving, be careful," Kate said.
" I have a friend waiting for me outside. Bye."
Less than a minute later her footsteps again hit the stairs, this time heading down to the first floor and out the front door.
"Professional hopes, I suppose?" Meg mused. "I know from reading the paper she's an honor roll student."
" And promising entrepreneur as well. Come on, and let me show you her workshop," Kate said, and led the way to a small room tucked away a few doors down the hall. A long cherrywood table filled up the middle space, holding an astounding collection of jaw-dropping purses, totes, belts, and even boot toppers. Another smaller table standing against the closet wall displayed knives and curved tools, along with a high beam lamp and a wheeled chair. The whole back wall held bins filled with a variety of leather, fabric, beads, buttons, and bindings of every sort. A dull black, heavy-duty sewing machine sat under the only window. "This is Sydney's business. And she told me in no uncertain terms she would pack all of this herself."
Meg wandered over to the work table and touched a wooden handle of a tool , the look of which implied it was used to poke holes in leather. "This is pretty astounding."
" What's astounding is how much she gets for all of these pieces."
" What's the average price?" Meg asked.
Kate quoted a figure high enough to make her friend gasp, then added, "She hooked up with a New York designer who added them to her collection. The items are all made from natural materials, and Sydney uses as many recycled pieces as she can. People have really been drawn to the line."
Fingering one of belts, Meg asked, "I wonder what she would charge me directly if I ordered one of these for Gil."
" If she gives you a price break, let me know, because I want a tote like this one." Kate held up a leather bag with flowers worked into the grain, each petal individually tinted with muted shades. Copper wire finished off a kind of frame to most pieces, coiling through the sewn edges around the outside. On the tote Kate favored, antiqued brass closures offered function as well as fashion for anyone not wanting to leave the top completely open.
She started to look at the finishing inside but heard the doorbell chime.
"That's what we get for gawking. We had no idea someone had driven up." Meg said, following Kate back into the hallway. "At least this time the person didn't just pop up behind us."
As the women moved to the stairs, Kate said, "This house is so spread out, it makes it easy to miss things, unless you're on the back deck or where we were earlier on the master bedroom balcony. If we hadn't been talking so much and looking out toward the national forest, we'd have noticed Lila's arrival, since out there is the only direct view to the driveway because of all the trees."
At the bottom step, the flooring transitioned to parquet,
" You didn't disturb us," Kate said. "It's nice seeing you again. This is Meg Berman. She helps me in my business."
The teen came into the room, a soft smile lighting her face. She shook hands with Meg, then cupped hands around her elbows in an almost protective measure. "Nice meeting you.
" So what's your sport?" Meg asked.
" Competitive figure skating. Individual. You know, like Michele Kwan."
" You have Olympic dreams?"
" Definitely." Sydney started backing out of the room. "I hate to be rude, but I only had enough time to run here and get back to school." She offered a quick wave. "It's good seeing you again, Mrs. McKenzie."
" You too, Sydney. If you're driving, be careful," Kate said.
" I have a friend waiting for me outside. Bye."
Less than a minute later her footsteps again hit the stairs, this time heading down to the first floor and out the front door.
"Professional hopes, I suppose?" Meg mused. "I know from reading the paper she's an honor roll student."
" And promising entrepreneur as well. Come on, and let me show you her workshop," Kate said, and led the way to a small room tucked away a few doors down the hall. A long cherrywood table filled up the middle space, holding an astounding collection of jaw-dropping purses, totes, belts, and even boot toppers. Another smaller table standing against the closet wall displayed knives and curved tools, along with a high beam lamp and a wheeled chair. The whole back wall held bins filled with a variety of leather, fabric, beads, buttons, and bindings of every sort. A dull black, heavy-duty sewing machine sat under the only window. "This is Sydney's business. And she told me in no uncertain terms she would pack all of this herself."
Meg wandered over to the work table and touched a wooden handle of a tool , the look of which implied it was used to poke holes in leather. "This is pretty astounding."
" What's astounding is how much she gets for all of these pieces."
" What's the average price?" Meg asked.
Kate quoted a figure high enough to make her friend gasp, then added, "She hooked up with a New York designer who added them to her collection. The items are all made from natural materials, and Sydney uses as many recycled pieces as she can. People have really been drawn to the line."
Fingering one of belts, Meg asked, "I wonder what she would charge me directly if I ordered one of these for Gil."
" If she gives you a price break, let me know, because I want a tote like this one." Kate held up a leather bag with flowers worked into the grain, each petal individually tinted with muted shades. Copper wire finished off a kind of frame to most pieces, coiling through the sewn edges around the outside. On the tote Kate favored, antiqued brass closures offered function as well as fashion for anyone not wanting to leave the top completely open.
She started to look at the finishing inside but heard the doorbell chime.
"That's what we get for gawking. We had no idea someone had driven up." Meg said, following Kate back into the hallway. "At least this time the person didn't just pop up behind us."
As the women moved to the stairs, Kate said, "This house is so spread out, it makes it easy to miss things, unless you're on the back deck or where we were earlier on the master bedroom balcony. If we hadn't been talking so much and looking out toward the national forest, we'd have noticed Lila's arrival, since out there is the only direct view to the driveway because of all the trees."
At the bottom step, the flooring transitioned to parquet,
Readers choose
Richard Ford
Cornelia Funke
Nancy Nahra
Samanthya Wyatt
J. Alex Blane
Alison Chaffin Higson
Charles G. West
Karen Joy Fowler
Nancy Springer