Organized for Scheduled Sabotage Read online

  Organized for Scheduled Sabotage

  Organized Mysteries, Volume 3

  Ritter Ames

  Published by Ritter Ames, 2017.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Here’s what critics are saying about Ritter Ames’s Organized Mysteries series

  Books in the Organized Mysteries series | by Ritter Ames

  ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE | by Ritter Ames

  ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER ONE | Excerpt from Organized for S’more Death Available now in Preorder

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  Also By Ritter Ames

  About the Author

  Here’s what critics are saying about Ritter Ames’s Organized Mysteries series

  "A DELIGHTFUL NEW COZY mystery series starring an intriguing heroine—Kate McKenzie. Twists and turns abound, entertaining the reader throughout! I loved it and look forward to the next installment. Ritter Ames is a new star on the cozy set!"

  ~ Michele Scott, bestselling author of the Wine Lovers Mystery Series, featuring Nikki Sands

  .

  "Organized for Murder is a very enjoyable first in a new series. Ritter Ames really hit it out the park with this debut, and with her organizational tips included (throughout the book and at the end), I know this is one book I will be hanging onto. If you haven't discovered this series yet, I highly recommend picking it up."

  ~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

  .

  "Organized for Murder by Ritter Ames is the first in a new cozy mystery series, Organized Mysteries. This is a quality cozy mystery. The story is well-written and the mystery kept me guessing. This is a great start to a new series, and one I am looking forward to revisiting. Great characters, fantastic writing, and a clever mystery all combine to make a really wonderful book."

  ~ Brooke Blogs

  .

  "I am a huge lover of cozy mysteries, and this by far is one of my favorites. I loved the premise of the main character Kate being an organizer and I loved all the organizational tips that I picked up throughout the story."

  ~ Doctor's Notes

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  "The plot was well paced and the author added some great twists. I was surprised by the actual murderer. I enjoyed all the organizational tips that started each chapter."

  ~ Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book

  .

  “The story, very cleverly put together, never tips the reader who actually kills Amelia. Ritter Ames keeps ratcheting the suspense...It was thoroughly enjoyable with well-developed, 3-dimensional characters.” ~ BookTalk with Eileen

  .

  “I like the main character, Kate, and her sidekick/neighbor Meg, as well as both of their families. I look forward to seeing the characters develop more as the series proceeds. The organizing tips are actually pretty useful...I have to admit made me think about adding them to organization of my own home. If you enjoy cozy type mysteries, I think you'll enjoy this light fast read.” ~ Murder Most Cozy

  .

  “I loved that Kate was happily married since most cozy sleuths are single. She also had twins, and that is unusual too. I loved the relationship between her and her family, and between her and Meg. There were plenty of twists and laughs, and lots of situations that had me thinking I knew what was going on. But then I’d be thrown for another loop, and I’d have to start over trying to figure out whodunnit.” ~ I’d Rather Be at the Beach blog

  .

  “The characters are well written and stay true to who they are from the beginning to end of the book and they feel real as if you could meet the in real life...The author...had me constantly trying to figure out who the murder was until the end of the book.”

  ~ Hiding from My Kids blog

  .

  “Ritter Ames crafted a clever plot for this cozy mystery, with a plethora of possible suspects, each with plausible motives for murder. My suspicions ping-ponged back and forth between a handful of Nethercutt family members, but never for a moment settled on the true culprit. (Brilliant!) Organized for Murder is a great read – engaging and full of memorable characters that leave the reader eager to return to Hazelton, Vermont for more mysteries (and tips) from Kate McKenzie.” ~ Girl with Book Lungs blog

  .

  “The characters are well-developed and likable. Ames has created realistic characters with their various problems and faults. She doesn’t make Kate a stuffy organizer without problems. She makes her down-to-earth with worries and concerns readers can relate to.”

  ~ Mason Canyon on the Thoughts in Progress blog

  .

  “This book really threw me for a loop! I was guessing clear up to the very end, and...I really like when a book does that...This book was not predictable at all! The organization tips in this book are also great and will be really useful.”

  ~ Melina’s Book Blog

  .

  “The characters are well developed and I thought Kate handled investigating in a methodical way, which fit her character perfectly. Her friend, Meg, is a great sidekick.” ~ Socrates Book Reviews blog

  .

  Books in the Organized Mysteries series

  by Ritter Ames

  ORGANIZED FOR MURDER (#1)

  ORGANIZED FOR HOMICIDE (#2)

  ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE (#3)

  ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE

  by Ritter Ames

  ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE

  by Ritter Ames

  EBOOK EDITION

  Copyright © 2017 by Ritter Ames

  Cover design by Lyndsey Lewellen

  http://www.ritterames.com

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to your online retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  ORGANIZED FOR SCHEDULED SABOTAGE

  CHAPTER ONE

  STACKED IN YOUR FAVOR, LLC

  KATE MCKENZIE, CEO (Chief Executive Organizer)

  MEG BERMAN, VIP (Very Indispensable Partner)

  BUSINESS PLANNER FOR MAJOR JOB # 3

  DATE Monday, July 15th

  9:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.m. – Meet with Liz Tillman, business calendar author, on her Vermont animal rescue farm located near the New Hampshire border. Hired by her publisher to facilitate
photoshoot for upcoming calendar release. From what publisher’s assistant said, author may not be as organized as her calendars imply. Will reserve judgment until more info is known. Besides calendar, Tillman runs a full-time rescue and is married with children, so need to show small business & family organization too. At present, no more specifics known.

  KATE MCKENZIE PULLED her blue van onto the rutted driveway and the view changed from rural country road to picturesque farm with white railed fences and a weathered red and gray barn. A quintet of horses, each a different shade of brown, grazed quietly in the pasture that ran along the left side, the majestic animals taking turns raising their heads to watch the van pick its way among the dips and ruts in the graveled road. As they neared the white frame house snugged under a couple of hundred-year-old oaks, a long-eared red hound and a chocolate Labrador retriever loped into sight. They neared the turnaround in front of the broad single-story house and each dog let out several deep woofs to announce the van’s arrival.

  “Isn’t this a pretty setting?” Kate asked her friend and co-worker, Meg Berman.

  “Almost worth the long drive out here,” Meg replied. “We’re nearly in New Hampshire.”

  Kate owned Stacked in Your Favor, an organization business she’d started in their Hazelton, Vermont hometown. Meg, her next door neighbor, had become her go-to person to help with any extra work. When Kate was hired to organize the home office of recent New York Times bestselling calendar author, Liz Tillman, to ready everything for a photo shoot, Meg jumped at the chance to ride along. So, Kate knew her line about the drive was not really a complaint.

  “Besides, someone needs to watch your back,” her neighbor added. “And keep you out of trouble.”

  There it was. An unspoken reference to the partners-in-crime nickname her family and Meg’s had recently given to the women. It was all teasing, she knew, but Stacked in Your Favor was barely a name on letterhead before people were more often talking about the murder investigations the two had become involved in than about the new business.

  “Getting everything done for the photo shoot will keep us too busy to stumble onto anything else,” Kate replied.

  Tillman’s publisher set everything up, though the women’s schedules had been difficult to bring together. This was the first date everyone could successfully meet at the author’s place, a fifty-acre farm north and east of Kate’s Hazelton, Vermont home. The photo shoot was only a week away and the organizer was feeling the pressure.

  “Do we need to worry about the dogs?” Kate asked. Her family had only recently acquired a pet, a large loveable cat who was rather lazy most of the time. While she was getting used to the lively pair of dogs at Meg’s house, Kate wasn’t particularly adept yet at knowing which canine breeds were more aggressive than others.

  Meg shook her head and her red curls danced. “Nah, the hound doesn’t look threatening, and Labs are mostly known for their ability to lick a person to death.”

  “I’ll trust you on this,” Kate turned off the engine and pushed her sunglasses up to hold her blonde bob away from her face.

  The women climbed from the van and the dogs took turns sniffing their shoes and pant legs. At the same time, a tall woman rounded the back corner of the squat farmhouse and strode toward them, her short dark hair half-hidden by a hat. As she walked she finished rolling one denim sleeve to her right elbow, then brushed both hands on the sides of her jeans. “Hi, I’m Liz. I hope you’re Kate and Meg.”

  Kate stepped forward and extended a hand, “I’m Kate. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

  Liz took a second to look at her right palm. “They’re mostly clean. Sorry. I’m babying a sick colt in the barn. The place is filled with straw and dust.”

  “If you need to go back—”

  “No, all done for now.” Liz shook Kate’s hand, then Meg’s. She directed them toward the back door. “Hope you don’t mind the back entrance. I have coffee inside, tea, water. My middle son made cookies last night, too.” She smiled and led the way. “He’s quite the baker. Here, this way. We’ll go through the mudroom.”

  The sun hit them full on when they turned to the back of the house, and lovely dark pink roses climbed the wall beside a dark green Dutch door. Before Liz opened the door, she stopped with her hand on the knob, holding it rather than turning. “Guess I’d better start apologizing now. My house is a ‘lived in’ home. I have three boys and a husband, a lot of rescue animals, and I’m not the type to get up each morning and think ‘what can I clean first?’ I don’t know what my publisher told you, but I’m not a little-Susie-homemaker type.”

  “Your publisher just told us we needed to get your office set up so it would photograph well for your next calendar. That they want to put a shot on next year’s cover and spaced throughout the pages,” Kate explained. She smiled. “Don’t worry, we’re not here to judge you. Only to help.”

  “I hope part of that help includes actually finding me an office. Due to the needs of running this animal refuge, I kind of work all over the place,” Liz said, waving everyone inside. A gray tabby took that as an invitation as well, and streaked in ahead of the women, disappearing down the hallway like a flash of fur.

  “That’s Chester,” Liz said. “He’s headed for one of my sons’ rooms, probably to grab a snack. Every time I need dishes I tell my boys to go clean their rooms. Only the two youngest still live at home, but you would not believe the food bills.”

  A long bench faced them as they entered, hooks above holding all kinds of ropes, tools and gadgets apparently used around the place. Strewn beneath were several sizes of athletic shoes, boots, hats, and...a bowling pin. Liz grabbed the pin. “My youngest is the worst packrat in our family, but he gets it naturally. You don’t want to go into my middle son’s room. Trust me.”

  Glancing through to the living room, Kate saw an overstuffed reading chair and couch upholstered in coordinating blue patterns. The coffee table supported a month’s worth of books and animal magazines, and the pictures on the walls were a mix of framed family and animal photos. On the front window ledge, an orange cat and a black kitten slept in the sun.

  They followed into a bright farmhouse kitchen, lots of white, big sinks, long counter tops. A bill paying workstation was set up under one cabinet and a large planner on the wall offered a half-dozen different colors. Kate realized Liz used individual colors for family members, exactly like she did for her husband, Keith and twin eight-year-old daughters, Samantha and Suzanne.

  “Your boys are green, blue and purple,” Kate remarked. “I can tell by the activities.”

  Liz nodded. “Correct. I’m red, my husband is black, and our animal intern is brown. Not that she keeps to the schedule though. Having the colors saves space and time since I don’t have to add the names each time.”

  “What do your guys think about the photo shoot?” Kate asked.

  “That they needed to get out of Dodge.” Liz laughed. “No, actually this week and the next were already planned as a group wilderness adventure trip for my husband and two youngest sons. They set out this morning at dawn to meet up with the rest of the mini-survivalists. My oldest son is away at college in Massachusetts, so he lives an hour or so away. That’s why purple isn’t as prevalent on the calendar as the other colors.”

  “Kate has bins for her family to use in their colors, too,” Meg said. “The practice has helped me get my boys to put their stuff away, as long as I gather everything up from all the rooms and put it into the right bins first.”

  “I’m not a natural organizer.” Liz waved her hand around a kitchen that was clean and a little cluttered. “My personal design style is ‘comfortable.’ But I keep so many balls in the air at one time I absolutely have to keep my schedule on-track.”

  “And that led you to create your bestselling calendars?” Kate asked.

  The author walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled open the door, removing a lidded box marked EXPENSES and the current year. Liz set the
box on the counter top and slid back the lid. “Money is the reason for my calendars. The farm here had been surviving on small grants and donations. Well, more like struggling and barely surviving. I designed my calendar to handle the scheduling for an active family, a small family business, and reminders to make sure a woman cares for her own self-interests. Hoped it would make a little money to add to reserves. Needless to say, I was surprised by the outcome.”

  The outcome, Kate knew from her research was bestseller status for the author and a growing sales base of loyal fans. However, the better outcome, the one she was sure the author was more proud of, was enough money after the first two calendars to allow Liz to create a foundation to help other rescue groups with small emergency grants to tide them over when needed.

  “I like what you just said about a woman taking care of her own self-interests,” Meg said, smiling as she leaned against the beige Formica counter and crossed her arms. “We all get so wrapped up in our to-do lists, we tend to give everyone extra credit over ourselves.”

  A half-grin crept onto Liz’s face, and Kate realized her client wasn’t yet a total convert herself. Always a work in progress. She knew the feeling. There was always something else that needed to be done before she could take a break.

  Liz didn’t respond to what Meg said, but changed the subject, saying, “Coffee is probably burnt by now.” She opened a stainless steel refrigerator door practically covered in a white board and notes held by magnetic clips. “But I have fairly fresh lemonade and iced tea. Oh, and bottled water. The lemonade would go good with the cookies I mentioned a minute ago.”

  “Anything is fine with me,” Kate said.

  “I’ll take lemonade.” Meg turned to the cabinet near the sink. “Are the glasses up here?”

  “Yes, right,” Liz said, withdrawing the lemonade pitcher and a plate of cookies, while Meg pulled down three tumblers. Kate passed around napkins from a holder made from three black-painted horseshoes welded together.