A Killer Design

A Killer Design

By

Carolyn M. Kenney

A Karla Bannister Mystery

Published by Carolyn M. Kenney at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Carolyn M. Kenney

Cover designed by Carolyn M. Kenney

A Killer Design

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this eBook. 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 recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Authors Note

This book is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, incidents, settings, brands, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Although some of the locations may have names that resemble those of real locations, they are purely coincidental. Any similarity to actual events or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademarked owner of various products referred in this work of fiction which have been used without request for permission.

Dedicated

This book is dedicated to my late mother, Lillie Walker who taught me the meaning of reading and writing.

For my family and friends, especially all those friends who believed in me as well as those writers of how to write novels, too many to list.

Prologue

After placing my portfolio in the hands of Eliott Chandler, I took a seat across from his mahogany desk. Sitting next to me was Becca Weaver in matching grey tweed upholstered guest chairs. I was trying to be calm, but this was going to be my dream job. One job I had put off pursuing until I had retired from a well-paying government position. There was no way my hands would stop sweating. As he flipped the pages, Eliott nodded with an approving smile when he spotted the colorful designs of spaces I had created in school. He paused on my diploma, read it thoroughly and went on to the next page after noting the honors I had received. Eliott stopped three more times on my perspective drawings. Next he moved to the Revit completed project with plans, specified materials, schedules and details. He went back to the beginning for one more viewing and made a few notations on a yellow pad. In a tight job market, his approving nods gave me hope but I was still nervous. My hands kept shaking. I felt like this was my first job interview.

I smoothed the side of my navy blue skirt. I was trying to remove the moisture from my palms. I waited for his comments. I tried so hard to keep my hands from shaking. I felt the tension building in my stomach. This was not the end of the world, but it felt like at my age it would be the last. The job market was tight for someone over thirty-five. Becca was restless in her seat. She kept alternating between twirling a mechanical pencil between her fingers and clenching her back teeth. I on the other hand kept looking down at the brown carpet to avoid staring at Eliott. After making a few more notes, Elliot sat back in his leather executive chair. He opened to the Revit three-dimensional drawings and made a few more notes then Becca said.

Well, Eliott what do you think? Does she have the position as my assistant or what?

Eliott said noting. He made a few more notes on the pad before closing the portfolio for the last time.

I was trying not to hold my breath but I caught myself doing just that for a minute or two. Eliott, please say something. You told me that after she received her degree she would have a place here with us, Becca said pointing her pencil at him. I need a design assistant today. Help me out right now. I need help with the new projects you have assigned to me. You promised she was our best candidate.

Eliott peered over his glasses and stared at Becca before looking at me.

Do you have a copy of this on a drive or cd? he asked.

I thought my voice was going to come out in a squeak, but I said yes in my normal voice

I want a copy of the work so that I can show what a professional portfolio looks like.

And to answer your question Becca Weaver, he continued, I have a few of questions for Ms. Bannister.

I was wondering what in the world did he want to know. What questions this man had for me. I thought that my work spoke for itself. He held my future in his hands. I was on the verge of a complete renovation of my life if all went well. If my answers were wrong, I was going to have to start looking for another design firm.

Do you plan to expand your design career?

"Yes, I said as I nodded in the affirmative.

Have you decided whether you are going to continue in the interior design field or the architecture field?

I could see Becca shaking her head in the affirmative. Yes, I said.

I haven't decided whether to continue interior design or exterior design in the architecture field. If I choose to go the interior program, I will consider going to a school that offers graduate programs in interior design. If I choose architectural design, I will consider Tech.

He shook his head from side to side and I felt my heart pounding through my blouse and out of my navy blazer. Did I say the wrong thing I asked myself?

Okay, he said. It does take time to decide but I hope you decide soon. I just want to get the feel of where you will fit in the firm on a long term basis. We will help with tuition.

With your help, I am pretty sure; I will go into the advanced interior design, I said.

Do you intend to get your certification in the work and degree program trend?

Yes, but how long do I have to complete the requirements?

We need and want you to complete them as soon as possible. We will work with you and outline what you need to do to complete the requirement in order to take the exam, Becca said. She appeared to have calmed down with the atmosphere heading toward getting what she needed, me.

Eliott stood up from his desk. With an out stretched hand he said, Welcome to E.C. Architecture and Design. We are happy to have you join our team.

My legs felt like overcooked pasta but I managed to stand and shake his hand. Becca hugged me almost sticking me with pencil. She had been my mentor throughout my internship. We had worked many hours and faced some nice clients. We had been involved with a couple of difficult people, too.

After you check with Nigel concerning your paperwork for permanent status, I have three projects for you and Becca. Eliott passed three folders to Becca.

Becca has one project of her own but you will work together until you are certified. Once you have your certification, then you two will work on large projects together. You will have projects that will be yours alone, he said.

Eliott handed Becca another folder marked Future Commercial Projects. The two design project descriptions I could see the names on the covers with their heading. One was a small home design and the other had a familiar name "Matt Garrison - The Garrison Project- Home Theater Design. I had been a part of the house expansion while doing my internship. The couple had made major changes to an H-Style Ranch. I had worked with Mr. Garrison on an independent project as set designer while we worked on their house redesign. The Garrisons were a couple of perfectionist that had the ability to stand on your last nerve. They were one of the difficult couples. They were two alpha personalities that loved each to the point of overkill. Becca and I said our good byes to Elliot. She went to her office and I went to see Nigel.

The meeting with Nigel, the business manager went well. The usual tax forms to fill out, identification badge with a mug shot photo, a copy of how my business cards would look like and a few supplies. A copy of the firm’s rules and regulations was included in the goody bag. I found my office. It was the same one I had when I was an intern. The office was equipped with a drafting table near the window, a desk with two computer screens, two guest chairs, one stool for the drafting table and my favorite cushy desk chair. Sitting at my desk was Becca.

Well, we’re off, she said handing me a copy of the two design descriptions. I was a design assistant for E.C. Architecture and Design. A piece of cake!

# # #

At the top of the list was the Garrison Project. We arrived that afternoon when the couple said that it would be a good time to meet. Matt was so happy to greet us to their mini mansion shaped like a horseshoe.

Congratulations, Matt said as he opened the heavy double oak doors. You deserved a permanent position with E. C. and I trust they are paying you well. Clarice is not here yet. She called to say she was on her way. It was hard not to like Matt even though he had his mood swings. The first renovation was started just before I began my internship with the firm. I accompanied Becca to the site four times. The second time was when Matt asked me about doing an independent project if it was fine with Becca. She told him that there was no problem as long as the work did not interfere with my studies. It had to do with creating set design for an animated film he wanted to produce for a film festival. Dante, his best friend provided the music. By the time I had completed my internship, Becca had muttered words of confusion as well as cursing about the project. Becca’s patience was pushed to the limit with their inability to make a decision without a committee vote. In fact Becca would make strange noises and groans every time their name came up that one of them had called the office.

What did the committee disagree about this time? Becca would say with a scowl on her face. I understood her point of view. Creative minds tend to clash. Everyone had their ideas they want to get across. Each one felt that theirs was right. I liked them because they were two creative minds that seemed to have it all. They had creative careers that began small and grew as time went on. Both put blood, tears and late nights to get where they were. They had begun as a newly married couple in a small ranch house; the style known as an H Style ranch. The entrance was in the center of the house with living quarters on both sides with a kitchen straight back. Becca and Eliott had turned the ranch into a horseshoe shaped mini mansion. They left the entrance in place with an elaborate foyer. Now it was our job, Becca and me to design a home office for the husband Matt with a home theater just a few steps away. It was to include all of the amenities of a regular theater. A small kitchenette with refrigerator, sink and microwave for making popcorn. There was to be an upright piano for Matt’s best friend and collaborator, Dante Jennings.

Chapter 1

Although I had a sufficient amount of fat on my ass, my butt bone or coccyx as it is called was sore from sitting on Clarice’s hard floor. I was sitting lotus style. I felt like I had the bad end of an acupuncture treatment. The butt cheeks had gone from numb to downright miserable. Clarice Garrison continued to put dabs of blue and lavender paint on the east wall of her future home office. The home was located in Peachtree Mills where a number of creative and design minds lived. The Fulton County community was home to a number of interior designers, writers and graphic designer. It was after 9:00 on a Tuesday morning and I was sitting on the floor instead of looking at furniture plans on my computer. Clarice applied a lighter shade of blue to the north facing wall, stepped back and turned up her nose in disapproval. I on the other hand had grown bored watching paint dry- literally. Here I was over ten months after starting my dream profession watching paint dry. The odor of fresh paint was faint because it was the low odor brand. It mingled with that of freshly made coffee. This was not how I imagined my days to be spent. The future home office was so barren, our voices echoed. This was not how I fantasized my second career to take-off. I had big dreams or was it what I had seen on television. A lot had happened in a little over a year; from early retirement to college to working full time for an architectural and design firm.

These are not the colors I had in mind, she said walking back and forth with the clicking of her sling back shoes tapping the hard floor.

It is the color selection you made for the design project proposal number two, I said flipping through my notebook. The space had one piece of furniture setting in a 250 square foot room. The grey-brown modern style desk had been located at the online IKEA site. It had all the storage space drawers with space for laptop connections. We had checked sites for special office furniture. Clarice wanted something sophisticated but modern. It had the look of a console table instead of a desk.

It’s amazing how we found the perfect desk, she said after we had exhausted furniture showrooms over several treks. Then we started looking in catalogs. Clarice found a desk in a catalog but it would have to be custom made which would tax the budget. Then I found one on the IKEA online search. Clarice fell in love with the mixture of brown and grey color that shown the texture of the wood. That decision called for a color scheme change. Now, we were on our fifth round of color changes. Clarice was not the client that was seen on the television design shows. You know the ones that seemed to be so happy when the designer came up with the design for a specific room. The person tells the designer how happy it made them feel. You never saw them make changes before the reveal.

Clarice was at times impossible to work with and at times she was the best. I had worked with Becca to be sure we had answered all of the questions to solve her home office problems. The colors had to be inspirational but not too overwhelming; sophisticated but not staunchly. The initial color scheme was beige with pops of purple and turquoise. We had even introduced a little gold. I had worked up all of the sketches, renderings and even went as far as software rendering in three dimensions for which she was ecstatic. The office with the adjacent bath made her squeal with delight. She was ecstatic. Now she made me sigh with exhaustion. The floor plans were created with the target date for completion set. That was two weeks ago which was over a month into the project. How hard was it going to be to design a home office?

She said, Let’s use that one because it is so me, pointing to the splash of baby blue. Then her soon-to-be ex-husband, Matt told her that blue was a good color because it went well with her dyed corn silk blonde hair and her azure eyes. Unfortunately for us, her companion Dante had suggested that lavender was an inspirational color not blue or beige. She would be more creative in that environment, he said when he painted a smattering of lavender from a sample jar. Matt countered that she wasn’t a lavender or purple type person and needed something else in between those colors. Dante then suggested beige. She went from that to a mauve that resembled a muddy shade of purple which led us to where we were back at square one. I was glad I had a thick skin and extra patience. I watched more samples of color being put on the test wall again. It would have been boring except for the traffic jam it was causing throughout the house. Between the contractors working on the adjacent bathroom and Clarice’s two extra minds, it was like Grand Central Station. Mind you every time she wanted to change color schemes, she wanted to see the paint color in three dimensional. I brought my laptop with the software. I changed the color until we came up with what we had on the walls.

I had offered her a design compromise of using all those colors on various items. We could use beige on the window treatments; turquoise and purple on the upholstery. The carpet tiles would have hints of beige and gold. She baulked at that suggestion with a snort from her upturned nose. Clarice's mind worked well for the advertisement and public relations business. But not for her for her life. She would whip up a concept with a presentation that the client would rave over in less than two seconds. I had taken her almost two months to come up with an approved design for her office. She was terrible when it came to knowing what she wanted when she was pressed for time. Clarice needed the home office in order to work on her increasing business. Clarice’s plan was to work from home when she had to meet deadlines in order to stay in step with more client needs. Her executive assistant, Zara would keep the office in midtown as the main hub. Clarice’s goal was to be one of the top ad agencies in Atlanta and eventually the southeast.

Zara Rosen and I had become good friends. I met her when I was interning for E. C. Architecture. She and I had hit it off from the first meeting. Then, I found out she and I had attended the same design college. Now, we go shopping, golf and attend design shows. She loved Clarice like a sister. Their minds were usually in line with what their clients needed to help their public relations. Zara was a top graphic artist with an ear for the right words. She could turn slogan into a masterpiece. Clarice felt that Zara was invaluable the business.

I was excited when I was handed this project. It was my turn to shine. I was summoned to this project by Eliott and Becca. They would watch over me and supervise my moves, but I prepared all of the boards, construction documents and specified the materials involved. It seemed they had more confidence than I had in getting this project completed. Eliott and Becca teamed up to create the couple’s dream home that took the house to a new level of strange. They wanted the house to resemble a horseshoe for luck. It ended up being just the opposite. Within eighteen months, they were feuding over everything. She wanted new bedroom furniture and he wanted a grand piano. By the way, he didn’t play a note. Before I graduated, Becca sent me an email that the couple was contemplating divorce. The big problem came along before the ink was dry. No one wanted to vacate the massive house. Each said that it would cost too much to relocate. The market was not warranting a sale for what the house was worth. Becca was called in to help design divided quarters. Both wanted separate living spaces which consisted of two master suites, two guest bedrooms and extra baths. So there it was a horseshoe shaped a mini mansion with twice the living arrangement. The only thing that was singular was the home theater, the kitchen, living room and dining room. Soon there would be two home offices which brought me to this design project. But back to the problem at hand. You see Clarice Garrison called last night saying, The paint is the wrong color and it doesn’t go with one of the carpet squares. It looks like crap, she said almost hyperventilating. Her southern twang was heavy when she was angry.

Did you look at the photos I emailed you, I asked. I wondered if that was the first time she saw the paint on the walls. Paint had a different appearance when it is dry for at least an hour or two. The painters had been in and out of the office two days ago. She said she had been to Charleston, South Carolina and then to Savannah and had gotten back home within the hour. I told her that I had taken photos of the office and sent them to her.

I glanced at them while I was having lunch then again before dinner with a client, she said. She answered some calls and then she noted some changes to a project she was working on and thought she would check on the office’s progress.

I told her, This was the color you chose. I will be there first thing in the morning if you will be there around 8:00. Their desk was being used as the focal point since she was so happy with its color combination of warm brown with gray. It was one of those desks that had two drawers on the right with a cabinet on the left. It had that sleek modern line but still holding to the traditional desk look. She wanted her clients to feel she was down to earth with a head for business. When she was home, she worked out of her bedroom which had a desk and a layout table. Now she wanted a formal home office with all of the trimmings. The lavish home office was to include all of the amenities of her off site office. That included a bathroom. Not a powder room but a real bathroom with tub and shower.

I finally made it to a standing position. At the age of forty-nine, my legs were not as flexible as they had been in my twenties. I wiped the dust off of my khaki pants. The thin cushion on the backer board was killing me while Clarice and I discussed the ideas for her home office. Clarice’s original plan was to have the office near the front of the house next to Matt’s office but the traffic would be impossible to deal with - his students meeting him for design sessions and her clients and workers meeting her for planning sessions. Matt was a professor of animation and videography. Although both had offices outside the home, both loved to be able to work from home when they were pressed for uninterrupted time. Clarice insisted on her privacy. She finally decided to have an exterior door installed that created a third exit. The main entrance of double doors was in the middle of the red brick horseshoe shaped mini mansion was used for general There was an entrance to Matt’s home theater so that he could control the goings and comings of his students and co-workers located on the side of the building. Matt’s newest love interest, Ines used the entrance when she didn’t want to be seen. I had seen her slip through the doors at least twice in the early morning hours. She headed to her car in just her slippers and a trench coat. There was another set of doors but they were hidden behind the movie screen in the home theater. Only if you saw the plans in the beginning of the design would you know about the doors. The screen covered the doors like bookshelves covered secret doors older homes. They led to wires and