Specified Murder

By Carolyn Kenney

When Karla Bannister is assigned to design the interiors for a golf themed hotel and motel in time for the most popular golf tournament in Georgia next to the Masters, the FedEx playoffs, she is met with difficult clients, tight wad clients and a mysterious financial planner. Things get worse when food is intentionally poisoned and she is one of the casualties. She must get well in time to pull off some of the most amazing work and stay alive in the process. She comes face to face with her rival Ursula. Those are just a few things that jeopardize Karla’s design projects not to mention she has returned to school. She must do all of this to meet a deadline.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carolyn Kenney
• Release date: Nov 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310735745

Carolyn Kenney

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Carolyn M. Kenney spent the early years of her life in Jersey, City, New Jersey. She returned to her roots in the early 1970 to attend college and be with her extended family.Carolyn landed a job with Fulton County Government's Information Technology department in 1980. She retired in 2006. Before retiring she began her studies in the design field of Residential Planning. She began her studies for Interior Design in the summer of 2006. After taking some time away to write the Karla Banninster novels, she plans to return soon.

Book preview

Specified Murder

By

Carolyn M. Kenney

A Karla Bannister Mystery

Published by Carolyn M. Kenney at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Carolyn M. Kenney

Cover designed by Carolyn M. Kenney

Specified Murder

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.

Smashwords Edition

Copyright All Literary Rights: Carolyn M. Kenney 2013. Carolyn M. Kenney has asserted her right under the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my family and dear friends who supported throughout the writing of this book. To those who purchased my first and second book, I say thank you because it gave me the courage to continue to write. I want to thank those friends with the first initial J, M, N and D. There are too many to list. It would take more than a half dozen pages.

Each book I write will always be dedicated to my late mother because she was the beginning of my interest in reading and writing. She is in my heart with every word.

Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge and thank the numerous interior designers and their firms for their assistance. A special acknowledgement goes to Rita Carson Guest of the design firm Carson Guest. Thank you for your time and guidance. I still have the elevation and detail drawings with the red marked notes. Thank you for giving me permission to use your name in my books. You were a big help.

I want to acknowledge the use and the knowledge I acquired from "AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT Bible written by Ellen Finkelstein. After being out of the classroom for a couple of years, I needed this invaluable book for a refresher course for both cover art and construction drawings. I would have been lost without it.

Chapter 1

We need an extra-large clean dish table for the back of the house, said Chef Pierre Fourier to me as I checked off the equipment list on my Samsung tablet. He preferred to be called Chef. How about four of them. Both locations need two tables. We need two at the hotel’s kitchen, said Chef’s partner, Trevor Girard. I made a note for two additional tables to the other equipment list marked hotel project Cottage on the Green. Chef sauntered back and forth naming the equipment he thought I forgot to include for the project. Chef wanted the two restaurants to open twenty four hours apart. Which meant both required my complete attention. I parked myself at a table in the dining room of Chef’s first restaurant called Chef’s Place. It was located in midtown Atlanta. The air conditioned retreat was perfect for a hot day in the middle of July. The eatery mingled with the other food establishments in the area. Chef was not our usual client. His original designer moved to Asia for a more lucrative job designing golf courses. He referred Chef to our firm. Eliott Chandler head man at E. C. Architecture and Design presented me with the project after consulting my immediate supervisor Becca Weaver. The project was meld into a larger project. They dealt me a hand of hospitality design projects that consisted of a few jokers. My trump card was patience.

Chef was preparing for the lunch crowd. It was a little after 9:00 am with the breakfast crowd still walking through the doors. The air contained whiffs of onion, celery and green pepper. His famous lunch omelet was the days' special. He made omelets all day on Monday. The omelets were one of his crowd pleasers. He said many people were getting over bad weekends so he made simple meals for breakfast and lunch. Dinner was more sophisticated.

Chef’s Place was done in elegant but modest style. Muted tones of beige and mauve. The carpet needed upgrading from the beige and brown and the walls needed a new coat of paint but other than that, the placed looked great. There were lines every night for tables. It was always better to make reservations or call ahead to see how long you waited for table. The lighting was on high volume but at night it was down to a romantic glow. Just enough to read the menu but not too bright to kill the mood. In front of me was a platter of small sandwiches which would be sold at noon. They were the alternative to the omelets.

The projects on my lists of duties blended together were based on the upcoming FedEx Cup Playoff. One consisted of a golf theme while the other encompassed a flare for both golf and casual dining. The dual theme was for the hotel restaurant. Chef, Trevor and Monique partnered to own an unfinished apartment complex. With the design and help from our firm, two story hotel buildings were created. Becca and Eli handled the exterior design to upgrade the building’s façade. I was in charge of the interiors. I did have a hand in some of the exteriors because they thought it helped my grades for grad school in architectural exterior design. They even enrolled me in an online degree program for a master’s degree in architecture. They were not hinting about the degree, they were aggressive in assisting me to determine my future with them. No longer were they pushing me, they were shoving me down the grad school path. Which explained why my black eyes felt so heavy. Lately, I slept very little.

Make that two tables for each place, said Chef. Are you sure we can afford just two? he said.

I ran a quick check on the spreadsheet our man with the figures, Nigel gave me before I left the office. We were doing great with the budget. I shook my head with a thumbs up to let them know we were okay.

This was our second meeting in a week. The first meeting was in my office before 8:00 am. The time was good for them but murder for me. I didn’t mind getting to work early, but I was in no mood to referee their squabbles over carpet, tile and paint colors. When Chef suggested that we have the next meeting at his place just before 10:00 am, I was overjoyed. There were a few things in life I held sacred and the rest can go to Hell. Number one is God Almighty. There’s got to be a superior being to get me out of some of the scrapes I got myself into on a regular basis. Next on my list was my family, friends and my dogs. My dogs, Lola and Molly are my friends so they take up two spaces. Right behinds them was food and clothes. So the project I was assigned tickled my taste buds to no end. Restaurant design was perfect. The job consisted of working with a well-known chef. His first restaurant was designed with a French theme. Our firm took no credit for it but it was well done. After some haggling over who controlled the major aspects of the project, I was assigned the job. Chef chose a location near the Eastlake Golf Course as a standalone restaurant, too. It was between the hotel project and the motel project. One thing people know about Georgia is that along with the usual sporting events, there are two golfing events that call everyone’s attention to rise – The Masters in Augusta and the FedEx Cup in Atlanta at the East Lake Golf Club. People sold their prized possessions to take advantage of the influx of business for that one week. The cash infused into the Atlanta economy was just the icing on the cake. Some golfers and their entourage arrive a week early if possible so it was important to have everything up and running a week to ten days ahead of the first ball being struck off the first tee.

So the trio of Chef, Trevor and Monique decided to turn an apartment complex into a hotel. Like I said some people sold their prized possessions to cash in on the golf tournament. In this case, Chef used money from various sources such as inheritance, cookbooks and his successful first restaurant. Monique was a fashion designer. Her first designs were formalwear. Then she turned to sportswear. Her latest designs specialized in sports attire and Trevor was an investor.

While I made notes, there was a heavenly fragrance coming through the establishment. Chef’s student assistant, Ronnie placed a plate of delicate pastries in front of me. Chef Pierre's éclairs were to stomp your feet over. I inhaled the smell of dark chocolate and tasted the butter-cream filling. I sat in a booth surrounded by amazing smells which was slightly disturbed by the sound of three people disagreeing on specific elements of design to the next restaurant. I tried to concentrate on the food in front of me, but the sounds overshadowed the tranquility I felt. Certain foods put me in another level of life. I was known to hum to myself when the food was so good. I wasn’t able to hear my humming over the loud banter between Chef and Monique. This time she took over the conversation as Trevor left by the side door.

Just as I was about to come out of my chocolate stupor, Chef rushed from the kitchen with Monique trailing behind him. The office manager brought up the rear with a pad in hand Chef. Each person proclaimed their project more important than the other. Chef’s partnership with Trevor was a separate but related project – the kitchen in the hotel. Chef took a more personal role in the planning of the hotel’s kitchen. The partnership with Monique the boutique in the hotel was to advertise her golf apparel designs. The Chef took part in anything that dealt with fine food. He was also a loyal friend to his old buddies from their hometown of Ontario, Canada. They settled in Atlanta because many people told it was a place on the map to start new businesses. . They were also golf fanatics. There times you saw either one with a putter in hand while explaining what they wanted in the spaces of the hotel. They were loyal followers of their Canadian golfers, too. All of this made their reasons for the hotel, restaurant and boutique important to the perfect design project. I stood up to leave just as Trevor came back into the dining room.

We can't come to terms about the color of the walls and carpet, said Chef.

They went around the bend on the carpet once before. I produced plans that depicted a half dozen examples.

Chef flailed his arms in different directions that pointed to the walls and floor.

I want the same type of carpet but in a grass green. You know like the grass on the surface where the holes are and not the green at the tee box.

Trevor rolled his eyes. Is there really a difference between the two colors?

'Well yes. Yes there is a difference. Maybe you need a pair of glasses, Chef said. But not that much. One has a greener look than the one on the tee box. It varies on what golf course you are trying to replicate."

See I told you that there was a different color.

I specified the colors on the plans for you to compare. I think the examples three and six are what you mean. The catalog numbers are different for each shade of green, I said.

I don't see a difference.

Chef stalked off to the kitchen. He thrust his hands in the air. When he returned, he came back with a knife. On the knife were dabs of green frosting.

See his is what I am talking about.

You know you could have brought the frosting in a spoon.

I wanted you to get the point of where I am coming from. Do you? If not, I may have to stick it in your brain. I know what I want and you are just guessing.

Are you saying I don't know how to put together a themed restaurant? Just look at this place, he said as he made a sweeping gesture with his hand. The knife fell to the floor.

After a few more comments about paint from Chef, we discussed the flooring system before I took off for the office. The flooring system accommodated telephone and data lines. I checked off more items but not enough. I texted the revised orders to our suppliers. No time to waste.

# # #

I stepped into my office at 11:00 on the dot. The air condition was a welcomed greeting. The temperature was over eighty degree before noon. I was so stuffed from the pre- lunch prep that Chef offered me that all I wanted was a large iced tea to plunge the food down. I consumed everything from three cheese omelet to the omelet stuffed with ham and sausage. With taste of the éclairs still on my tongue I exhaled. He made small omelets that contained a mixture of seafood. The last item on our menu was finger sized éclairs. Chef used gluten free products for his lavish recipes. He wanted everyone to feel free to eat whatever they liked without becoming ill. I possessed no allergies to food only to pollen which was in abundance this year. I was ready for a nap but thought better of it so I logged on to my computer. The screen blinked to the desktop. I immediately called up the plans, specifications and details for the restaurant design project. I took one project at a time. Then I opened the hotel project to add the tables. No need to crowd the brain on a full stomach.

Six weeks ago I checked my in box to see what Becca dropped in my in-box for assignments. I found more than one. In fact there were four commercial projects. I took on the smaller project with a swift project approach. I completed it in record time. The small boutique was simple. A few display cabinets, cash wrap area, a dressing room with new flooring. The paint color was beige and light blue. Nothing special to consider except making sure it met accessibility codes for wheelchairs. The last two which were similar I decided to put off until I heard from Becca. Becca was waiting to hear from her boss, Eli. Once he completed the architectural fine tuning, she said there was a deadline and I got on with them in a hurry. The deadline was a week before the FedEx Cup Golf Playoff at the East Lake Golf Course began. In Georgia there are two important golfing events - The Masters in Augusta and the FedEx in Atlanta. People traveled from miles around the country to see who will win the final event of the golfing season. My clients planned to take every advantage of each dollar that crossed the East Lake area. The weather in September was unpredictable which meant the visitors needed to be housed as close to the golf course as possible. The rainy first few months of the year kept up all through the spring and summer. The days were hot with a chance of rain just about every day. The weather played a part in our progress, too. An abundance of rain meant the exterior work took longer than Eli planned. So it was up to me to get us back on schedule.

In fact, it was up to me to have everyone ready to go at least two weeks before the tournament if not one week while I studied for class. Press releases were mailed as soon as the exterior was completed. So, I checked my in box again to see there was anything else pressing. I devoted all of my attention to the hotel and motel projects along with the restaurant. It was imperative that all of the projects came together at once. Each location was three miles apart at most. Unfortunately, what’s on paper doesn’t always come to reality. I read the project descriptions and called Becca for a meeting. The projects were similar but one was a hotel with a boutique and restaurant. The other was a motel trying to be a hotel. More like two steps up from being a bed and breakfast. The projects were up my alley. Food and clothes Sometimes food didn't love me so I relied on my other love. Golf. The project also took on a personal feeling because the owners wanted to use a golf theme for the motel and the hotel wanted to use the golf theme for the restaurant. I was in design heaven - at least until I started working with the people involved.

The meeting with Becca went pretty well. The survey and questionnaire that Becca gave them when they requested our services were mostly incomplete. Some of the answers were crossed out and others just didn't make sense. The owners of the soon to be motel said the wanted a golf theme with a bed and breakfast feel. But they wanted a motel look. That was not going to be hard because the site was an apartment complex near the golf course. The couple bought the place at auction. Eli began the construction renovation by changing the first two buildings into office space for check-ins and kitchen and dining room. The rest of the buildings were set up as hotel spaces with kitchenettes. He said it would cost less to leave most of the apartment spaces intact. All there was for me to do was to work with this couple, Delores and Felix Morse to get the two buildings in order along with overseeing the interior living spaces livable. There was a problem with the pool, its equipment building and the changing house. I would have to oversee those improvements. They supplied us with a wonderful budget that seemed to carry the project to the end.

The other project was an office building that was converted into living spaces. The previous owner moved out of the country so three people formed a partnership. The Chef Fourier who owned a standalone restaurant called Chef's Place formed a partnership with two of his old friends. They put together several millions of dollars. The boutique was an idea of the female partner, Monique Taylor. Her current love interest, Gaspar was the budget planner. But Trevor Giraud was the other partner. Each person filled out a survey to let us know what they wanted, expected and hoped the project would be like at the end. Gaspar Mahue statement was that he wanted to project to come in at budget. At least he didn't say under budget.

Becca and I went over the list of work that was completed; the long list of fixtures that need to be discussed and the finishes that required to be nailed down to keep the project moving.

I thought most of these details were settled when they signed the contract, Becca said.

They were. All parties said they were ecstatic over the proposal. They loved the design boards down to the door knobs. But once the deal was settled, they came up with new ideas and Monique came up with a whole new concept, I said.

Once we completed our conference, Becca asked me about my courses. Just about every design firm encourages their designers to advance their professional credentials. I acquired my professional certifications after working with the firm for a little over two years. Then came the review of my progress. I tried to skip going back to school for as long as possible. I claimed the too busy cliché. Then Becca and Eli came up with three online schools that offered master degrees in architecture and interior design. I agreed to enroll just to keep them quiet. Besides the firm agreed to pay half of the tuition. I took the history of architecture and the advanced design studio program. I found myself burning the midnight oil most nights. Between the projects I was assigned and my passion for golf, I was worn out.

So how was your midterm project?

I received a B for the project. I missed a few details that would have made it an A project, I said.

’I hope you don’t forget the details on the projects you are working on for us.

No. I keep reminding myself to ask each person what extra details they want in their spaces.

I should have never said the word details to Becca. She was a stickler for three things - building codes, specifications and details.

I expect you to have an extra list of details for each client. Even if we can’t put all of them in the project, we can incorporate some of them.

I have a list for just about everyone involved in each project. Chef, Trevor and Monique gave me a list that is a mile long and twice as precise. Gaspar, their middleman brought it to me last week.

That’s what I am talking about. See you do learn from your classes.

I showed Becca a copy of the lists on my tablet. She smiled that showed she approved of my work so far.

Chapter 2

After checking my messages and still reeling from eating too many pastries, I barely made it to my next appointment. It was 1:00 PM when I arrived. The heat of July beamed down like a hair dryer turned up high. The short sleeved jacket I wore earlier was discarded to the back of my Ford Escape. Motel Twenty-Four was the other renovation. It was said to open in a month. They wanted to beat the rush of people looking for housing near the golf club. Felix Morse and his wife, Deloris decided to open a motel near the closer to the East Lake Golf Course. It was a change from the bed and breakfast they opened two miles from the Atlanta Motor Speedway race track in McDonough. After the last race, they put the money from the sale of the bed and breakfast as well as their heads together with some rainy day money to buy a semi rundown apartment complex that held over a hundred apartments. Sort of a smaller version of the hotel. There a number of small apartment complexes in Atlanta. Some in nice areas and some in terrible areas. It was supposed to be a mid-size apartment complex, but due to the hardship of the housing market, it went to weeds. Elliot worked on the exterior with a little help from yours truly. We were in the interior design phase of the design. The landscape architect was in the middle of creating a beautiful view for all of the visitors. I was not concerned with that part of the design. I did have to supervise the pool area. Paint colors were chosen with a few snags. Since the final golf tournament for the season took place at the East Lake, they wanted to cash in so to speak on the golf craze. The couple poured most of their life savings and the money from their previously owned bed and breakfast that was such a success. But they wanted a larger venture. I was told they consulted a financial planner to handle the investment. They sold the bed and breakfast to a young couple looking to flip the business.

Their idea was for a long stay motel. One where the golfer or golfing enthusiast came early for the match and stayed for other activities. There was no specific check out date if the customer paid a certain fee. Otherwise, the customer checked out on Monday no later than Tuesday. Becca and Eli felt it was time I took charge of a more adventurous architecture project. Like the hotel, the motel was converted from abandoned apartment construction. It was a great way to reuse existing structures for needed temporary housing.

I arrived on site to see Addie, our construction contractor standing in the soon to be entrance of the lobby. Her company was also our deconstruction contractor. She held her tablet in one hand while holding a cup of some herbal tea that smelled of cinnamon and orange.

Karla, you are the person I need to see, she said.

We greeted with the usual smiles.

What’s up? I asked.

The folks here want the check- in desk to be placed at this location, she said pointing the middle of the room.

Why do they want it there? On the plans, it is four feet from that wall so the keys, cubbyholes and a small desk can be placed behind it.

They want to be in the center of the room for some reason. I told them that would not be good. I showed them the plans. They said they did not agree to what’s on the plans. I told them I saw their initials on the plans. They just won’t listen. Talk to them. I need to get this straight.

I will find them and let them know that the electrical and communications equipment must be installed as soon as possible and that what we proposed was what they agreed upon.

I hope you can convince them. I’m going over the last building to check on another problem I may need your help to solve.

I closed my eyes. I liked single clients. Husbands and wife clients tend to create more drama than necessary. You have to be their confidants too often. I walked through the lobby area to what was to be the kitchen area with dining room set up. I didn’t see the loving couple but I heard Del yelling at Felix.

What is the problem? I asked.

Felix keeps vetoing my ideas. I told him he was not going to make this place into a cheap hooker motel. It is going to have class. Those golfers are not low life, they are high class folks. They pay big dollars to stay downtown. We want to offer them a place close to the golf course that is just as classy.

I told Del that I didn’t think we could afford what she wants. We have to stay within our budget. Our financial planner said not to go with stuff on a whim.

Well let’s see what Del wants and maybe we can give it a shot, I said.

I want to have a small bar by the pool. No alcohol drinks served out there but a juice bar. Felix said that it would cost too much to have one constructed with a blender, refrigerator and a couple of other things. I asked him how hard the hit could be to just have something for the guest so that they won’t have to go inside every time they want something to drink.

I’ll tell you what I can do. I will contact our carpenter. He can tell me how much it will cost to build a bar with a small refrigerator.

That sounds great, said Del.

Only if it doesn’t cost too much.

I do have to talk to you about the foyer and check in area.

Oh, Addie told you what we want, said Felix.

Yes. She did. Addie said that you told her you didn’t agree to the location of the desk. I know you did agree to it when we started working on the plans.

"We just want to