Pirates in Peril: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 10)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Mrs. Garlucci?” The young woman smiled.

  “Yes.”

  “Follow me.”

  Carlita followed the woman through the dining room and down a long hall to a door marked “Private.”

  The woman rapped lightly before twisting the knob and leaning in. “Mrs. Garlucci is here.”

  “Have her come in,” Pirate Pete’s booming voice echoed into the hall.

  The young woman waited until Carlita was inside before closing the door behind her.

  Pirate Pete made his way around the front of the desk to give Carlita a quick hug. She caught the faint smell of an expensive cigar mingled with an earthy cologne. The cologne reminded her of a scent Carlita’s deceased husband, Vinnie, had worn.

  “I hope I’m not late.”

  Gunner, Pete’s parrot, began to squawk. “You’re late.”

  “Carlita is not late,” Pirate Pete scolded. “Mind your manners.”

  “Gunner is handsome,” Gunner replied.

  Carlita wandered over to the parrot’s cage. “Gunner is handsome. I’m sorry I’m late.”

  “Time to walk the plank.”

  “Maybe later,” Carlita chuckled.

  “You’re not late and if Gunner doesn’t watch it, I’m going to cover his cage.”

  “No!” Gunner screeched. “Don’t cover the cage.”

  “Then behave yourself.” Pete motioned to the empty chair next to Tori. “Tori just got here, too.”

  “Hello, Carlita. I was just telling Pete I’m thrilled you’re interested in our potential business venture.”

  “I have my hands full with the pawnshop, the apartment rentals and soon, Ravello, my new restaurant, but I’m always open to new ideas.” Carlita settled into the seat and set her purse on the floor next to her. “I have to admit, I’m dying to hear what you two have up your sleeves.”

  “Good!” Tori’s eyes twinkled. She turned to Pirate Pete, who resumed his place behind the desk. “I’ll let you tell Carlita what we have, as she says, ‘up our sleeves.’”

  Chapter 2

  Pete cleared his throat. “As you know, Tori and I have been tossing around the idea of doing something with the gems you shared with us, the ones you recovered from your property. Savannah is a booming tourist town. Restaurants are a good investment, but they’re a lot of work.”

  “Plus, you already got one,” Carlita said.

  “Right.” Pirate Pete continued. “Because our area is a top tourist destination, I thought - what better way to invest our money than to combine all of our expertise to treat tourists to something special, something they can’t get anywhere else?”

  “At least not in Savannah,” Tori said. “I’m sure you heard the talk about a casino gambling boat.”

  “You could say that,” Carlita said. She didn’t mention her son, Vinnie, along with Vinnie’s new father-in-law, recently visited to explore the gambling boat venture.

  “We certainly weren’t interested in opening a gambling boat because it brings in a certain criminal element,” Tori said.

  “You have no idea,” Carlita mumbled. “So what have you come up with?”

  “A pirate ship,” Pete said.

  “A pirate ship?” Carlita wrinkled her nose. “Where do you get a pirate ship?”

  “I have a friend who lives in Florida, over in the Bay Area. He owns a pirate boat and says business is booming, so I took a trip down there. I was impressed by the success of his pirate ship and after checking it out, I thought why not? I already have a pirate restaurant, why not a pirate ship?”

  “Where do I fit in? I don’t know anything about the pirate business. Mafia? Check. Pirate? No.”

  “But Pete does,” Tori said. “The Savannah gambling boat is already in the works and has pretty much paved the way for more riverfront business ventures.”

  “What if the city doesn’t approve a pirate ship venture?” Carlita was painfully aware of all of the red tape involved in starting a business, not to mention obtaining permits and business licenses.

  “The permit is already in place.” Tori winked at Carlita. “It pays to have connections. Now all we have to do is wait for our ship to come in.”

  “Very funny.” Carlita shifted in her chair. “How…much does a pirate ship cost?”

  “Tori and I already ponied up the money. The ship is, as Tori said, on its way.”

  “Where do I fit in?”

  “We need cash,” Pete said bluntly. “We spent most of our money on the ship. Now we need some money to get the business up and running.”

  “We still need to hire workers, lease the dock space and pay for advertising.” Tori rattled off the list. “Both you and I would be more of silent partners. Pete plans to handle the day-to-day operations.”

  “I have an agreement already drawn up.” Pete reached for a file folder on his desk and handed it to Carlita. “We don’t need an answer today. I think you should take it home and go over it, have your kids go over it.”

  “As well as an attorney,” Tori said. “Regardless of whether you want to join us in the venture, our friendship is of utmost importance.”

  Victoria, aka “Tori” Montgomery and Carlita had become friends after Elvira went missing and she discovered her tenant was hiding out on Tybee Island, searching for gems. Elvira snuck onto Tori’s property, was taken down by Tori’s guard dog and promptly arrested.

  After Carlita helped smooth things over, Tori, along with Pirate Pete, invited her to lunch, which was the beginning of the trio’s unique friendship.

  Carlita glanced at the folder. “It sounds intriguing. Won’t we be butting heads with the casino boat owners? Some of those casino owners can be ruthless.”

  Vito Castellini, her son Vinnie’s father-in-law, instantly came to mind.

  “The customers would be two completely different sets of clientele. I’m certain Savannah is big enough to support both businesses,” Pete said confidently. “I’ve done my research. I believe we have an excellent chance to run a successful tourist venture and make some money.”

  “I’ll give this serious consideration,” Carlita promised. She had another sudden thought. “I wonder what the owners of the new riverboat, the Mystic Dream, will think when a pirate ship shows up on the shores of the Savannah River.” The riverboat, a Savannah landmark, had recently been sold and renamed. The new owners had added small cabins and there was talk of offering overnight trip packages.

  Tori and Pete exchanged a quick glance.

  “You already know?”

  “Lawson Bates, who also happens to be Mayor Clarence Puckett’s cousin, owns the Mystic Dream.” Pirate Pete told Carlita he met with Lawson and even toured the Mystic Dream. “After the tour ended, I mentioned to Lawson my idea of bringing a pirate themed boat to the shores of the Savannah River.”

  “And he wasn’t as thrilled with the idea as you thought he would be,” Carlita guessed.

  “Lawson threatened to toss Pete off the side of the boat,” Tori said.

  “He’s not keen on the competition.”

  “You could say that.” Pirate Pete leaned back in his chair. “We exchanged a few words. I lost my cool and said some things. I hoped Lawson would see that there was room enough for all of us.”

  “I’m sure Lawson heard all about the gambling boat and is concerned they will be invading his turf,” Tori said.

  “Now we come along and he’s feeling the heat,” Carlita said. “I don’t know Lawson Bates. I do know the mayor. He seems like a reasonable man.”

  “Clarence is a decent man,” Tori agreed. “A fair man, if you will. We may hit a little resistance with Lawson moving forward with our venture.”

  “It won’t be the first time for me,” Carlita said.

  Tori stood. “I hate to rush, but I need to get going. Byron will be here to pick me up at two-thirty.”

  Carlita followed Tori out of the office and Pirate Pete brought up the rear. “I would like to take a day or so to look over the papers before
I give you an answer.”

  “Certainly, Carlita. We would expect nothing less,” Pete replied.

  “You must bring Violet around to the house one of these days,” Tori said. “Byron has asked several times when the two of you will be by for tea.”

  “Violet would love to see Byron.” Carlita pressed a hand to her forehead. “Oh my goodness! I forgot to tell you. Tony, my middle son, and Shelby, Violet’s mother, got engaged.”

  “Congratulations,” Tori said. “When do they plan to marry?”

  “This summer. They haven’t worked out all of the details yet. I’m sure it will be a small, intimate affair.” Although Carlita wasn’t certain of that. She hadn’t had a chance to discuss the wedding with Shelby.

  “You’re welcome to have the wedding at Montgomery Hall,” Tori offered. “I have plenty of room.”

  “Thank you for the generous offer,” Carlita said. “I’ll mention it to Tony and Shelby.”

  “There’s also a large reception room here at the Parrot House,” Pete said.

  “Or we could have it aboard a pirate ship,” Carlita joked.

  “That we could,” Pete opened the entrance door and the trio stepped onto the porch. “Thanks for meeting with us to listen to our idea. Tori and I both agree you would make the perfect third partner.”

  “I promise I will give it some serious consideration,” Carlita said. “And if I were ever to go in on a business venture, it would be with you two.”

  “There’s Byron.” Tori waved as Byron, her driver, steered the sedan into the parking lot.

  He exited the driver’s side and opened the rear passenger door before joining them. “Mrs. Garlucci, Mr. Taylor.”

  “Hello, Byron. How are you?”

  “Splendid. It’s a beautiful day. Did Miss Tori invite you to tea?”

  “I did,” Tori answered.

  “Yes, she did.” Carlita nodded. “She invited me and asked if Violet wanted to come along.”

  A slow smile crept across Byron’s face. “I know you’re busy, but I sure would like to see Violet someday soon.”

  “And I’m sure she would love to see you, too.” Carlita patted the file folder she was holding. “I’ll get with Tori in the next day or so. I need to meet with her again anyway.”

  Byron nodded and the smile never left his face as he helped Tori into the car before returning to the driver’s side.

  Carlita waited for the car to drive off before turning her attention to Pete. “When do you take possession of your pirate ship?”

  “The ship is on the way. It will be here any day now. As soon as it arrives, I’ll arrange to take you and Tori on a grand tour.”

  “I would like that,” Carlita said.

  “I fear Lawson Bates may try to pull some strings and undermine our business venture before it ever sets sail.” A flicker of concern crossed Pete’s face.

  “Is there a chance his cousin will side with him?”

  “I don’t know. You know the saying…blood is thicker than water.”

  “If that happens, we’ll fight it,” Carlita vowed. “And if that doesn’t work, I know a few people up north who might be able to help us out.”

  Pete chuckled. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. Looking back, perhaps I shoulda done a little more investigating before ordering the pirate ship.”

  “But you have the necessary permits,” Carlita pointed out. “Competition is a good thing. I predict Lawson Bates will eventually come around.”

  “Or not and make all of our lives miserable,” Pete said.

  Carlita waved the file folder. “I’ll be back in touch in a couple of days.” She thanked Pete again for including her and then slowly walked home.

  Despite her words of confidence to Pete, and Tori’s connections, she was concerned the pirate boat wouldn’t hit the high seas.

  She knew Mayor Puckett in passing. What if the mayor managed to pull some strings and he permanently grounded the pirate ship?

  If they couldn’t get the business up and running, who in the world would want to purchase a pirate ship? It was something Carlita needed to consider.

  When Carlita returned home, she found a note from Mercedes telling her mother she had an important errand to run and after that, planned to meet Autumn for a late lunch at a restaurant in the City Market district.

  Carlita slipped her reading glasses on and began mulling over the agreement. Most of it was mumbo jumbo. She would need to have someone with a lot more expertise in legal agreements take a look at the papers.

  The rest of the afternoon dragged by, and Mercedes’ lunch date with Autumn turned into an afternoon and evening date, leaving Carlita rambling around the apartment.

  She polished off some leftover lasagna and then settled in front of the television to watch the news. Carlita was still sitting there when Mercedes finally returned home looking none too happy.

  “Our new tenant is going to get an earful from me the next time I see him,” Mercedes fumed.

  Carlita set the remote in her lap. “What happened now?”

  “He left a pile of Welcome to Savannah signs in the spot where I park my Segway. I had to leave it in the pawnshop because there was nowhere else to put it.”

  “We’ll ask him nicely to move the signs tomorrow,” Carlita said.

  “Or I can go over there right now and tell him to move his crap out of my way.” Mercedes reached for the doorknob.

  “Mercedes! You will not. We cannot have you and the new tenant waging war from day one. You two will make peace tomorrow or else.”

  Mercedes almost asked “or else what?” but judging by the tone in her mother’s voice, she decided it wasn’t the right reply. “Fine. I’m going to my room to work on my new murder novel. Thanks to our new tenant, I’ve already picked out the name of the thug, soon to be a dead guy.”

  “I’ll take a wild guess…Sam?”

  “Sam Slimey.”

  “Mercedes.”

  “Kidding, but maybe not,” Mercedes mumbled under her breath. She changed the subject. “What happened during your meeting with Pirate Pete and Tori? What’s the big venture?”

  “A pirate ship,” Carlita said.

  “For real?” Mercedes’ eyes widened. “We’re going to be part owners of a pirate ship?”

  “I don’t think it’s a real pirate ship, but a replica.” Carlita told her daughter about the meeting and that the pirate ship was on its way to Savannah. “We would be more of a money partner than a working partner since we have our hands full with this place, not to mention we’ll be even busier once Ravello opens.”

  “I wouldn’t mind volunteering to work on board the ship.” Mercedes warmed to the idea. “Think about it…I could get a killer pirate costume, a sword and come up with some cool pirate lore.”

  “I’m sure Pete would love the extra help.” Carlita motioned toward her desk. “The agreement is on my desk. I tried to read it, but gave up.”

  “I can take a look at it for you, Ma. We should have Tony and maybe an attorney to look at it, too.” Mercedes grabbed the folder and flipped it open. “How much are they looking for you to invest?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t see a dollar figure.”

  Mercedes tucked the folder under her arm. “It’s only a coupla pages. I’ll see if I can make heads or tails of it.”

  She would look at the papers just as soon as she plotted out the death of her new character, Sam Slimey, a slow, painful and torturous death, for sure.

  Carlita could hear Mercedes pounding away on her keyboard when she went to bed a couple of hours later and was relieved her daughter hadn’t followed through on her threat to confront their new tenant.

  The next morning, she woke early and tiptoed into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Mercedes emerged from her room and followed her mother into the kitchen.

  “What are you doing up so early?”

  “I have a surprise.” Mercedes covered her mouth to stifle her yawn. “What time is it?”

/>   “Early.” Carlita squinted her eyes. “Six-thirty.”

  “Oh! We gotta get ready. Quick!”

  “At six-thirty in the morning?”

  “Yes. You go throw some clothes on. I’ll take Rambo out for a quick walk and then I’ll meet you downstairs at six-fifty.” Before Carlita could reply, Mercedes ran into the bathroom. She emerged, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, in record time.

  Carlita stared at her daughter in disbelief. “I can’t remember the last time you were up this early.” She pressed a hand to her daughter’s forehead. “Are you feeling all right?”

  “I’m fine.” Mercedes swatted her mother’s hand away. “I have a special surprise for you. We’re gonna miss it if you don’t hurry up and get dressed.”

  “If you say so.” Carlita hurried to the bathroom to dress while Mercedes herded Rambo out of the apartment. She threw on some jeans and a blouse, ran a comb through her hair and after a quick brush of her teeth, met her daughter in the first floor hall.

  “Let’s go.” Mercedes flung the door open, motioning to her mother.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the corner.” Mercedes and her mother stopped when they reached the end of the block.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Waiting for the trolley.”

  Carlita shook her head. “The trolley doesn’t stop here. The only stop around here is in front of the Parrot House.”

  “Not anymore,” Mercedes singsonged and pointed at a trolley sign Carlita had never seen before.

  Moments later, a trolley rumbled down the street and came to a stop in front of the sign.

  The driver leaned forward. “You gotta BOP?”

  “We sure do.” Mercedes grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her onto the trolley. When she reached the top of the stairs, she pulled a card from her front pocket and handed it to the woman.

  “Give it a swipe.” The driver pointed to a nearby scanning machine.

  “Cool.” Mercedes swiped the card and handed it to her mother. “This is yours.”