Carlita began to pace. It was obvious someone had it in for Lawson Bates. She remembered hearing the reporter, Brock Kensington, saying Lawson also rattled off Emmett Pridgen’s name as a suspect in the riverboat damage.
What if Pridgen was behind all of this?
She’d had her first contact with Pridgen when she, along with Elvira and Annie, conducted some undercover surveillance in a downtown club.
Although she didn’t know the man, she knew someone else who did…her son, Vinnie. Carlita didn’t figure her son would answer her call. She left a message for him, asking him to return the call when he had time.
A sudden thought popped into her head. “That’s it.” She snapped her fingers. “Hey, Mercedes!”
Mercedes wandered into the living room, her slippers flap-flapping as she traipsed across the wood floor. “Yeah?”
“I thought you were already awake.”
“I was earlier. I was up half the night working on my new story and fell asleep at the desk.” She began massaging her neck. “I have to stop doing that. It’s a real pain in the neck, literally.”
“I was gonna tell you I’m heading to the business development office to meet Emmett Pridgen, if he’s in.”
“What are you gonna do at the business development place? Open another business? Don’t we already have enough to do?”
“This is strictly a fishing expedition, for information. Someone attacked Lawson Bates last night. He’s in a coma in the hospital and the authorities are questioning Tori, Pirate Pete and Glenda’s husband, Mark.”
“What does Pridgen have to do with this?” Mercedes started to yawn and covered her mouth. “Sorry.”
“When I was down by the river the day the Mystic Dream was damaged, the Channel Eleven News reporter spoke with Lawson Bates. He said he suspected Emmett Pridgen of being one of the people who may have been responsible for the damage to his riverboat.”
“Which means he may have also been involved in Lawson’s attack. I’ll go with you,” Mercedes offered. “You’ll have to wait for me to get ready.”
“I’ll wait.”
Mercedes ran to the bathroom and Carlita grabbed her phone. She needed to talk to Glenda and Pete before she started snooping around. She poured another cup of coffee and carried her phone to the balcony.
Glenda was the first to call her back. “I can’t believe the morning I’m having.”
“Let me guess…the cops were on your doorstep, asking Mark if he knows anything about Lawson Bates’ attack.”
“How did you know?”
“I spoke with Tori Montgomery. They were questioning her, too.”
“And Pete Taylor, I suspect.”
“I haven’t talked to Pete yet, but that’s my guess.” Carlita sipped her coffee. “Did they tell you what happened?”
“Only that they interviewed the employees, who said Lawson planned to stay late, to keep an eye on the riverboat. A local resident was out jogging along the river early this morning and found Lawson unconscious on the dock in front of the Mystic Dream. The man called 911 and by the time the ambulance got to him, he was in bad shape. They rushed him to the hospital.”
“I heard he was in a coma.”
“Yep,” Glenda confirmed. “That’s what the investigators told us. I think Pete may be at the top of the list of suspects.”
A wave of dread washed over Carlita. “Why do you say that?”
“Because the investigator, a Detective Polivich, said another riverfront business owner was in the vicinity at the time of the incident.”
“Pirate Pete argued with Lawson yesterday. Remember?”
“Yeah, and there were a lot of other people present who witnessed the argument.”
“My guess is Pete decided to spend the night on his ship.” Carlita set her coffee on the table and wiggled out of the lounge chair. “This is terrible. What makes them suspect Mark?”
“My guess is the comment you overheard the Channel Eleven News guy make, that Lawson suspected Mark, Pete or Emmett Pridgen were behind the damage to his riverboat.”
“It’s a mess. Until Lawson regains consciousness, we won’t know for sure what happened. I would be more concerned for Pete. It appears he may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Carlita thanked Glenda for the information and disconnected the call.
Pete still hadn’t called her back. As each minute passed, she grew more concerned the authorities had uncovered evidence pointing to Pete and they arrested him.
Mercedes emerged from the bathroom, comb in hand. “All I have to do is run a quick comb through this mess and I’ll be ready to go.”
*****
The development office was a nondescript brick building, with a bold, black sign emblazoned on the front door, Savannah Office of Business Development.
“Here goes nothing.” Carlita grasped the handle and pushed the door open. The interior of the office was as drab as the exterior. Not only was it drab, it was also dark.
Carlita gazed around the room, waiting for her eyes to focus when she spied a small counter off to the side. The young woman behind the counter warily eyed them as they approached.
“Yes. We own a business in Walton Square and have a few questions for Chairman Pridgen.” Carlita tapped her fingers on the countertop. “Yes, I believe that’s his name…Pridgen.”
“Mr. Pridgen doesn’t typically handle inquiries in person. We prefer to have them in writing. If you would like to fill out a form.” The woman reached under the counter and pulled out a clipboard. “I’ll be happy to give it to him.”
Mercedes slid in next to her mother. “Do you have any idea how long that will take? We need an answer kinda quick.”
The woman smiled patiently. “Forty-eight hours.” She pointed to the clipboard. “The development department requires a forty-eight hour turnaround time.”
Carlita squinted her eyes at the small print on the top sheet. “The print is too small and I don’t have my glasses.”
“I’ll fill it out,” Mercedes said. “Do you know when Mr. Pridgen will be returning to the office?”
The woman glanced at an open appointment book in front of her. “He has a full schedule. He may be back in the office this afternoon, unless his meetings run late. It’s hard to tell.”
She handed the clipboard and a pen to Mercedes. “Let me know if you have any questions.”
The top part of the form was standard information, including name, address and property location.
The lower half was a questionnaire. The questions included the type of business, estimated sales, and estimated customers per day, number of employees they planned to hire and how many of the employees would be related to the owner. The final question was a rough estimate of the percentage the venture would spend on advertising.
Carlita followed Mercedes to a row of chairs on the other side of the room. “I don’t remember filling this out for Ravello or the pawnshop,” she whispered.
“I don’t either,” Mercedes whispered back. “Some of this stuff is none of their business. I mean, why should we tell them how many family members we plan to employ? I’m making some crazy business up.”
She tapped the pen on top of the clipboard. “I’ve got it.” Mercedes lowered her head and began scribbling.
Carlita leaned over her shoulder and started to chuckle. “That’s crazy, Mercedes. Graffiti art studio?”
“It’s a real business,” Mercedes insisted. “They’re big time popular in Europe.”
“We’re not in Europe. There’s no way the Savannah business development members will approve a graffiti art studio.”
“It doesn’t matter because we don’t plan on opening one.”
“True.”
After finishing the form, Mercedes returned to the counter. The woman glanced at the paper and lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on the contents. “I’ll be sure to forward your information to Mr. Pridgen. We’ll contact you within the next day or so.”
Carlit
a followed her daughter out of the building and onto the sidewalk. “That was a bust.”
“Yeah.” Mercedes glanced in both directions. “Now what?”
“I’m worried about Pete. He hasn’t returned my call. He may be on his pirate ship with poor cell signal. Do you mind if we take a run by there?”
“No. I would love to check out the pirate ship.” The women strolled to the corner of the block and crossed the street, making their way to the riverfront district. They passed by the Mystic Dream. The gangway was up and there wasn’t a soul in sight.
“I hope Lawson Bates recovers,” Carlita said. “Someone must have it in for him.”
They continued walking until they reached the pirate ship, anchored only a couple hundred yards away. The gangway was down and the women tentatively stepped onto it. “Hello? Pete? You in here?” Carlita hollered.
The women heard a muffled thump, followed by heavy steps that grew louder.
Pirate Pete appeared, dressed in full pirate garb, from the plumed pirate hat perched atop his head, to his fitted puffy pirate shirt to his shiny black pirate breeches.
“You look like you’re ready to conquer the high seas,” Carlita teased.
“Or handle a crew mutiny,” Pete said. “What brings ya ter my neck of the woods?”
“One, we want to check out your ship,” Carlita said. “I left a message on your cell phone earlier.”
“You did?” Pete pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I don’t see a call. I’ve been busy, dodging reporters and defending my territory.” His expression grew somber. “Did you hear about Lawson Bates’ attack?”
“Yes. I spoke with Tori and Glenda Fox, both of whom were questioned by the authorities. I hope he makes it out of the coma so he can tell them who attacked him.”
“Right now, I think they’re leaning toward charging me with his attack.” Pete went on to explain he was unaware of the incident until the authorities showed up on his doorstep. “The first thing they asked was where I was last night and I told them right here, keeping a close eye on my new ship.”
“And they know Lawson claims you may have been responsible for the fire on board the Mystic Dream, as well.”
“Tis true,” Pete nodded. “I can’t believe Polivich questioned Tori. How could a distinguished woman, not to mention a wee bitty thing like Tori, attack a big, brawny man like Lawson? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I agree,” Carlita said.
“Now that you’re here, would you like to have a look around?”
“We would love to.” Mercedes clasped her hands.
Pete started the tour in the bottom of the pirate ship and the cargo hold, what he explained was the “stores.” From there, they climbed up to the crew quarters, located next to the galley, followed by the upper deck. Their last stop was the captain’s quarters, the nicest of the areas.
“This is so cool.” Mercedes walked over to a hammock hanging from two large wooden posts and gave it a nudge. “Is this where you sleep?”
“Aye.” Pete nodded. “Not as comfy as a bed, mind you. Nevertheless, it got me through in a pinch.”
Their tour ended on the open top deck.
Carlita wandered to the railing, her eyes drifting to the Mystic Dream. “I’m guessing you didn’t see or hear anything last night that might help the authorities figure out who attacked Lawson?”
“Unfortunately, the answer is no. A few of Lawson’s employees stopped by this morning to inquire if I was hiring since they’re not sure when the Mystic Dream will reopen.”
Pete placed his elbows on the railing. “One of Lawson’s employees mentioned the investigators took a box out of Lawson’s office. He made a comment that he wondered if the authorities would be investigating Lawson now, too.”
Carlita perked up. “Investigating Lawson?”
“Yeah.” Pete nodded. “When I asked the young man what he meant, he said, ‘Lawson might have been involved in some shady business ventures.’”
Pete clenched his jaw and stared at the Mystic Dream. “If only there was a way to sneak on board the Mystic Dream and have a look around.”
Mercedes, who joined her mother on the other side, stepped closer. “Where is Lawson’s office?”
“It’s in the front of the riverboat. Lawson was kind enough to give me a tour before he found out I was bringing my own ship to Savannah.” Pete pointed to a long row of windows near the front. “See those windows near the top?”
“Yeah.” Mercedes nodded.
“His office is right there.”
Mercedes slowly walked across the deck. She leaned over the railing, her eyes focused on the Mystic Dream. “You said the riverboat is temporarily shut down.”
“That’s what the employees told me,” Pete confirmed.
“Perfect,” Mercedes said. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 11
“I’m not sure about this, Mercedes.”
“We’ll be fine, Ma. Pete will be our lookout. All Autumn and I have to do is climb the ladder up the side of the Mystic Dream, slip inside Lawson’s office, have a quick look around and then sneak back off. It’s gonna be a quick and easy in and out, guaranteed.”
“I can’t believe Pete is going along with this,” Carlita said.
“Because it’s a simple operation. Plus, Pete’s a pirate. That’s what pirates do.”
“Pirates engage in illegal activities. What if you get caught?”
“Who’s gonna catch us? Lawson is in the hospital. Who knows how long it will be before the Mystic Dream is up and running again. Once that happens, our chance to try to figure out what Lawson may have been up to will be over.”
Carlita followed her daughter into the living room. “But the authorities already searched Lawson’s office. What if you’re wasting your time?”
Mercedes shrugged. “Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.”
The doorbell rang and Mercedes ran down the steps, returning moments later with Autumn in tow.
“How are you Autumn?” Carlita gave the young woman a warm hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“I’ve been keeping busy at the newspaper. When I’m not working, I spend a lot of my free time with Cole.” Autumn grinned, the dimple in her cheek deepening. “Did Mercedes tell you I have a new boyfriend? He’s a cop.”
“Yes, and now that you mention it; does your cop boyfriend know you’re going to break into the Mystic Dream’s office?” Carlita asked.
“We’re not breaking anything,” Autumn said. “Just entering.”
“At least we hope we won’t break anything. Autumn is kind of a klutz.” Mercedes slung her backpack over her shoulder.
“Am not,” Autumn pouted.
“I’m kidding.” Mercedes squeezed her friend’s arm. “We need to get going. Pete is waiting for us.”
Autumn stepped into the hall and Mercedes joined her while Carlita trailed behind. When they reached the alley, Carlita caught a glimpse of movement near the tenant parking lot and she watched as Sam Ivey strolled toward them. He was wearing the same seersucker suit Carlita had seen him in early that morning.
“You had a long day,” Carlita commented.
“Long and tiring.” He tipped his hat to Carlita, ignored Mercedes and turned to Autumn.
“Autumn Winter, this is Sam Ivey, our new tenant.”
“Hey, Sam. It’s good to see you again,” Autumn said.
“Hey, Autumn. I didn’t know you knew the Garlucci’s.”
“I met them the day they moved to Savannah.”
“How’s Cole?” Sam asked.
The two made small talk and Mercedes and her mother exchanged a quick glance. They needed to get Autumn away from Sam before she slipped and told him what they were up to.
“We should get going.” Mercedes tugged on Autumn’s arm.
“You’re right. Well, it was nice to see you again,” Autumn said.
“Tell Cole I said ‘Hello.’”
“You coming with us, Ma?” Mer
cedes asked.
“You go on ahead. I’ll be along shortly.”
The young women walked away while Carlita and Sam Ivey made their way inside. “Is your daughter always impatient and in a hurry?”
Carlita laughed. “Sometimes. It depends.”
They trudged up the steps and paused when they reached the upper hall. “I have something for you. Hang on a sec.” Carlita darted into the apartment. She grabbed a plate of cookies she’d baked that morning and carried them into the hall.
“This is my welcome to Walton Square gift.” She held out the tray of cookies.
Sam eyed them with interest. “They look delicious.”
“It’s an old family recipe. The cookies are sugar cookies and the frosting made with cream cheese and lemon zest, my secret ingredients.”
“I can’t wait to try them. Thank you.” Sam took the tray. “Being a bachelor and all, I mainly survive on fast food and frozen dinners.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Carlita almost invited her new tenant to dinner, but changed her mind. Although Mercedes and he had reached a truce of sorts, she didn’t dare push her luck. “Ravello will be opening soon. You can come visit as often as you like.”
“I will certainly do that.” Sam shifted the tray to his other hand. “At the risk of sounding nosy, I was wondering…how many children do you have?”
“Four. My youngest son, Paulie, lives in New York with his wife, Gina. He’s the mayor of Clifton Falls, a small town in upstate. My middle son, Tony, runs the pawnshop downstairs. You’ve already met him.”
“He’s the one who’s engaged to my new neighbor, Shelby.”
“Yes.” Carlita nodded. “My oldest son, Vinnie, just got married and moved to New Jersey with his new wife. He’ll be down for the wedding in a couple of months and, of course, you know Mercedes.”
“Yes.” Sam solemnly nodded. “Four kids and three businesses. You’re a busy lady.”
“You betcha. I must like it,” Carlita joked. “The kids and the businesses keep me on my toes, especially the kids.” She thought of Vinnie’s recent marriage to Brittney Castellini, the daughter of the head of the New York mafia and before that, Paulie’s temporary split from his wife, Gina.
Pirates in Peril: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 10) Page 8