“I’m sure Mercedes is a handful.”
“She has her moments. Most of the time, Mercedes is the least of my worries.”
“Thanks again.” Sam lifted the tray of cookies. “I’ll return the dish when I’m done.”
“No hurry,” Carlita said. “Have a nice evening.”
As Carlita locked the apartment door and headed out to meet up with Pirate Pete and the girls, her own words rang in her ears. Normally, Mercedes was the least worrisome of her children, but not tonight.
*****
The small fishing boat skimmed lightly across the dark waters of the Savannah River.
Mercedes clung to the bench seat, her eyes darting back and forth as they sped away from Pete’s pirate ship toward the Mystic Dream.
Pete slowed the engine and they drifted closer, until they were close enough for Mercedes to reach out and touch the side of the boat.
“We’ll have to row forward from here.” Pete grabbed an oar and maneuvered the small boat along the side of the looming riverboat.
Mercedes spied a small rope ladder dangling from the front quadrant. “We’re close,” she whispered. “Only a couple more feet.”
She leaned to the side, careful to keep her feet evenly planted on the bench seat. Her first attempt to grasp the rope failed. She tried again, delicately lunging forward, mindful of maintaining her balance. Her second try was the charm and her hands tightened around the thick coarse rope.
“I’ve got it.” Holding onto the rope with one hand, Mercedes adjusted her backpack.
Autumn, who was seated on the bench behind Mercedes, tiptoed forward. “You go first.”
Mercedes nodded. She sucked in a breath and stuck her foot on the bottom rung.
“We can’t be wastin’ no time. A freighter could come by anytime and drive us into the side of the boat,” Pete warned.
That was all the motivation Mercedes needed. She scrambled up the ladder, and didn’t stop until she reached the top. She vaulted over the side, taking a soft roll before springing to her feet.
Mercedes peered down, motioning for Autumn to join her.
Autumn teetered back and forth as she attempted to grab the rope. Her foot slipped on the first try and she flailed wildly, causing the small boat to rock back and forth.
“Hold ‘er steady,” Pete said.
It was too late. Autumn’s left leg went over the side and into the water while the rest of her remained on the boat. “I’m okay! I’m okay.”
She quickly pulled herself back into the small boat and crawled to the rope ladder. “I got this.” Autumn used both hands to grab the ladder. She darted up the side and didn’t look back until she reached the top. “All clear.”
Pete fired up the boat’s engine. “You remember the signal when you want me to come back to pick you up?”
Mercedes gave him a thumbs up. The women watched as Pete and the small boat slipped out of sight and into the dark night.
“Are you okay?” Mercedes turned to her friend.
“Yeah, just a little wounded pride. My left shoe is a little soggy. I’m fine,” Autumn said. “Now what?”
“I studied a diagram of the riverboat’s layout. If my calculations are correct, we take these side stairs down one deck and make a left at the bottom. The first door on the left should be Lawson’s office.”
Mercedes inched forward, her ears tuned to any noises. Although Pete told them that, according to the employees, there was no one on board the boat, the last thing they needed was to be ambushed by a gun-wielding employee who was guarding the vessel.
Squish…squish.
Mercedes abruptly stopped. “Are you making noises?”
“It’s my wet shoe.” Autumn took a step. “Sorry.”
“Let’s keep moving.”
The stairs creaked loudly with each step they took. Mercedes shifted her feet to the outer edges of the stair treads to quiet the sound.
Autumn, oblivious to the racket they were making, tromped loudly down the stairs.
Mercedes turned back, giving her a warning look.
“What? We’re the only ones on board.”
“We hope we’re the only ones on board.” There was no time to argue. It was time for action…get in, get out.
Mercedes ran her hand along the wall and let out a sigh of relief when she grasped the handle to what she hoped was Lawson’s office door.
She turned the knob, but the door was locked. Mercedes shifted to the side. “Work your magic.”
Autumn slid a thin metal pick from her pocket and leaned forward. “It’s too dark. I can’t see.”
“I have a flashlight.” Mercedes unclipped a flashlight from the side of her backpack and turned it on.
“Thanks.” Autumn grew quiet as she wiggled the lock pick back and forth. Seconds later, there was a faint pop.
“Way to go,” Mercedes said.
“We’re not in yet.” Autumn slipped the tool back into her pocket and opened the door.
A blast of stale cigarette smoke greeted them.
“This has to be it.” Mercedes waited for Autumn follow her in and then quietly closed the door behind them.
“Now what?”
“We use flashlights to start searching.” Mercedes unzipped her backpack and handed Autumn a flashlight. “I want to be out of here in ten minutes tops.”
“Me, too.” Autumn eased past Mercedes before coming to an abrupt halt. “Was that you?”
“Was what me?”
“Making a thumping noise.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Thump.
Mercedes stopped dead in her tracks. “I do now!”
Chapter 12
Mercedes slowly lifted her eyes, gazing fearfully at the wooden beams overhead. The seconds ticked by, but she didn’t hear the thumping noise again. “I think we’re paranoid. Let’s get moving.”
“I’ll take a look inside the desk drawers.” Autumn opened the top desk drawer and began sifting through the contents while Mercedes crept over to the filing cabinet in the corner.
She opened the cabinet and shined her flashlight inside. “Who puts boxes of snack crackers in their filing cabinet?”
“Me. I keep snacks in my office desk all of the time,” Autumn said. “But I keep the drawer locked. You’d be surprised at how many people think it’s perfectly fine to help themselves.”
The second drawer down was filled with an assortment of tools and hardware. The third was more of the same. The bottom cabinet was empty.
Mercedes eased the bottom drawer shut and stood. “That was a bust. You got anything?”
“Yeah. It looks like the Mystic Dream business files are in this drawer.” Autumn shined the flashlight onto the desk as she scanned the top file. “This looks like employee files. There are a bunch of names and dates. Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a picture of this.” She pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket, switched it on and snapped a picture.
“There’s another sheet, too. Wow! It looks like Lawson has gone through a bunch of employees in the last several months. He must be a real jerk.” Autumn snapped another picture and then closed the file before placing it back inside the drawer.
While Autumn continued her search, Mercedes tiptoed to the other side of the room to a set of bookcases. “I see several interesting books about Savannah’s history. I would love to check some of these out at the library.”
Mercedes finished scanning the bookshelf before making her way along the perimeter of the compact office, past a porthole, a small coffee station and finally an empty coat rack.
Nearby, a large ship wheel clock ticked loudly, a reminder they needed to move fast.
“I’m almost done,” Autumn muttered.
“I’ll check the files on top of Lawson’s desk.” Mercedes sifted through the folders including menu planners, kitchen food inventory and a profit and loss statement. She paused when she reached a folder containing bank statements.
<
br /> “Jackpot!”
“You found something?” Autumn dropped the folder she was holding.
“Well, for Ma I did. This is a copy of the Mystic Dream’s profit and loss statement, menu planners and food inventory. These might come in handy for Ravello.” Mercedes whipped her phone out of her jacket pocket and began snapping pictures.
“I’m done. If there are clues here, I’m missing something.” Autumn shoved the file folder in the drawer and pushed it shut. “What’s behind door number one?” She pointed to a wooden door not far from the hall door.
Mercedes joined her friend. “You first.”
“Uh-uh.” Autumn stepped to the side and motioned to Mercedes. “You first. I insist.”
Mercedes twisted the knob and gingerly opened the door. She tightened her grip on her flashlight as she peered around the corner. Inside the small room was a toilet and pedestal sink. It reeked of mildew mingled with urine. “Gross.”
She clamped her hand over her mouth and quickly scanned the room before slamming the door shut. “It’s a nasty bathroom.”
“Shhh.” Autumn pressed her finger to her lips. “You’re going to wake the dead.”
“Did you hear that?” Mercedes lowered her voice.
“What?”
“That.” The faint sound of wailing sirens grew louder. “We need to get out of here.”
Mercedes followed Autumn into the hall, pulling the door shut behind her. “Lead the way.”
With a quick glance behind her, Mercedes followed her friend up the steps. She was almost to the top when her foot slipped. She reached for the railing, but it was too late.
Mercedes teetered for a moment before falling backwards and tumbling down the steps.
Chapter 13
“Oh my gosh!” Autumn raced down the steps and dropped to her knees. “Mercedes, are you okay?”
“I…think so.” Mercedes pushed herself to a sitting position and rubbed the back of her head. “Klutzy me missed a step.”
Autumn helped her friend to her feet. “I probably dripped water on the steps and you slipped on it.”
The women carefully made their way back up the steps.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Autumn fretted.
“I’m fine.” Mercedes stepped onto the open deck where a droplet of rain splashed her cheek. A low rumble of thunder followed. “We better get out of here before a storm lets loose and Pete can’t come back for us.”
The women stayed low as they made their way to the rope ladder.
“I’ll signal Pete.” Autumn placed her fingers in her mouth and belted out two sharp whistles.
“I think I see him.” Mercedes pointed to a shadow near the stern of the ship.
“I’ll go first.” Autumn scampered down the ladder, just as Pete and the small boat eased alongside the Mystic Dream.
Once Autumn was safely on board, Mercedes began to back down the ladder. She was eye level with the deck when a movement near the steps caught her eye. She could’ve sworn she saw someone dart to the other side.
She paused for a moment to see if she could spot the person again and then mentally shook her head, certain her eyes were playing tricks on her.
When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she hopped off the last rung and landed lightly in the bottom of the boat.
A flash of lightning lit the sky, followed by another rumble of thunder, this one closer than the last.
“Hang on, ladies. We gotta get a move on if we want to beat the storm.” Pirate Pete hit the gas and the small fishing boat skimmed over the open water.
The light mist turned into a steady shower. By the time they reached Pirate Pete’s ship, the skies were lit up like the Fourth of July.
Pete tossed the rope to Carlita, who was standing near the water’s edge waiting for them. She quickly secured the small boat and then helped her daughter and Autumn make their way onto the dock. Pete was the last to join them and they raced down the sidewalk.
The pirate ship gangway was open. They darted inside, seconds before the skies opened up and sheets of rain pelted the sidewalk.
“That was a close one.” Pete and the women stepped away from the gangway. “I was beginning to think I would have to leave you girls on the riverboat until the storm passed.”
“Well?” Carlita asked. “Did you find anything in Lawson’s office?”
“Sure did,” Mercedes said. “I found Mystic Dream’s profit and loss statement, their menu planners and food inventory worksheet. I figured the information would come in handy for Ravello.”
“Did you find anything that might be a clue as to who set fire to the Mystic Dream or attacked Lawson?” Pete asked.
“No,” Autumn said. “The office was clean.”
“At one point, right after we got there, we could’ve sworn we heard someone above us on the open deck,” Mercedes said. “Then, when we were leaving, just before I started down the rope ladder, I thought I saw someone near the staircase.”
“Was it a man or woman?” Pete asked.
“It was too dark to tell, plus I only caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye,” Mercedes said. “It could’ve been my mind working overtime.”
“So you found nothing at all?” Pete pressed.
“Some employee lists,” Autumn shook her head. “No wonder Lawson’s employees are looking for another job. He goes through employees like I mow through bags of potato chips. I took pictures of the employee logs and Mercedes snapped a few pictures of the restaurant end of things. Would you like to see what we’ve got?”
“Yes, if you could forward a copy. Perhaps I’ll pick up on something,” Pete said.
“I would like a copy, too, since I wouldn’t mind taking a look at how the Mystic Dream runs its restaurant operations.” Carlita turned to Pete. “Which reminds me, I was wondering if you could spare your restaurant manager for a couple of days around the time I open Ravello?”
“Of course,” Pete said. “I appreciate Mercedes and Autumn taking a quick look around Lawson’s office for me, although I think I should have gone along.”
“Who would have manned the getaway boat?” Mercedes pointed out. “Ma couldn’t do it. I would’ve tried, but then you might not get your boat back in the same condition. I have a hard enough time driving a car during daylight hours.”
“Ditto here,” Autumn agreed. “Besides, we’re always up for a little sleuthing, especially for a worthy cause. Just don’t mention it to Cole. He would give me an earful.”
“Cole is Autumn’s boyfriend,” Carlita explained. “He’s also a police officer.”
“Speaking of police officer,” Pete said. “How is it going with your new tenant, Sam Ivey?”
“Good,” Carlita said.
“He’s a pain in the rear,” Mercedes said.
“Mercedes,” Carlita shook her head.
“Okay. He was a pain in the rear. I’m withholding my final opinion.” Mercedes changed the subject. “Now what? We’re back to square one and not any closer to figuring out what’s going on with Lawson and his riverboat.”
“I was thinking about it while I was pacing the sidewalk, waiting for you to come back,” Carlita said. “Glenda Fox’s husband, Mark, met with Lawson last night to confront him about his accusations. I wondered if maybe Lawson said something that might be a clue, so I called Glenda while I was waiting. We’re going to stop by her place after we leave here.”
Carlita turned to Pete. “Before I go, my old tenant, Elvira Cobb, found something in a box in the apartment building where she lives. I took a picture of it and wondered if this was something you might recognize.”
She scrolled through her phone and pulled up the picture of the coins and gem encrusted knife Elvira found before handing her phone to Pete.
“You said your former tenant found these?”
“Yes. They were buried in the bottom of a storage box.”
Pete tapped the screen to enlarge the picture. “It’s not uncommon to find valuables in h
istoric Savannah homes or even buried in the backyards of Civil War era homes. Rumor has it Savannah has millions of dollars in buried treasure. Prior to the arrival of Sherman’s troops, the citizens of Savannah buried their valuables. When the city fell into ruin, the majority of the treasures simply could not be relocated because the owners fled or abandoned their properties.”
“Or died,” Carlita said.
“Yes - or died,” Pete nodded.
Mercedes perked up. “Does that mean there may be treasures buried on our property?”
Pete chuckled. “You mean even more than you already found in the basement?”
Carlita shot him a quick look, hoping the comment passed over Autumn’s head. Unfortunately, it did not.
“You found buried treasure in your basement?” Autumn gasped. “You never told me that.”
“It was a lucky find,” Carlita mumbled. “I’m sure it won’t happen again. Let’s not mention this to Elvira. She’ll be digging up the parking lot, the courtyard, you name it.”
“True,” Mercedes laughed. “We better not give her any ideas.”
“I’ll tell her what you said Pete, but then I’m sure she’s going to break into the upstairs again and tear the place apart.”
“Does the landlord know?” Pete asked.
“No. She snuck in through an upstairs window.” Carlita sighed. “It’s a long story.”
The heavy rain turned to light sprinkles and she shifted her gaze out the gangway door. “The storm is letting up. We should get going if we want to stop by Glenda’s place before it gets too late.”
Pete accompanied them off the ship. “Thanks again for taking a look around the Mystic Dream. I owe you one.”
Carlita cast a wary glance up and down the sidewalk. “Be careful tonight, Pete. I worry Lawson’s attacker isn’t finished and might be after you, too.”
“I got my trusty dagger handy.”
Autumn’s eyes grew wide. “You have an honest to goodness pirate dagger?”
“No,” Pete laughed. “I was kidding, but I do have a loaded Colt pistol. Would you like me to walk you to your car?”
“No. I think we’ll be all right.” Carlita eyed the side of the pirate ship. “With all the talk of Lawson’s attack, I haven’t thought to ask you when you think the pirate ship might be up and running.”
Pirates in Peril: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 10) Page 9