Carlita snapped her fingers. “Davis. I couldn’t remember your landlord’s name. Thanks for reminding me.”
Elvira stomped her foot. “Crud. I knew I shoulda just shut up.”
“I’m not going to contact Davis, but you should be mindful of what you do. One of these days you’re going to get into real trouble.”
“No risk, no reward.” Elvira shrugged. “I’m willing to take my chances.”
Carlita shook her head as Elvira slipped inside her apartment and closed the door behind her. “One of these days, Elvira. One of these days.”
The rest of the day passed uneventfully with Mercedes holed up in her room working on her book. She emerged around lunchtime to grab a bite to eat and then went right back to work.
Later that afternoon, Shelby and Violet stopped by to drop off some flowers Violet insisted they pick for Nana.
Carlita’s heart melted at the little girl’s thoughtful gift. “I love them Violet. Thank you so much.” She knelt down to give her a gentle hug. “I ran into Beebs the other day. He asked when you and I were going to visit him and Miss Tori.”
“I drew a picture for Beebs. We’re going to swim in Miss Tori’s swimming pool.”
“I think it will be too chilly for a February swim. We might have to wait until the water warms up.”
Carlita stood. “Let me get with Tori to see what day works for her and Beebs.”
Shelby smoothed her daughter’s hair. “Violet includes Beebs in her nightly prayers and asks God for him not to be sad anymore.”
Sudden tears burned the back of Carlita’s eyes as she thought of how Byron/Beebs lost his young granddaughter, Lilly, a couple of years back. According to Tori, Violet reminded him of her.
“I shall get with Tori in the next day or so to plan a visit,” Carlita promised.
After Violet and Shelby left, Carlita wandered to the computer and sank into the chair. She started sorting through her emails when her cell phone began to ring.
It was Carlita’s son, Vinnie.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, son. How are you?”
Vinnie cleared his throat. “I’m fine.”
Carlita’s heart skipped a beat, immediately sensing something was wrong. “You don’t sound fine. Son, what is it?”
“It’s about Brittney.”
Chapter 18
“We’re going to have a baby.”
Carlita said the first thing that popped into her head. “Already? I mean you just got married. I thought you would spend some time getting to know each other first.”
“It wasn’t planned.” Vinnie paused. “I thought you would be excited.”
“I am. I mean. Yes, of course, Son. You’ll make a wonderful father.” Carlita shifted the phone to her other ear. “A lot has changed for you in the last few months. Marrying Brittney, moving to New Jersey, starting a new job and now a baby.”
“Ain’t it great?” Vinnie said. “Things are lookin’ up for Vinnie Garlucci.”
“Yes, they are. I’m happy for you…happy for Brittney.” Carlita swallowed hard and forced the next words out. “Happy for the Castellini family.”
“Thanks, Ma. I already told Paulie and Tony the good news. I’ll let you tell Mercedes.” Vinnie rattled on about his new job; how he loved living in New Jersey and that it was a great place to raise a family.
They chatted about Tony and Shelby’s upcoming wedding. Carlita questioned him about Emmett Pridgen, and Vinnie claimed he only met him once. Finally, he told his mother he needed to get back to work.
“I love you, Son. Congratulations again. You’ll be a wonderful father.” She told her eldest son good-bye and then sat staring blankly at the phone.
Mercedes waltzed into the dining room. “Who were you talking to?”
“Vinnie. He called to tell me Brittney is pregnant.”
“What? A baby already? They just got married.”
“I said the same thing. He seems excited.”
“Wow. Better him than me.”
Carlita gave her daughter a pointed stare. “You don’t even have a boyfriend.”
“See? Like I said, better him than me.” Mercedes glanced at the clock. “It’s getting late and I’m getting hungry.”
“I haven’t thought about dinner.” Carlita suggested pizza and Mercedes easily agreed. After placing the order, the women wandered into the living room to wait.
“I couldn’t find anything else on Mark Fox, Emmett Pridgen or Pirate Pete.” Mercedes reached for the television remote. “Pete’s only link to Lawson is the pirate ship and the fact he was guarding his ship the night of Lawson’s attack.”
“With what you said earlier, I’m beginning to think Mark Fox argued with Lawson. Glenda even told me beforehand that Mark planned to confront Lawson the night of his attack. Add in Mark’s mysterious limp, plus the fact Kyle Flinch said Lawson was secretly meeting with someone who spoke Spanish.”
Carlita continued. “I was certain it was one of Lawson’s employees. There’s still the damage to the Mystic Dream. Glenda insists Mark was out of town when the damage occurred.”
“Maybe Mark had someone do the dirty work for him, knowing he had an ironclad alibi,” Mercedes suggested.
“I hadn’t considered that angle. We’re still missing something. Maybe I shouldn’t meet Pete in the morning to interview potential employees.”
“I say you go to cover all of the bases. Plus, we’re going to need workers for Ravello soon.” Mercedes flipped through the channels as Carlita mulled over the possible suspects. She started to say something else when the outer bell rang. “Our pizza is here. I’ll go down and get it.”
She hurried out of the apartment and down the steps before peering out the peephole. She swung the door open and motioned the delivery person into the hall. “Pizza for Garlucci?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I already paid for the pizza and breadsticks and left a tip online.”
“Yes. Thank you. I need you to sign the receipt.” The man handed her a pen and a slip of paper.
After signing, she handed it back and pointed at the pizza boxes. “I only ordered one pizza plus an order of garlic knots.”
The man frowned as he studied the receipt. “I have you down for two large pizzas - a meat lover’s pizza and another with ham, onion and mushrooms, plus an order of garlic knots.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep.” The man held out the boxes of food. “This is your lucky day. Two for the price of one.”
She watched the delivery man disappear into the alley before climbing the steps. Carlita balanced the pizzas on her hip and reached for the doorknob when Sam Ivey’s apartment door opened and he stepped into the hall.
“Hey, Sam.”
The top pizza box began to slide. Sam lunged forward and grabbed it.
Carlita smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Sam. You always seem to be in the right place at the right time.”
“It’s a gift,” Sam joked. He eyed the pizzas and sniffed appreciatively. “Monster Pizza. I would recognize those boxes and smells anywhere.”
“They have the best pizza in all of Savannah. I only ordered one, but there was some sort of mix-up and they gave me two.” She gave her new tenant a quick glance. “Mercedes and I won’t be able to eat two large pizzas. Would you care to join us for dinner?”
Sam started to shake his head. “I don’t want to impose.”
“I insist. We have plenty of pizza.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Carlita nodded her head firmly. “We would love the company.”
At least Carlita would love to have Sam to join them. Mercedes might be another story.
She pushed the front door open, and Sam followed her inside. “Look who’s joining us for dinner?”
“I…you.” Mercedes glared at her mother.
Carlita ignored the look. “The timing was perfect. Monster Pizza accidentally gave us two pizzas instead of one. I ran into Sam in
the hall while I was struggling to bring the food inside, so I invited him to dinner.”
“How thoughtful.” Mercedes forced a smile and hurried to the kitchen.
“Have a seat at the table, Sam.” Carlita took the pizza box from her tenant. “Would you like water or tea? I don’t have any sodas.”
“I’ve got a liter of Coke in my fridge. I’ll go grab it.” Sam disappeared into the hall.
Mercedes waited until he was gone. “Why did you invite him to dinner?” she hissed.
“Why not? We have extra pizza. He looks hungry.” Carlita placed the pizza boxes in the center of the dining room table. “I thought you two were gonna start over and you were gonna give him a chance.”
“I am. That doesn’t mean I’m thrilled about him being in our house, sitting at our table and me being forced into polite inane conversation.”
“Then we’ll let him do the talking. He has a fascinating job. I’m sure he knows all about Savannah’s history, which I, for one, can’t wait to hear.”
Sam returned to the apartment and carried the large bottle of Coke to the kitchen. “I’ll pour the drinks.”
Carlita directed him to the cups and the ice in the freezer.
“I feel like I owe you for the pizza.”
“Mercedes and I were just saying you must have some fascinating stories on Savannah’s history. Maybe you can entertain us with a story or two.”
“Of course.” Sam finished pouring the drinks and carried them to the table.
“We also ordered the garlic knots with the special dipping sauce.” Mercedes removed the lids on the sauce. “You know what, Ma? Tierney never sent me her grandma’s marinara recipe.”
“Tierney Grant?” Sam asked.
“Yeah. We were over there sampling some of The Ghost Roast’s appetizers. Tierney has an amazing marinara sauce,” Mercedes said.
“They have delicious grinder sandwiches I highly recommend.” Sam waited for Mercedes and Carlita to have a seat before sitting down. “Thanks again for inviting me for pizza. I was on my way out to grab a bite to eat.”
“You must get lonely living alone,” Carlita said.
“My job keeps me busy.” Sam shrugged. “I’m perfectly content by myself.”
The trio loaded their plates with slices of pizza and buttery garlic knots.
Sam took a big bite of pizza. “It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten Monster Pizza. This is delicious.”
Mercedes remained silent while Carlita and Sam chatted about life in Savannah and living in Walton Square. They discussed the upcoming tourist season and how Sam worked twelve-hour days during the height of the season.
“Holidays are busy, too. St. Patrick’s Day?” Sam shook his head. “It’s crazy busy.”
“What’s your favorite Savannah story?” Carlita popped the last bite of crust in her mouth and reached for her glass of Coke.
“I have several favorites. The most popular ones with guests are the ghost stories. Since you’re in the landlord business, I’ll share the one about the Foley House.”
“I heard about the Foley House, but not the history.” Mercedes tore off a piece of her garlic knot. “I want to take the Foley House haunted tour one day.”
“The Foley House is a great tour. I also recommend the haunted trolley tour that stops at the Parrot House Restaurant. It includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the underground passageways,” Sam said.
“We already toured some of the tunnels,” Carlita said. “In fact, we’ve got one under our pawnshop. It leads out to the river.”
“Really?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “I would love to check it out someday.”
Carlita and Mercedes exchanged a quick glance. “We sealed it off for safety reasons.”
“I see.” Sam didn’t press the issue. “I best be getting to my storytelling, so I can earn my meal.”
Sam’s voice softened as he began to tell the tale of the Chippewa Square haunted house. According to Sam, the house was actually two joined structures. The eastern part was built in 1896 for Honoria Foley, the widow of a wealthy Irish immigrant.
“I’ve been by it many times,” Carlita said. “It’s a beautiful place.”
“That it is,” Sam agreed. “After The Great Fire of 1889 that decimated Savannah, Honoria decided to open her home as the first bed and breakfast in the area. Mrs. Foley saw great success with her inn and remained there until her passing.”
“Where does the ghost story come in?” Mercedes asked.
“During renovations in 1987, workers tore down a wall and discovered a skeleton hidden inside. The remains have never been identified. Legend has it the poor guy had been murdered.”
He went on to tell them that according to local lore, there were two versions of what happened to the unfortunate victim. The first was the man, a tenant, was enamored with Mrs. Foley, so enamored he snuck into her room one night. Startled, Honoria grabbed the nearest thing to her, a candleholder, and swung it with all of her might.
“That’s terrible,” Mercedes said. “Hopefully, the authorities realized it was an act of self-defense.”
“Except the authorities never found out about it,” Sam said. “The second version of the story is a boarder snuck into Mrs. Foley’s room at night and tried to strangle her. In a panic to try to free herself, she grabbed a candlestick and bashed the man over the head, killing him instantly.”
“She hid the body,” Carlita guessed.
Sam nodded. “Most stories agree Mrs. Foley feared she would spend the rest of her days in prison, so she persuaded another tenant to help her hide the body. In return for his help and keeping quiet, he lived there rent-free. Supposedly, Mrs. Foley confessed to the misdeed on her deathbed, but never actually revealed where she hid the body.”
“We know all about finding bodies in walls,” Mercedes muttered.
Carlita nudged her daughter with her shoe and gave her a warning look. “The locals now believe the Foley House Inn is haunted?”
“And so do a lot of ghost seekers,” Sam said. “The discovery and removal of the skeleton has triggered a haunting in Foley House. I’ve talked to several of the staff, who claim to have seen a male phantom in a top hat walking through the garden at night. There have been reports of strange noises and unexpected bursts of air that startle guests. Nicknamed ‘Wally’ by locals, the wraith shows no signs of checking out anytime soon.”
“That’s a good story,” Mercedes said. “Now I really do want to check it out.”
“Are there any more stories you’d like to share?” Carlita asked.
“I better save some in case you invite me over for dinner again.” Sam grabbed his napkin and dabbed at the corners of his mouth. “The pizza was delicious and the company very much appreciated. I should head home. I’ve got some reservations to confirm and paperwork to take care of.” He pushed his chair back and stood.
“Next time, I’ll have you over for authentic Italian,” Carlita promised. “Please take some of these leftovers with you. There’s no way we can eat all of this pizza.”
“Are you sure?”
Absolutely.” Carlita hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a large Zip-lock bag. She stuck several pieces of pizza inside, along with a couple of leftover garlic knots and handed the bag to Sam.
“Thanks again, Mrs. Garlucci.”
“Carlita.”
“Carlita.” Sam smiled warmly at Carlita, nodded at Mercedes and made his way out of the apartment.
After he left, Mercedes arranged the rest of the leftover pizza in one of the boxes and placed it inside the fridge. “I don’t think he likes me.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Carlita asked.
“He spent most of his time talking to you.”
“Mercedes Garlucci.” Carlita stuck her hand on her hip and studied her daughter. “That’s crazy. He was talking to both of us. Besides, I thought you didn’t like him.”
“He’s okay.”
“He’s very nice, not to mention handsome,” Carlit
a said.
“If you like the tall, brooding hunky look.”
“Ah…I get it.” A slow smile spread across Carlita’s face. “You do like him. That’s the problem. You don’t want to like him, but you do.”
Mercedes face turned a tinge of pink. “That…that’s crazy,” she sputtered. “I do not think he’s attractive or handsome. He’s nice to you, but not to me.”
Carlita threw her hands in the air. “I give up! First, he’s rude and annoying and now he’s indifferent. You definitely have the hots for our new tenant.”
“I do not,” Mercedes insisted. “That’s absurd.” She stomped out of the kitchen. Moments later, her bedroom door slammed.
“Oh, Mercedes.” Carlita chuckled aloud. “It’s starting to make perfect sense.”
Chapter 19
Carlita studied the employment application and list of questions Pete had given her. The first applicant was scheduled to arrive any time and although she wasn’t going to be actively participating in the interview, she planned to take a few notes to see if any of them might be a good fit for Ravello.
Pete had set up a small interview alcove in the main part of the pirate ship, what he explained would soon be transformed into the ship’s snack bar and gift shop.
The ship would be advertised as a pirate ship adventure. Most of the action would take place on the open upper deck, where a band of merry pirates would engage in sword battle, shoot cannons and take prisoners, whose punishment was the threat of “walking the plank.”
Gunner was also with them in the interview area, excited to be on board the ship. He walked back and forth along his perch, chatting with Carlita and Pete. “What a beautiful day to be walkin’ the plank.”
“Are you going to walk the plank, Gunner?” Carlita asked.
“Gunner is too handsome to walk the plank,” he replied.
The first applicant arrived not long after Carlita. Pete’s office assistant showed her in.
The nervous young woman perched on the edge of her seat, tightly clasping her hands in her lap.
Carlita was certain she was ready to bolt at any second and attempted to make her feel more comfortable. “What a beautiful day.”
Pirates in Peril: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 10) Page 12