Pirates in Peril: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 10)
Page 15
“Ma, what if those people, the trafficked people, are hiding out on the Mystic Dream? What if one of them accidentally set the fire?”
“Then we need to let the authorities know…in a roundabout way of course, without incriminating Autumn and you, that we suspect Lawson may be harboring/hiding illegals or individuals against their will on board the Mystic Dream. A thorough search of the vessel while Lawson is still in the hospital would be necessary.”
“If our suspicions are correct, he’s probably desperate to get out of the hospital, before something else happens and his dirty little secret is uncovered,” Mercedes said.
By the time they reached the police station, Carlita was out of breath and her calves were cramping in protest. Thankfully, there was a seating area. She eased onto the bench and began rubbing her legs.
Mercedes approached the station desk and briefly explained they needed to speak with someone who was investigating Lawson Bates’ attack.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” The receptionist made her way out of the area and Mercedes began to pace.
Each second that passed was one second closer to Lawson getting out of the hospital and returning to the Mystic Dream.
Finally, an investigator who looked all too familiar emerged from the back and made his way over. “Mrs. Garlucci. I heard you and Mercedes were in the lobby and you wanted to discuss Lawson Bates’ attack.”
“Detective Polivich. Yes. We have what we believe may be some important information,” Carlita said.
“Or at least we have some information about the investigation,” Mercedes added.
“Mr. Bates is going to recover. In fact, he’s raising a ruckus at the hospital, demanding he be released. I sent one of my guys over there to try to talk to him. I think he’ll be able to name his attacker, if not today, then soon.”
“He might not want to name his attacker,” Mercedes said.
“Oh?” Detective Polivich raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Instead of answering the detective’s questions, Carlita asked one of her own. “Have you ever heard of the Smuggling Straits?”
“Of course. It’s a smuggling operation that runs along the East Coast, north from Canada, all the way down to Florida and beyond. It’s the nickname for the path the human traffickers use to transport people.”
“We think Lawson Bates is involved in human trafficking.” Mercedes quickly laid out their suspicions, starting with the damage to the Mystic Dream, the employee comments about the high turnover of riverboat employees who couldn’t speak English, who were there one day and gone the next.
“That’s all speculative,” Polivich interrupted. “What proof do you have?”
Carlita and Mercedes exchanged a quick glance. “We were near the Mystic Dream the other night and thought we saw someone on board the ship, although it was shut down and all of the lights were off. And…there’s something else.”
Mercedes pulled her cell phone from her pocket, tapped the screen and then handed it to the detective. “I got this list from an anonymous source. It was in Lawson’s office. Do you see anything unusual about the list?”
Polivich nodded grimly. “Yes. This looks similar to a list found during a recent human trafficking bust south of the Georgia border.” He handed the phone back. “You’re sure this was found in Lawson’s office?”
“Yes. Positive.”
“I don’t know how my guys missed it,” Polivich said. “I think it’s time to get a search warrant for the Mystic Dream pronto.”
*****
Mercedes pressed her hands to her cheeks as she watched Detective Polivich and several other investigators enter the Mystic Dream.
Carlita slipped in next to her daughter. “Do you think they’ll find anyone?”
“Yes, I think so. If they don’t, Polivich will never believe us again.”
The women stood near the fence for what seemed like forever, but according to Carlita’s watch, it was just over half an hour. “Maybe we should call the detective later instead of hanging around here. We could be waiting around all day.”
“Not so fast. Check it out.” Mercedes pointed to an ambulance entering the parking area. It drove past them and then parked in front of the Mystic Dream.
Two EMTs exited the vehicle. They removed a stretcher from the back and then followed an officer, who was guarding the entrance to the Mystic Dream, inside.
Moments later, a van arrived and pulled in next to the ambulance.
“Undercover police vehicle,” Mercedes said.
“You think?”
“Yep. The license plates are government plates and I spotted a bubble in the dash.”
“Ah. I didn’t notice.”
They waited a little longer and finally, several police officers emerged. They weren’t alone.
Chapter 23
Along with the officers were half a dozen men and a woman. The woman and the men climbed into the van.
The EMTs emerged next, carrying a stretcher.
“I see someone on the stretcher,” Carlita said.
One of the EMTs climbed in back with the person on the stretcher while the second one returned to the driver’s side.
The ambulance pulled away and the van followed close behind.
Detective Polivich appeared and stood talking to the uniformed officer near the entrance.
“Let’s go.” Mercedes grabbed her mother’s arm and hurried to the detective’s side. “Well?”
“You were right. There were several immigrants hiding out in the engine room. It took some time, and the help of a translator, to coax them out. We promised we weren’t going to place them under arrest.”
“What about the ambulance?” Carlita asked.
“One of the men was badly burned. From what they told us, they accidentally set fire to the Mystic Dream and were too afraid to have the injured man go to the hospital for treatment,” Polivich said.
“And Lawson didn’t care enough about a human being to take him for treatment?” Carlita gasped. “What kind of person does that?”
“An evil one,” Polivich said. “I’m on my way to confront Lawson now. He could still claim amnesia or that he has no idea what we’re talking about.”
“Do you think one of the men he was hiding attacked him?” Mercedes asked. “Not that I would blame them.”
“They swear up and down they know nothing about Lawson’s attack and appeared genuinely confused as to why Lawson hadn’t returned. They were living in, to put it bluntly, squalid living conditions with limited food and bathroom facilities, not to mention sleeping quarters.”
“There is one more person who might be able to shed a little light on Lawson’s attack,” Mercedes said.
“Who?”
“Kyle Flinch.”
“We’ve already interviewed him. He was a former employee of Lawson’s.”
“I suspect Kyle may have known about the human trafficking and was taking hush money from Lawson to keep quiet,” Mercedes said. “Our theory is they argued the other night and Kyle struck him.”
She told the detective Kyle admitted to sneaking on board the ship and overhearing a conversation between Lawson and another man. “He claims they were speaking in Spanish and he didn’t understand. We found out later Flinch speaks fluent Spanish.”
Polivich jotted some notes in his notepad before flipping it shut and shoving it into his pocket. “If what you’re saying is true, that he argued with Kyle over the human trafficking, Lawson is desperate to keep it quiet and won’t name Kyle as his attacker.”
“Which is what we told you before.” Mercedes turned to her mother. “Now all we have to do is get the business development office to remove the hold on Pirate Pete’s venture.”
“I may be able to help,” Detective Polivich said. “Let me make a couple of quick phone calls to see what I can do.”
*****
The upbeat tempo of the jazz band drifted out of the courtyard and onto the sidewalk, where Carlita stood greeting
guests. She recognized a few of the faces, but most of them, Cool Bones’ friends, were people she’d never met before.
While she waited for more arrivals, she wandered over to admire the new sign Bob Lowman had hung above the door of her soon-to-be restaurant that morning. Carlita’s chest swelled with pride.
“Tis a beautiful night,” Pirate Pete’s voice echoed in her ear.
Carlita was so absorbed in admiring her new sign; she hadn’t heard Pirate Pete and Tori sneak up behind her. “It is,” she beamed. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s fabulous,” Tori said. “I can’t wait to enjoy some of your authentic Italian cuisine.”
“This business is a dream come true.” Carlita turned her attention to Pete. “Well? I heard the license went through and that Lawson is in jail awaiting a hearing for human trafficking. Perhaps you’ll be in the market to buy a riverboat.”
“I think not. I’m still trying to work out all of the kinks and get The Flying Gunner in open water.”
“The Flying Gunner?” Carlita smiled. “Is that the name you picked for the ship?”
“Aye and Gunner is excited, squawking and carryin’ on like he’s something special,” Pete said.
“Because Gunner is special. Now all you have to do is pick a name for your pirate show.”
“Already got that figured out, too,” Pete said. “It’s going to be called Pirates in Peril. I’ve got a few of my workers already hired, thanks to a much-needed contribution by one of my favorite business partners.”
“Hey,” Tori tapped Pete’s shoulder. “What am I?”
“My Queen Tori, of course,” Pete winked at Tori. “With your generous contribution and a little number crunching, I’ll have enough to get The Flying Gunner sailing the high seas in no time.”
“It’s a shame about Kyle Flinch,” Carlita sobered. “And I feel terrible for his sister, Tierney.”
“First, the authorities have to find him,” Pete said. “Last I heard, they think he headed back to Mexico. I’m sure he’s beginning to realize it wasn’t worth taking money in exchange for compromising poor peoples’ lives.”
“Thanks to you and Mercedes, those people are free and maybe even more now that the authorities have tracked down some of Lawson’s other connections,” Tori said.
“I hope so. What a terrible situation.”
The music grew louder and Mercedes flitted out of the courtyard. “There you are. Cool Bones is looking for you. He wants you to make a small speech.”
“I hate public speaking,” Carlita groaned.
“But you can mention Ravello,” Mercedes argued.
“And the new pirate ship,” Pete added.
“You guys are twisting my arm.”
“In a good way,” Mercedes said. “You got this, Ma. Remember, you’re a savvy Savannah businesswoman.”
Carlita chuckled. “You know what, Mercedes? I am a successful, savvy Savannah businesswoman.” She clapped her hands. “Shall we go in and get this party started?”
Mercedes grinned. “Lead the way, Ma. Lead the way.”
The end.
The Made in Savannah Mystery Series Continues!
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Hope Callaghan is an American author who loves to write Christian books, especially Christian Mystery and Cozy Mystery books. She has written more than 50 mystery books (and counting) in six series.
In March 2017, Hope won a Mom’s Choice Award for her book, “Key to Savannah,” Book 1 in the Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery Series.
Born and raised in a small town in West Michigan, she now lives in Florida with her husband.
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The Ghost Roast Restaurant – Marinara Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian stewed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 clove garlic, minced
1/8 cup green olives, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
Directions:
In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, minced garlic, minced green olives, oregano, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Can be served as marinara sauce or as pasta sauce.
Table of Contents
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Cast of Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
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The Ghost Roast Restaurant – Marinara Sauce Recipe