“Now I’m really confused.” Carlita shook her head. “Your Uncle Eddie and Aunt Anjelica are here for Tony’s wedding.”
“I wouldn’t bet my life on it.”
Brittney grasped her husband’s arm. “I’m sure Daddy already knows Eddie is here.”
“Which means there could be even more members of the family hanging around now,” Vinnie pointed out. “Half the family will be down here before we know it.” He ran a ragged hand through his hair. “There’s not much we can do about it now, except to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.”
“Why can’t I have a normal family?” Frustrated, Carlita marched to the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee and clear her head. The last thing she needed was the mafia on her doorstep…again!
At the very least, Vinnie should’ve given her a heads up about what was afoot. Carlita squeezed her eyes shut. Not only did she have to worry about making sure the wedding went off without a hitch, she now she had to worry about a hit on her son and daughter-in-law’s lives.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Garlucci.”
Carlita’s eyes flew open. “It’s okay, but please don’t call me Mrs. Garlucci. It’s either Carlita or Ma.”
“Carlita.” Brittney smiled hesitantly. “I think Daddy is being over-protective. I’m sure the wedding will be fine. In fact, I would like to help. Just tell me what to do.”
“Thank you, Brittney. That’s very sweet. Are you thirsty? I have some bottled waters in the fridge, or sweet tea if you’re interested.” While pouring drinks, Carlita kept the conversation light. They talked about life in New Jersey, Brittney and Vinnie’s recently renovated apartment and the baby.
They finished pouring the drinks. Carlita carried them into the living room while Brittney set a plate of cookies on the coffee table.
“How is Shelby this afternoon?” Carlita turned her attention to Tony.
“Better. She was getting ready to head out to run some errands with Violet.”
“Is there something wrong with Shelby?” Vinnie grabbed a cookie off the plate.
“She’s been feeling under the weather. I think she’s stressed out between the wedding, working and trying to pack up and move to the new apartment.” Tony glanced at his watch. “I can show you around the restaurant and the apartment before I head back to the pawnshop.”
The siblings downed the rest of their snacks and drinks and headed into the hall. Carlita told them to go ahead without her, explaining that she wanted to try to reach Eddie on his cell phone to try to get to the bottom of the broken cake topper.
After several attempts, she was finally able to reach her brother, who insisted he never sent a cake topper.
Carlita ended the call and wandered into the hall. The apartment door catty-corner to their unit opened, and Sam Ivey, her newest tenant, emerged.
“Hello, Sam.”
“Hello, Carlita. How are the last minute wedding plans going?”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve got my hands full. My eldest son and his wife just arrived. I’ll introduce them to you later. My brother, Eddie, and his wife arrived unannounced.”
“And uninvited?” Sam guessed.
“You could say that. We’re going to have a full house around here. I hope we won’t be too disruptive.”
“You aren’t going to bother me.”
“You’re still coming to the wedding tomorrow?”
Sam hesitated.
“Sam…” Carlita’s tenant originally rsvp’d he would be attending, having gotten to know Shelby, Violet and Tony since moving in.
As a wedding gift, Sam had taken them on a tour of historic downtown Savannah, something even Violet seemed to enjoy, especially after stopping off at Leopold’s for ice cream.
The problem was Mercedes. Her daughter and Sam had been at odds from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Surprisingly, the majority of the animosity had been on Mercedes’ part.
Carlita suspected her daughter was attracted to the handsome former cop, turned tour guide.
Both had called a truce, but there was still an undercurrent of tension between them. Mercedes was always quick to take off whenever Sam made an appearance.
“You are coming to the wedding?” Carlita pressed.
“Of course.” Finally, Sam nodded. “There’s no way I’m going to miss an authentic Italian wedding feast.”
“Good.” Carlita and Sam descended the stairs and stopped when they reached the bottom. “You wouldn’t happen to have noticed someone out back, dropping off a package earlier today, would you?”
Sam shook his head. “No. I just got back from a group tour and there weren’t any packages on the steps.”
“I guess Elvira had already picked it up by then.”
“I’ll see you later.” Sam gave Carlita a jaunty wave and sauntered off.
“Ma!” Mercedes bolted from the back of the restaurant and jogged towards her.
“You just missed Sam,” Carlita teased. “Where are your brothers?”
“Inside the restaurant. You gotta come quick.”
“Why?” Alarmed, Carlita followed her daughter down the alley. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah. You gotta see this for yourself.”
Chapter 4
Carlita’s heart plummeted as she stepped into what had been her sparkling clean, shiny new commercial kitchen, her favorite area of the restaurant. “What happened?”
“It looks like someone broke in, lookin’ for something.” Vinnie pointed to the back door and splintered doorframe. “They weren’t very good at it, either.”
Sudden tears welled up in Carlita’s eyes. It was all too much. She could handle the stress of the last minute running around. She could handle having her brother show up on her doorstep.
She could even handle Vito’s goons hanging around to protect her family members. What she couldn’t handle was knowing someone intentionally broke into her restaurant and tore the place apart.
Carlita slumped against the stainless steel counter. A pan teetered on the edge and fell to the floor. It was the last straw, and she burst into tears.
“It’s okay, Ma. We’ll get this place cleaned up in a jiff.” Mercedes put her arm around her mother’s shoulders.
“Yeah. It’s not too bad.” Brittney cleared the counters while Tony headed to the front of the restaurant to check for damages.
Vinnie and his sister began putting away the pots and pans. “We got this. Don’t worry.”
“You’re right. It’s not too bad.” Carlita swiped at her tears. “I guess I’m just stressed out.”
Tony rejoined them. “The front of the restaurant is fine. It looks like they tried to get into the cash register, gave up and left.”
The siblings made quick work of cleaning up the mess while Carlita’s middle son ran next door to grab his toolbox. Upon returning, Tony installed an extra deadbolt he found in the pawnshop and was even able to repair the damage to the back door.
“It’s just some two-bit thieves,” Vinnie assured his mother. “They probably got ticked off when they couldn’t find any cash and made a mess.”
“Right.” Despite her son’s words of encouragement, Carlita wasn’t convinced.
“You gonna file a police report?” Tony asked.
Carlita hung the pot on the hook and glanced around. “Nothing appears to be missing. I’m not sure what I would report, other than having it on record the place was broken into. It’s just one more thing to deal with.”
Despite her children encouraging her to file the report, Carlita decided against it, hoping whoever broke in wouldn’t try it again since they hadn’t been successful.
After finishing up, Tony headed back to work.
Vinnie and Brittney decided to take the trolley to the City Market for some shopping and to grab a quick bite to eat.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. Paulie, Gina and the kids showed up around dinnertime. Carlita ordered enough pizza for the entire family, and they all g
athered in the restaurant’s dining room.
“This place looks nice, Ma,” Paulie said. “We’re looking forward to tomorrow and seeing Ravello’s Ristorante in action.”
Gracie and Noel, bored with the adult conversation, began running around the tables until Noel tripped on a rug, skinned her knee and she started to cry.
“We better get the kids settled in at the hotel.” Gina picked up her whining child. “I’m sure you’re exhausted and tomorrow is gonna be a long day.”
Carlita cast a concerned glance at a pale Shelby. “Shelby, you better get some rest, too.”
“I am exhausted.” She reached for Tony’s hand as she glanced around the table at her soon-to-be family. “Thank you for coming all this way to celebrate with Tony and me. Thank you for all you’ve done to help make our day special.”
Shelby wiggled out of her chair. She reached for the edge of the table when she began to sway.
“Whoa!” Tony reached out to steady her. “We’re gonna get goin’. I’ll stop by Ma’s later to say good-night.”
Tony was still holding onto Shelby as she and Violet stepped into the hall. Vinnie followed them to the door, locking it behind them. “Shelby looks kinda sickly.”
“I agree.” Carlita briefly told them of her concern, that there was something more going on with Shelby other than a simple case of exhaustion. “She has a doctor’s appointment scheduled right after she and Tony return from their honeymoon.”
Paulie, Gina and the kids were the next to leave. They headed out the back door to the alley and their rental car. Paulie helped his wife and children into the car before returning to his mother’s side.
“I’m sorry you’re not staying with us, Paulie.”
“Not with this tribe,” he grinned. “Besides, you got your hands full. Maybe next time, when you don’t have a wedding to help coordinate and a reception to handle, we’ll stay with you.”
“I would like that.” Carlita smiled at her youngest son. “You and Gina…everything okay?”
“We’re doing good, Ma. Better than ever. My side business is taking off. I haven’t resigned from my position as mayor.” Paulie shrugged. “But if things keep steaming along, it’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m happy for you - for all of you,” Carlita said softly. “Your father would be proud.”
“I hope so.”
Gina tapped the car horn and jabbed her finger toward the backseat, where Paulie Jr. had crawled into the back window.
“You better go. We’ll see you in the morning.” Carlita and Mercedes waited until Paulie and family were gone before slowly wandering back to the apartment. “Paulie’s kids are a handful.”
“Yes, but he and Gina seem happy.” At least Carlita didn’t have to worry about her youngest son. Now all she needed to do was get through tomorrow and focus on getting her restaurant up and running.
Carlita stopped by Tony’s old apartment to check on Vinnie and Brittney.
Tony had already moved into the new three-bedroom apartment above the restaurant, to free up his old efficiency, so his older brother and new wife would have a place to stay.
After Vinnie assured his mother they were fine, she stopped to check the back entrance and caught a glimpse of Luigi, one of Vito’s men, standing on the stoop smoking a cigarette.
He gave her a curt nod, and she sighed heavily.
“He still out there?” Mercedes stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for her mother.
“Yep. I’m sure the other one is close by too.” Carlita trudged up the steps. “I’m not sure if it makes me feel safer or not.”
“Me, either.”
Exhausted, Carlita made a beeline for the bathroom while Rambo patiently waited at the foot of the bed.
Despite being tired, she tossed and turned all night. She dreamt of Vinnie - that he was there with her, but when she tried to talk to him, he disappeared.
Finally, early the next morning, after dreaming she’d opened the restaurant and no one showed up, she crawled out of bed and headed to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.
Carlita waited for the coffee to finish brewing and then carried her cup onto the balcony. Rambo followed her out and flopped down next to her on the deck.
She sipped the hot brew, mentally ticking off the endless list of last minute details she needed to take care of. If Carlita could hold everything together until the celebration was over, everything else would be a piece of cake.
Despite having the support, encouragement and input of her children, Carlita was nervous about the restaurant’s opening.
Tony’s hands were full running the pawnshop. Mercedes was helping screen prospective tenants for Shelby’s apartment, not to mention helping her brother run Swag in Savannah.
Mercedes was also hard at work editing her new book, Omerta, Honor Among Family, another thriller novel about life in a mob family.
Carlita tried to persuade her daughter to find something else to write about, certain that someday, someone up north would catch wind of her daughter’s new hobby and come down to pay another visit.
As if she didn’t have enough contact with the family…which brought her to the troubling presence of Vito’s “bodyguards” she suspected were somewhere nearby.
She thought about the cake topper with the missing head. Was it a veiled threat? Tony was not involved in Vito’s business, at least not anymore.
Carlita reminded herself Vito’s goons would be on hand. Elvira and Dernice would secure the entrance to the restaurant/reception venue. Perhaps things would run smoothly and she was worrying about nothing.
The smell of cigarette smoke drifted up. Carlita peered through the railing spindles and caught a glimpse of a man standing on the stoop, smoking a cigarette. It was one of Vito’s “employees.”
As if sensing he was being watched, the man looked up.
Carlita quickly leaned back. “C’mon Rambo. Let’s head inside. I’ll throw some clothes on, and we’ll go for a walk.”
Rambo patiently waited while Carlita pulled on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. She grabbed her cell phone and apartment keys on the way out.
When they reached the alley, the man was still standing on the stoop. Their eyes met. “Hello, Vinnie’s friend.”
“Mrs. Garlucci,” he drawled. “Gonna be a beautiful day for a wedding.”
“I hope so…” Her voice trailed off.
“Luigi - Luigi Baruzzo.”
“Luigi. Would you like some coffee?”
Carlita could’ve sworn he almost smiled. “No thank you, Mrs. Garlucci. Ricco is on his way to pick up some food now.”
“I see.” She motioned to her pooch. “I’m going to take Rambo for a walk.”
Rambo let out a low growl, and Carlita whisked her pooch off the stoop. She could feel the heat from Luigi’s eyes boring into her back until she rounded the corner and they were out of sight.
They kept a brisk pace, walking down the sidewalk and past the pawnshop. She paused in front of the courtyard where Tony and Shelby’s ceremony would take place. Beyond that was the entrance to her restaurant.
From the upper level, she could see a flicker of light coming from Tony and Shelby’s new apartment.
Rambo and she kept walking; stopping long enough for her to take a quick peek in the front windows of Ravello’s, to make sure there wasn’t another break-in.
They finished circling the block, walking past the front entrance of Elvira’s apartment building and finally the alley where they began.
She was relieved to find Luigi gone.
Mercedes was sitting at the dining room table when Carlita stepped inside. “Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, Mercedes.” She looped Rambo’s leash over the key rack and wandered into the kitchen to wash her hands. “You want something to eat?”
“Cereal is fine.” Mercedes shifted in her chair. “I figured I would get up early to help you with any last minute details. The hairdresser is arriving around nine to start on Shelby’s h
air, then mine and Fran’s hair.”
“Is Violet having her hair done?” Carlita asked.
“Yes. She mentions it to me every time I see her. You sure you don’t want to get your hair done, too?”
“This mop?” Carlita smoothed her hair. “I’ll stick with doing my own.”
After breakfast, the women got to work adding some final courtyard decorations. They moved into Ravello’s dining room to add the finishing touches.
Carlita’s new kitchen crew arrived a short time later to start prepping the food.
Dominic, her restaurant manager, arrived around the same time. They went over the final details; then Mercedes and she returned to the apartment.
Carlita was able to knock everything off her to-do list, but it left her with barely enough time for her to slip into her dress and join the rest of the family in the courtyard for the ceremony.
Paulie and Mercedes were the first to enter. Mercedes’ stunning cobalt blue dress fit her like a glove and accentuated her jet-black locks. They joined Tony and the pastor, who stood near the front.
Vinnie and Shelby’s maid of honor, Fran, were next.
When Violet appeared, Carlita’s heart melted at the sight of her soon-to-be granddaughter.
She pranced onto the red carpet and reached into the basket she was holding. Violet counted out a handful of flower petals and tossed them onto the ground.
The guests chuckled as she took two steps and repeated the process…counting and tossing, counting and tossing.
When she ran out of flowers, she skipped the rest of the way to the front and reached for Mercedes’ hand.
The wedding march began. Shelby and her Uncle Jerry appeared in the doorway.
Shelby’s princess V-neck dress was breathtaking. All eyes were on the beautiful bride as she and her uncle made their way to the front of the courtyard.
Carlita’s throat clogged. If only her Vinnie could be here with her. If only he could see for himself that she was keeping his last dying wish, to get his children out of the family.
Would Vinnie approve of Shelby and Violet? She believed he would have. He would have been proud of his son…his sons.
Matrimony & Mayhem: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 11) Page 3