Matrimony & Mayhem: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 11)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Elvira is filling out an application to add an arch to the front entrance of her apartment building.”

  “How can you do that?” Carlita asked. “It isn’t even your building.”

  “It will be within a day or so,” Glenda said. “When is the closing again?”

  “Big mouth.” Elvira scowled at Glenda.

  “You…you’re buying the building behind me?” After moving out of Carlita’s rental unit, Elvira had taken up residence in the lower level of the vacant building directly behind hers.

  “I was gonna surprise you.”

  “More like shock. I didn’t know the building was for sale.”

  “It wasn’t. I made Davis an offer he couldn’t refuse. The closing is tomorrow.”

  “Where did you get the money? Did you rob a bank?” Carlita teased.

  “No. Dernice squirreled away some money she got from a motorcycle injury lawsuit.”

  “Oh no.” A concerned expression crossed Carlita’s face.

  “She’s okay now, although she’s got a slight limp when she walks.”

  “I never noticed. What happened?”

  “A car carrier cut her off on the Ventura Freeway. She jerked the handlebars trying to get out of his way and slid into a concrete barrier. Lucky for her, she wasn’t going fast and was wearing a helmet. The lawyers came out in droves, offering to handle her case and wanting to sue. She hired a top-notch firm, but they charged her an arm and a leg to handle the case. She got a big payout, although it was peanuts compared to the lawyers.”

  Elvira tapped the top of her head with her knuckles. “I think the accident rattled her brain. She has some very strange ideas bouncing around in there.”

  “No.” Carlita shook her head. “I don’t think the accident messed with her head. I think it’s a hereditary trait.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Elvira frowned.

  “But she still walked away with money,” Glenda interrupted.

  “Yep. In the high six figures, after the lawyer’s cut. The carrier was hauling racecars. During the negotiations, Dernice’s lawyer hammered out a deal for a lifetime of racecar passes. I sweetened my offer to Davis with a year of racecar passes that Dernice will never use.”

  “You’re saying the passes sealed the deal?”

  “Yep. He’s in hog heaven. Course Dernice could care less about car racing. Now if it was Harley racing? She would’ve been all over that.”

  “Aren’t you the savvy business negotiator,” Carlita teased.

  “You have to be in the security and surveillance business. Competition is tough.” Elvira turned to Glenda. “So are you gonna approve the arch or do I have to go over your head?”

  “You know the drill, Elvira. It’s policy to submit all requests to the committee. Before I do, I’ll need a sketch of the design, along with actual dimensions.”

  “I figured you might make an exception since I’m a former employee.” Elvira folded her papers and shoved them in her pocket.

  “Nope. I’m not bending the rules.”

  “Fine. I’ll get them to you this afternoon. I gotta get going. The wedding security detail yesterday set me back on my errands.”

  “It was a beautiful wedding,” Glenda smiled at Carlita. “Thank you for inviting Mark and me.”

  “You’re welcome. I meant to ask you, Elvira…were there many people trying to get inside the restaurant who weren’t wedding guests?”

  “There were a few. I told them you were opening on Friday and yesterday was a private event, like you wanted me to say.”

  “You stayed at the front entrance during the entire event.”

  “Yep.” She nodded. “Except for a couple of bathroom breaks when Dernice covered for me.”

  “While you were there, did you happen to notice a couple, a man and a woman, who left the wedding reception early and boarded the trolley? It would have been after the cocktail hour, but I think it was before dinner.”

  “I saw a lot of people. Like I said, most of them were wedding guests.” Elvira rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah. Now that you mention it, there was a couple who looked kinda suspicious. I figured they weren’t locals since most locals are familiar with the trolley schedule.”

  “So you think they may have been tourists?”

  “They definitely weren’t wedding guests because they were wearing shorts and sandals. It was a man and woman, younger.” Elvira closed her eyes. “Yep. They waited for the trolley for a good half an hour. The woman kept looking over my way. I don’t remember talking to them, and neither tried to get inside the restaurant.”

  “Can you describe them?”

  Elvira’s eyes flew open. “I just told you. Younger, wearing casual summer clothes and sandals.”

  Carlita forced her voice to remain even. “But nothing stood out as unusual or extraordinary.”

  “Nope. Both were Caucasian, medium height; sandy brown hair for him and lighter colored hair for her. I remember admiring the man’s slick backpack.”

  Finally…Carlita might be onto something. “What about his backpack?”

  “It was camo purple, my favorite color.”

  Chapter 13

  “Camo purple,” Carlita repeated. “You’re sure.”

  “Positive. Like I said, I thought it was pretty cool and of course, my favorite color.” Elvira glanced at her watch. “I better get going if I want to catch a trolley other than evil Reese’s trolley.”

  “You wouldn’t have a problem with Reese if you stopped harassing her riders and trying to sneak on without paying.”

  “She’s lying,” Elvira insisted. “I paid. She’s just getting senile and forgets.”

  “What about harassing the other riders?”

  “So I asked a coupla riders a coupla questions. She has it in for me. Reese is nothing but a troll who drives an ugly peach trolley.”

  “The Big Peach,” Carlita corrected.

  “Big and ugly.” Elvira marched to the door. “Hey, what was inside the mysterious box I picked up yesterday morning?”

  “It was a…cake topper.” Carlita left off the part about it being headless. The less Elvira knew the better. “I still don’t know who sent it.”

  “If I get a chance, I’ll take a look at my surveillance camera. It’s motion sensitive. It would’ve picked up anyone dropping it off in the alley.”

  “That would be great. How much will it cost me?”

  “We’re still on for my business card display inside your restaurant?”

  “Of course. A deal is a deal.”

  “Then it won’t cost you. Unless I think of something good.” Elvira slipped out of the building. She walked past the front picture window and disappeared from sight.

  “She’s a trip.”

  “She is,” Glenda agreed. “And just think - she’s going to be your forever neighbor.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I heard the young woman who collapsed at the wedding is in serious condition.”

  Carlita sobered. “Yes. I haven’t gotten an update today. According to Elvira’s secret source, she collapsed after ingesting a toxic substance.”

  Glenda gasped. “From your food?”

  “I hope not, but it could be.” Carlita sighed heavily. “I’m waiting to hear back from Officer Clousen.”

  “But you’re thinking it might be something else?” Glenda asked.

  “Maybe.” Carlita eyed her friend, wondering how much she should share. “There were a couple of suspicious incidents before the wedding that make me wonder.”

  “A threat?”

  “It depends on whether you would classify receiving a headless cake topper a threat.”

  Glenda’s hand flew to her mouth. “And it was sitting on your back step before the wedding?”

  “Yep. It was inside the unmarked package Elvira picked up. Someone also broke into the restaurant, busting through the back door, but they didn’t take anything.”

  “How frightening,” G
lenda murmured. “Have you mentioned it to the authorities?”

  “Not yet. I figured I would wait until I heard from them first.” Carlita kept quiet about her suspicions the incidents might have involved the “family.”

  What if she’d unwittingly hired a worker or workers whose intent was to take out Brittney or Vinnie? She barely knew her new kitchen crew, having put Dominic in charge of hiring them.

  “Are you okay?” Glenda asked. “You turned white as a ghost.”

  “I…I think I’m tired. I should head back to the trolley stop. Reese will be along shortly to pick me up.”

  “Keep your chin up,” Glenda said. “I’m sure the authorities will find out the young woman’s collapse was unrelated to the wedding.”

  Carlita nodded absentmindedly. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.” She wandered back to the stop, her head spinning. She needed to get her hands on a picture of the mysterious trolley riders with the purple camo backpack. Perhaps Reese had come up with an idea.

  The Big Peach rounded the corner and pulled up to the curb.

  “Hey.” Reese looked as if she were about to explode into a million tiny pieces as she waved at Carlita.

  “You thought of something.”

  “You betcha.” Reese waited until the passengers boarded and they were on their way. “I’m going to tell Buzz that you’re missing a small handbag, similar to the one the woman left on the trolley.”

  “So you’re going to tell your boss you think the woman stole it from me?”

  “Sure. I mean, Jim already mentioned they were acting suspiciously. You’re an area business owner. Buzz won’t even question it. He’s a big suck up anyways.”

  Reese continued. “I was going to talk to him after my shift ends, but I came up with an even better idea. I think you should come with me.”

  Carlita mulled over Reese’s idea. She wanted to have a look inside the handbag. Perhaps there was some sort of clue. “I…I’m not good at lying, but I suppose it’s worth a try.”

  “Perfect. I’ll pick you up at five-fifty.”

  “I ran into Elvira in the Savannah Architectural Society office. She made me wonder if there’s a possibility I hired the two people on the trolley and they’re the ones who contaminated the food.”

  “But why?”

  “I have a few theories. It’s still too early to start pointing fingers.” How could Carlita tell her new friend that her family, and even her eldest son, had ties to the mob?

  When they reached Walton Square, Carlita gathered her things and hopped off. “I’ll see you later.”

  “You got it. This is exciting,” Reese beamed. “I had a feeling about you when I met you.”

  “That I was trouble?”

  “No, that you’re special.”

  Carlita shook her head. “I’m special all right. Specially cursed.”

  She trudged across the street to the pawnshop to check on Josh and the other employee, who had just arrived.

  After a brief conversation, she left a few glazed donuts behind and climbed the stairs to the apartment.

  When she got to the top, Carlita noticed Sam’s apartment door was ajar, and she grinned. Maybe he was spying on them. Or more specifically, keeping an eye out for Mercedes.

  She stepped inside the apartment and found Violet on the sofa, watching television. Mercedes was sitting at her desk in the dining room.

  “I brought breakfast.” Carlita waved the bag of donuts.

  “We already munched on a couple of cookies,” Mercedes said. “We also ate a bowl of cereal.”

  “I’m still hungry.” Violet slid off the sofa. “Chocolate donuts are my favorite.”

  “I thought Nonna’s Italian cookies were your favorite,” Carlita teased. “I picked out a bunch of different kinds and a special one for you. It has chocolate frosting and sprinkles.”

  “Yay!” Violet clapped her hands. “I love chocolate and sprinkles.”

  “Me, too.” Carlita placed the donuts on the table and walked into the kitchen.

  “The coffee is still warm,” Mercedes said.

  “Thanks.” Carlita poured a cup. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going over the tenant applications. I wish I had as much luck finding prospective tenants as you were at finding restaurant workers.”

  “I don’t know if I did that great of a job. Wait’ll you hear this.” Carlita helped Violet with her donut and carried it to the living room coffee table. “Make sure Rambo and Grayvie don’t eat your donut. They can’t have donuts.”

  “I know.” Violet’s head bobbed up and down. “Only special treats when you tell me.”

  “Good girl.” Carlita patted her head and returned to the dining room. She briefly told her daughter about the handbag, the purple camo backpack and the suspicious behavior of the couple on the trolley. “Reese has a plan to have a look inside the forgotten handbag.”

  “There’s something else.” Carlita lowered her voice. “If the woman was poisoned, I’m seriously thinking it would have to have been an inside job.”

  “Inside?” Mercedes shook her head. “How? By one of our kitchen crew?”

  “Think about it. I don’t know them. They’re all new. Who’s to say that whoever has it in for Vito’s family didn’t send someone down here as a plant, to taint the appetizers and take Brittney out?”

  “You think someone up north is that smart? Aren’t mobsters more likely to shoot now and shoot later? Don’t bother with trying to cover up?”

  “Yeah, but maybe there’s another reason. I need to take a closer look at the employee applications. I gotta run next door to get them. They’re in the filing cabinet.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Mercedes offered. “I think it’s best if we not go over there alone, especially with Tony and Shelby on their honeymoon and their upstairs apartment empty. You never know if someone will try to break in again.”

  “True.” Carlita waited for Violet to finish her donut before shooing her into the bedroom to get dressed.

  Mercedes threw on some clothes and the trio, along with Rambo, headed down the alley to the back entrance of the restaurant.

  Carlita held the door and motioned them inside. The smell of fresh garlic and Italian spices lingered in the air.

  “It smells delish in here.” Mercedes sniffed appreciatively.

  “It stinks.” Violet wrinkled her nose. “Like yucky stuff.”

  “You have to be a grown up to appreciate Italian smells.” Carlita made her way to the filing cabinet in the corner. She pulled out the stack of employee file folders and handed half to her daughter. “I have no idea what to look for.”

  “Me neither.” Mercedes carried her stack to the counter and rifled through them. She skimmed through the names and addresses, focusing her attention on the previous employers and the locations.

  Nothing stood out as a clue. It wasn’t until she began going over the fourth one, something caught Mercedes’ eye. “Hey, Ma. I think I might’ve found something.”

  Chapter 14

  Carlita dropped the folder she was holding. “What did you find?”

  “Check out this employee’s previous work history.”

  Carlita adjusted her reading glasses and studied the section. “Duane Sorensen. He just moved to Savannah.”

  “But above that.”

  “He worked in…”

  “New York.” Mercedes finished her mother’s sentence. “What if he was the plant? Do you recall what he looked like?”

  “Not off the top of my head. I would have to find out if he was scheduled to work during the wedding. We can figure that out real quick.” Carlita reached into the cabinet and pulled out her handwritten notes, including a list of employees who were working the wedding.

  Her pulse ticked up a notch when she spotted his name. “Yes. As a matter of fact, he was working.”

  “But you met all of the employees, right?”

  “Right,” Carlita confirmed. “Dominic handled the hiring process, bu
t I was the final say in the hires. It’s possible Dominic let him leave early if he didn’t need all of the employees sticking around after dinner.”

  “True. It could be a clue if he did leave before the reception ended.”

  Carlita set a wiggling Violet on the floor. “I’m going to call Officer Clousen and get to the bottom of this. Surely, by now he has a better idea of what happened to Megan Burelli.”

  “Let’s take the employee folders and wedding planner back to the apartment,” Mercedes said. “We might want to look at the files again later.”

  Carlita handed the file folders to her daughter and then followed Violet and Mercedes out the back door. They circled the block to give Rambo a chance to stretch his legs before returning to the apartment.

  “I’ll call the officer right now.” Carlita dialed the number Clousen had given her and was surprised when he picked up.

  “Officer Clousen speaking.”

  “Officer Clousen, this is Carlita Garlucci. We met yesterday in my courtyard when Ms. Burelli collapsed and was taken to the local hospital.”

  “Yes. Mrs. Garlucci. You were on my list to call today. I spoke with Ms. Burelli’s companion. She explained her friend’s initial symptoms, before collapsing. They match those of someone who ingested a substance causing life-threatening conditions.”

  The officer went on to explain he was speaking off the record and until the doctors knew more, the cause of her collapse was still officially undetermined.

  “Thank you for the update. If I think of anything that can add to the investigation, I’ll be sure to let you know.” Carlita thanked the officer a second time and ended the call.

  “Why didn’t you tell him about the mysterious package?” Mercedes asked.

  “Because it may be nothing, although it is beginning to look as if Megan Burelli consumed a tainted food substance, at the pre-dinner cocktail party no less.” Carlita motioned Mercedes into the kitchen. “He would think I was nuts if I told him someone sent us a headless groom.”

  “If he believes Megan was poisoned, he’ll be around soon enough,” Mercedes predicted. “I’m sure he would be interested to know someone broke into the restaurant yesterday morning.”