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

by Hope Callaghan

  “True, but they didn’t take anything. There’s still the off chance the headless groom, the break-in and Megan’s incident is unrelated.” At least Carlita was trying to convince herself of that.

  First, she needed to find out what the mysterious couple who boarded the trolley in Walton Square yesterday looked like.

  Violet skipped into the kitchen, smears of chocolate on her cheek and upper lip.

  “Have you had chocolate on your face this whole time?” Carlita chuckled. “We need to wipe your face.”

  Violet licked her lips. “Is it gone?”

  “No.” Carlita led the young child into the bathroom as someone knocked on the door.

  “I’ll get it,” Mercedes said. “It’s probably Vinnie.”

  Carlita heard her son’s voice and the tinkle of Brittney’s laughter coming from the living room. They finished cleaning up, and Carlita and Violet joined them.

  “Hello, Son.” Carlita gave her son a quick hug and then hugged Brittney. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Like a baby. We figured we’d swing by before heading to the stores to shoe shop,” Vinnie said. “I thought maybe Mercedes would like to take my place,” he hinted.

  “No. We’re going to meet Paulie and his family for the Pirates in Peril pirate show. Ma and I have been itching to see it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Stop trying to weasel your way out of shopping.” Brittney punched her husband’s arm playfully. “It will be fun.”

  “Right.”

  “How was your dinner with Uncle Eddie and Aunt Anjelica?” Carlita asked. “I figured they would stop by to say good-bye.”

  “I thought they were gonna, too, but Uncle Eddie said they needed to get going. They wrapped up their small business matter here and were heading back. They told us they’d catch up with you next time they were down this way.”

  “They seemed in a big hurry to leave town.” Brittney turned to Vinnie. “Don’t you think your aunt and uncle seemed like they couldn’t wait to leave?”

  “Yeah, but then that’s Uncle Eddie. He don’t sit still for too long.”

  “Have you eaten yet?” Carlita asked. “I picked up some donuts over in the City Market this morning. The Bavarian Kreme donuts are delicious. They melt in your mouth.”

  “No thanks.” Brittney made a face. “The thought of sugary foods this early makes me want to throw up.”

  “I’ll eat her donut,” Violet offered.

  “No you won’t,” Carlita laughed. “You’ve already eaten enough sweets this morning.”

  Violet made a pouting face.

  “We’ll grab a bite to eat on our way to the mall,” Vinnie said. “Thanks for the offer.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes before Vinnie stood. “We better get going. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a long day.” He gave his wife a hand up, and they wandered to the front door.

  Carlita followed them into the hall.

  Mercedes trailed behind. “Ugh.”

  “What?”

  “Over there.” Mercedes pointed to Sam’s apartment door, still ajar. “I told you.”

  “That’s silly,” Carlita said. “Sam is not spying on us.”

  “Sam Ivey, your new tenant?” Vinnie asked.

  “Yes. Mercedes is convinced that he’s spying on us.”

  “Maybe he’s got the hots for you,” Vinnie teased. “He wants to keep an eye out.”

  Mercedes’ face turned bright red. “He does not have the hots for me. We can’t stand each other.”

  “Ah.” A slow smile crept across her brother’s face. “Now I get it.”

  “You do not.” Mercedes marched into the apartment and slammed the door behind her.

  “Yeah, there’s definitely some interest,” Vinnie said.

  “You noticed too.” Carlita changed the subject. “So what time do you think you’ll be back for dinner?”

  “How ‘bout seven-thirty?”

  After agreeing on the time, Carlita and Violet made their way back inside.

  Mercedes was in her room, the door closed. Carlita tapped on the outside. It flew open, and she stumbled back, almost tripping on Violet who was directly behind her. “I hate it when you do that.”

  “Sorry, Violet,” Mercedes apologized.

  “That wasn’t nice.”

  “I said I was sorry.”

  “I’m not talking about scaring us. I’m talking about you getting bent out of shape because of Sam Ivey and his apartment door.”

  “He just gets on my nerves.” Mercedes glanced over her shoulder. “I think I’ll work on my book for a while before getting ready for our pirate adventure.”

  “Violet and I will find something to entertain ourselves.”

  “I’m going swimming later,” Violet said.

  “Yes. And you’re still going to spend the night with your new cousins Noel, Gracie and PJ.”

  “Yep.” Violet nodded. “But first I want to color a picture.”

  Mercedes returned to her computer and Carlita and Violet spent the rest of the morning coloring pictures. She colored one for her mother, one for Mercedes and one for Carlita.

  Lunchtime consisted of a sandwich and chips. After cleaning up, the trio walked to the river, where The Flying Gunner was docked.

  Mercedes, Violet and Carlita stood off to the side, waiting for Paulie and his family. They appeared a short time later and then everyone joined the line with Carlita leading the way.

  She smiled at the woman behind the ticket counter. “Hello. I don’t have a reservation. My name is Carlita Garlucci. Pirate Pete is expecting me and my family.”

  “Yes. Mrs. Garlucci. Pete said you would be joining us.” The girl, Isla, according to her nametag, counted the children. “Perfect, we have all four junior pirates.” She reached into the cabinet and pulled out four paper pirate hats and four plastic swords.

  “Pete picked out your pirate names ahead of time.” Isla eyed the side of the first pirate hat. “Which one of you is Gracie?”

  “Me.” Gracie raised her hand.

  “You’re now Cap’n Gracie Roughknuckles.” Gracie giggled as Isla placed the pirate hat on top of her head. “Where’s Violet?”

  “Here.” Violet pranced forward. “I’m Violet.”

  “Not anymore. Pirate Pete dubbed you Churnin’ Violet Dagger.” Isla placed the pirate hat on Violet’s head. “You must be PJ.” She pointed to Carlita’s grandson.

  “Yep.”

  “You’re now PJ the Jolly Pirate.” Isla slid the hat on PJ’s head and smiled at Noel. “Miss Noel.” She waved the paper pirate hat. “Pirate Pete picked the perfect name for you.”

  Noel inched forward, her eyes ‘round as saucers. “He did?”

  “Yes.” Isla nodded solemnly.

  “You’re Cap’n Shark Tooth Noel.” Noel grinned as Isla placed the hat on her head.

  Isla handed each of the children a plastic sword, but first made them promise not to stab one another and then motioned the Garlucci family on board.

  They passed by Gunner, who was in his cage and stationed near the ramp greeting the guests. “Aye, matey. The Flying Gunner is getting ready to set sail.”

  “This is Gunner,” Violet told the other children. “He’s funny.”

  “Gunner is handsome,” the parrot squawked.

  “Hello, Gunner,” Carlita said. “It’s going to be a beautiful day to walk the plank.”

  Gunner strutted along his perch. “Time to walk the plank.”

  It had been weeks since the last time Carlita boarded The Flying Gunner to assist Pete in interviewing potential employees. It looked different now. The ship sported a spacious snack bar and comfy sofa seating. Eerie lanterns glowed green and orange.

  “This looks different,” Mercedes said. “I love the new look.”

  “Me, too.”

  They explored the lower deck before heading upstairs to the open deck.

  Carlita heard Pirate Pete’s booming voice echo from the bow of
the ship. “And, then I said to my first mate, Sully, we be needin’ to fire a shot across the bow.”

  The children gathered around Pirate Pete. He was dressed in full pirate garb, from the plumed pirate hat perched atop his head, to his fitted puffy pirate shirt all the way down to his shiny black pirate breeches. A black patch covered his right eye.

  “Ah, more mates for our sword fight.” Pete winked at Carlita. “And what about you, pretty lady?” he teased.

  “I think I’ll hang out on the sidelines,” Carlita chuckled.

  Another garbed pirate tapped the tip of his sword on Pete’s shoulder. “You be looking for me?”

  “Ahh…it’s the dastardly Johnny Dud.” Pete chased the pirate to a stack of towering wooden boxes as the men dueled with their swords.

  Carlita’s grandchildren stood nearby, entranced by the sword fight. The sword fight ended with the heroic Pirate Pete capturing Johnny Dud.

  The pirate ship set sail a short time later, cruising along the riverfront, past the Waving Girl landing and the ferry.

  They sailed all the way to Fort Jackson before turning around and starting the return trip to Gunner’s Landing, the ship’s slip.

  While the children played pirates, the adults munched on popcorn and sipped sodas. The host of activities included a treasure hunt, followed by a water gun shootout.

  After the water gun battle, the children joined their parents for popsicles and snow cones.

  All too soon, the exciting pirate adventure ended.

  Pirate Pete and his merry band of buccaneers lined the gangway, thanking the guests for joining them as they disembarked. They were also handing out discount coupons to Pete’s restaurant, The Pirate House.

  Pete caught Carlita’s eye and waved her off to the side. “Any news on your wedding guest’s condition?”

  “Yes.” Carlita motioned to Paulie. “I’ll be right with you.”

  Mercedes slipped past her brother and joined her mother and Pete. “We had an awesome pirate adventure.”

  “Thank you, Mercedes. I was askin’ your mother about the condition of your wedding guest.”

  “She’s in intensive care. Elvira claims she heard it was food poisoning.”

  “Shiver me timbers.” Pete placed a light hand on his scabbard. “Are they thinking it was something she ate at the reception?”

  “It’s possible. We’re still waiting on the official word.”

  Pete rubbed his beard thoughtfully. “I was gonna mention yesterday, an odd situation that happened during the wedding.”

  Chapter 15

  Pete continued. “I stopped by your kitchen to compliment your staff on the bang up job they did on the food. After I got done, I stepped out back to make a quick call to check on the early pirate ship run.”

  “Elvira’s sister, Dernice, was in the alley and she gave you a hard time,” Carlita guessed.

  “No. Dernice wasn’t around. There was a coupla people standing near the dumpster, a man and a woman. The woman was crying. I asked if everything was okay. The man, the one wearing a uniform, assured me that they were fine.”

  “A uniform?”

  “Yes. It looked like one of your restaurant uniforms. He whispered something in the woman’s ear. The man grabbed their stuff, and they took off.”

  Carlita’s heart began to pound. “What kind of stuff?”

  “A purple backpack.”

  “Was it purple camo?”

  Pete nodded. “You know who I’m talkin’ about?”

  “I think I do. The afternoon trolley driver, Jim, may have seen the same couple. He told Reese they were acting suspiciously. Do you think you’d be able to recognize the couple if you saw them again?”

  “Yes. Most definitely.”

  Carlita had a sudden thought. “Did they talk funny?”

  “Funny?”

  “Like us…like they were from New York.” Carlita thought of the threat to Vito’s family. Was it possible Louie sent a couple of his soldiers to Savannah? They joined Carlita’s restaurant staff with a plan to murder Vito’s daughter…or even Vinnie.

  “No, but then they weren’t really talkin’.” Pete shook his head.

  One of the “pirates” joined them. “Sorry to interrupt, Pete. We got a guest inquiring about a group cruise.”

  “I’ll let you go,” Carlita said. “Thank you for the information and for giving all of us a wonderful pirate adventure. We enjoyed it immensely.”

  “I’m glad you and your family had a good time.” Pete pressed the palm of his hand to his chest. “It warms the cockles of my black heart.”

  Mercedes waited until Pete walked away. “I think we’re finally onto something. What if someone or some-ones managed to infiltrate our staff with the sole purpose of murdering Brittney?”

  “There’s one way we can find out. We’ll call the cell phone number that’s in the employee’s file. What was his name?”

  “Duane something. It would still take a couple of people to pull off an inside job,” Mercedes said. “There would need to be one who was working the crowd with trays of appetizers and drinks. A second would have to be behind the scenes, in the kitchen, tampering with the appetizers or drinks.”

  “The first thing we’re gonna do when we get home is call Duane Sorensen’s cell phone. I’ll think of what to say on the way.”

  Mother and daughter joined Paulie and his crew, who were standing near the railing, tossing pieces of leftover popcorn in the water for the birds.

  Carlita held up Violet’s Elsa and Anna backpack. “Are you still going with Uncle Paulie and Aunt Gina to the hotel pool?”

  “Yes.” Violet took the backpack from Carlita. “Are you going, too?”

  “I’m afraid not. Nana and Mercedes have some things to take care of at home.”

  Violet’s lip quivered, and Carlita thought she might start to cry.

  She knelt down next to the young girl. “I have an errand to run a little later. Why don’t I stop by the hotel to check on you? You can let me know if you want to spend the night with your new cousins, or if you want to come home with Nana.”

  “Okay.” Violet nodded solemnly.

  Gracie slipped her small hand into Violet’s hand. “It will be okay. Mommy said if we’re good, we get to have ice cream later.”

  Touched by her granddaughter’s tender heart, Carlita wrapped one arm around Gracie and the other around Violet. “I’m sure you’re going to have so much fun, you won’t remember Nana Banana.”

  “Let’s go.” Gina and Paulie herded the children down the sidewalk, toward the riverfront district and their hotel.

  Mercedes tugged on her mother’s arm as Carlita watched Violet leave with the others. “C’mon. Violet will be fine.”

  “But she’s missing her mother,” Carlita said. “I don’t want her to feel like I’m abandoning her.”

  “She’s going to have a ball. You worry too much.” Mercedes linked arms with her mother, and they began walking in the opposite direction. “Like you said, you’ll be checking on her later.”

  “True.”

  “And we have some sleuthing to do. First, we’re going to track down Duane what’s-his-name’s cell phone number.”

  Mercedes abruptly stopped. “Ma.”

  “What?”

  “The video. Remember when Megan collapsed and you asked me to take a quick video of the courtyard?”

  “Yes. I remember now. Do you still have it?”

  Mercedes plucked her cell phone from her back pocket and scrolled through the screen. “Yep.”

  Carlita peered over her daughter’s shoulder, and they watched the short video. “I didn’t catch anything.”

  “Me either. The screen is kinda small.”

  “We should definitely take a closer look. I’ll send a copy to your email. When we get back to the apartment, we can check it out on the computer.”

  “Good idea.”

  Back home, the women stopped by the pawnshop to check on the employees. Josh, who
was still working, assured them everything was running smoothly.

  Carlita stepped into the back hall, and Mercedes closed the door behind them. “He’s the pawnshop’s best employee.”

  “Yes, he is,” Carlita agreed.

  They climbed the stairs to the upper hall, and Mercedes let out an irritated breath.

  “What?”

  “Over there.” Mercedes frowned at Sam’s door, still ajar. “Every time I’m in the hall, his door is ajar. I wonder if he quit his job.”

  “He’s self-employed,” Carlita pointed out. “Sam sets his own hours. Maybe he decided to take a day off.”

  “Yeah, well I’m sick of seeing his door open.” Mercedes marched down the hall to Sam’s door. She rapped hard, hard enough to push the door open. “Hello?”

  “Mercedes.” Carlita hurried after her.

  “Who leaves their door open and unlocked when they’re not home?”

  “Can I help you?”

  Mercedes nearly jumped out of her skin as Sam swung the door open, scaring her half to death.

  “You!” Mercedes’ eyes narrowed accusingly. “You did that on purpose.”

  “Did what?”

  “You tried to scare me.”

  “No. I merely answered my door. You scared yourself.”

  Mercedes had certainly met her match. Carlita couldn’t help it. She doubled over in gales of laughter.

  “I did not. Ugh.” Mercedes clenched her fists in frustration. “Why do you keep leaving your door open?”

  Sam casually leaned his hip against the doorframe, peering down at Mercedes with a look of amusement on his face. “Is it bothering you?”

  “Yes. It is bothering me. I feel like I’m being watched.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. I can assure you I have no desire to spy on you.”

  “Then do us all a favor and shut your dang door,” she gritted out.

  “Mercedes.” Carlita grasped her daughter’s arm. “Sam is entitled to leave his door open. As a matter of fact, he can run up and down the hall in his bathrobe if he wants. This is his home.”

  “Thank you, Carlita.” Sam offered her a dazzling smile, which only seemed to enrage Mercedes.

  “You’re not helping, Ma.”

  “I apologize for distracting you, Mercedes. I never intended to be a distraction.”