Exes and Woes: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 14)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Carlita Garlucci. I’m your mother’s former landlord, not to mention her alley neighbor.”

  “Ah. I get it.” Zulilly chomped loudly on her gum, her jaws working furiously. “You’re the annoying mafia lady Mom is always talking about.”

  “Annoying mafia lady?”

  “I wouldn’t take it personally. Mom doesn’t have many nice things to say about anybody.”

  “Your mother is a pain in the…” Carlita bit back the rest of what she wanted to say about her troublesome neighbor. It was neither here nor there and had nothing to do with Zulilly. “I thought you and your mother had a falling out.”

  “A falling out?” Zulilly adjusted her backpack. “Mom came to visit me in Hilton Head a couple of months ago. She was stressed out about a…personal matter.”

  “Wait a minute… Your mother visited you a couple of months ago and told you she was stressed out about something.”

  “Yep. Next thing I know, Auntie D is freaking out because my mom borrowed some cash from the business and left town.”

  They had reached Elvira’s alley entrance. Zulilly turned her back to Carlita. She gave the door a sharp rap before glancing over her shoulder. “See you around.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Carlita turned to go, but something told her to stay. She had a sneaking suspicion Dernice had no idea Zulilly was standing on her doorstep.

  The door opened a crack and then opened wider. Dernice appeared. “Zu?”

  The woman smacked her gum, a wide grin on her face. “Surprise.”

  “What are you doing here?” Dernice frowned.

  “Ma said she was concerned about you. She says you’re overwhelmed running the businesses. I offered to come down here to give you a hand until she comes back.”

  “Overwhelmed? Your mother cleaned out a bank account and left town. To top it all off, I found out she started a new business.” Dernice pursed her lips. “I thought you and your mother had a falling out.”

  Zulilly jabbed her finger in Carlita’s direction. “That’s what she said. Last time I saw Mom, she said something about taking care of a personal matter.”

  “I thought she was depressed after seeing you.”

  “You thought wrong. In fact, we talked yesterday, which is why I’m here.”

  Dernice’s voice grew hard. “You wasted your time driving down here. I’ve already hired someone to help me.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  Dernice stepped out of the building and closed the door behind her. “You can head right on home. Call your mother – who, by the way, hasn’t returned my last two phone calls and tell her I don’t need help.”

  “No can do.” Zulilly crossed her arms. “I promised I would stay here until she gets back.”

  There were a few tense moments as the women stared each other down. Zulilly reminded Carlita of her mother. She was a chip off the old block.

  Finally, Dernice backed down. At least Carlita thought she was backing down. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you in IF you get your mother on the phone.”

  For the first time since Carlita had met her, Zulilly’s confident demeanor faded. “I’m calling Mom later.”

  “You’re calling her now. I want to talk to her.” Dernice adjusted her stance, blocking the doorway.

  “She’s not gonna like this.”

  “I don’t care,” Dernice sing-songed.

  Zulilly reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone as she shot Carlita a puzzled glance. “Why are you still here?”

  “Because I can’t wait to see what happens.”

  “Carlita stays. She’s my witness,” Dernice said.

  The young woman tapped the screen and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hey, Mom. It’s me…Zu. I’m here. Auntie D isn’t letting me in the apartment until she talks to you.” There was a moment of silence. “I’m not kidding. She’s blocking the door. There’s someone else here too. It’s your neighbor.” Zulilly rolled her eyes and handed the phone to Dernice, who promptly put the call on speaker.

  “Why is Zulilly here, and what’s this personal matter you’re handling?”

  “I can’t discuss it right now.” Elvira sounded distracted. “Zu was nice enough to offer to come down and help you. Don’t give her a hard time.”

  Dernice cut her off. “I don’t need her help. I hired someone to help me.”

  “Who?” Elvira demanded.

  “Why should you care?”

  “Because it’s my business.”

  Dernice unloaded on her sister, ranting about her leaving town, how she was worried about her safety, how she left them in a bind after cleaning out a bank account. “And now someone is targeting the businesses.”

  “What do you mean, targeting the businesses?”

  “If you had answered my calls, you would already know. I think someone has been messing around. I’m almost certain of it, although they haven’t taken anything. And what’s this about you buying a property in Tybee?”

  There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. “How do you know about the property?”

  “Because the deed came in the mail, and I opened it.”

  “Certified mail?” Elvira asked. “I told you not to sign for anything certified.”

  “It wasn’t certified.”

  It was quiet again on the other end, and Carlita thought Elvira had hung up. “You said someone’s been messing around. Is it possible it has something to do with the Garlucci family connections?”

  Carlita’s blood pressure shot up. “This has nothing to do with me,” she snapped.

  “Maybe they were trying to rob the pawn shop and picked the wrong business,” Elvira said.

  “I don’t think so.” Carlita resisted the urge to yank the phone from Dernice’s hand. Instead, she forced her voice to remain even. “You’ve left your sister hanging while you gallivant around the countryside doing who knows what.”

  “This doesn’t involve you,” Elvira said coolly.

  “It does involve me when someone is breaking into businesses in my backyard.”

  “Take me off the speaker. I want to talk to Dernice privately.”

  Dernice tapped the screen and turned so that her back was to Zulilly and Carlita. “I already told you. Someone broke in. They didn’t steal anything. There was also a minor propane tank explosion, but I’m fixing the damages.”

  There was a pause.

  “I’m taking care of it,” Dernice said. “What’s up with starting a new business and not even mentioning it to me?”

  “Why? Fine. She can stay, but if she starts causing trouble, she’s out of here. Good-bye.” Dernice handed the phone back to Zulilly as she stepped aside. “You can come in now.”

  Zulilly smiled smugly as she squeezed past her aunt.

  Dernice started to follow, and Carlita stopped her. “Wait. What did Elvira say?”

  “She…uh. She said she’ll be coming home in a few days. She said the Tybee property was an impulse purchase, and she’s going to be selling it soon.”

  “You didn’t mention the car that forced us off the road.”

  “No. I was so mad, I forgot.” Dernice wagged her finger. “Elvira is hiding something. There’s a reason Zulilly is here, and it has nothing to do with helping me.”

  “Now that Elvira’s daughter is here to help, do you still want to hire Luigi?”

  “I do.” Dernice nodded. “I think I’m going to need him now more than ever.”

  Chapter 7

  Carlita and Rambo circled several blocks before making their way back to the apartment. All the while, she mulled over Zulilly’s unannounced arrival and the news that Elvira’s abrupt departure was because of a “personal matter.”

  She found Mercedes sitting at her desk, staring at the computer. “Hey, Mercedes. What are you doing?”

  “My computer is running an update, so I decided to borrow yours.” Mercedes tapped the screen. “Did you see this?”

  “See what?�
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  “I was doing some research for my new book. You’ll never guess what I found.” Mercedes didn’t wait for her mother to reply. “I found a story about the investment company that’s snatching up the Tybee Island properties.”

  Carlita slipped her reading glasses on and read the headline aloud, “Atlantic Deep Corporation is slowly buying up Tybee Island for their new project, Coastal Adventures.”

  Mercedes waited for her mother to finish reading. “One of the local businesses, a restaurant, caught fire after hours. It happened right before the owner sold to Atlantic Deep. I’m thinking about running over to Tybee to check it out. There might be a story angle I can work with.”

  Carlita remembered the car that forced Dernice’s van off the road. “I would rather you not go alone. I’ll ride over there with you.” She changed the subject. “I just met Zulilly, Elvira’s daughter.”

  “Elvira disappears, and her daughter shows up?” Mercedes slid out of the chair.

  “You shoulda seen the look on Dernice’s face when she opened the door and found Zulilly standing on her stoop. She wouldn’t let her in the building until she got Elvira on the phone.”

  “Smart move, Dernice,” Mercedes chuckled.

  “There’s more to Elvira’s disappearance than depression. She claims she’s handling a personal matter.” A feeling of dread washed over Carlita as she thought about Dernice’s brief and private conversation with her sister.

  What if Elvira was up to no good, and Luigi was unwittingly placing himself in a bad situation? The last thing he needed was to start off on the wrong foot in Savannah and end up on the wrong side of the law.

  They reached the lower level hall, and Carlita cast an anxious glance at Luigi’s apartment. “I wanna chat with Luigi for a sec. I’ll meet you by the car.”

  “Sure.”

  Carlita rapped on Luigi’s apartment door, but no one answered. She made a beeline for the alley, passing by his car, which was parked in the lot. She rounded the corner and found Dernice and Luigi inspecting what was left of the business’ front door.

  “Hey, Carlita.” Luigi took a step back. “Dernice and I were checking out the damage. I think a coupla sheets of plywood will secure the place.”

  “I’ve been thinking about Zulilly’s sudden arrival and your sister’s disappearance.” Carlita crossed her arms, pinning Dernice with a stare. “Who does she think is messing around here?”

  “She…uh…we aren’t sure. I’m gonna go pick up some sheets of plywood so we can get the door fixed. There’s a hardware store a few blocks away. I’ll be right back.” She hurried around the corner and out of sight.

  Carlita waited until she was gone. “I don’t trust Dernice, or her sister, for that matter. I thought working for their security company would be a perfect fit for you, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “You don’t think I should work with them?” Luigi asked.

  “It’s just...” Carlita pressed a hand to her forehead. “I feel it’s my responsibility to warn you that there may be more going on around here than meets the eye.”

  “Without a doubt. Someone’s messing around the building and forcing vehicles off the road. This place is starting to liven up.” Luigi patted his front pocket. “Me and my piece can take care of any trouble that comes our way.”

  Despite Carlita’s misgivings about the matter, Luigi was an adult. She couldn’t necessarily tell him what to do – not that she even wanted to. In fact, she suspected he’d handled a lot more dangerous situations than having the vehicle he was riding in forced off the road.

  Zulilly sauntered out of the building. “Where’s Aunt D?”

  “She ran to the store to pick up some stuff to fix the door,” Carlita said.

  “I need to head out,” Zulilly consulted her watch. “Can you tell her I had some errands to run, and I’ll be back later?”

  “Sure.” Luigi gave her a curt nod as the woman slipped back inside the building. “Now her – I don’t trust.”

  “I don’t either.” Carlita patted Luigi’s arm. “All I’m saying is watch your back.”

  Zulilly and her car were gone by the time Carlita reached the alley. Her daughter was perched on their rear bumper. “I saw a chick with purple hair drive off.”

  “That’s Zulilly.” Carlita climbed into the driver’s seat and waited for her daughter to join her. “My gut tells me there’s something fishy goin’ on around here.”

  During the drive to Tybee, Carlita shared her concerns. “Originally, Dernice thought the reason Elvira left town was because she had a falling out with her daughter, and she fell into a deep depression.”

  “Cleaning out one of the business accounts on her way out,” Mercedes reminded her mother.

  “Correct. My guess is she used the money to start a new company and purchase property on Tybee Island. Zulilly shows up on their doorstep, claiming she’s there to help her aunt. Dernice is not happy about it and forces Zulilly to call her mother. From what I could tell, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.” Carlita tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “I hope Dernice and Elvira aren’t setting Luigi up to become involved in something unethical or illegal.”

  “We’re talking about Elvira, here,” Mercedes joked.

  “Yeah, and that’s my concern.”

  The Savannah River sparkled in the bright sunlight. Carlita rolled the window down, letting the fresh ocean breeze in. She breathed deeply as they drove onto the island. The hustle and bustle of Savannah was temporarily forgotten as they entered “island time.”

  She slowed when they reached the main drag, passing by small shops and restaurants before reaching several boutique hotels, a sprawling shopping plaza and finally, the ocean.

  “Check it out.” Mercedes pointed to a bright new sign. “Coastal Adventures. Opening Spring 2021.”

  Carlita eased the car into an empty spot and joined her daughter on the sidewalk. “What’s the plan?”

  “I’m working on some general research. The new project might make a good storyline. A story along the lines of big business drives out small property owners.”

  The women began walking along a chain link fence. A layer of dark green mesh covered it.

  Carlita stopped when they reached a section where the mesh was missing. A row of bulldozers, surrounded by piles of fresh dirt, was neatly lined up on the other side of the fence. “They’re workin’ on something back there.”

  They reached the end of the sidewalk and turned onto a small side street sporting an ice cream shop, a tattoo parlor, a gift shop and a bakery. A ramshackle two-story building was across the street from the bakery.

  “Let’s check it out.” Mercedes crossed the street. She pressed her forehead against the window and peered inside. “This one is toast. It looks like a teardown.”

  Carlita surveyed the building next to it. There was a sign in the window. “Protected by EC Security Services. This is Elvira’s sign.”

  “Her security company doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job of protecting these businesses.”

  “Or are they?” Carlita pointed to the gift shop next door. “They’re still in business. Might as well have a look around.”

  The interior of the shop reminded Carlita of the mom ‘n pop shops in their old Queens neighborhood. It was eerily quiet, and the only sound was the whirring of the overhead ceiling fans.

  “No one is here,” Mercedes whispered under her breath.

  “There has to be.” Carlita paused to inspect a woman’s visor. Tybee Island was sprawled across the front in pink letters.

  A curtain in the corner rustled, and a woman emerged. “Hello.”

  Carlita set the visor back on the shelf. “Hello.”

  “Can I help you find something?”

  “We’re just looking around,” Carlita said. “My daughter and I live in Savannah. We recently found out that a big corporation is buying up the local Tybee businesses to build some sort of tourist attraction and thought we would check it out.�
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  The woman’s expression grew grim. “We aren’t selling.”

  Carlita shifted her purse to her other arm. “We’re not interested in buying. We were curious to find out what’s going on.”

  “All you have to do is look around to see what’s going on.”

  “True.” Carlita could feel the woman’s eyes on her as she wandered up and down the aisles. Every time she looked in that direction, the woman was glaring at her.

  She joined Mercedes, who was perusing a rack of keychains. “I think it’s time to go.”

  Mercedes stepped onto the sidewalk and held the door for her mother. “Talk about cranky. She was giving us the old evil eye.”

  “You noticed too? I can’t imagine glaring at potential customers is good for business.”

  They finished making their way to the corner and circled the block. Up ahead was another Coastal Adventures’ sign, similar to the first one except smaller.

  Mercedes stepped closer, studying the detailed layout of the proposed development.

  Front and center was a boardwalk. To the left were depictions of carnival rides, shops and a resort-like complex stretching along a strip of sandy white beach.

  Mercedes let out a low whistle. “This place is gonna be huge.” She shifted to the side to read the description.

  Carlita joined her, peering over her shoulder as she read about the Coastal Adventures’ projects. “They’re building more than one adventure park. There are plans for one on St. Simons Island.” Her breath caught in her throat when she read the location of the third.

  Chapter 8

  “St. Augustine, Florida,” Carlita said. “Dernice mentioned Elvira is in St. Augustine.” The clues were beginning to add up. Elvira’s disappearance. Zulilly’s sudden arrival. Atlantic Deep Corporation buying up area properties. “I smell a rat.”

  “Something tells me Elvira is somehow involved in this.” Carlita remembered the EC Security Services’ sign in the window. “I want to ask the woman about EC Security Services to find out if she knows Elvira.”

  Determined to get to the bottom of Elvira’s involvement, Carlita strode back to the gift shop. The lights were off, and the door was locked.