“Can we go now Nonna?” PJ asked.
“Yes, we can go.” Carlita took his hand. “Violet has board games you can play and maybe later, if you’re on your best behavior at Violet’s house, I’ll take all of you over to A Scoop in Time for more ice cream.”
She turned to Gina. “You tell Paulie to behave himself or his Ma is gonna come back down here and knock some sense into both of you.”
Carlita stepped into the hall. “Come along my patatinos.”
“I’m not a potato,” Gracie wrinkled her nose. “I’m a girl.”
“Then you’re a bambolina,” Carlita said.
“PJ is a patino,” Noel giggled.
“Patatino,” Carlita corrected. The children followed Carlita up the steps and to Shelby’s door where she knocked lightly. “We’re here.”
Shelby appeared in the doorway. “Great. Violet has been bugging me ever since I mentioned the kids coming over. Come on in. We’re getting ready to play the game Mouse Trap.”
Violet ran to her mother’s side. “We can sit at the coffee table.” The children disappeared into the living room.
“Thanks for taking the kids. I’m sure they’ll have fun,” Carlita said. “I want to invite you to dinner, so that you can meet Gina. What does your schedule look like later this week?”
“It’s wide open,” Shelby said. “Just give me a day or two heads up.”
“Perfect. I’ll plan a nice Italian family-style dinner with homemade pasta and other goodies.”
“It sounds delicious.” Shelby leaned her hip against the door. “What happened with Elvira? I’m guessing she did something to break her lease.”
“Again,” Carlita said. “This time, she almost burned the place to the ground.”
“No way.” Shelby’s eyes widened. “I thought I smelled smoke the other day.”
“She grew bored painting watercolors and began working on a bust of herself. Then, she decided it needed a little bronzing, so she took a blow torch to it.”
“Inside her apartment?”
“Yes. She set the curtains on fire, ripped them off the wall to put the fire out and put a couple big holes in the drywall in the process.” Carlita went on to tell her it was the last straw and that she’d served Elvira with eviction papers.
“I wonder where she’s moving to.”
“She rented some space in the building across the alley,” Carlita said. “Maybe I’ll turn the dinner party into a going away party for Elvira.”
“An unconventional send-off for an unconventional tenant,” Shelby said. “Are you going to rent her apartment out right away?”
“I don’t know. I need to make sure Elvira is out lock, stock and barrel, first.”
“Not a bad idea since Elvira is completely unpredictable. You never know what she’s going to do next.”
“Mommy, can we have a popsicle?” Violet appeared and began tugging on her mother’s arm.
“Sure.”
“I better let you take care of the kids. I’m right across the hall if you need anything,” Carlita said. She thanked Shelby again, made her way back to her apartment and started to close the door when she heard Tony’s apartment door open.
“Fine!” Paulie stepped out into the hall. “If that’s how you’re gonna act, then there’s nothing left to discuss.”
The door slammed in Paulie’s face.
Carlita briefly closed her eyes before opening them again. “I hate to have to do this,” she muttered under her breath before marching down the stairs to where her youngest son stood staring at the door. “I swore I was never gonna stick my nose in the middle of my kids’ business, but these blowouts have got to stop.”
She rapped loudly on Tony’s apartment door and heard a muffled reply, but the door didn’t open. Carlita turned the knob. The door was locked. She rapped again, this time louder.
The door flew open. “I told you to go away,” Gina snarled and then realized Carlita was on the other side. “I thought you was Paulie.”
“Like I told Paulie, I swore I was never gonna get in the middle of my kids’ business, but you two need an intervention.” Carlita grabbed her son’s arm and dragged him into the apartment. She pushed Gina out of the way and kicked the door shut.
“Sit,” she commanded. “Both of you.”
Gina opened her mouth, as if to reply, and then quickly closed it when she noted the dark expression on her mother-in-law’s face.
“Look at you two. You have three beautiful babies upstairs who need both of their parents. You’re fightin’ like there’s a war to be won and both of you are bent on comin’ out on top. You both gotta take a step back, cool off and think about what you’re doin’.”
Carlita began to pace, desperate to add something that would sink in.
“She…”
“He…”
“Uh.” Carlita held up a hand. “What’s the big beef? One at a time and ladies first.”
“Paulie says he don’t wanna be mayor of Clifton Falls. He’s ready for a career change and he wants to either open up the internet café in New York or move down here, to start over. I’m sayin’ it’s a big mistake. His job as mayor means a guaranteed income, security, a pension, health insurance.”
“Okay. Paulie, it’s your turn.”
“Gina doesn’t understand the job is a big burnout. I hate politics and I gotta go through the re-election process next year. I’m not lookin’ forward to the mudslinging mess again.”
“You’ve only served one term, Paulie,” Gina said. “How do you know it will be a mudslinging mess?”
“Let Paulie finish,” Carlita said.
“I’ve done my time and wanna move on. The internet café would give us a comfortable living. We’re young. We gotta take chances now. Or, we can move to Savannah. The pawnshop is doin’ real good. If Ma opens the restaurant, there will be more than enough work to go around, plus we’ll have a place to live.”
“This place is too small,” Gina said.
She had a point.
“Why don’t you compromise?” Carlita suggested. “I’ve got an idea. Paulie has another year before the next election. Let him partner up with…”
“Dino. Dino Scarpa,” Paulie said.
“A made man if I ever met one,” Gina muttered.
“Do you know that for certain?” Carlita asked.
“No, but I can tell, just by lookin’ at him.”
“Say he’s not mafia. Paulie keeps his position as mayor and dabbles in the internet café with Dino as a side business, after checking to make sure Dino is not in “the family.” If it doesn’t work out, if he can’t put food on the table and keep a roof over your head, Paulie runs for a second term as mayor.”
Gina silently examined her fingernails while Paulie gazed pleadingly at his wife. “Please Gina? I won’t bug you again about movin’ to Savannah.”
“You both gotta be willing to compromise,” Carlita said.
“Okay,” Gina finally caved. “We go back to New York; you don’t breathe a word about not running for a second term. Let me check Dino out first and then if he’s clean, you can hammer out a partnership…a six-month agreement to start.”
“It’s a deal.” Paulie reached for his wife’s hand.
Carlita patted Gina’s shoulder and headed to the door. “Now I’m gonna get outta here, so you two can kiss and make up.”
Chapter 15
Autumn hurried over to the left hand side of the storage unit. “Check out these bookshelves. They’re full of books.” She ran her hand along the edge of the shelf and a plume of dust filled the air.
Mercedes slid in next to Autumn and studied the books. “It’s like a mini library in here. Jon Luis must not have had room for all of these in his apartment and couldn’t bear to part with them.”
“Some of these look old.” Mercedes eased a book from the shelf and studied the cover. How to Make Friends and Influence Enemies.
“Here’s one,” Autumn said. “How to investigate a
crime scene online.”
“Oh. That’s sounds interesting,” Mercedes said. “I might have to track that one down.”
“The clock is ticking ladies.” Tony tapped the face of his watch. “If Mr. Storage Manager decides to check on the units, he’s gonna catch us.”
“True.” Mercedes slid the book back on the shelf and opened the lower cabinet drawers, which was full of books. Each cabinet was the same and nothing stood out. “This is a bust. There’s nothing in here but a bunch of books.”
“And outdoor equipment,” Autumn said.
“Right.” Mercedes had started to close the cabinet at the end when something caught her eye. “What’s this?” She pulled out a clear plastic bin. Inside the bin were several books, each stored in a Ziploc baggie. “Check this out.”
She set the bin on top of the shelf, opened the lid and pulled out the top plastic bag. Mercedes held it up to the light. “Crime in Corporate America by JL Cordele.” She carefully placed the book on the shelf, reached into the bin again and lifted the second book, The Death Club by JL Cordele, out.
There was one more book, Savannah’s Mysteries Revealed by JL Cordele, in the bin.
“JL Cordele…Jon Luis,” Mercedes waved the book in the air. “Jon Luis is JL Cordele. He wrote these books under a different name.” Her hand trembled as she pulled out her cell phone, switched it to camera mode and took several pictures of the front and back covers of the books.
She opened the cover of the book and then flipped to the back, About the Author. She took a quick picture of the author page.
“I saw a guy walking around,” Tony said. “He turned down one of the other aisles. I think it’s the guy from the storage rental office and he’s makin’ his rounds.”
Mercedes had slipped the first book back into the baggie, zipped it shut and started to set it inside the bin when she noticed a fourth baggie. Inside the baggie was a thick stack of papers, clipped together. “I found something else.” She snatched the stack of papers from the bin, tucked them under her arm before placing the books inside the bin and snapping it shut. “Let’s go.”
Autumn and Mercedes ran out of the unit and Tony pulled the door down, snapping the lock in place. “Just in time. He’s comin’ this way.”
The trio strode to the end of the row of storage units, veered left and then jogged to the corner of the property. Tony pushed on the fence while the women squeezed through the opening and then they held it for him while he slipped out.
“Hey!” The man began running toward them. Mercedes recognized him as the man she’d spoken with earlier in the office.
The trio picked up the pace and ran to the end of the block.
They hopped into the Tony’s car and Mercedes yanked her door shut. “That was a close one.”
“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” Autumn joked. “Seriously, I think you’re onto something. JL Cordele. I guess we shoulda figured Jon Luis might have used another name.”
“Yeah,” Mercedes said, “It makes sense.”
Tony sped off and made a quick turn down a side street before turning onto the main road. He glanced into his rearview mirror. “I think we’re bein’ tailed.”
“You do?” Mercedes started to turn around.
“Don’t look back. They might see you. I’ll make a few more turns to see if we’re being followed.” Tony swerved to the right and turned onto a one-way street.
Mercedes glanced in the side mirror. “He’s still back there.”
“Yep. Hang on.” Tony made a quick left and the car followed. “I wish I woulda been paying attention when we left the storage place.” They drove up and down several side streets and the car continued to tail them.
“Let’s drive to the police station,” Mercedes said.
“I got a gun in the glove box,” Tony said. “Get it out, just in case.”
Mercedes reached inside the glove box and pulled out a small handgun. She set it on the seat between them. “I’ll let you do the shooting. You gonna drive to the police station?”
“Yeah. If I was by myself, I’d pull over and see what’s up, but I’m not gonna put my baby sister and friend in harm’s way.” Tony drove to the other side of Savannah and pulled into the police station parking lot. The car followed them into the parking lot and pulled into an empty spot next to them.
They watched as Detective Wilson climbed out of the vehicle, an unmarked police car, and approached the passenger side window.
Mercedes rolled down the window and the detective leaned in. “Mercedes Garlucci. Why am I not surprised to see you?”
“I’ve got a bigger question. Why am I surprised to see you?”
“Got a call from Roland, over at Southern Savannah Storage. He said some woman was snooping around, asking questions about Jon Luis’ storage unit. Then he noticed someone out in front of the unit and he gave me a call. Wanna tell me what that’s all about?” the detective asked.
Mercedes casually slid Tony’s gun under her leg. “I’m trying to find out who murdered Jon Luis before you throw the cuffs on and haul an innocent woman - me - off to jail.”
“This is an official investigation. We don’t need your help.”
“Well, apparently you do,” Mercedes snipped. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be harassing me.”
Detective Wilson shook his head. “At the very least, you’re putting yourselves in danger, trying to track down a killer.”
“Point taken,” Mercedes said. “We’ll be on our way.”
Without another word of warning, the detective returned to his car and followed them out of the parking lot. Mercedes was certain he was going to follow them all the way home, but he turned onto the main thoroughfare, leading out to the highway.
“I have a feeling the friendly detective is gonna be keepin’ an eye out for us,” Tony said.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does.” Mercedes stared out the window. “I need to do more research on JL Cordele. I’m certain it’s Jon Luis, using another pen name. And I still think someone in my author group set me up. We need to come up with a plan to flush them out.”
She shifted in her seat. “A trap.” Mercedes snapped her fingers. “This is perfect. Autumn, you told the group you worked at the Savannah Evening News, right?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry I did. They asked me to find copy editors for them.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. I think JL Cordele is going to help us move this investigation along. We need to put our heads together, to come up with a plan, set a trap and flush out the killer.”
When Tony stopped in front of Autumn’s apartment, Mercedes thanked her for bringing the lock-picking tool and for going undercover to spy on the other authors.
“No problem. You would do the same for me.” Autumn slid out of the back seat and hopped onto the sidewalk. “Let me know if you need me to go to the meeting next week. I think I can stay awake this time.”
“Thanks, Autumn.” Mercedes gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re the best.”
Chapter 16
As soon as Mercedes and Tony arrived home, Mercedes headed to her computer to start researching JL Cordele. She settled into her chair, clicked on the search bar and typed in Jon Luis Cordele, but found nothing.
“Maybe it’s JL Cordele,” she whispered. She typed in JL Cordele and several book images popped up on the screen.
Mercedes reached for her cell phone, clicked on the camera icon and scrolled through the pictures she’d taken inside the storage unit. The book names were the same.
She set her phone on the desk and then clicked on JL Cordele’s biography. The biography was a goldmine of information. JL Cordele was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. After graduating from Augusta University, with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, he moved to Savannah, Georgia to start his career as a fraud investigator.
JL Cordele became bored and after working on a case involving a group of Savannah area businessmen, he discovered that he enjoyed writin
g about criminals more than investigating them. The men had overinflated their company’s profit numbers to shareholders and fudged the company’s expense reports.
The biography stated Cordele was intrigued with the minds of individuals who committed such crimes and penned his first novel, Crime in Corporate America. After the first book published and received critically acclaimed reviews, he began to delve deeper into the prominent and powerful families of Savannah and wrote the book, The Death Club.
By the time JL Cordele penned his third book, Savannah’s Mysteries Revealed, he was receiving death threats, left the area and went into hiding.
Mercedes stared blankly at the screen. Although the information never stated JL was “Jon Luis,” she was convinced they were the same person. Had Jon Luis returned to Savannah and the people who threatened to kill him years ago found out? She thought about her lunch date with Zachary and him telling her that Jon Luis’ apartment had been ransacked.
Her author group knew Jon Luis was in Savannah. If they knew about it, others must, as well. A chill ran down her spine. That meant there was also a good chance they knew Mercedes planned to meet with Jon Luis. Was the killer’s goal to end Jon Luis’ book research? Was she the next target?
Jon Luis must’ve known the background of George Delmario, which meant if he’d dug around enough he knew, or at least suspected, the Garlucci family had ties to “the family.”
Mercedes opened another browser screen and Amazon to see if she could purchase an e-book copy of The Death Club and found it was only available in paperback. It was the same for Savannah’s Mysteries Revealed. She didn’t have time to wait for paperback copies to ship. She could be dead by the time they arrived.
Unless…Mercedes logged onto the Savannah District Library’s website and began searching for books by JL Cordele. Crime in Corporate America wasn’t listed in the system. She found Savannah’s Mysteries Revealed was checked out, so she began searching for The Death Club. The book showed it was available.
Setup in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7) Page 10