“Look.” Mercedes nudged her mother. “She has the backpack.”
Sure enough, Astrid was carrying her backpack. She eased it off her shoulder and unzipped it before reaching inside. She pulled out the wrapped package Carlita and Elvira found earlier and handed it to the woman.
“What…” Carlita’s mind whirled.
“What is that?” Mercedes whispered under her breath. “A present?”
“Yes. It’s a tabletop telescope. Elvira thought it was a gift for her, but it appears it’s a gift for the caretaker and his wife.”
The woman took the gift and carefully set it on the wicker chair next to the front door before embracing Astrid. The man hugged her next. They stood talking for several long moments.
They stepped off the porch, now close enough for Mercedes and Carlita to eavesdrop. “You’re staying with the lady who owns the security company tonight?” the man asked.
“Yes. I’m leaving in the morning.” They made small talk, and finally, Astrid turned on her heel and began walking away.
Mother and daughter dove for cover, making it behind the trashcans without a second to spare as Astrid moseyed through the gate.
The man’s steps were slow as he leaned heavily on his cane and followed Astrid out. “…and call us dear, when you finally make it to wherever you’re going.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cagle. I hope you enjoy your special birthday gift.”
“I’m sure I will.” The man waved a final time. He watched Astrid walk away before closing the gate behind him.
Cagle picked up his cane, straightened his back and with quick steps made his way back toward the porch.
“The old man made a miraculous recovery,” Mercedes whispered sarcastically. “Astrid gave them a gift.”
“No.” Carlita’s heart skipped a beat as the pieces began falling into place. “I don’t think that’s a present. I think it’s the missing artwork.”
“Disguised as a gift - a small telescope?”
“Yep. Not only was Elvira set up, but also Astrid. For some reason, the caretakers had her thinking she was holding onto a birthday gift for the man. They tricked her. They gave Astrid the painting to hang onto.”
“You don’t think she knows what it is?”
“I…I don’t know what to think. Judging by the comment she made to Mr. Cagle, I don’t think so. Detective Polivich needs to get over here to take a closer look at what Astrid just handed over to the caretakers.”
Mercedes pulled her cell phone from her pocket. “I don’t have his number. I’ll call the main number for the Savannah Police Department.”
It took several tries and transfers before Mercedes finally reached the detective.
“Detective Polivich speaking.”
“Detective Polivich. This is Mercedes Garlucci.” Mercedes paused.
“Yes. Carlita Garlucci is my mother. We think we may have important information and possibly a lead in the whereabouts of the missing artwork.” Mercedes covered the phone. “What is the closest square?”
“I don’t know, but Savannah Dry Cleaners is around the corner,” Carlita said.
“Can you meet me at Savannah Dry Cleaners downtown? It’s not far from the museum.”
“An hour?” Mercedes frowned. “It may be too late by then.”
“Fine. We’ll see you in ten.” She disconnected the call. “He’s on his way.”
The women stayed close to the building as they retraced their steps and made their way to the dry cleaners around the corner.
Carlita cast an anxious glance in the direction of the museum. “This all makes perfect sense. Astrid is an innocent accomplice. The caretaker and his wife stole the painting. They met Astrid when she was hanging around here. They played her. They pretended to care for her all the while using her to conceal the painting.”
The detective pulled up in an unmarked car a short time later. “This better be good.”
“Are you still detaining Elvira?” Carlita asked.
“Yes. That woman is one of the most aggravating people I have ever met.”
Carlita snorted. “It took you all this time to figure that out?”
“What’s the big emergency?”
Mercedes briefly outlined what she and her mother had observed and overheard.
“You think the security company employee, Astrid Herve, was inadvertently hanging onto the stolen artwork for the museum’s caretakers?”
“Disguised as a birthday gift for the caretaker, Mr. Cagle,” Carlita added.
“You’re sure?”
“No. I mean, we watched Astrid hand the wrapped gift to Mrs. Cagle. She told Mr. Cagle she hoped he enjoyed his surprise gift and then thanked him and his wife for befriending her.”
“And you’re sure the woman, Astrid, has no idea what’s inside?”
“Not from the conversation we overheard. We believe the Cagles tricked her into holding onto it for them. As of half an hour ago, they still had possession of the package.” Carlita almost mentioned the telescope, but revealing what she knew would only raise more questions about her involvement. She decided it was best for the investigators to discover what was inside the wrapped package on their own.
The detective returned to his car to call for backup. Two more unmarked vehicles arrived on scene moments later, and he briefly explained the situation. “Let’s go check it out.”
Carlita and Mercedes started to follow. Polivich stopped them. “You’re safer staying here.”
“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for us,” Mercedes said.
“I could arrest you for interfering in a police investigation.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Mercedes gasped. “We’re only trying to help.”
“We’ll stay back,” Carlita promised. “I think it’s only fair we’re allowed to see if we were right.”
The detective eyed them silently before relenting. “Fine. But stay out of the way.”
Carlita assured them they would stay far away, but close enough to watch the events unfold.
The authorities blocked off the alley and the street. Carlita and Mercedes made their way to the back of one of the police vehicles. They watched as several officers, along with Detective Polivich, entered the property.
“What if we were way off?” Mercedes whispered.
The officers were gone a long time, and Carlita was beginning to wonder if they had it all wrong. “It’s possible,” she admitted.
Finally, the detective reappeared. He and a uniformed officer escorted the elderly couple from the property to the back of a patrol car and placed them inside.
A four-door sedan arrived and parked behind one of the patrol cars. Gaston Spelling sprang from the vehicle and hurried to the back of the museum.
Detective Polivich met him near the gate. There was a brief conversation, and then they disappeared from sight.
“Let’s go.” Mercedes grabbed her mother’s hand and dragged her to the gate. They approached the caretaker’s cottage where a cluster of officers gathered. Polivich and the museum’s curator stood off to the side.
Carlita hurried to join them. “You found it.”
Polivich turned to face her, his stern expression softening. “As a matter of fact, we did. The Cagles were in possession of the stolen artwork. Now, all we have to do is figure out if there are additional accomplices.”
“Meaning Astrid Herve,” Carlita said.
“Yes. We’ll know more as soon as we have a chance to question the Cagles.”
Chapter 22
“Astrid is officially off the hook.” Carlita breezed into the apartment.
“She really didn’t know what was inside the wrapped package?” Mercedes joined her mother in the living room.
“No. The Cagles confessed. They told the investigators they tricked Astrid under the premise Mrs. Cagle was surprising her husband. She asked Astrid to hang onto his birthday present.”
“What about the museum’s curator, Mr. Spelling?” Mercedes asked. �
�We saw him hand Astrid something.”
“It was money. Gaston Spelling was sympathetic to Astrid’s predicament,” Carlita said. “She was hiding out in the sheds on the edge of the property. Spelling spotted her one evening on his way out and asked her to leave. When he found out she was homeless, he felt sorry for her and started giving her money.”
“Surely, there are homeless shelters in the area,” Mercedes said.
“Yes, but Astrid refused to go because of her phobia of enclosed spaces,” her mother reminded her. “And the women’s shelter was full.”
“Where do the caretakers…the Cagles come in?”
“According to Astrid, the couple befriended her, even inviting her to the cottage for dinner.”
Carlita told her daughter that early the previous week, after Elvira’s interview at the museum for the security job, she found Astrid digging in the dumpster and offered her a temporary job, working under the table. “The couple knew she was working with Elvira.”
“It must’ve taken some planning to pull off the theft,” Mercedes said.
“Yes. The Cagles tripped the power source, knowing the alarm would go down until it kicked into backup mode.”
“What about the surveillance cameras? I’m sure the cameras were on battery backup.”
“They were.” Carlita nodded. “Except that someone had removed the backup batteries.”
“The Cagles.”
“Mr. Cagle shut down the power, knew he had a couple of minutes before the alarm reset and knew the cameras were off. He sneaked into the museum, grabbed the painting and took off before the alarm came back up. The couple knew the authorities would search the premises and they needed to get the painting out of there.”
“This is where Astrid comes in,” Mercedes guessed.
“The painting was already protected inside a special Plexiglas shadowbox, both waterproof and humidity controlled. They placed the special box and painting inside the telescope box. It was small…small enough to conceal. Mrs. Cagle tracked Astrid down and told her she had a very special gift for Mr. Cagle, a birthday present, and she didn’t want him to find it. She asked Astrid to hang onto it for her. Astrid agreed.”
“But what if Astrid got caught with the painting or Elvira started snooping around Astrid’s things?”
“I guess it was a risk they were willing to take. The Cagles were never suspects, having lived in the caretaker’s cottage and caring for the grounds for years.”
“But why would the couple steal the painting? Why now?”
“I wondered the same thing. Detective Polivich said they were angry and bitter. The museum’s board had decided it was time for the Cagles to retire and move out of the caretaker’s cottage. They thought they would be living there forever. They came up with a plan to help themselves to a ‘parting gift.’”
“Some parting gift,” Mercedes rolled her eyes. “Elvira should thank you for saving her hide, not to mention her company’s reputation.”
“I’m not holding my breath,” Carlita said.
“What happened to Astrid?”
“The authorities are trying to get Astrid’s plane ticket changed without incurring change fees. Elvira offered to let her hang around for a couple more days until they get it straightened out.”
“In her tent?”
“Yes. I don’t know how that poor woman is going to manage on an overseas plane ride if she’s claustrophobic.”
“So Elvira is off the hook, too?”
“As far as I know. There was some sort of mix-up over the discarded painting frames. One of the employees had placed several empty frames in the recycle pile by accident,” Carlita said. “Elvira saw them and decided to bring one of them home.”
The downstairs bell rang.
“That’s probably Elvira.” Carlita hurried down the steps.
Astrid stood on the stoop. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mrs. Garlucci. I wanted to stop by to thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry the Cagles weren’t the people you thought they were. You’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Why don’t you come in?” Carlita motioned her inside.
“I-I don’t want to bother you.”
“It’s no bother. I insist.” Carlita led Astrid up the steps and into the apartment. She motioned to her backpack. “You’re taking your backpack with you?”
“Yes.”
“Now that the painting is off your hands, you have some extra room in your backpack for clothes.” Carlita eyed her critically. “I think you and Mercedes might be close to the same size.”
Astrid shifted her backpack. “You don’t have to give me anything.”
Mercedes joined them. “Ma’s right. I have a closetful of clothes I rarely wear. Let’s go see what we can find.”
Mercedes and Astrid headed to Mercedes’ bedroom to dig through the closet while Carlita fixed sandwiches for lunch. As she worked, she thought about how lonely Astrid must be. She wondered what would possess a woman to just up and leave the country with barely more than the clothes on her back.
She finished grilling the chicken parmesan paninis and wandered into Mercedes’ bedroom. “I made a quick lunch. Would you like to join us?”
Astrid hesitated.
“I insist.”
“Ma makes the best paninis.”
The women joined Carlita while she placed the plates of food on the dining room table. “Would you like tea or a Coke?”
“Water will be fine.” Astrid stared at the food hungrily. “You didn’t have to make me lunch. First, you give me clothes, not to mention helping to clear my name and now this. It’s too much.”
“It was no trouble.” Carlita poured three glasses of ice water. Mercedes helped her mother carry that, along with napkins and a container of pasta salad to the table.
“Merci.” Astrid reached for her glass of water.
Carlita took the seat across from the young woman. “Are you ready for the long flight tomorrow?”
“I hope so. I haven’t been on a plane in years. I went to France, years ago when I was younger.”
“Before you became claustrophobic,” Carlita reached for the dish of pasta. “I hope you don’t have trouble on the plane. It will be a very long flight.”
Astrid tugged on a chunk of melted cheese. “I have a confession. I’m not claustrophobic.”
Carlita and Mercedes exchanged a quick glance. “You’re not?”
“No.” Astrid set the sandwich down and pushed the plate away. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For lying. For lying to you. For lying to Elvira…for not trusting the people who were trying to help me,” Astrid said. “I…it’s just that I didn’t know who to trust.”
“So you’re not claustrophobic,” Carlita said.
“And I’m not Astrid Herve. I made that name up.” Astrid hung her head.
“We know,” Carlita said softly. “Elvira told us Astrid wasn’t your real name.”
Astrid’s head shot up. “Elvira knows?”
“Of course. She runs a security and investigative company. She checked you out before she hired you.”
Astrid’s jaw dropped. “And she hired me knowing I was lying?”
“Yes,” Carlita nodded. “And she let you stay on her property.”
Sudden tears welled up in Astrid’s eyes. Her lower lip started to tremble. “Why?”
“I suspect she knew there was more to your story. To her credit, she trusted you more than I did.”
“You shouldn’t have trusted me,” Astrid said.
“Why?” Carlita asked. “Other than the obvious reasons. My guess is you’re hiding from something…or someone.”
Astrid nervously sipped her water. Carlita could see the internal turmoil raging inside the woman. “Someone.”
“Someone who wishes you harm?”
“It’s my ex-boyfriend. My real name is Valerie Maxim. I’m from Charleston, South
Carolina. He held me hostage. He was going to kill me. I escaped with the clothes on my back, my driver’s license and passport. I fled here to Savannah to stay with a friend. My cousin warned me Damian was planning to come down here. I couldn’t risk putting my friend in danger, so I left. I didn’t dare use my cell phone or my credit cards figuring he would track me down.”
“So you were living on the streets,” Mercedes said. “What about going to a women’s shelter?”
“I tried. They were all full.” Astrid clasped her hands. “When Elvira offered me a job paying cash, I knew I had a chance…a chance to go so far away that Damian would never find me, never follow me.”
“This is awful. Don’t you have family who can take you in?” Carlita asked. “What about the authorities in Charleston? You should stay and fight. You could get a restraining order.”
“I have no family. Damian’s family…they’re very powerful people. No one would believe me. I can’t go back there.” A tear trickled down Astrid’s cheek. She quickly swiped at it. “I have an old friend who lives in Paris. If I can make it to Paris, I have a place to stay until I can get on my feet.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Carlita asked gently.
“It’s either that or always be looking over my shoulder waiting for Damian to find me. You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I’m sorry, Astrid.” Carlita didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t imagine feeling she had no choice but to flee the country.
Astrid stared at the plate of food.
“You should try to eat something.”
“At least you have somewhere to go,” Mercedes said. “You had enough money for the plane ticket?”
“Plus a couple hundred extra bucks.”
“I do have one question. It’s been bothering me since I found out about the package you thought was a gift that you were holding onto for Mrs. Cagle,” Carlita said.
“You’re wondering why I agreed to hang onto it,” Astrid guessed.
“Yes. Especially after finding out a valuable piece of artwork had been stolen from the museum.”
Swiped in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 12) Page 16