“Unstuffed cabbage roll,” Carlita repeated.
“Yep. It’s actually a pretty healthy dish.” Brittney rattled off the list of ingredients. “I could make it for dinner tomorrow.”
Noting the eager look on her face, Carlita easily agreed. “Sure. I’ll need to jot down the ingredients.”
“I’ll make a list.” Brittney carried her salad plate to the kitchen and ran to the bedroom in the back. She returned a short time later with a small list and handed it to Carlita.
“Ground beef, yellow onion, cabbage, crushed tomatoes, garlic.” Carlita folded the sheet of paper in half. “I can get all of these tomorrow. I have some fresh-frozen buttered noodles that would go good with this.”
Brittney’s cell phone chimed, and she glanced at the screen. “That’s Vinnie again. I’m gonna take this outside.”
“While you talk to him, I’m gonna run down to the courtyard and tidy it up.” Carlita waited for Brittney to step onto the balcony and pull the door closed behind her.
As forecasted, a small cold front had blown in, so Carlita grabbed her jacket along with her keys on the way out. She wandered past her business, Savannah Swag Pawn Shop, now closed for the evening, and stopped when she reached the cozy courtyard, tucked between Ravello’s and the pawnshop.
Farther down the street, Carlita could see the parking spots along the front of Ravello’s were full, a good sign there was a decent number of diners in the restaurant.
The courtyard gate creaked loudly as she pushed it open. Carlita started to pull it shut when she caught a flash of light coming from the vacant lot across the street.
Several weeks earlier, bulldozers and wrecking equipment showed up to level the old building that had been an eyesore for as long as Carlita had lived in Walton Square. The only thing left was a handful of ancient oak trees, sections of an old wooden fence ready to topple over, and a rusty metal shed.
With the dozing done, she waited for a sign or some idea of what would be coming, but so far, the future of the lot was still a mystery.
She’d even gone as far as to ask her friend, Glenda Fox, President of Savannah Architectural Society, if she had any idea what would be going in. Glenda, who was responsible for approving architectural changes to historic city structures, had no idea.
Her eyes scanned the area where she’d noticed the light, but she couldn’t see anything.
Carlita checked to make sure the gate locked behind her before grabbing the broom propped in the corner. As she swept, she thought about Vinnie and Brittney’s baby.
She still had no idea how long Brittney would be staying. She thought about Angelica and her comment they were being watched. Was it an empty taunt the woman had fabricated to aggravate Carlita…or was it possible the authorities were keeping an eye on them?
The Garlucci family was a lifetime away from a life of crime. Which brought up her concern over the arrival of Luigi and Ricco. Mafia through and through, there was no way she could keep tabs on them. She hoped if they moved into the efficiency, they would be less apt to find trouble…something Carlita didn’t need.
There was also Sam and Mercedes’ blossoming romance. Although her daughter insisted that she and Sam were only friends, her eyes lit every time the tall, dark-haired tenant was in the vicinity. It was only a matter of time before her daughter admitted there was something special between them.
At dinner, Autumn had confessed she’d heard the rumors about the Garlucci family. If Autumn had heard it, then others had, too. Perhaps even Pirate Pete, her real estate friend and neighbor, Annie Dowton, and even Tori Montgomery.
Not that Tori and Pirate Pete didn’t have skeletons in their own closets. In fact, they were fully aware of Carlita’s past connections up north.
Carlita’s pulse quickened as she thought about the ruggedly handsome pirate, who had called her out of the blue a couple of days ago and invited her to join him on his pirate ship for a Spooky Eats and Inns event.
Disappointed she couldn’t take him up on the invitation since she was scheduled to work an evening shift at the restaurant, he took the rejection in stride, promising to ask again soon. And now with Brittney’s unexpected visit, her plans and schedule had gone right out the window.
She finished collecting the rest of the leaves, placed them in the yard waste bin near the gate and returned home. Rambo was back, which meant Mercedes and Sam had returned from their walk.
Her cell phone was sitting on the kitchen counter. Carlita checked for missed calls before deciding to check on Reese. “How did your meeting with your boss, Buzz, go?”
“He was cool about it. He assured me he doesn’t hold me responsible for the incident with the Savannah Six. I also talked to Detective Polivich. The trolley passenger suffered a concussion along with some minor cuts. They’re keeping him at the hospital overnight for observation, but it looks like he’s going to make a complete recovery.”
“That’s great news, Reese.” Carlita thanked her friend for the update and ended the call. On her way to the bedroom, she checked to make sure she’d locked up.
Mercedes’ bedroom door was ajar. Through the crack in the door, Carlita could see Brittney sprawled out on the bed, remote in hand. She gave the door a light rap and stuck her head inside. “I’m heading to bed. Do you need anything?”
“No. Thank you for asking.” Brittney struggled to an upright position. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Carlita smiled.
“No. I mean, I know you didn’t plan to have me here, and I basically drove Mercedes out of her own home.”
Carlita made her way into the room and perched on the end of the bed. “You’re family now, Brittney. Our home is your home.”
Brittney’s lower lip started to tremble, and Carlita patted her leg. “Are you all right?”
“I…Savannah is so far from home and my parents. I guess my hormones are working overtime, and I’m a little homesick.”
“And you couldn’t go stay with your mother because of the potential threats,” Carlita said softly.
Brittney nodded, tears filling her eyes. “Daddy didn’t want me there. He’s worried someone will go after both of us.”
“And he’s not worried that will happen here?”
“He says you got a pretty good family fortress. That’s what Daddy called it. He figures this place is as safe as any. So does Vinnie. Plus, Mercedes told me about the former cop living here. Two armed men under one roof…or living next door to each other.”
“Not to mention Mercedes.”
“She has a gun?”
“Mercedes has a carry permit, too. And I’m sure Luigi and Ricco are armed, as well.”
“Yep.” Brittney dabbed at her eyes and then stifled a yawn. “Excuse me.”
“It’s been a long day.” Carlita stood. “I’m right next door if you need anything.”
Rambo, who had been waiting by the door, plodded after Carlita as they made their way down the stairs and into the alley for the pooch’s last bathroom break before bedtime. She glanced in the direction of Elvira’s place, wondering how she was feeling.
The pup led the way to his strip of green grass on the other side of the parking lot. He patrolled the perimeter before abruptly stopping.
Rambo’s ears flattened. He let out a low warning growl right before a loud popping sound rang out, and a bullet whizzed over the top of Carlita’s head.
Chapter 5
Carlita did the first thing that came to mind and hit the ground, landing face down. She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart thumping loudly in her chest at the sound of heavy steps in the alley behind her.
“Don’t move,” a deep male voice growled.
“I…I’m not,” Carlita gasped.
“Mrs. Garlucci?”
Carlita opened her eyes to find Luigi standing over her. “What are you doing out here?”
“I live here.” Furious, she sprang to her feet. “You better not have hit Rambo.”
; She raced to the other side of the car and found Rambo crouched under the front bumper. “Come here,” Carlita gently coaxed. “It’s okay.”
The pup’s legs trembled as he reluctantly crept from his hiding spot.
Carlita wrapped her arms around him. “You’ll be okay.”
She waited for him to stop trembling and led him to the alley where Luigi and Ricco stood watching. “I’m taking Rambo home. Don’t move. Either one of you. I’ll be right back.”
Carlita and Rambo reached the apartment, nearly colliding with Mercedes who was halfway out the door. “Are you all right? I heard a loud bang.”
“It was Luigi. He thought I was an intruder and fired a warning shot in the parking lot, scaring Rambo and me half to death.” Carlita patted Rambo’s back. “Please take Rambo home. I’m going to have a chat with those two lugheads.”
Carlita waited until Mercedes and Rambo were back inside the apartment before marching across the alley. She found the men waiting for her near the back of the car.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Garlucci. We was patrolling the area and noticed some movement across the street. We followed it for a few minutes, and then we noticed someone moving around back here behind the vehicles. We didn’t stop to think it might be you and fired off a warning shot.”
“A warning shot that whizzed inches away from the top of my head,” Carlita fumed. “You can’t go shooting whenever and wherever you feel like it.”
“It won’t happen again,” Ricco promised.
“I hope not.” Carlita calmed. “As I mentioned earlier, Angelica, the downstairs tenant, is moving out in the morning. Once she’s gone, the two of you can move into her apartment for the duration of your stay.”
“Thank you,” Luigi said. “We don’t mind sleeping in the car.”
Carlita lifted a hand to cut him off. “I think we’ll all be safer if you’re inside instead of wandering around out here. In the meantime, please verify before firing shots. I know your orders are to protect Brittney no matter what, but shooting her mother-in-law is not something you should endeavor to do, even if she doesn’t like me.”
Ricco grinned. “That’s funny. Brittney likes you, almost as much as she loves herself.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. In the meantime,” Carlita pointed at the two of them, “no more gunfire tonight unless we’re under attack.”
“Understood,” Luigi said.
“I’m going home. It’s been a long day.”
Ricco fell into step with Carlita. “The guys over at Ravello’s gave us some food earlier.”
“I asked them to. I figured you might be hungry.”
They reached the back entrance, and Carlita grasped the knob. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Hey,” Ricco nodded toward Elvira’s building. “What’s the story on that place?”
“Elvira Cobb owns a security services and an investigative services company. She lives there with her sister, Dernice. They’re harmless for the most part. Why?”
“Just checkin’ to see who’s around. The one was actin’ weird.”
“I’m not surprised,” Carlita sighed. “Unfortunately, what’s weird to most people is normal behavior for them. Out of curiosity, what did they do?”
“Well, one of ‘em drove a Harley Classic out of the building and took off a coupla hours ago.”
“That’s Dernice, the owner’s sister,” Carlita explained.
“She wasn’t the one actin’ weird, although I don’t know too many biker chicks who park their Harleys inside. It was the other one. She’s got gray hair, shoulder length.”
“Elvira.”
“Elvira,” Ricco repeated. “She came out dressed in some crazy outfit and was mumbling to herself like maybe she was on somethin’.”
“Drugs?” Carlita had never heard of Elvira taking drugs, had never seen any indication of drug use.
“I dunno. We watched her walk to the back of the building. She was carrying a metal detector. When she got back there, she started digging a hole.”
“She’s convinced there’s buried treasure on her property.”
“For real?”
“For real. Rumor has it that during the Civil War, some of the Savannah property owners buried their valuables to keep them from being confiscated by invading army troops. Elvira dug up a few coins a while ago, and now it’s her new hobby…digging up her yard.”
“So she’s okay,” Ricco said.
“That’s debatable. Just don’t shoot her or her sister. They also have employees who come and go at all hours. Is that all?”
“Yeah. It’s the only couple of things that hit our radar.”
Carlita told Ricco good night after reminding him for the umpteenth time not to start shooting and returned inside. Back in the apartment, she turned the stove light on in case Brittney got up during the night, and she and Rambo turned in.
Despite being exhausted, it took a long time for Carlita to fall asleep. When she finally did, images of Elvira, Dernice, Luigi, Ricco and Angelica rotated around and around in her dreams.
She woke early, almost as exhausted as when she’d gone to bed and trudged to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Rambo’s first potty break of the day was uneventful. Luigi and Ricco’s sedan was empty, and Carlita had no idea where they’d gone.
A light drizzle fell as Rambo patrolled, but by the time they returned to the apartment, the drizzle had stopped. She poured a cup of strong coffee and headed to the balcony for her daily ritual of savoring the quiet of the early morning. She wiped the droplets of water off one of the chairs and sank into the lounger, her eyes drawn to Elvira’s building.
Dernice had said Elvira was ill, yet Ricco mentioned her carrying her metal detector to the backyard. Even more concerning, he’d specifically mentioned seeing her acting odd. Maybe even in her sick state, she was still driven to search for buried treasure.
She made a mental note to check on her later as Grayvie peered through the spindles. He sniffed the air and then jumped onto Carlita’s lap.
Carlita set her coffee cup on the small side table and placed her head against the backrest. She closed her eyes almost drifting off until the sound of a nearby garbage truck and the clank of a metal dumpster hitting the ground jolted her.
“We better head back inside.” Carlita stopped to refill her coffee cup and then settled in at her computer to check her emails.
At the top of the email list was a message and attachment Pirate Pete had sent her moments ago. He had forwarded her an updated copy of the Spooky Eats & Inns tour schedule. She started to reply and changed her mind, dialing his cell phone number instead.
“Carlita darlin’.” Pirate Pete’s voice boomed over the phone. “You’re up early, lass.”
“I could say the same about you. Thank you for the updated tour schedule.”
“You’re welcome. How’s the new houseguest?”
“Sleeping. Her companions almost shot me last night while I was walking Rambo. Mercedes moved out and is staying in Autumn’s apartment. Reese had a run-in with the Savannah Six at the trolley stop across the street. And that was my yesterday.”
“That’s all?” Pirate Pete joked. “So, you’re telling me that you’re bored.”
“Right,” Carlita chuckled. “If that’s bored, I don’t want to know busy.”
“Now that I’ve gotcha on the phone, how about joining me for breakfast?”
“Breakfast?”
“Why not?”
“Right. Why not?” Carlita smiled. “When and where?”
“I’ll swing by to pick you up in half an hour.”
“I’ll be waiting by the back door.”
“See you then.”
Carlita hung up and then ran to her room to grab some clean clothes before heading to the bathroom to shower. She was looking forward to catching up with Pete. They could discuss the restaurant business.
Fall had been a busy season, and Thanksgiving was right around the corner. Accordin
g to what Carlita had heard, Christmas and New Year’s were also busy times for tourism. She planned to cash in on the holidays as much as possible.
The pawnshop was doing good. Tony seemed to enjoy having Shelby around to help when Violet was in school and she was feeling up to it.
All in all, life was good for the Garlucci family…except for the black cloud of whatever was going on up in Atlantic City and hanging over Vinnie’s head.
After showering, Carlita ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it before applying a light layer of foundation and a single layer of mascara. Since the morning was cool, she slipped into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. On her way out, she grabbed a light jacket.
Carlita stepped onto the stoop as Pirate Pete rounded the corner. “Right on time.”
“We both are matey. Do you mind a short walk?”
“Of course not. It’s a beautiful morning.”
Pirate Pete offered her his arm, and they strolled out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. “We’re goin’ to a new place I’ve been meaning to check out. Have you heard of Sunny’s? It’s in Bonny Square.”
“Nope. Never heard of it.”
While they strolled, they chatted about business and the holidays. “I’m hosting a fall get-together at the restaurant for family and friends in a couple of weeks, the Saturday after Halloween. There’ll be lots of food. I would love for you to join us.”
“I’ll be there with a hearty appetite,” Pete promised.
“I was thinking of inviting Tori, too.”
“Aye. I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“Me, either.”
When they reached the restaurant, Pete held the door, waiting for Carlita to step inside. The couple found a quiet spot in the corner. After they ordered, the conversation turned to local events.
“You mentioned Reese and the Savannah Six,” Pete prompted.
“Yes.” Carlita filled him in on what had happened the previous day. “It’s a good thing we got there when we did. Reese could’ve been badly hurt.”
“They’re a troublesome bunch,” Pete sipped his coffee. “Nothin’ but trouble since Davis Rutger moved to town.”
Turmoil in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 13) Page 4