“Maybe Duce hired someone to take Rutger out,” Reese said.
Carlita began to pace. “This all makes perfect sense. Ten bucks says Davis Rutger and his gang were harassing Duce. Duce got tired of it. He followed the Savannah Six on board the trolley where there was some sort of confrontation. That’s when Rutger pushed Duce out the back of the trolley.”
Reese picked up. “Duce’s ‘friend,’ or someone close to him, plotted a revenge kill. After tying him up and torturing him, they strangled him and dumped his body near the place where Rutger targeted Duce. Now, all we have to do is get the name of the person who took Rutger out.”
“Maybe we should pay a visit to the club,” Carlita said. “Where is Elvira when we need her?”
“What’s wrong with asking Elvira for help? She likes to hang out in shady places.”
“Elvira is missing.”
“Huh?” Mercedes whispered, and Carlita motioned to her. “I’ll tell you in a minute.”
“Listen, I’m at my next stop, and Detective Polivich is on the other line. I’ll call you later.” Reese didn’t wait for a reply, and the line went dead.
Carlita stared at the phone. “I think we’re onto something. Rutger and his thugs were targeting local businesses. I think they targeted the Black Stallion Club. Duce, the owner, went after Rutger. There was some sort of confrontation on board the trolley. Rutger and his group of thugs pushed Duce out the back of the trolley injuring him and sending him to the hospital. One of Duce’s associates or friends went after Rutger and took him out.”
“The killer or killers dumped his body near the scene of the altercation as a warning to the other members of the Savannah Six,” Mercedes picked up.
“Reese needs to point all of this out to the detectives,” Carlita said. “I still want to run across the street to have a look around.”
“I’ll go with you. I’ve got some time to kill before I have to head to work.”
“We have to wait for Brittney.”
“I almost forgot about her.” Mercedes followed her mother to their apartment. She flopped down on the sofa and leaned her head against the backrest.
Carlita perched on the edge of the sofa. “So…how’s Sam?”
“Busy.”
“That’s what he said. Are you going to see him anytime soon?”
“I’m sure we’ll pass each other in the hall on my way out or when he’s on his way in.”
“No. You know what I mean. A date,” Carlita said bluntly.
“Maybe.” Mercedes shrugged. “He’s busy. I’m busy.”
“I invited Sam to our fall party.”
Mercedes’ head shot up. “Is he coming?”
“Maybe,” Carlita teased, the smile on her face widening. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“I’m ready.” Brittney breezed into the living room. She abruptly stopped and placed her hand to her forehead. “Whew. I just got a dizzy spell.”
“Maybe it’s the heels.” Mercedes pointed to the hot pink stilettos Brittney was wearing. “There’s less oxygen at higher altitudes.”
“Mercedes,” her mother chided.
Brittney acted as if she hadn’t heard Mercedes’ snipe. “These are the most comfortable shoes I own. Flats and sneakers hurt my feet. They pinch my toes.”
“We’ll be doing a lot of walking,” Carlita warned.
“Piece of cake.” Brittney waved dismissively.
Rambo stood by the door waiting to go with them. “Sorry, Bud. We can’t take you to town this time.” Carlita patted his head.
“He can go to the vacant lot with us. I’ll bring him back home,” Mercedes promised.
“That’ll work.” Carlita grabbed her pooch’s leash on the way out the door.
Brittney sent Luigi a text, telling him she was going shopping before carefully navigating the steep stairs while Carlita silently wondered how much longer the woman would insist on wearing high heels. Judging by the determined look on her face, she wasn’t going to give up her fashionista ways anytime soon.
While they walked, Carlita gave them a rundown of her conversation with Dernice, how Elvira had cleaned out one of the business accounts and disappeared but left the vehicles behind.
“She sounds unstable,” Mercedes said. “I would be worried about her state of mind if she thinks the government is spying on her and is hearing voices.”
“Dernice was on her way to file a missing person’s report. I promised we would keep an eye out for her.” When they reached the corner, the trio waited until the traffic cleared to cross.
They made their way to the vacant lot, first passing by the trolley stop.
“Hey, Ma.” Mercedes pointed to a new sign. “They finally put up a sign. Look what’s coming.”
Carlita shaded her eyes. “Great. Just what we need,” she groaned.
Chapter 13
Carlita stared at the picture of the retro metal diner car. Above the diner car, and in big, bold letters, were the words, Sandy Sue’s Bar-B-Que.
“A barbecue joint?” Carlita frowned. “We’re gonna have a restaurant directly across the street.”
“There’s a big difference between barbecue and Italian,” Mercedes said. “A new restaurant will bring more customers.”
“And competition.” Carlita trudged past the sign, and Mercedes fell into step. Brittney, who was having trouble navigating the uneven terrain, struggled to keep up.
“Hang on.” Brittney scooted forward, the tip of her shoe wedging beneath a loose rock. Her ankle started to twist.
Carlita’s quick reflexes saved her from tumbling to the ground. “Maybe you should wait on the trolley bench.”
“What are we doing here?”
“Searching for clues.” Rambo let out a low whine as he tugged on his leash.
“Hang on.” Carlita unclipped it and patted his head. “Stay close by.”
The pooch trotted off while Carlita helped Brittney make her way back to the trolley stop. She waited until the woman was seated on the bench before rejoining Mercedes, who was keeping an eye on Rambo.
“Those shoes are ridiculous,” Mercedes hissed. “She’s going to break her neck.”
“I know, but she’s an adult. It would be like me trying to convince you not to carry your gun around.”
“There’s a world of difference between personal protection and vanity,” Mercedes said.
“I have bigger problems to worry about than Brittney’s shoes.”
“Like keeping her bodyguards out of jail.”
Rambo began sniffing around the outside of the metal shed where Luigi and Ricco had found Rutger’s body.
The shed’s door was partially open. Carlita took a tentative step forward. Rambo, seizing his opportunity, pushed past her and ran inside.
“Rambo. Get out of there!” She ran after him, frantically lunging forward to grab hold of his collar. The pooch skittered to the side and just out of reach while Carlita tumbled to the ground.
“Rambo.” Mercedes dashed past her mother and grabbed the errant pup’s collar. “Got him.”
“He thinks we’re playing.” Carlita climbed to her feet and brushed the dirt from her knees. “Naughty pooch.”
Rambo had the decency to hang his head at the reprimand.
“What’s that?” Mercedes pointed to a spot near the corner of the shed.
“What’s what?”
“This.” Mercedes snatched the small object off the ground. “Never mind. It’s just a chip clip.”
Carlita’s eyes squinted. “Since we’re already in here, we might as well look around.”
Mother and daughter searched the interior of the shed before walking around the outside. They finished their inspection and made their way to the rutted two-lane track that ran along the back.
It was the spot Luigi and Ricco mentioned as being a possible route the killer had used when dropping off Rutger’s body. To the left was the Savannah River. To the right was the main road leading to the interstate.
They retraced their steps and began walking to the front of the property. Brittney was still seated on the bench. She wasn’t alone.
“Great,” Carlita muttered under her breath.
Detective Jackson waited for Mercedes and Carlita to join them. “Hello, Mrs. Garlucci.”
“Hello, Detective Jackson.”
“I was in the neighborhood and happened to be driving by when I noticed this lovely lady sitting on the bench. She seemed distressed, so I thought I would stop to offer my assistance.”
“I think I twisted my ankle.” Brittney gingerly reached for her ankle and massaged it.
“The other Mrs. Garlucci told me she was waiting for you.” The detective nodded toward the vacant lot. “What were you doing?”
“Snooping,” Carlita said bluntly. “Reese Magillicuddy, the trolley driver, and I are friends. She thinks you’re targeting her, so I offered to do a little digging around.”
“Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong,” the detective said.
“I’m not breaking any laws.” Carlita shifted her feet. “So, you happened to be in the neighborhood, drove by, noticed Brittney sitting on the bench and decided to stop.”
“I figured since I was here, I would check to see if you noticed anyone else in the neighborhood hanging around or you remembered something which might be helpful in our investigation.”
“Hanging around as in the two burly guys who were supposedly here a couple of nights ago?” Carlita asked.
The detective jabbed his finger in the direction of the pawnshop. “Sometimes, businesses like yours attract an…unsavory crowd.”
“I’m sure you’ve already questioned my son, Tony. He’s the one to ask if anyone suspicious was hanging around.”
“I did.”
Brittney rubbed a light hand across her brow. “It’s hot out here. I think I should head back inside.” She struggled to her feet.
“Let me give you a hand.” Carlita slipped an arm under Brittney’s. “Did you need anything else, Detective Jackson?”
“No. Would you like some assistance?”
“I think we have this.” Mercedes slipped in on the other side of Brittney.
“Have a good day.”
Carlita could feel the detective’s eyes on them as they slowly made their way to the other side of the street.
“Hang on.” Brittney abruptly stopped. “Do you think the police are still looking for Luigi and Ricco?”
“It would seem so,” Carlita said grimly. “They’ll need to continue to stay out of sight, except for maybe later tonight. I have an idea…a favor to ask and something I think might be right up their alley.”
*****
“How much longer we gotta wait, Mrs. Garlucci?” Ricco rubbed the watch on his wrist, staring impatiently at the apartment door.
“Mercedes will be down in a minute.” As if on cue, Mercedes slipped out of the apartment and bolted down the steps. “Sorry. I was making sure Autumn won’t be home anytime soon.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Luigi asked.
“It’s not much of a plan, other than we swing by Big Joe’s Pool Hall to see if you can dig up some dirt on Phil Duce. Duce owns the Black Stallion Club near the Riverfront District. He was also the one Davis Rutger pushed out of the trolley.”
“Hey.” Luigi whacked Ricco. “We know that place. It’s the one we visited with Vito and Vinnie last time we were here. Vito was lookin’ into some gambling opportunities.”
“Correct, and I would send you over there to snoop around, but there’s a chance you’ll be recognized. I figured since you’ve already spent some time at Big Joe’s Pool Hall you could try there instead.” Carlita jangled her car keys.
“So why do you care again?” Luigi asked. “The dead guy sounded like a scumbag.”
“Because my friend, Reese, is a suspect, not to mention the cops are on the lookout for you two. The sooner we can nail Davis Rutger’s killer, the sooner the authorities stop snooping around here.”
“Sounds like a lot of work for nothin’,” Ricco shrugged.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Mercedes and I would like to go with you.”
“No way.” Ricco shook his head. “Me ‘n Luigi work alone. Besides, two ladies hanging around a joint like that is gonna draw unwanted attention.”
“But…”
Ricco lifted a hand. “Our way or no way.”
“Fine,” Carlita grumbled. “Your way.”
“So, you think Rutger, the dead guy, banged up Duce, the owner of the Black Stallion Club, on the trolley and you want names of possible suspects who may have whacked Rutger.”
“In a nutshell.”
“I was hoping Mercedes and I could tag along,” Carlita said. “The investigators are on the lookout for you, and I want to be keeping an eye out for them.”
“We ain’t stupid enough to get busted by the cops,” Luigi said. “We know how to stay on the down low.”
“Besides, someone has to hang out and keep an eye on Brittney,” Ricco said.
“She’s at Tony’s place. He’ll keep her safe.”
“We go alone,” Luigi repeated.
“Fine.” Carlita set her mouth in a grim line. “Have it your way.”
Luigi adjusted his fedora, and then he and Ricco slipped out of the building. Carlita watched through the peephole as moments later headlights beamed onto the side of the building before it went dark.
“Now what?” Mercedes asked.
“Part of me wants to trust Luigi and Ricco, that they’re on the up and up with us. The other part wonders if there’s something else going on behind the scenes. They agreed to help us a little too easily.” Carlita continued. “I say we follow them…at a distance, of course. But first, we gotta figure out how to get to Big Joe’s Pool Hall.”
“That’ll be easy.” Mercedes plucked her cell phone from her pocket and tapped the screen. “Got it. It’s over by the bus station.”
“Not a good area of town. Maybe we should stay put.”
“I say there’s no harm in us doing a quick drive-by.” Mercedes patted her pocket. “My gun is locked and loaded. Let’s roll.”
Carlita and Mercedes climbed into the car, doing a quick visual of the area before backing into the alley and coasting to the side street. “Which way?”
“Left.”
Carlita followed Mercedes’ directions, making several more turns before they reached a sketchy area of town.
“Turn right,” Mercedes directed.
Carlita turned right and onto a dark alley. The headlights illuminated a large sign, “Private Property. No Trespassing.”
“I think we went the wrong way.” Mercedes consulted her phone. “We shoulda circled the block. This is the back entrance.”
“We’ll keep going and head back around.” Carlita slowly crept along, weaving back and forth in an attempt to avoid the potholes that jostled the car. The alley narrowed. Up ahead was a brick wall.
“It’s a dead end.” Carlita pointed to the sign. “I’m gonna have to back out.” She shifted into reverse, pressing lightly on the gas pedal. The rear bumper clipped a metal garbage can. It teetered for a moment before bouncing off the wall and hitting the ground with a loud clang.
“You hit a garbage can.” Mercedes peered into the rearview mirror.
“You know I’m not the best driver and backing up in the dark is tricky.” Carlita pulled forward, careful not to run over the can’s lid and tried again. She steered to the left, causing the headlights to flood the back of the building with bright light.
Two men emerged from the shadows and began making their way toward the car.
“Someone’s coming. I…it looks like they have guns,” Mercedes said.
Carlita’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the men closing in on them.
“Nail it!” Mercedes yelled.
Carlita stomped on the gas. The car careened to the right and rammed dead center into a light pole.
The women whip
lashed forward as the car came to a screeching halt.
Chapter 14
Carlita fearfully lifted her head, a wave of pure terror filling her body when she realized one of the men was pointing a gun at the front windshield.
Another man materialized out of nowhere. He rapped the passenger side window, motioning for them to get out.
“I think we’re in trouble,” Carlita whispered.
The man tapped the window with the butt of his gun again, this time harder.
Carlita reluctantly shifted into park. She left the engine running as she reached for the door handle. “You stay here.”
“No way.” Mercedes eased the passenger door open. The man standing next to the vehicle never wavered, his gun pointed at her head while the other man, the one who had stopped their vehicle, strode to the driver’s side.
“What’re you doing?” he demanded.
“We…uh. We got lost,” Carlita stammered.
The man motioned to the sign. “Can’t you read? It says private property. No trespassing.”
“We did, but it was too late. We’re lookin’ for the bus station,” Mercedes said. “I thought this was a shortcut.”
“This ain’t no shortcut.”
“What’s that?” The man next to Mercedes tapped her jacket pocket, the one Carlita knew contained her handgun. “You got a gun?”
“I…yes.”
“You undercover?” The man next to Carlita leaned in. “I think we got a coupla undercovers on our hands. Call it in to the office.”
The other one snatched Mercedes’ gun from her pocket and reached for the walkie-talkie clipped to his hip. “Yeah. We got a coupla trespassers, boss.”
There was a crackle of the radio. Carlita couldn’t make out what was being said. The back door to the pool hall flew open and several men burst onto the alley. She briefly closed her eyes, praying for a miracle and that they would make it out alive.
Carlita almost fainted with relief when she recognized two of the men - Luigi and Ricco.
“We got a couple snoops. One is carrying.” The man standing next to Mercedes waved her weapon in the air. “They claim they’re lost.”
Turmoil in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 13) Page 10