Carlita sneaked in a quick hug. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
Gina and her clan weren’t far behind them, leaving Vinnie, Brittney and the baby, who was already asleep in his carrier. “I’m going to put him down in his napper,” Brittney whispered.
After she left, Carlita poured two glasses of tea and handed one to her son. They made their way onto the balcony, and she closed the door behind him. She eased into a chair and then noticed movement in the alley that caught her eye. It was Elvira.
“Elvira!” Carlita called out.
Elvira shaded her eyes. “Is now a good time to talk to Brittney?”
“As good as any.”
Vinnie guzzled his tea. “Sorry, Ma. Elvira’s my cue to run down to the pawn shop to see if Tony needs help.”
Carlita followed him to the hall and waited for Elvira at the top of the stairs.
“I hate to be pushy, but time is of the essence.” Elvira placed a seventies-style handheld recorder on Carlita’s dining room table and plopped down in a chair. “Do you think Brittney will mind if I record our conversation? I can replay it later and go over the details.”
“Seriously?” Carlita lifted a brow. “I’ve never seen you do this before.”
“It’s something new I’m trying.”
“Hello.” Brittney hovered in the doorway.
“Brittney, Elvira is here to ask you a few questions.”
Elvira patted the seat next to her. “Have a seat. This shouldn’t take long.”
Brittney shot Carlita a questioning look before perching on the edge of the chair opposite Elvira.
“I’ll get right to it.” Elvira slipped a pair of reading glasses on. “If you were a pizza delivery person, how would you benefit from having a pair of scissors?”
“What in the world?” Carlita grunted.
“It’s a problem-solving question. Nothing too serious, just a little icebreaker.”
“I…” Brittney began chewing on her lower lip. “First of all, I would never be a pizza delivery driver. Daddy wouldn’t allow it. It’s a dangerous job, especially if I were to work in certain areas. No. I would definitely not have to worry about scissors. A better question would be how would I benefit from a gun because a gun would be much more useful.”
Elvira stared at Brittney before catching herself and resuming her questioning. “Thank you for the honest answer. Next question. What is something I would never guess about you?”
“I like shoes. A lot, and I do mean a lot. I have over two hundred pairs. My goal is to own three hundred and sixty-five pairs, one for each day of the year, and maybe a few extras.”
Carlita arched a brow. “You must have a whole closet just for shoes.”
“Oh, I do. Vinnie says it reminds him of a shoe warehouse.”
Elvira folded her piece of paper. “Have you ever thought about attacking someone with one of your shoes?”
“Elvira,” Carlita chided. “That’s a silly question.”
“Is it?” Elvira pointed to the six-inch black heels Brittney was wearing. “Your heel could pierce someone’s skull.”
Brittney giggled. “Daddy says my shoes are a secret weapon.”
“So, yes to thoughts of attacking someone.” Elvira scribbled on her notepad.
“I object. Your question was leading Brittney,” Carlita said.
Elvira ignored her. “Have you ever witnessed a crime being committed?”
“I…maybe. I can’t be sure.”
“Can’t be sure it was a crime, or can’t be sure you saw it?”
“Both.”
“That’s enough,” Carlita placed a light hand on Brittney’s shoulder. “The whole purpose of you talking to Brittney was to ask her about Roxy.”
“I’m leading up to it. Relax.” Elvira scribbled some more. “I guess I’ll skip the question about whether you’ve ever worn clothing with the tags still attached.”
“I have,” Brittney answered. “I was in a hurry. But since you’re asking about Roxy, I know a little bit about her. Her father was killed. He and Daddy were close. Right before Roxy’s father died, Daddy promised to take care of her.”
“Take care, as in hire her?” Elvira asked.
“Yes.”
Elvira tapped the tip of her pen on the top of her notepad. “Going back to the night of the party…Did Roxy stick close to you the entire evening?”
“She did, for the most part.” Brittney nodded. “That was her job; to guard the baby and me.”
“Did you notice her talking to others at the party, perhaps one of the guests or an employee?”
“She talked to the people serving the food…what do you call them?” Brittney snapped her fingers.
“The servers,” Elvira prompted.
“The servers. She talked to them. I saw her say something to Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, and then she talked to the band when they were on break.”
“Has Roxy ever mentioned not liking someone or having an enemy who may have wanted to harm her?”
“No. Although she wasn’t popular with Daddy’s other…employees. She kind of rubbed people the wrong way.”
“And I, myself, was a witness to that.” Elvira continued writing. “If you had to choose, would you say Luigi disliked Roxy more, or Ricco disliked Roxy more?”
Brittney’s lip puckered as she considered the question. She shifted uncomfortably and then picked at her fingernail. “I…think it would be a tie. Neither one of them cared for her.”
“But Ricco worked with her.”
“Right.” Brittney looked as if she were going to say something else and then stopped.
“There’s something else,” Elvira prompted.
“Maybe.” Brittney began to look uncomfortable again.
“Did Ricco say something about Roxy, did you overhear a conversation, or did she comment about him not liking her?”
“No. I mean, I know Ricco didn’t like her, but I never heard him say he wanted to stab her or throw her over the side of a ship.”
“Luigi? Did Luigi say something about Roxy?”
Brittney began chewing on her lower lip again.
Frustrated, Elvira tossed her pen on the table. “This is like pulling teeth.”
Carlita shot Elvira a warning look. Her expression softened as she turned to her daughter-in-law. “There’s something else you’re not saying. Maybe you feel like it’s some sort of betrayal if you tell us. Your father sent Joe Mariani down here to get to the bottom of Roxy’s death. Mercedes is a suspect. So are Pete, Luigi and Ricco. If you have something you think might be significant, then you should tell us what it is.”
She could see the woman was torn, and Carlita couldn’t blame her. Brittney pretended to be an airhead, but she had always secretly suspected that at least some of it was an act. If Roxy had shared something in confidence with Brittney, then it might be a significant clue.
“You don’t have to tell us. Maybe you could tell Vinnie instead,” Carlita suggested. “He can decide if it’s something that should be shared.”
“No. I’ll tell you. Roxy did say something to me on the day of the party. She said she wasn’t looking forward to seeing Luigi.”
“Did she tell you why?”
Brittney nodded. “Yes, and after she told me, I didn’t blame her.”
Chapter 21
Carlita’s scalp started to tingle. She thought about Luigi calling Roxy a tool, about the injury to Luigi’s arm, how he took her gun and thought she was defenseless. “What is it? What did Roxy say?”
“She and Luigi dated. I wasn’t really surprised because I’d heard the rumors before.”
Elvira and Carlita sat in stunned silence, staring at Brittney. The pieces were beginning to fall into place.
“That’s why Luigi quit,” Brittney hurried on. “He and Roxy broke up. I think Luigi really liked her. She started seeing another one of Daddy’s employees, and Luigi found out. Right after that, we came down here, and Luigi decided to quit.”
/> “Case solved.” Elvira slammed the palm of her hand on the table. “Luigi and Roxy got into it. He took her weapon, waited until everyone was busy with the party, went to the back, confronted her, they argued, Roxy pulled her knife and then bam! Next thing you know…heave ho…Roxy has gone overboard.”
“Maybe it was an accident,” Brittney whispered.
Before Carlita could reply, the apartment door opened, and Vinnie appeared. “How’s it goin’?”
“I…” Carlita sucked in a breath. “Brittney told us that Luigi and Roxy once dated. That’s why Luigi quit the ‘family’ and came down here. It was because of Roxy.”
“You told them that, Brit?” Vinnie crossed the room. “That was months ago.”
“Son, the investigators are going to come back. That’s why they checked you, Mercedes and me for signs of an injury. It’s apparent Roxy injured her attacker when she surprised them with the knife.”
“What’s that got to do with Luigi?”
“He has a cut on his arm.” Carlita showed him where.
“You’re sure?” Vinnie asked. “Cuz Luigi swears he didn’t touch Roxy and didn’t go back there after Pete locked her up.”
“All I’m telling you is what I know. He has an injury. Someone else’s blood was found on the deck, I’m almost certain of it. I asked Thryce about it when we were in Autumn’s apartment. He didn’t deny it. Instead, I got the standard, ‘I can’t discuss the case.’”
Vinnie grimaced. “I’ll go track Luigi down.”
“He’s working a job at the convention center.” Elvira shut the tape recorder off and placed it on top of her notepad. “He’ll be there for another couple hours.”
“Then, I’ll wait until he gets done to talk to him.”
Brittney slid out of the chair and placed a hand to her forehead. “I’m not feeling too good. I think I’m going to lie down.”
Vinnie escorted his wife to the bedroom.
Elvira waited until she heard the bedroom door close. “Is she for real?”
“Who?”
“Brittney. Talk about the definition of an airhead.”
Carlita bristled. “Vinnie loves her, and she’s a good mother. I also think she’s much more aware of what’s going on than most people give her credit for.”
“So, it’s an act.”
“Perhaps, at least some of it.”
“Well, that’s a wrap.” Elvira pushed her chair back. “Another case solved by EC Investigative Services.”
Carlita followed her to the door. “I’m sure you’re thrilled all of the clues point to Luigi. Now you can get rid of him, and Dernice can’t stop you.”
Elvira reached for the doorknob. “Just between the two of us, he was kinda growing on me. Although I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t care for the manner in which he was hired.”
“Dernice needed help. She hired him when you went MIA.”
“Yeah, well, getting back to Luigi. He isn’t a bad guy. He’s good at what he does. Maybe he’ll get second-degree murder if it was a crime of passion. I’m guessing Vinnie and you will be contacting the authorities so I won’t have to get involved.”
“We’ll handle it from here.”
After Elvira left, Carlita wandered around the apartment. She’d grown fond of Luigi. He was a good tenant, and by all indications, a good employee. He didn’t strike her as the “killing kind,” but then again, he had been a part of the “family.”
Crimes of passion were hard to predict. Roxy certainly knew how to push all of the right buttons. Maybe she had pushed Luigi’s one too many times.
Vinnie joined his mother a short time later, looking as glum as she felt. “I’m having a hard time believing Luigi stabbed Roxy.”
“Me too. If what you told me is true and he has a fresh cut on his arm, it’s only a matter of time before the investigators return and check him and the others for injuries.”
An hour passed, naptime ended, and Luigi still hadn’t returned. Vinnie left him a message, and when he didn’t call back, Carlita briefly wondered if he took off, knowing he would soon be on the investigators’ radar.
The family gathered for dinner and then headed out to the parade. There was still no sign of Luigi. Carlita was beginning to believe he was behind Roxy’s death – whether it was intentional or not.
Oddly enough, there was no sign of Jersey Joe, either, and Carlita wondered what he was up to and where he was lurking. Perhaps he was tailing Luigi, having made the same series of discoveries.
Ricco’s mood was somber, and Carlita suspected Vinnie had pulled him aside and explained the situation.
Fortunately, the children enjoyed the parade and weren’t picking up on the gloominess of their grandmother, father and “family” friend.
Carlita didn’t think there was anything that could top the boat parade and fireworks, but the downtown Christmas parade was a close second.
It started with a Santa Claus float. Santa sat in a black wingback chair next to a fireplace while elves dressed in green and white costumes danced around him.
“Hey,” Mercedes jabbed her mother in the ribs. “Do you see the elf? Isn’t that…”
“Reese.” Carlita clapped her hands. She caught her friend’s eye as she twirled around Santa. She reached into her elf apron and tossed some candy into the crowd, aiming it in the direction of Carlita’s grandchildren.
They scrambled to their feet and snatched up the treats.
“The elf waved at us!” PJ shouted.
“Yes, she did.”
“The elf bears a striking resemblance to Reese,” Tony laughed. “That woman is all over the place.”
A local high school marching band followed Santa’s float, entertaining the crowd with a snappy Christmas tune.
There were lighted floats and baton twirlers, along with a large procession of Girl Scouts from the nearby Girl Scout headquarters.
Similar to the boat parade, there was an array of balloon floats, even a hippopotamus. Carlita quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the side of the float, although it was no longer necessary to try to dig up information on the boaters who had found Roxy.
Roxy’s killer was almost a given. The reminder made Carlita sad. She pushed the thoughts aside. There was nothing she could do about it.
Floats from several businesses passed by, including one for the local bar, the Thirsty Crow. Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys were on the deck, belting out a jazzy tune.
Carlita yelled, but the music was too loud, and they didn’t hear her. She snapped a picture of them, which reminded her she still needed to catch up with Cool Bones to give him his framed picture.
During a brief intermission, several area pizza places wheeled shopping carts filled with boxes of pizza and cans of soda along the parade route.
Several more were filled with boxes of popcorn and movie theater candy. Paulie stopped one of the vendors and bought popcorn and sodas for the kids.
After the parade ended, the family waited for the crowd to clear, and then gathered at Carlita’s place where they went over the plans for Christmas Eve the following day. She pulled Vinnie aside to ask if he’d heard from Luigi.
“Not a peep, Ma.” He glanced around and lowered his voice. “There’s no sign of Jersey Joe, either. I wonder what’s up.”
After everyone left, Carlita took Rambo out for a break. She could see the lights on at Elvira’s place and lightly rapped on her back door.
Dernice answered. “Hey, Carlita.”
“Hey, Dernice. I’m sorry to bother you at this hour. I’m wondering if you’ve seen Luigi lately.”
“Nope. He did his afternoon gig. I saw him when he stopped back by here to drop the van off. He told me he had some errands to take care of and that he would see me later.”
“Did he act weird?”
Dernice shook her head. “Elvira asked me the same thing. I don’t believe Luigi stabbed Roxy and threw her off the ship.”
“I have
my doubts too. Unfortunately, the evidence against him is starting to pile up.”
“He didn’t like Roxy. I had no idea the two had even dated.”
“Me either. He doesn’t seem like Roxy’s type.” Although Carlita wasn’t sure what either of their types was. “If you happen to see him, can you please tell him Vinnie and I are looking for him?”
“I will.” Dernice started to close the door and then stopped. Her expression was sad.
“Are you okay?”
“Sure. Yeah.”
“You care for Luigi.”
“He’s a good guy.”
“No, I mean in a different way,” Carlita said. “I recognize the look. In fact, I noticed it the other night at the party. You like Luigi.”
“He’s kinda cute. I…I’m sure he’s not interested in a dumpy middle-aged woman like me.” Dernice absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair. “Macho men like him, they like strong, fit women like Roxy, the ones who flirt with danger and get their adrenaline pumping.”
“You can get a man’s adrenaline pumping.”
“Yeah, if I’m chasing him.”
“You need to cut yourself some slack. Besides, I think I recognized a look in his eyes too.”
Dernice perked up. “Like an interested look?”
“Maybe.” Not wanting to get the woman’s hopes up, since it was possible Carlita had misread the look between the two, although she didn’t think so. There was a flicker between them, she was sure of it.
She suspected Elvira might have noticed too, which was why she wanted to get rid of Luigi.
“Mercedes has an author friend who also runs a beauty shop not far from here. Would you like me to see if she can hook you up with a new ‘do?’”
“The last time I let a beautician touch my head, I ended up with rainbow-colored locks, and not in a good way.”
Carlita’s eyes grew wide. “A beautician from around here?”
“No, in the slammer. It was a gal who was practicing on us so she could get her beautician’s license as soon as she was released.”
Carlita patted Dernice’s arm. “I’m sure Mercedes’ friend is legit. Let me see what I can do.”
“And if I see Luigi, I’ll send him your way.”
Christmas Family Style in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 15) Page 15