“No. I…” Elvira hesitated, a rare reaction for her.
“What is it?”
“What with the barbecue joint being robbed, not to mention your dumpster situation, I’ve been monitoring surveillance camera recordings each day. The cameras picked up something interesting.”
It dawned on Carlita what Elvira might be alluding to. “Something that was recorded late last night?”
“Yeah. I saw you and Mercedes head over to Tony and Shelby’s place. Then, I saw you come back. Tony and Violet were with you.”
“And Shelby wasn’t,” Carlita said.
“Right.”
“So, your snoop detector engaged, and you decided to find out what happened.”
Elvira had the good graces to appear the teeniest bit embarrassed. “Yeah. It was around eleven-thirty, a coupla hours after you all left.” She told Carlita the camera recorded Shelby leaving the apartment, carrying two large suitcases. “She climbed into the passenger seat of a white or light-colored car and they drove off.”
“White or light-colored,” Carlita repeated. “Did your cameras happen to catch the license plate?”
“All but one number.”
“Would you mind sending me a copy? I would like to share it with Tony.”
“Sure. Yeah. Is everything okay? I ran into Shelby in the alley the other day. She looked at me like she had no idea who I was.”
Carlita pressed a light hand to her forehead. “There are some issues I would rather not discuss since it’s none of our business.”
“Gotcha. That’s what I thought. I’ll text the clip to you,” Elvira said. She turned to go, and Carlita stopped her. “Hey. How’s it going over at Sandy Sue’s?”
“It’s only temporary.” Elvira’s cell phone chimed. “Speak of the devil. Hang on.” She tapped the screen. “Elvira Cobb speaking. Yes. Yes, Mrs. Jarvis. I placed the order for your surveillance equipment. No. I’m nearby. An hourly written report? I suppose I could. You don’t...”
Elvira pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. “She hung up on me.”
“She’s not a very nice person.”
“I’m finding that out. She’s not nice to me or her employees.”
Carlita perked up. “She’s having trouble with her employees? Maybe one of them robbed her the other night.”
“I already put that bug in her ear. She’s insisting it was you. She seems to think you’re trying to drive her off and ruin her business.”
“More like the other way around. I’m well aware of her accusation. That’s why the cops showed up on my doorstep.”
“As soon as I get the hourly patrol report over to her, I’ll send that surveillance footage,” Elvira said.
“Thanks.”
As promised, Elvira’s text arrived within the hour. Carlita grabbed Mercedes, and they stood off to the side, watching the short video.
The images were slightly grainy, but there was no doubt it was Shelby who exited the apartment, maneuvering two large suitcases to the rear of a waiting car. She placed both in the back and then climbed into the passenger seat.
The last clip was of the vehicle’s taillights, along with a partial view of the license plate.
Mercedes waited until the recording ended. “You gonna show this to Tony?”
“Yeah. Later, after dinner. He might have some idea who owns this vehicle.” Carlita hustled to the counter to help a customer who was eager to sell a collection of baseball cards.
Carlita tried accessing the database the pawn shop used for not only researching the value of items but also for tracking transactions and recording customer information.
She tried logging on several times, but the database wouldn’t pull up. She called Josh over. “I can’t log onto the database.”
“It’s been glitchy.” The shop’s employee tapped the keys. “The first trick is to hold the control-alt-delete key.” Nothing happened. “Crud. It really is down.”
He turned to the customer who was still waiting at the counter. “I’m sorry. It seems our system is down. I can handwrite your information.”
“Forget it. I heard the same thing last time I was in here. I’ll take my merchandise somewhere else.” The man snatched the box of cards from the counter and stormed out.
Carlita sucked in a breath. “Looks like we need to get a new database.”
“Tony is aware of it.” Josh grabbed a black book off the desk. “We’ve been using this to log sales when it goes down. All you have to do is jot down the name of the seller or person pawning an item. Tony also requires identification and a contact number, if you can get the seller to give it to you. Some claim they don’t have a phone.”
“Will do.” Carlita thanked him and then headed to the jewelry counter.
The next few hours dragged by. During her downtime, she thought about Shelby’s abrupt departure and then Sandy Sue’s insistence Carlita was behind the robbery.
Elvira had mentioned Sandy Sue’s employees didn’t seem to care for her, which was no surprise. From her brief interaction with the woman, she came across as both abrasive and rude.
Around four, Carlita headed to Ravello’s. Once inside, she printed off a profit-and-loss statement. Business had dropped off the last few days, and she wondered if it had anything to do with Sandy Sue’s.
She had a brief meeting with the chef, the head cook, and the front of the house waitstaff to go over any of their concerns. The meeting ended, and then she and the head chef did a quick inventory.
They were in the back comparing numbers when the hostess hurried into the kitchen. “Oh, good. You’re still here. Two people who work for the city are out front. They’re asking to speak with the manager or owner.”
Chapter 9
Carlita approached the man and woman standing in the lobby. “My employee said you were looking for the owner or manager of this restaurant.”
“We’re with the Savannah-Burnham Department of Regulation. We’ve received two separate complaints regarding this restaurant.”
It felt as if someone had punched Carlita in the gut. Her first thought was Sandy Sue Jarvis. “Complaints?”
The man flipped the top of the iPad he was holding and tapped the screen. “Cross contamination. Improper food storage.”
“My restaurant passed a state inspection last month with flying colors. I believe my score was 98 out of 100.”
“Then you won’t mind if we take a look around?” the woman asked.
“Absolutely not.” Carlita led them to the kitchen.
She stood off to the side, watching as the city’s inspectors made their way to the walk-in cooler. They moved on to the freezers and then joined her after a quick check of the employee’s restroom.
“It appears all is in order, Ms. Garlucci,” the man said. “We appreciate your cooperation and will file our report.”
“So, this is the end of your investigation?” Carlita asked as she escorted them to the front door.
“It is. The file will be closed.”
Carlita stopped them before they made their way out. “Can you tell me who filed the complaint?”
“All complaints are confidential, ensuring the whistleblower won’t risk losing their job for doing the right thing.”
“Or the wrong thing,” Carlita muttered.
“That happens as well,” the woman admitted. “False complaints are a common occurrence.”
“Like mine.”
The woman cast her an apologetic smile and followed the investigator out onto the sidewalk. The two of them had a brief conversation before making their way across the street to Sandy Sue’s.
Arnie, Carlita’s kitchen manager, joined her. “They’re gone? What did they say?”
“They found no violations. They’ll file their report, and the investigation will be closed.”
“Should we call a meeting with employees, to go over sanitation standards?”
“I don’t think it’s necessary. Anyone could have filed the comp
laint. Besides, I don’t think it was an employee.” Carlita continued staring at Sandy Sue’s. The investigators were still there.
“You think it was the owners of the new barbecue place?” Arnie asked.
“I’m almost one hundred percent certain it was.” First it was the dumpster incident. Then it was Sandy Sue’s employee diverting traffic. Perhaps the owners thought Carlita was behind Sandy Sue’s robbery. And now, if the officials were responding to a complaint at Sandy Sue’s, something told her that the woman would, once again, think Carlita was responsible.
Were both restaurants being targeted? If so, by who? Carlita hadn’t an inkling of an issue with inspections or customer complaints.
Of course, there was always the occasional customer who had a less-than-desirable dining experience, but Carlita and her staff were always quick to address any issues.
“I don’t think it would hurt to have a meeting with the staff, to go over our code of conduct. The last thing we want is for rotten reviews to surface,” Arnie said.
“Reviews.” Carlita pressed her palms together. It had been weeks since she’d last gone online to check for new customer reviews. “You don’t think…”
Arnie’s eyes mirrored her own. “We should look.”
Carlita followed her manager into the kitchen. It didn’t take long for them to do a quick online search, typing Ravello’s Italian Eatery, Savannah, Georgia in the search bar.
Thankfully, nothing new or negative popped up. There were a few complaints…cold food, undercooked pasta. Each reviewer also stated the staff immediately rectified the situation.
“There’s nothing new.” Carlita did an exaggerated brow swipe. “Based on today’s visit, I think it would be wise for us to continue monitoring our site and local reviews every day.”
“I’ll handle it,” Arnie promised.
The dinner hour was fast approaching and Carlita still hadn’t given her own meal a thought. Pasta was her go-to, and there was a variation of an old family favorite she was itching to try.
She returned home and made a beeline for the kitchen. Mercedes emerged from her room at the sound of banging pots and pans. “Tony’s bummed.”
“I hope Shelby realizes how much her family means to her and tries to work things out.”
“I wonder where she went.”
“And I wish I knew what was going through her head. The most important thing we can do right now is to be there for Tony and Violet.” Carlita began rummaging around in the fridge.
“What’s for dinner?”
“My super easy pesto pasta.” Carlita placed the thawed container of homemade pasta in the microwave. “Can you run out and pick two cups of fresh basil?”
“Sure.” While Mercedes headed to the balcony and their herb garden, Carlita began toasting the pine nuts and warming the pasta.
Mercedes returned. “We need more basil plants. Two cups wiped us out.” She washed and dried it before giving it a light chop. Following her mother’s instructions, she added it, along with olive oil, to the blender.
The pine nuts finished toasting and Carlita added those, along with some garlic, lemon juice and parmesan cheese to the pesto mix.
“I’ll taste test it.” Mercedes grabbed a clean spoon and sampled a small amount. “It needs some salt and pepper.”
With a quick shake of each and another stir, Carlita took over, adding the pesto to her warmed pasta. She set the dish on the table and began working on her homemade Italian dip, a combination of her secret Italian seasonings, combined with olive oil, red pepper flakes and roughly chopped garlic.
They had just finished setting the table when Tony and Violet arrived. Rambo greeted them at the door.
“Dinner looks delicious, Ma.”
“What is it?” Violet stared at the green pesto and turned up her small nose.
“It’s pesto.”
“It looks yukky.”
“You need to try a bite before you decide.” Tony coerced Violet into a small taste test before she pushed her plate away. She ate two pieces of Italian bread slathered in a thick layer of peanut butter and jelly and then scampered off to watch cartoons.
“Any news?” Carlita asked.
“Nope.” Tony changed the subject. “How was business at the shop?”
“Busy,” Mercedes said. “We had trouble pulling up the database, the computer used to track pawns and customers’ sales records.”
“We tried everything,” Carlita said.
“I’ve been havin’ trouble with it for a couple weeks. Did you try the control-alt-delete trick?”
“Yep. Nada.” Carlita added Josh had shown them the logbook, and they’d used it a few times to record transactions. “You need to go ahead and replace the old one. We can’t run a pawn shop without a reliable database.”
While they ate, Tony laid out his game plan going forward. He needed to get Violet to school, which coincided with the opening of the pawn shop.
“Violet comes first.” Carlita offered to open the shop so Tony could walk her to school in the morning.
Picking her up at the end of the school day wouldn’t be a problem since the pawn shop’s afternoon staff would be on hand to cover for him.
“I want to keep our routine as normal as possible.”
“That would be best, Son.”
After dinner and cleanup, Carlita showed Tony the grainy images of Shelby placing her bags in the back of the car and climbing into the passenger seat. “Do you recognize the car?”
“Nope. I have a friend who works at the DDS – Department of Driver Services. I’ll ask him to run the partial plate to see if he can come up with the owner’s name.” Tony asked his mother to forward the text to him, and then Violet ran into the kitchen.
She tugged on Tony’s hand. “Is Mommy coming home tonight?”
“I don’t think so.” Tony picked her up. “I’m not sure when she’ll be home.”
Violet’s lower lip trembled. “Can I call her?”
Tony shot his mother a helpless look.
Carlita reached for her small hand. “Her phone isn’t working right now, sweetheart. I’m sure she’ll call you as soon as she can.”
Mercedes stepped in and distracted Violet by asking her to help water the balcony’s plants.
“It’s hard not being furious with Shelby.” Tony watched Violet fill the watering can. “It’s one thing to walk out on me but something else to walk out on your own child.”
A feeling of helplessness filled Carlita. Her child and grandchild were hurting, and there was nothing she could do to make things better. “I’m sorry, Son.”
Mercedes and Violet finished watering and returned inside.
“It’s time to head home,” Tony said. “Tell Nana and Mercedes thank you for dinner.”
“Thank you for the peanut butter and jelly sammiches.” Violet hugged Rambo and then chased Grayvie under the table to hug him. Carlita and Rambo accompanied them down the steps and into the alley. “I’ll have my phone with me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Ma.” Tony attempted a smile. It broke Carlita’s heart as she watched him take Violet’s hand and walk off. Perhaps it was a good thing Shelby wasn’t there. It would have been tempting to give her daughter-in-law a swift kick in the pants.
Rambo and Carlita trailed behind, making their way to the parking lot’s grassy area. There was a commotion coming from the other end. Rambo heard it, too, and began barking out a warning.
A shadowy figure appeared and then stepped under the parking lot light. It was Luigi. He limped toward her. There was a trail of blood running down his cheek.
Chapter 10
“Luigi!” Carlita rushed forward. “What happened to you?”
“I got caught in the middle of a minor scuffle over at Sandy Sue’s Bar-B-Que.”
Carlita’s eyes widened in horror. “A customer attacked you?”
“Not a customer, an employee.” Luigi explained it was close to closing time. It involved two of th
e male workers. He attempted to de-escalate the situation and instead ended up getting caught in the middle.
“Believe me, after they blindsided me, they got the worst end of the deal.” Luigi grimaced, tentatively wiggling his jaw back and forth. “That place is a hot mess.”
“I heard. What’s your take on Sandy Sue?” Carlita listened carefully while Luigi explained there was some bad blood between the workers.
“How can that be?” Carlita asked. “They just started working there.”
“Some of ‘em came from the other joint the couple owned out near the highway.” Luigi told her he had planned to track Carlita down, to warn her. “The owners claim you called the health department on them.”
“More like the other way around.”
“And you’re harassing them by calling the cops.”
“Because they blocked our street.”
“I would be cautious and watch your back.”
Carlita thanked him for the advice and then watched as he limped down the alley before disappearing inside their apartment building.
Troubled by Luigi’s warning, Carlita continued making her way around the building. Perhaps she should start carrying some sort of protection. Of course, Rambo would come to her defense, but he wasn’t always with her.
They made their way to the end of the block. She could see dim lights on inside the restaurant across the street. The parking lot was empty.
Had Sandy Sue called the health department on Ravello’s? If so, who had called the health department and reported Sandy Sue’s place? It wasn’t Carlita or any of her employees. They would have no reason to.
From what Luigi had said, there seemed to be some bad blood among her employees. But why bring the employees and lingering problems to her new restaurant? Why not make a fresh start with new staff? And then there was Luigi’s ominous warning for Carlita to watch her back. Her tenant was savvy, savvier than most people. Could Ravello’s also be a target?
The situation with her new neighbor weighed heavily on Carlita’s mind. She finished the walk and returned to their property, double checking the pawn shop’s doors before heading upstairs.
Family Feud in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 16) Page 6
