Exes and Woes: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 14)

by Hope Callaghan

  “Pops would’ve married me off to one of his buddies’ sons. I would have at least two children by now and be miserable,” Mercedes joked.

  “Would you…be miserable if you were married with children?”

  “No. I mean, I want a family someday, but not right now. Pops never would’ve moved to Savannah.”

  “You’re right. He was a New Yorker…an Italian New Yorker through and through.” Carlita thought about her husband, his death and how much their lives had changed.

  Looking back, she wondered how she managed to muster up the guts to sell the family home and start a life in a state she’d never even visited before his death. “Sometimes God has plans we can’t even fathom.”

  “He turned bad into something good,” Mercedes said.

  “Yes, he did, which is why I find comfort in believing your father is smiling down on us. That he’s proud of us.”

  “I think so too.” Mercedes yawned loudly. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “See you in the morning. I love you, Mercedes.”

  “I love you too, Ma.”

  *****

  Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, the uncomfortable bed and Mercedes’ soft snores, Carlita managed to fall asleep and sleep through the night.

  She was stiff when she crawled out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom early the next morning. By the time she emerged, Mercedes was up. “You ready to get this day started?”

  “I’m ready for breakfast first.” Carlita remembered the woman at the desk telling them they served a full breakfast in the courtyard from seven until ten. It was seven-fifteen.

  “I’m starving. Let me go get ready.” Mercedes dashed into the bathroom, emerging in record time, dressed and ready to go.

  The man working at the desk directed them to the formal living room, through the French doors and into the courtyard.

  The courtyard reminded Carlita of hers, except this one sported tropical greenery, complete with royal palms, fan palms and a crepe myrtle.

  Patio tables and chairs dotted the open area. A small sunroom was attached to the rear of the inn, and the breakfast area was inside the sunroom.

  Carlita loaded her plate with a small sample of several dishes. On her way to an empty table, she filled her coffee cup and grabbed a wrapped set of silverware.

  Mercedes wasn’t far behind and set her plate of food on the table before pulling out a chair.

  “What is that?” Carlita pointed to her daughter’s plate.

  “It’s hot milk sponge cake with a side of Georgia peaches. Doesn’t it look yummy?”

  “It does. How did I miss it?”

  “Try a bite.” Mercedes cut off a small piece and handed it to her mother.

  “This is delicious. It tastes as good as it looks.”

  Mercedes covered her slice with peach topping and took a bite. “Perfectly moist and perfectly tasty. You should try to make it, Ma.”

  “I need a more thorough tasting first.” Carlita returned to the buffet and eased a slice of the cake onto her plate. She filled a small glass bowl with peach topping and returned to the table.

  “It has a perfect consistency and the peach topping?” She rolled her eyes. “It’s worth trying to replicate.”

  “It was my favorite dish,” Mercedes said.

  “Mine too.” While Mercedes finished her breakfast, Carlita refilled her coffee cup and approached the woman who was replenishing the serving dishes. “I would love to get a copy of your sponge cake recipe.”

  “Hot Milk Sponge Cake. Of course.” The woman reached into a small cabinet behind her and handed Carlita a sheet of paper. “The sponge cake is one of the most popular items on our menu. We get so many requests for the recipe we keep copies on hand.”

  “Thank you. I can’t wait to make it.” Carlita folded the sheet in half and joined Mercedes, who was waiting by the door.

  Back in their room, Carlita realized she’d left her cell phone on the nightstand. She picked it up and glanced at the screen. “Someone called.”

  She didn’t recognize the number, but whoever it was had left a message. Carlita entered her four-digit password and then held the phone to her ear.

  “Hello, Mrs. Garlucci. This is Detective Skip Wilson with the Savannah Police Department. I’m investigating a suspicious death on Tybee Island. Your name has popped up as someone who may have information regarding the case.” The detective rattled off his cell phone number and asked her to give him a call.

  “Great,” Carlita muttered. “Dernice was right. The cops want to question me about the woman who died on Tybee Island. I wish I’d never left my contact information. They’re gonna start snooping around Elvira’s business, find out we’re neighbors and the heat will be on me.”

  “Again,” Mercedes said.

  “Again,” Carlita repeated. “I don’t know how Elvira manages to involve me in her problems, and she isn’t even around.”

  “Speaking of Elvira, I think it’s time for us to track her down. While you were getting ready, I downloaded a walking app, so we don’t get lost again.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Carlita rattled off the address for Mercedes, who entered it into her phone.

  On the way out, they dropped their room key off at the front desk and then stowed their bags in the trunk of the car.

  Mercedes consulted her phone. “It’s an easy walk. The GPS says we’re only a couple blocks away.”

  “Elvira was within our sights even last night,” Carlita joked.

  “If she’s there.” Mercedes tapped the screen. “What is this place?”

  “I don’t know. Dernice said she thought it was a place that rented rooms. We could try looking it up before we head out.”

  “Nah.” Mercedes waved dismissively. “We’ll be there in less than ten minutes. Besides, I wouldn’t mind burning a few calories after our delicious breakfast.”

  They made their way to the corner and turned left, walking until they reached the main road. They passed Harry’s Seafood Restaurant where they’d dined the evening before.

  Up next was the Castillo on the opposite side of the street and then the cemetery where they had joined the previous evening’s city tour.

  “Are we getting close?” Carlita asked.

  Mercedes slowed. “We walked right past it.”

  They did a U-turn and headed back in the direction they’d just come from.

  Mercedes kept one eye on the sidewalk, dodging pedestrians as she studied the phone. “It’s the next building.”

  Carlita stopped in front of a brick wall, wrinkling her nose as she inspected the exterior of the two-story structure. A red covered porch faced the road and ran along the front of the building’s second story. “Are you sure this is it?”

  “Yes. This is the address Dernice gave you.”

  “This can’t be right.”

  Chapter 14

  Carlita shaded her eyes and read the sign above the double set of wooden doors. “St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum.” A skull and cross bones were next to the name.

  “We might as well go in.” Mercedes trekked across the courtyard and held the door for her mother. A gift shop, crammed full of pirate merchandise, was in the building. There were racks of plastic swords and buckets of gold doubloons. An entire corner was devoted to pirate hats and masks.

  “Hello,” the man behind the small counter greeted them.

  Carlita echoed his greeting and said the first thing that popped into her head. “I’ve never been inside a pirate museum.”

  “Then you’ve come to the right place if you want to find out more about pirates. Would you like to take a tour?” The man didn’t wait for an answer. “Our pirate museum is home to Thomas Tew’s chest, the world’s only surviving pirate treasure chest.”

  Mercedes’ eyes lit. “A treasure chest?”

  The man explained the four-hundred-year-old wrought iron chest was owned by Tew, one of the richest pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy. “Tew used the
chest to transport his plunder from the Arabian Sea to Rhode Island in 1694.”

  “It sounds fascinating.”

  Carlita wondered if Pirate Pete had ever visited the museum. “We’re here to track someone down. Her name is Elvira Cobb, and this is the address we have for her.”

  “I know Elvira. Is she a friend of yours?”

  “I…sort of,” Carlita stammered. “Do you know where we can find her?”

  The man consulted the computer on top of the counter. “She’s renting a room upstairs. I can’t let you up there, but I can call her room to let her know she has visitors.”

  “Yes. Please.”

  The man reached for the desk phone. “Your name?”

  Carlita said the first name that came to mind. “Zulilly.”

  “Zulilly,” the man repeated as he held the phone to his ear. “No one is answering. She may have gone out.”

  Carlita’s heart sank. “Figures.”

  “We can wait for her for a few minutes,” Mercedes suggested. “Maybe she’ll be back soon.”

  “We did drive all of this way.”

  “There’s a side tenant entrance, but Elvira usually comes in and out through these doors,” the man said.

  “We’re already here. We might as well tour the museum.”

  “Since you’re friends of Elvira’s, I can give you a twenty-five percent friends and family discount.” He rang up the tours and waited for Carlita to swipe her credit card. “Would you be interested in searching the discovery drawers hidden throughout the museum?”

  Mercedes leaned an elbow on the counter. “Discovery drawers?”

  He handed her a pencil and a slip of paper. “There are secret drawers scattered throughout the museum. A skull and crossbones are inside each of the drawers. Find all of them, and when you finish your tour, stop back by here to collect your prize.”

  “I’ll do it,” Mercedes said.

  The museum’s entrance was on the other side of the counter. The dimly lit hallway was lined with glass display cases. Pirate’s memorabilia filled the cases and spilled into the open room at the end of the hall. Long tables lined the center of the room.

  Mercedes approached one of the tables and studied a book on top. “Book of Pirates.” She plopped down and flipped the cover open. “Everything we ever wanted to know about pirates and more.”

  Carlita eased into the seat next to her. After perusing the books, they circled the room and then entered the main deck. A replica pirate ship, complete with a captain’s wheel, filled the cavernous room.

  “This reminds me of Pete’s pirate ship,” Mercedes said.

  “I’m sure he’s heard of this place. I’m going to take some pictures.” Carlita pulled her cell phone from her pocket while Mercedes made her way to the captain’s cabin.

  They spent most of their time exploring “Shipwreck Island” and admiring Tew’s treasure chest. The last stop was a small room sporting a collection of Hollywood pirate’s memorabilia.

  Mercedes, who had meticulously found the entire collection of drawers, returned to the counter to collect her prize, a replica of a gold doubloon. She slipped the prize into her pocket and turned to her mother. “Now what?”

  “Elvira hasn’t shown up yet,” the man said.

  The women stepped off to the side to discuss their next move. “We can wait a little longer. The only problem is, who knows how long she’ll be.” Carlita frowned.

  “Maybe just a few more minutes,” Mercedes said.

  The entrance door chimed. Carlita gazed over her daughter’s head and spotted a mop of familiar grey locks. “Guess who just showed up?”

  Elvira locked eyes with Carlita. The look of surprise on her face was unmistakable. She stumbled backward, pulling the door closed behind her.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Carlita ran to the door and jerked it open.

  “What are you doing here?” Elvira tightened her grip on the knob, refusing to let go.

  “We’re here because you’ve managed to stir up a whole heap of trouble in Savannah. Someone forced your sister’s work van off the road, tried to shoot at us and now a woman has been found dead inside your Tybee property.”

  “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”

  “Dead people and a crazy person trying to shoot at me are making a mountain out of a molehill?” Carlita could feel her blood start to boil as she glared at the defiant woman in front of her.

  “This doesn’t concern you.”

  “A woman’s body was found inside your Tybee property.”

  “Why are you here?” Mercedes asked.

  “I…uh. I’m taking care of some personal business.”

  “Let’s talk about your recent property purchase,” Carlita said. “Atlantic Deep, the company that’s developing the Coastal Adventures’ projects, is partly owned by your ex…or should I say your husband?” She hadn’t planned to let that little tidbit of information out and immediately regretted her slip.

  Elvira’s face turned bright red. “How do you know about that?”

  “I can’t divulge my sources.”

  “My sister,” Elvira gritted out. “Now you’re sticking your nose in someone else’s business, even more than you normally do.”

  “Me?” Carlita gasped. “I’m a suspect in a dead woman’s murder, thanks to you.”

  Elvira ignored the comment. “Who is Luigi? Dernice mentioned him when she called. Something about having him keep an eye on the place.”

  “He’s an employee of yours.”

  “Dernice has to run all hires by me first. Wait a minute.” Elvira’s eyes narrowed. “He’s one of your mafia men.”

  “He was a former employee of my son, Vinnie. Dernice hired him.”

  “She can’t do that,” Elvira blustered.

  “She can and did. And now I’ll repeat Mercedes’ question – Why are you here?”

  “I already told you.”

  “We’re only getting half the story. This has something to do with Coastal Adventures and somewhere along the way, your husband, as well.”

  “Will you stop saying that,” Elvira hissed. “I am not married.”

  “Others might say differently. Listen. I don’t care if you’re married or not. What I do care about is the police questioning me about Kim Turbell’s death. I was one of the last people to see her alive.”

  “If you had been minding your own business, you would have nothing to worry about.”

  Carlita clenched her fists, resisting the urge to wrap her hands around the woman’s neck. “You purchased a piece of property on Tybee Island, an investment, knowing a potentially large and lucrative development had started buying up the properties. Something happened. My guess is there are a few properties Coastal still needs to acquire in order to move forward with their project. You and the other sellers banded together, you came to some sort of agreement on a sale price and now you’re holding out.”

  “Like I said, this doesn’t involve you.”

  “Except for the fact, as I’ll remind you once again, I met Turbell yesterday. Your sister and I stopped by Coastal Adventure’s sales office, and I filled out a form. Dernice and I visited your property only hours before the woman died under suspicious circumstances, and now I’m a suspect.”

  “What were you doing inside my property?” Elvira asked.

  “Dernice asked for my help since she can’t get any from you.”

  The man behind the counter’s eyes grew wide as he listened to their exchange.

  Elvira glanced in his direction and then pushed Carlita out of the building. “This isn’t the place to air our dirty laundry.”

  “Don’t you mean your dirty laundry?”

  Mercedes shot the man an apologetic look before joining her mother and Elvira.

  “I need to get Zu out of there.”

  “I’m sure Dernice would appreciate that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s a pain in the butt, just like her mother is.” Carlita g
ave her a pointed stare. “She isn’t helping anyone, including you.”

  “Gremlin.” Elvira tightened her jaw. “The man is like a bad case of poison ivy. Once he latches on, you can’t get rid of him.”

  “It sounds as if you two were perfect for each other,” Carlita taunted. “Maybe you should stay hitched.”

  “As much as I’m enjoying my mother putting you in your place, we’re here to get the names of the other owners whose property Coastal Adventures and Atlantic Deep is trying to purchase,” Mercedes said.

  “I can’t help. I don’t have the names. Besides, it doesn’t matter. I’m not selling until I get my personal issue resolved.”

  Carlita sucked in a breath. Elvira was stubborn. She was also greedy. “How much is Coastal offering to pay you?”

  “Two hundred and fifty.”

  “Thousand.”

  “Correct.”

  “That’s a lot of money.”

  “It is, and I want to sell.” Elvira tapped her foot on the ground, looking away and then looking back. “If I sell now, I have nothing to use as a bargaining chip with my ex. He’ll have the property he needs, and he can still petition the courts for half of my businesses since we’re still technically hitched. I have a lawyer working down here to get it sorted out.”

  “Why in St. Augustine?”

  Elvira lowered her voice as a couple passed by on their way inside. “Gremlin and I divorced years ago. I tried to serve him with the papers, but he was MIA. After the required amount of time passed, the courts ruled in favor of the divorce. Unfortunately, my incompetent attorney failed to file the paperwork, leaving me still hitched to the jerk. I had no idea until recently. It’s a technicality. As soon as we can get the proper paperwork pushed through, the divorce is done, Gremlin won’t be able to touch my businesses and I’m free to sell the property.”

  “Except someone, maybe even Gremlin isn’t willing to wait. Have you thought that maybe whoever is targeting you, the person who is messing around your businesses, killed the woman and possibly even planted her body inside your building to set you up?”