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

by Hope Callaghan

  “No kidding,” Carlita muttered as she reached for her seatbelt. “I think she does it on purpose.”

  “You may be right.” Pete steered the conversation to a more pleasant topic, and despite her run-in with Elvira he was able to distract her. The evening ended the way it began – as one of the most pleasant nights she’d had in a very long time.

  Pete left the truck running as he made his way to the passenger side and escorted her to the door. He silently gazed at her, his expression unreadable.

  Carlita thought he was going to turn to go when he bent down and tenderly kissed her lips. Her breath caught in her throat as the kiss deepened.

  Finally, Pete reluctantly lifted his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” Carlita asked breathlessly.

  “For taking the liberty of kissing you without asking.”

  “I’m not sorry,” Carlita whispered. “It was the perfect ending to a perfect date. Thank you for inviting me and for not giving up on me.”

  “Giving up on you? Not by a long shot. I guess it would be safe to say if I ask you for a second date, you would be inclined to accept?”

  “Definitely inclined,” Carlita said. “This is the best evening I have had in a very long time.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I’ll start planning our next date as soon as I return home.” Pete gave her a quick peck on the lips and then returned to his truck. He waved good-bye and then waited for Carlita to make her way into the building.

  She stood inside, watching his taillights disappear before floating up the stairs.

  The apartment was dark except for the glow of the table lamp near the door.

  “Mercedes?” Carlita placed her purse on the barstool. There was no answer. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and set it on the counter when she realized there was a text and a missed call.

  The text was from Mercedes, telling her mother that she and Autumn would be home before eleven.

  The second was a message from Dernice. “Hey, Carlita. It’s Dernice. I’m sorry to bother you during your hot date with the hunky pirate, but I wanted to let you know I heard from Elvira. She said she had some new information. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, but I have a feeling she’s on her way back here. Call me.”

  The call abruptly ended. Carlita checked the time. It was nine o’clock. Taking a chance Dernice was still up, she dialed her number.

  “Carlita,” Dernice answered on the first ring. “How was the date?”

  “It was wonderful, except for the ending when Pete and I ran into your sister.”

  “Here?” Dernice asked. “She said she might be on her way back to town.”

  “She’s on Tybee Island, meeting with Ken Gibbons, a restaurant owner. He’s on the list as one of the property owners Atlantic Deep is negotiating with.”

  There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

  “Hello?” Carlita asked.

  “I’m still here,” Dernice said. “I wonder if she plans to spend the night on Tybee or if she’s coming home.”

  “Who knows with Elvira? For all we know, she could be sleeping in her car.”

  “She didn’t take one with her to St. Augustine,” Dernice reminded her.

  “You’re right. Maybe she’s staying with her friend, Ken.”

  “Could be. Anyway, I’m waiting for her to call me back.” Dernice explained she’d been doing some digging around on Coastal Adventures and the employee, Kim Turbell. “The press released some details about her background. There was more going on with that chick than just selling real estate.”

  “Like what?” Carlita asked.

  “I think you should check it out for yourself. Coastal was involved in several questionable business transactions, and I think Turbell was a key player.”

  “So maybe one of the Tybee business owners wasn’t responsible for her death. It also means Elvira’s ex or almost-ex is looking more and more like the killer.”

  “I was thinking along the same lines. Google her name and death, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

  Carlita promised she would, but first, she wanted to check on Luigi. She returned downstairs and approached the efficiency at the end of the hall. She could hear muffled sounds coming from within. She gave the door a tentative knock.

  Luigi appeared in the doorway. “Hey, Mrs. G.”

  “Hello, Luigi. I thought I would check to see how you’re doing.”

  “Fine.” Luigi began cracking his knuckles. “I was just watchin’ some clips on YouTube from last year’s convention center cooking contest where the women started brawling. It’s the gig I’m working Monday.”

  “I hope it’s not too much to handle on your own.”

  “Too much to handle?” Luigi grinned widely. “I can’t wait. A bunch of women attacking each other over food? It’s a free freak show – one I’m gonna get paid to watch.”

  “I’m glad you’re looking forward to it.”

  “You wanna come in?” Luigi shifted to the side.

  “I don’t want to bother you.”

  “It’s no bother.”

  “Maybe for a couple of minutes.” Carlita followed him into the efficiency. It was tidy, neat as a pin as her mother would say. There was nothing out of place…no dirty dishes in the sink, no clothes strewn about. “You got the place lookin’ good.”

  “A lot better than the last tenant you had in here.”

  Carlita couldn’t agree more. Angelica Reynolds, her former tenant, had been evicted after she became involved in a physical altercation with Brittney, Carlita’s daughter-in-law. “I’m not sure who was more of a pain…Elvira or Angelica.”

  “She almost got snuffed out,” Luigi chuckled. “Makes me kinda miss Princess Brittney.”

  “Are you regretting your decision to move down here?” Carlita asked. “Seems like life in Savannah is a lot slower pace than what you’re used to.”

  “Yeah. I mean. I don’t miss the family. I gotta be honest. I miss the action. The casino was always buzzin’ with something. I kinda miss Ricco too.”

  “How is Ricco?”

  Ricco DeGrassi was one of Vito Castellini’s “bodyguards.” He also lived in New Jersey and was assigned to protecting Vito’s family and daughter. Although he had visited Savannah several times, she didn’t know him as well as she’d come to know Luigi.

  “He’s doin’ good. He ain’t real keen on the partner Vito set him up with. She’s a real tool.”

  Carlita arched a brow. “A woman?”

  “Roxy Ciccone. I ain’t never liked Roxy. She’s two-faced. I think Vito uses her as a plant, to keep his men in line.”

  “I’ll be sure to keep my distance if I ever meet her.”

  “Oh…you’ll meet her all right. She’s in charge of protecting Brittney. The next time you see Brittney, you’ll meet her.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Luigi pulled an unlit cigarette from his pocket and began twirling it between his fingers.

  “I’ll let you go have a smoke.” She wandered into the hall, and Luigi followed her out. He slowed when they reached the back door. “Thanks again, Mrs. G. Thanks for giving me a chance.”

  Carlita smiled. “You’re welcome, Luigi. I hope you enjoy living in Savannah for many years. If you give it a chance, it will grow on you.”

  Luigi reached for the doorknob before turning back. “I’ve been meanin’ to ask…how’s it goin’ with Elvira and the dead woman?”

  “I’m hoping we’ll have more information by tomorrow.” Carlita told Luigi to let her know if he needed anything and then returned to the apartment.

  Mercedes still wasn’t back. Carlita knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she was home. She remembered Dernice telling her to research the real estate agent and Coastal Adventures. She pulled out her desk chair and perched on the edge.

  She typed “Kim Turbell death, Georgia,” in the search bar. Several results popped up. At first, there was no new information
until Carlita began to dig a little deeper. From the snippets she was able to find, Kim Turbell’s previous employment history included a stint as a mortgage lender as well as a stockbroker.

  After exhausting her search on Turbell, Carlita typed Coastal Adventures in the search bar. Dernice was right. Several Atlantic Deep projects were under federal investigation. The details were vague, only stating the money to fund the projects may have come from questionable sources.

  She decided to go back to searching Turbell’s background, but this time accessed social media sites. Most of the information was basic, and nothing stood out.

  Carlita leaned back in the chair and stared at the screen. Obviously, the woman had high aspirations for her real estate career. Which meant she probably spent a lot of time working the professional circles.

  On a whim, Carlita accessed the LinkedIn site and logged onto her free account. She typed in Kim Turbell’s name. A description of her background as a real estate agent appeared.

  Her heart plummeted when she discovered the woman’s contacts/connections were hidden. She was still staring at the screen when Mercedes arrived home.

  Carlita shifted in her chair, waiting for her to hang her jacket on the hook near the door. “How was the movie?”

  “It was okay. There were a lot of parts they could’ve done without.” Mercedes wrinkled her nose. “It had way too many sappy love scenes.”

  “What’s wrong with romance?” Carlita gave her daughter a pointed stare. “Poor Sam.”

  “Speaking of Sam and dates, how was your date with Pete?” Mercedes made googly eyes.

  “It was wonderful. A perfect date, thanks in part to Sam and Sadie.”

  “What did Sam have to do with your date?”

  “Pete surprised me with a tour of the city. Sam and Sadie were our guides.”

  “Seriously?” Mercedes kicked her shoes off. “Sam was your surprise?”

  “Yes, and he did a wonderful job. I learned a lot about Savannah and its history. You should take a tour too.”

  “I want to, but I want to do a haunted tour. I’m waiting on Sam to figure out what works best and then coordinate it with some of the other tour guides.”

  “After the tour, Pete and I visited Tybee Island and had dinner at Sunrise Bar and Grill on the water. The owner is Ken Gibbons.”

  “Ken Gibbons. The name sounds familiar. Isn’t he the owner of one of the properties that Atlantic Deep is trying to purchase?”

  “Yes, which is why I chose the place. As luck would have it, Pete and Ken know each other. He was at the restaurant, and came out and introduced himself. He’s a nice man, a veteran who was injured in Iraq.” Carlita remembered the way he stared at her. “Something about him made me uneasy.”

  “Uneasy how?”

  “The way he stared at me.” Carlita shivered. “I dunno. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

  Mercedes wandered across the room. “Did you learn anything new about Coastal Adventures or the island’s property owners?”

  “No. It was pretty much a bust.” Carlita told her daughter how, on the way out, she spotted Elvira in the restaurant. “She was there to meet with Ken.”

  “Then maybe she should come home.”

  “I said the same thing. She claims she’s close to wrapping up her ex issue.”

  Mercedes glanced at her mother’s computer screen. “You have a LinkedIn account?”

  “Yeah. I logged on to try to research Kim Turbell. Unfortunately, I only have a free account, so I can’t access her connections. I was hoping maybe if I found out who her connections were, I could see if any of them hit my radar.”

  “If you sign up for a regular account, you can access her information.”

  “How much is that gonna cost?”

  “I’m not sure.” Mercedes squeezed in next to her mother and reached for the mouse. “I think the cheapest plan is thirty bucks a month.”

  “Thirty bucks a month? Just to research the woman’s background?”

  “You don’t have to do it.”

  “But I want to know. Fine. Sign me up. If I don’t think it’s useful, I’ll cancel.” Carlita blew air through thinned lips as she watched her daughter set up a paid account. She finished entering the information and stood. “You’re all set. Snoop away.”

  “Thanks.” Carlita entered Kim Turbell’s name in the search bar. Her account appeared again, this time with more information. She scrolled through the woman’s connections when one, in particular, caught her eye.

  Chapter 23

  “I think I found something,” Carlita said. “Kim Turbell was friends or was ‘linked’ to Mayor Puckett.”

  Not only was Kim connected to Savannah’s mayor, but she was also friends with the Tybee Island mayor and several city council members.

  Carlita scanned the list of names and noticed there were also local business owners’ profiles, including Ken Gibbons.

  “There’s EC Security Services,” Mercedes pointed at the screen.

  “Sure enough.” Carlita drummed her fingers on the desk. “Elvira failed to mention that little tidbit of information. Perhaps she knew Turbell better than she let on.”

  “I’m not defending Elvira, but I would think she would want as many local business owners and business contacts as possible to grow her accounts. Maybe Elvira doesn’t even realize she’s connected to Turbell.”

  “You’re giving Elvira too much credit. I think she does know it and either doesn’t think it’s an issue or doesn’t think anyone will find out.”

  “So, now what? Turbell has a bunch of connections, including Elvira. I’m sure the investigators are more interested in Elvira than in focusing on you,” Mercedes said.

  “Except for the fact they questioned her, and she told them I visited her in St. Augustine,” Carlita said. “Because we’re business partners.”

  “Business partners?” Mercedes frowned. “Why would she tell them that?”

  “Because she thought it would help. The authorities know I visited Elvira, the owner of the Tybee Island where Turbell’s body was found, while I was in St. Augustine, and now Elvira has put the bug in their ear that she and I are business partners.”

  Carlita ran a ragged hand through her hair. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the cops are on my doorstep again. I can eventually prove Elvira is lying, that we aren’t partners, but who knows how long it will take.”

  Mercedes patted her mother’s arm. “I would hang tight. Maybe the authorities will figure out who is responsible.”

  “I hope so.” Carlita’s expression grew grim as she turned the computer off. “I’m taking Rambo out.”

  After returning from their short trip to Rambo’s grassy strip, Carlita turned in. She tossed and turned all night, wondering how on earth the woman managed to cause so much trouble when she wasn’t even around.

  She finally fell asleep and woke when Rambo began whining at the door. Carlita stumbled to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Her cell phone, which was sitting on the counter, chirped.

  Carlita eyed the clock. It was only seven-ten. She snatched the phone off the counter and glanced at the screen. It was Elvira. Cranky from lack of sleep, she answered the call and got right to the point. “What do you want?”

  “What kind of greeting is that?”

  “The way I answer it when I know it’s you,” Carlita said rudely. “I barely slept last night, wondering if the cops were going to show up any minute with an arrest warrant.”

  “You worry too much.” Elvira changed the subject. “I have a plan.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “You haven’t even heard it.”

  “I don’t need to. I already told you that you were on your own. This whole EC Investment Group, you trying to make a quick buck when you don’t know diddly about real estate has come back to bite you. Somehow, I have, once again, managed to get caught in the middle of your shenanigans. At this point, I’m going to suggest Luigi have nothing to do
with your company if he wants to stay sane and alive. Leave me out of whatever new disaster you’re concocting. End of discussion.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line, and Carlita knew the wheels were spinning in Elvira’s head.

  “You’re not thinking clearly.”

  “You’re right. I’m not.” Carlita tightened her grip on the phone. “I’m exhausted, stressed out and ticked off.”

  “You really should look into anger management exercises. It’s not healthy to get so worked up.”

  A sudden thought occurred to Carlita; actually, it was brilliant. “I want to buy your building.”

  “Buy my building? What does this have to do with you being a murder suspect?”

  “Everything. I wouldn’t be a suspect if it wasn’t for you. If you move away, it will eliminate ninety-nine percent of my stresses.”

  “What about your mafia ties? You can run, but you can’t hide from the family, especially when one of your kids is involved with them.”

  “My family is none of your concern.”

  “Whatever. My building isn’t for sale. I’m in the perfect location.”

  “For torturing me.”

  “We need to stop bickering and get back to your current crisis,” Elvira said. “The authorities aren’t going to stop searching. I have a plan to uncover the killer and whoever has been behind the attacks. I’m almost certain now that my ex is involved. My plan will only take a couple of hours of your time.”

  Carlita sucked in a breath. The last thing she needed was to continue to be involved in anything Elvira cooked up. Everything the woman touched or was even remotely involved in turned into a disaster.

  “I’m also ready to sell. I’ll give you a cut of whatever I get out of the Tybee Island property. Ten percent.”

  “Ten percent of what?” Carlita thought she’d heard a number thrown around but couldn’t remember what it was.

  “Two hundred fifty thousand. You could make a quick twenty-five thousand for a couple of hours, plus bring a killer to justice, and I would return home.”

  “That’s a case for not helping you,” Carlita joked.

  “Very funny. Well?”