The Family Affair: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9)

by Hope Callaghan

  The Family Affair

  Made in Savannah

  Cozy Mystery Series Book Nine

  Hope Callaghan

  hopecallaghan.com

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights reserved.

  ***** *****

  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents, and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  ______________________________

  Visit my website for new releases and special offers: hopecallaghan.com

  Thank you to these wonderful ladies who help make my books shine - Peggy H., Cindi G., Jean P., Wanda D. and Barbara W. for taking the time to preview The Family Affair, for the extra sets of eyes and for catching all of my mistakes.

  A special THANKS to my reader review teams, here in the U.S., and those across the pond, over the border and an ocean away!

  Alice, Amary, Barbara, Becky, Becky B, Brinda, Cassie, Charlene, Christina, Debbie, Dee, Denota, Devan, Grace, Jan, Jo-Ann, Joeline, Joyce, Jean K., Jean M., Katherine, Lynne, Megan, Melda, Kat, Linda, Lynne, Pat, Patsy, Paula, Rebecca, Renate, Rita, Shelba, Tamara, Valerie and Vicki.

  Allie, Anca, Angela, Ann, Anne, Bev, Bobbi, Bonny, Carol, Carmen, David, Debbie, Diana, Elaine, Elizabeth, Gareth, Ingrid, Jane, Jayne, Jean, Joan, Karen, Kate, Kathy, Lesley, Margaret, Marlene, Patricia, Pauline, Sharon, Sheila and Susan.

  CONTENTS

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  Cast of Characters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Books in This Series

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  Meet the Author

  Tuscan Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

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  Cast of Characters

  Carlita Garlucci. The widow of a mafia “made” man, Carlita promised her husband on his deathbed to get their sons out of the “family” business, so she moves from New York to the historic city of Savannah, Georgia. But escaping the family isn’t as easy as she hoped it would be and trouble follows Carlita to her new home.

  Mercedes Garlucci. Carlita’s daughter and the first to move to Savannah with her mother. An aspiring writer, Mercedes has a knack for finding mysteries and adventure.

  Vincent Garlucci, Jr. Carlita’s oldest son and a younger version of his father, Vinnie is deeply entrenched in the “family business” and is not interested in leaving New York.

  Tony Garlucci. Carlita’s middle son and the first to follow his mother to Savannah. Tony is protective of both his mother and his sister, which is a good thing since the Garlucci women are always in some sort of a predicament.

  Paulie Garlucci. Carlita’s youngest son. Mayor of the small town of Clifton Falls, NY, Paulie never joined the “family business,” and is content to live his life with his wife and young children far away from a life of crime. Gina, Paulie’s wife, rules the family household with an iron fist.

  Chapter 1

  Carlita Garlucci grabbed the pepper grinder and twisted the knob, coating the top of the chicken breasts in a thick layer of black pepper.

  “Ma!” Mercedes yanked the pepper grinder from her mother’s hand. “You’re drowning the chicken in pepper. We’re making Tuscan chicken mac and cheese, not pepper-flavored chicken.”

  She scraped a layer of pepper off the chicken and reached for the shaker of salt. “You gotta relax. Vinnie should be here any minute now and then you can stop worrying about whatever it is that has you worried.”

  “And not a moment too soon,” Carlita groaned. “You know how I hate surprises. I wish he would’ve just told me what his surprise was instead of making me wait.”

  She thrust her hand on her hip and watched as her daughter turned the chicken over and began seasoning the other side. “He’s actin’ all suspicious. I know my son and I know when something ain’t right.”

  She trudged to the other side of the apartment and to the French doors, leading out onto the balcony. “Ever since he started hinting around about moving up in the ‘family business,’ my gut has been churning.”

  “It will all be over soon enough. I’ll finish cooking the chicken if you want to mix some Italian dipping sauce for the bread. I think you’ll like the latest version I’ve been tweaking.” Mercedes reached behind the spice rack and handed her mother a recipe card.

  Carlita studied the recipe. “I don’t think Vinnie likes parsley.”

  “He won’t even know it’s in there.” Mercedes changed the subject. “I see Bob Lowman and his men have finished ripping out the walls between the front part of the restaurant and the back section.”

  “Ravello,” Carlita’s dream restaurant, was well on its way to becoming a reality. After Christmas, Carlita, along with Mercedes and her son, Tony, had traveled to Atlanta to sell several of their larger gems to a big pawnshop in the metro area.

  The gems had given Carlita enough cash to fund the entire restaurant renovation project. With cash in hand, Carlita and Lowman met with an architect and engineer to go over her vision for the gourmet Italian restaurant.

  After meeting to finalize the plans, the architect had taken them to the city building department and the SAS, or Savannah Architectural Society, for the necessary approvals, because of the building’s historic designation.

  Glenda Fox, a member of the SAS and Carlita’s friend, was instrumental in getting the SAS approval for the renovations. The city building department was another story.

  The head of the building department required several changes to the plans. When Carlita was beginning to wonder if they would ever get the renovation project off the ground, the plans were finally approved.

  As soon as Bob Lowman taped the construction permit in the front window of the building, he and his crew began demolition on the interior. Before tearing everything out, mother and daughter had taken on the tedious task of removing as many of the antique light fixtures, porcelain doorknobs and even the pieces of crown molding that they could salvage.

  Mercedes had also tackled the time-consuming project of removing layers of old paint, so the pieces of molding looked new again.

  “It’s shaping up nicely,” Carlita agreed as she pulled a block of parmesan cheese from the refrigerator and set it on the counter.

  She stepped over to the cutting board
and reached for a large carving knife to slice a lemon. “Speaking of shaping up nicely, how’s your new novel coming along?”

  Mercedes frowned. “It’s not. I’ve hit another dreaded writer’s block. I need some inspiration, some sort of shocking crime with a twist. I also need a crazy character to spice things up.”

  Carlita snorted. “I have the perfect character. Go spend a couple hours with Elvira and her sister, Dernice. They’ll give you enough fiction fodder for an entire series.”

  “That’s an idea,” Mercedes brightened. “The chicken is ready. Now what?”

  Carlita finished mixing the spices and began working on the chicken mac and cheese recipe. She attempted to keep the conversation light, but all the while, the nagging suspicion Vinnie’s surprise was going to be more of a bombshell hung over her head like a dark cloud.

  It was unlike her eldest son to cancel plans last minute like he did at Christmastime and he’d been very evasive. Finally, Carlita asked him point-blank what was going on, and he refused to tell her what he’d been up to.

  She’d even asked her middle son, Tony, to try to weasel the information out of his older brother.

  Tony’s attempt failed. Vinnie refused to elaborate on his recent whereabouts and his big surprise, which worried Carlita even more.

  Mercedes interrupted her mother’s musings. “You think it’s the family, don’t you?”

  Carlita released a heavy sigh and slowly nodded. Despite her promise to her husband, Vinnie, Sr. on his deathbed that she would get their children out of the “family,” breaking all ties with the New York mafia, she’d only been partially successful.

  Carlita’s youngest son, Paulie, had dabbled in the “family” business years ago, before changing his mind. He married his college sweetheart, Gina, and was now mayor of Clifton Falls, a small town in upstate New York.

  Tony had gone the way of his father and become a member of the “family,” but she’d managed to convince him to join Mercedes and her after they moved to Savannah, and it had worked out perfectly.

  Life had done a complete reversal for Tony. He’d begun dating one of Carlita’s tenants, Shelby Towns, who lived in Carlita’s building with her adorable daughter, Violet.

  Carlita was adamant about not prying into her son’s personal life, but she noticed signs that the relationship between Tony and Shelby was getting serious.

  Her biggest worry and the biggest concern was her eldest son, Vinnie, who was all in with the “family.”

  Only a few short months ago, Vinnie had been on the run from one of the mob bosses after giving him some bad information. The incident had given Carlita a glimmer of hope Vinnie would come to Savannah and forget about the family and his past life. Her hopes were dashed when Vinnie returned to New York.

  “I think you should invite Autumn to dinner.”

  Mercedes gave her mother a quick look. “To see if there’s still a spark of interest between Vinnie and Autumn?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” Carlita shrugged. “Why don’t you send her a text?”

  “Sure.” Mercedes handed her mother the wooden spatula. “I’ll be right back.”

  Carlita dumped the cooked pasta in the colander and turned her attention to mixing the sauce. Not only had Vinnie been mysterious about his whereabouts and his surprise, he refused to commit to staying in Savannah for any length of time, answering only in vague, short sentences.

  Maybe she was being paranoid, but Carlita got the feeling when she was talking to Vinnie there was someone else nearby, listening in on the conversations.

  Her heart skipped a beat as it dawned on her that perhaps Vinnie suspected his cell phone was being tapped or his home had been bugged. Maybe Vinnie was in serious trouble and was too afraid to tell his mother what was going on.

  A knot formed in her stomach and visions of Vinnie being gunned down in broad daylight ran through her head. She squeezed her eyes shut. Don’t go there, Carlita, she scolded herself.

  “She can’t.” Mercedes popped back into the kitchen and Carlita jumped. The mixing spoon flew out of her hand and hit the floor with a loud clatter as a spray of white pasta sauce spattered the front of the stove and Carlita’s apron.

  “Oh my gosh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Mercedes snatched the spoon off the floor and dropped it into the sink.

  Carlita grabbed a paper towel and joined her daughter as they wiped the droplets off the front of the stove and the floor. “It’s okay.”

  Rambo, Carlita’s pooch, trotted into the room and licked a splotch of pasta sauce they missed. Carlita patted his head. “Rambo to the rescue. You’re our crumb picker-upper.”

  The pooch licked Carlita’s hand and then inspected the rest of the kitchen floor to make sure they hadn’t missed another spot.

  “Autumn can’t make it and I have some bad news.”

  “I hope she’s okay.”

  “She’s fine. She has a date with a firefighter who lives in her apartment building. Cole something.”

  “I guess we can scratch Autumn off the list of eligible ladies in Savannah to entice Vinnie to stay.” Carlita’s phone began to chirp and she snatched it off the kitchen counter. “It’s Vinnie. He said he just got off the highway and stopped to get gas. He should be here in about half an hour.”

  Carlita texted her son back, telling him to drive safely and then turned her attention back to the pan on the stove. “You wanna run downstairs and tell Tony his brother is getting close? Tell him we’ll have dinner right after the pawnshop closes.”

  “Sure. I’ll be back in a sec.” Mercedes darted out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

  Carlita jumped again, muttering under her breath. Vinnie couldn’t get there soon enough and maybe that was all Carlita needed…to see her son, hug him tight and reassure herself he was all right.

  Sudden tears burned the back of her eyes. Soon, it would be the first anniversary of her Vinnie’s sudden death. Maybe that was what was wrong…Carlita was spending more time reflecting on Vinnie’s unexpected passing.

  She’d tried hard not to dwell on him not being with her anymore. Carlita knew her husband would be proud of her for all she’d accomplished on her own, not to mention her unwavering resolve to keep their children safe.

  It didn’t ease the emptiness she felt when she crawled into bed alone. The previous night, she caught herself sliding her hand across the bed to the other side, wishing that just once more she would grasp the warm and worn hand, so much like her own.

  She could almost hear Vinnie’s gravelly voice, speaking softly to her in the stillness of the night, calling her by her middle name. Aw, Lenore, you gonna get all mushy on me now?

  A small smile played on Carlita’s lips. Vinnie, you oughta tell me once in a while how I’m still your girl, romance me like the old days.

  Vinnie would always pull Carlita to him, wrapping both arms around her as he nuzzled her neck. You’re gonna turn me into an old softie yet.

  A tear trickled down Carlita’s cheek and she hastily swiped at it. There was no time to go soft now. Carlita had responsibilities, a family to take care of…starting with Vinnie, Jr.

  The front door banged shut and Mercedes jogged into the kitchen. “He’s here,” she said breathlessly. “I saw Vinnie’s car pull into the alley.”

  Carlita gave the sauce a quick stir and turned the burner off. She lifted her apron off her head before smoothing her hair. “Let’s go down and help him with his bags.”

  The sadness over Vinnie faded as she shoved her feet into a pair of flats and followed Mercedes down the stairs and onto the alley stoop.

  Mercedes and Carlita hurried to the other end of the alley and the apartment parking lot. She could see Vinnie’s tall, thin frame emerge from the driver’s side of the car.

  The passenger side door slowly opened.

  Mercedes instinctively slowed as she reached out and clutched her mother’s arm. “Who is that?”

  Chapter 2

  C
arlita watched a tall, thin blonde emerge from the front passenger seat of Vinnie’s sedan.

  Vinnie quickly made his way to the other side of the car while the young woman wiggled out of the car, teetering precariously on hot pink stiletto heels. She swayed slightly and giggled.

  “Careful.” Vinnie smiled at the woman and slipped an arm around her waist to steady her.

  “Oh Vin, what would I do if you weren’t here to sweep me off my feet?” The platinum blonde’s long black eyelashes fluttered as she placed a hand on Vinnie’s chest.

  “Vin?” Mercedes whispered.

  “This must be our surprise,” Carlita grunted. She stepped across the alley to greet her son. “Son, I’m so glad you finally made it.”

  Vinnie released his grip on the young woman and hugged his mother tightly. “It’s good to see you, Ma.” He held her at arm’s length. “You look good, Ma. The balmy weather and ocean breezes agree with you.”

  Mercedes nudged her way in. “No thanks to you. You’ve given Ma gray hairs, worrying her half to death after not showin’ for Christmas and falling off the face of the earth these past few weeks.”

  “I love you, too,” Vinnie grinned as he gave his sister a quick hug. He shifted to the side and placed a light hand on the young woman’s arm. “Ma, this is Brittney. Brittney, this is my Ma and my little sister, Mercedes.”

  Brittney smiled and in a soft voice asked, “How do you do?” She extended her left hand and the sunlight glinted on a large diamond ring on Brittney’s third finger.

  Carlita paused for a fraction of a second, and then caught herself as she forced a smile and took the woman’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brittney.”

  She stepped to the side and Mercedes grasped Brittney’s hand. She didn’t release her grip, instead lifting Brittney’s hand for a closer inspection of the sparkler. “What a gorgeous ring. If I didn’t know better, I would say this looks like an engagement ring and wedding band.”

  Brittney tapped her spiked heel on the gravel, the smile on her face widening to show a flawless set of bright white teeth. “It’s my wedding set.” The smile faded slightly and she gave Vinnie a puzzled look. “They don’t know?”