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

by Hope Callaghan

  “It’s close, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s only a couple of blocks away from Harner Street.” Mercedes squinted her eyes and studied the screen. “Those four locations…the Black Stallion Club, Harner Street, the park where Shelby found Robert’s body and the Journey’s End form a square. One could easily walk to all four of them within a few minutes.”

  Shelby cleared her throat. “I think I just remembered something else.”

  Chapter 12

  “Really?” Carlita tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “What is it that you remembered?”

  “The name Pat. Robert mentioned the name Pat.”

  Mercedes shifted in the seat. “Did you ask him who Pat was?”

  “No. I mean, looking back I should have. At the time, my only concern was to get rid of Robert once and for all.”

  “We’re getting close,” Carlita turned off the main road, onto a secondary road. They drove for another mile and then turned onto a dirt drive. The car bounced along the rutted path. “This place is in the middle of nowhere.”

  “My aunt and uncle like their privacy.”

  “No kidding.” Carlita crept along the drive until they reached a clearing and a sprawling brick ranch.

  “This is it.”

  Carlita steered the car along the circle drive and stopped in front of the garage. “Would you like us to wait to make sure they’re home?”

  “If you don’t mind.” Shelby flung the door open, got out and then reached back inside for her suitcase. “Thanks for giving me a ride.” She dragged her suitcase up the drive and past the garage before disappearing around the corner.

  She emerged moments later and gave Carlita a thumbs-up and a wave.

  Mercedes waited until she was out of sight. “There’s something fishy going on, Ma. Shelby’s reaction makes me think maybe we’re not getting the whole story from her. Maybe she’s still in shock and slowly remembering details or maybe not.”

  “Are you still thinking she may have had something to do with her ex’s death?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” Mercedes said. “So now what?”

  “I know I swore I didn’t want to involve Elvira, but her exterior surveillance cameras may be able to give us some clues as to who broke into Shelby’s apartment and ransacked the place.”

  Carlita continued. “There was something else. The owner of the Journey’s End told us not only had the police questioned him, another man stopped by to ask questions about Robert.”

  “Did he give you any indication who the person was?”

  “No. He gave us a description. He said the man was kinda short, with brown hair. He was wearing jeans and a brown shirt. I gave him forty bucks and my cell phone number, and asked him to give me a call if the man came back.”

  “That was smart thinkin’, Ma.”

  “I come up with a good idea every once in a while,” Carlita joked.

  When they arrived back home, Vinnie’s car was still gone.

  Carlita stopped by the pawnshop to let Tony know Shelby was at her uncle’s house and they were going to run by Elvira’s place to see if she’d seen or heard anything around the time of the break-in.

  No one answered Elvira’s door, so the two women circled around the front to the business entrance. The doors were locked and the lights were off.

  Carlita peered through the front window. “That’s odd.”

  “Maybe they’re all on assignment,” Mercedes joked.

  “You would think Elvira would have someone here to keep the office open. I’ll send her a text.” Carlita reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She tapped a quick message and then hit the send button. “I guess we’ll have to wait.”

  “I think I’ll do a little research on the riverfront district before I tackle my new book draft.”

  The women circled the block before returning to the apartment. Carlita followed Mercedes to her room. “Are you still working on your second mafia series book?”

  “Yeah, and I’m bogged down in the middle. There are too many victims and not enough suspects. I need to head back to New York to dig up some really gritty stuff.”

  “All you gotta do is interview your brother, Vinnie. I’m sure he has plenty of stories that involve the family,” Carlita said.

  Mercedes plopped down in her chair. “Now that you mention it, Brittney did give me some ideas for a new character for the book. I could fashion the killer’s personality after her, seeing how she seems so innocent. In reality, she’s a cold, calculating serial killer, working for her daddy, the kingpin mobster. She dates men her dad wants taken out and then she does the deed.”

  “Maybe that’s where you’re coming up with the idea somehow Shelby is involved in her ex’s murder,” Carlita mused.

  “No.” Mercedes shook her head. “Shelby’s situation is different. Something isn’t adding up. I mean, why wouldn’t Shelby report her ex to the authorities instead of agreeing to meet him all alone? And why was she going to give him money? It would only encourage him to hang around and keep hounding her for more, even if he did agree to sign away his parental rights.”

  Carlita wandered to Mercedes’ bedroom window, lifted the blinds and peered out into the courtyard. “You have some valid points.”

  Mercedes reached for her mouse. “I hate to say it, but Shelby is a suspect and I think she’s headed to the slammer. Until I have a clear direction for my mafia story, I was thinking about moving on to heavier stuff, maybe something along the lines of a psychological thriller.”

  “And mafia murders aren’t heavy enough?”

  “You know what I mean. I want something grittier, a glued to the edge of your seat with your armpits sweating and looking over your shoulder because you’re sure a slasher is about to take you out story.”

  “It’s a wonder you can sleep at night, Mercedes. I see Bob Lowman’s truck parked out front. I’m going to run downstairs to check on the restaurant’s progress.”

  Mercedes had already turned her attention to her laptop, her fingers flying over the keyboard, so her mother tiptoed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

  She swung by the pawnshop to check on Tony and ask if he needed help. There was only one shopper, who was browsing the electronics aisle, so Carlita slipped out of the store and made her way to her other property.

  The sound of hammers pounding drifted from the front entrance and she took a tentative step inside. Drywall sheets covered the walls of what would be the front reception area as well as the main dining room.

  Carlita steered clear of the workers and carefully stepped over the equipment as she searched for Bob, the owner of the construction company. She found him in the kitchen, frowning at some pipes.

  “I don’t like the look on your face,” Carlita said.

  “Hi, Carlita.” Bob gave her a quick smile and jabbed a finger at the ceiling. “It looks like we’re going to have to tear out these pipes. There’s no way they’ll pass the next building inspection.”

  “Great. How much will replacing them set me back?”

  “I already figured in the expense based on the age of the building. Although I hesitate to call this place a money pit, it’s been neglected for many years and needs some major updates.”

  Carlita patted Bob’s arm. “I understand. Believe me, after what we went through renovating the apartments and the pawnshop, I knew what we were getting into with this project.”

  “Would you like to take a look at what we’ve done since the last time you stopped by?”

  “Yes,” Carlita nodded. “I took a look around the other night after the workers left. I’m impressed with the progress.”

  Bob and Carlita walked around the property while Bob showed her the work he and his men had done. They finished the tour near the back of the building and in front of what would be the public restrooms.

  “Before you go, I wanted to mention there was some guy in here earlier. He was asking a bunch of questions. He wanted
to know who owned this property and did I know anything about an apartment unit for rent.”

  Carlita nodded. “I ran an ad in the local paper, trying to find a new tenant. If anyone stops to ask again, the unit is rented. What did he look like?”

  “He was about five six, brown hair. He seemed nervous.”

  A cold chill ran down Carlita’s spine as she thought about the mystery man who was asking questions at the Journey’s End. “He didn’t happen to mention his name, did he?”

  “Nope.” Bob shook his head. “Like I said, he appeared a little edgy, asked a couple of questions and then took off.”

  “If he shows up again, can you give me a call?”

  “Will do.”

  Carlita turned to go and then turned back. “Have you ever heard of Savannah Sam? He’s my new tenant.”

  “You must be talking about Sam Ivey. He’s well-known around here and one of the more popular local tour guides. Sam is a former cop. He quit the force a few years back and decided to start his own tour guide operation. He offers historic walking tours by day and ghost tours at night.”

  Carlita’s eyes widened. “Did you say Sam Ivey is a former cop?”

  “Yes,” Bob nodded. “He was a county cop.”

  “Hey, Bob. You got a minute?” One of the construction crew began walking toward them.

  “I better let you get back to work. Thanks for the update and for letting me know about the stranger who stopped by.”

  “You’re welcome.” Bob promised to give her a call if the man appeared again.

  Carlita waved good-bye and then slipped out the back door. She made it as far as her back door when she heard someone call her name.

  Elvira was standing in her doorway, waving frantically. “Hey. I got your message.”

  Carlita slowly walked across the alley. “I…”

  Elvira lifted a hand to cut her off. “Before you say anything else, I wanted to let you know I think I may have a break in the murder case.”

  Chapter 13

  “What case?”

  Carlita followed Elvira into her building.

  “The Robert Towns’ murder case. I started doing a little digging around into Towns’ background. The man was bad news and had a lengthy criminal record.”

  Elvira shut the door behind them. “It goes back at least a decade. Makes me wonder how a woman like Shelby could get tangled up with a guy like him.”

  “What kind of criminal record?”

  “It started out with petty theft, drug possession. Last year he was arrested for armed robbery. Got off on a technicality or a corrupt judge, take your pick. The charges were dropped and he was back on the streets.”

  Elvira snatched her cell phone off the counter. “There’s been nothing for the last year, after the armed robbery incident.”

  “So maybe he decided to go clean,” Carlita said.

  “I doubt it. If so, why did someone murder him? After finishing my research and reading the news story about his death, how Shelby found his body in a park, not far from the riverfront district, I said to myself, ‘Elvira, you need to head over to the riverfront area and have a look around.’”

  “I can save you a trip,” Carlita said. “Shelby and I were already there. There’s nothing to see except a small park and some empty buildings.”

  “Huh.” Elvira lifted her brow. “I may have underestimated your investigative techniques after all.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “So, back to my story. I was on my way out the back door when I happened to notice a lurker hanging around in the alley. At first, I thought it was your son, Vinnie. When I took a closer look, I realized it wasn’t him.”

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “Nope.” Elvira shook her head. “Never seen him before in my life. He was acting kinda funny, as if he was casing the joint. Check it out.”

  Elvira switched her phone on, clicked the camera icon and then handed it to Carlita. “I wasn’t able to get a real clear picture of the guy cuz I didn’t want him to see me. I checked my surveillance camera and he was just out of the visual range, which reminds me, I need to tweak my cameras for a better visual on the back of your building.”

  “I’m sure,” Carlita frowned. She studied the photo of the man with light brown hair. Was this the stranger who stopped by the Journey’s End? Could he be the man with brown hair that Bob Lowman mentioned or possibly even the person who ransacked Shelby’s apartment?

  “Do you recognize him?” Elvira asked.

  “No, but then it’s impossible to recognize someone when the only thing you have to go on is the back of their head.”

  Elvira ignored the comment and swiped the screen. “He was acting suspicious, so I followed him.”

  “Where did he go?”

  “To the Black Stallion. Here’s another shot of the man going into the club. He stopped to talk to someone near the front door before going in.”

  Carlita squinted her eyes and studied the photo of the man. This time it was a side shot. “How is this a clue?”

  “It’s all about the body language. Did I ever mention I studied body language? Anyhoo, I could tell by the expressions on their faces they were having a serious conversation. The man I was following, let’s call him Carmine…Carmine was walking into the Black Stallion, said something to a person I believe may have been a bouncer. There was a brief exchange. Carmine said something the bouncer didn’t like, he grabbed Carmine’s arm to stop him. Carmine jerked his arm away and stormed into the establishment.”

  Carlita handed the phone back. “I’ve never seen this man before in my life. I’ve never been inside the Black Stallion and I don’t recognize the bouncer outside the club. Someone broke into Shelby’s apartment around the same time you saw this person lurking about.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yes. They ransacked her place.”

  “Well.” Elvira cleared her throat. “Far be it from me to tell you that you keep questionable company, or at the very least your children do. I would definitely be on guard until we figure out who the mystery man is, and who killed Shelby’s ex.”

  Elvira snapped her fingers. “Wait a minute. Are you sure this wasn’t a love triangle gone bad?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “A crime of passion.” Elvira began to pace. “Perhaps Shelby was carrying on with her ex, right under Tony’s nose. He found out and then snuffed him out.”

  “That’s absurd,” Carlita sputtered. “You’re talking about my son. He’s not capable of committing murder.” At least Carlita didn’t think he was capable of murder.

  “It still doesn’t explain the mystery man lurking about or who may have trashed Shelby’s apartment.”

  Elvira abruptly stopped. “It’s obvious what our next logical step should be.”

  “What do you mean ‘our next step?’ This matter doesn’t involve you.”

  “It most certainly does involve me. We share common areas and I don’t like the idea of questionable characters lurking about, breaking into people’s homes.”

  “That’s a lame excuse.”

  “Lame or not, I’ve already invested time in the investigation and I plan to proceed with the next step.”

  “Which is?” Carlita asked, although she wasn’t sure she would like the answer.

  “I think it’s time for us to pay a visit to the Black Stallion Club.”

  Carlita chewed her lower lip and studied Elvira. The woman was right. Somehow, the club was linked to Robert. “I need to handle a couple of small matters before we head down there. Can you hold off until later?”

  “Later tonight?”

  “I’m not sure. I have some other matters to handle first.”

  “Okay. Keep in mind time is of the essence. There’s not much action in the district during the day. Nighttime would be a better time to conduct an undercover/covert surveillance mission.”

  ******

  After Carlita left Elvira
’s place, she headed to the pawnshop. Tony and the part-timer, Melody, were both working. She made a beeline for her son. “I need your help.”

  “Sure, Ma.” Tony, noting the tone of his mother’s voice, gave her his full attention. “What’s up?”

  “There’s a property in the riverfront area I want to scope out.”

  “So? Go scope it out,” Tony said.

  “No, I mean scope out the inside.”

  “You want to break in?”

  “If that’s what it takes,” Carlita said bluntly. “There’s a property on Harner Street, a property which was recently purchased by a private group. I think it’s linked to Shelby’s ex and I want to take a look at it while Shelby’s not around.”

  Tony rubbed the stubble on his chin. “You think Shelby might be involved in her ex’s death?”

  “I don’t know what to think, son. What I do know is the Journey’s End, the hostel where Robert was staying prior to his death, the Black Stallion Club, the spot where Shelby found Robert’s body and this property on Harner Street are all within striking distance of each other. Shelby and I already talked to the owner of the Journey’s End. Robert checked out of the hostel several days before his death. Where did he go?”

  “So you think maybe he was hanging out in a vacant property near the river?” Tony asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “Okay, I’ll go with you. Is Mercedes going, too?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to have her tag along. She’s good at catching clues.”

  “Let me talk to Melody. I’ll meet you and Mercedes in the alley in ten minutes.”

  Carlita thanked her son and climbed the steps to the apartment. “Mercedes? You in here?”

  “Yeah, Ma.” Mercedes emerged from her room. “How’s the reno?”

  “It’s great.” Carlita briefly told her daughter about her conversation with Bob Lowman, the strange man who stopped by to ask questions and how Elvira spotted what appeared to be the same man lurking about. “She took a picture of him before following him to the Black Stallion Club. He fits the description of the guy nosing around at Journey’s End.”