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

by Hope Callaghan

  Carlita grabbed her keys off the hook. “I asked Tony to go to Harner Street with me. I want to take a closer look at the vacant property while Shelby isn’t around.”

  “You want me to go with you?”

  “I thought you’d never ask. I’m meeting Tony downstairs in a few minutes.”

  “Let me grab some stuff.” Mercedes darted into her room and joined her mother moments later. “I’m good to go.”

  “You got your gun?”

  Mercedes patted her jacket pocket. “Of course. You never know what we’re going to run into when we get there.”

  Chapter 14

  Tony offered to drive to Harner Street. Carlita quickly agreed, since she’d already walked the entire river area earlier and her feet were sore. She also figured they might need to make a quick getaway, depending on what they found.

  When they reached the riverfront, Tony drove around the block, then around the Journey’s End before making a U-turn and heading back to Harner Street. “You’re right Ma. These places are all within a few short blocks. You may be onto something.”

  Tony parked the car in the public parking lot adjacent to Harner Street. Their first stop was the park where Shelby found Robert’s body.

  She pointed to the other side of the street. “This is what got me to thinking. Do you see how close this property is to where Shelby found Robert’s body?”

  The trio crossed the street to the other side.

  “We’re looking for 412 Harner Street.”

  Tony studied the buildings. “What about the other ones?”

  “According to Annie, the city owns the other properties after seizing them for non-payment of taxes. Four-twelve Harner was recently purchased by a group called East Coast Ventures.”

  “Who owns it?” Tony asked.

  “Annie couldn’t tell. The property transfer happened recently and the owner records haven’t been updated yet. This is it.” Carlita stopped abruptly. “I see a courtyard between the buildings.”

  Carlita stepped over to the gate. It creaked loudly when she pushed it open. She took a tentative step inside, with Tony right behind her. “Hang on Ma.” He pulled a gun from his front pocket and eased past his mother, leading the way into the courtyard.

  Thick, green ivy covered the concrete walls and crept up the sides to a small, square window.

  Carlita was so focused on the exterior of the building; she didn’t notice the uneven cobblestones and tripped on one of them.

  Tony reached out to steady her. “You better watch where you’re going.”

  “Sorry,” Carlita whispered.

  Loose pebbles crunched under their feet and the sound echoed against the walls of the neglected courtyard. The area reminded Carlita of what her courtyard had looked like the first time she’d laid eyes on it.

  They stopped near the center and Carlita spun in a slow circle, her sharp eye taking in the mold tinted center fountain. Next to the fountain was a pile of shattered terra cotta pots. In front of the broken pots was a pair of rusty wrought iron benches that faced each other.

  “Over here.” Carlita motioned to a window and pair of black shutters. “These shutters aren’t latched.”

  Mercedes stood off to the side, near the door while Tony tugged on the edge of one of the shutters. It swung open.

  “You see that?”

  “See what?”

  “The shutter didn’t squeak. If this building was abandoned, the shutters would be nailed shut to keep people out.” Tony swung the other shutter open before tucking his gun in the waistband of his pants and grasping the window sash. The window was locked.

  Mercedes twisted the knob on the door. “This is locked, too. Where is Autumn when you need her?”

  “Let me try.” Tony stepped to the door and wiggled the loose knob. “Stand back.” He twisted the knob hard and the lock popped. “These old locks are a piece of cake to open.”

  Tony stepped inside the building, Mercedes followed her brother and Carlita brought up the rear. To the right of the entrance was a wide-open space. To the left was a row of doors.

  Tony reached for the nearest knob. He pushed the door open and peered inside. “It’s a closet.”

  Tony shut the door and opened the door next to it. “Bathroom. Nasty at that.” He closed the door and made his way to the third and final door. “Lucky door number three. There’s something in here.”

  Carlita hovered in the doorway and watched as he crossed the room and knelt next to a small cooler.

  Mercedes joined her brother. “I wonder what’s in here.” She lifted the lid and the stench of rotting food blasted her in the face. She started to gag and pinched her nose. “There’s a bottled water and something gross in there.”

  “It looks like it’s been here a coupla days.” Tony touched the small ice pack that was inside the cooler. “The ice pack is warm.”

  Carlita jumped at a small scuttling noise and darted into the room. “This place is giving me the creeps. Stop playing with the food and let’s go.”

  “There’s nothing in here.” Tony stood. “Other than the cooler, the place is clean.”

  Carlita turned to go when her foot caught on something and she stumbled. “I keep tripping over my own feet.”

  “No, Ma.” Mercedes shook her head. “There’s something sticking up.”

  “It’s a ring.” Tony grasped the ring and gave it a sharp tug. A rectangular piece of the flooring popped up, revealing a trapdoor. “Stand back.”

  Tony leaned forward for a closer inspection. On one end was a metal ladder leading down to murky darkness.

  “Hand me your phone.”

  Mercedes handed her phone to him. He turned the flashlight on and shined the light into the opening. “There’s something down there. I’m gonna check it out.”

  “Be careful son.” Carlita and Mercedes hovered near the opening while Tony descended the steps, the light from Mercedes’ phone bouncing off the floor.

  There was a momentary silence and then Tony’s voice echoed up. “I think I got something.”

  Carlita listened to the thunk of Tony’s steps on the ladder and he re-emerged holding a black backpack. He slid it onto the wooden floor next to his mother. “There are a coupla tunnels down here. One looks like it leads to the river, but it’s blocked off. There’s another one that’s open and I wanna see where it goes.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Mercedes scrambled to the edge of the ladder. “Ma, you stay here and keep a look out.”

  “I don’t like this,” Carlita eyed the opening. “You don’t know what you’re gonna run into.”

  Tony patted his pocket. “I got my glock.”

  Mercedes pulled her small pistol from her pocket and handed it to her mother. “Hang onto this.”

  Carlita took the gun. “Please be careful.”

  Mercedes scampered down the ladder and joined Tony, who was shining the light around the dark, dank space. “See that tunnel? I think it leads to the river. There’s another one over here.” He shifted the phone to his other hand and eased his gun out of his pocket. “Stay close.”

  “You won’t have to worry about that.” Mercedes stepped next to her brother and they slowly inched their way along the narrow tunnel. Except for the shuffling of their feet and an occasional dripping sound, the tunnel was eerily quiet.

  “I think we’re walking along the river,” Mercedes whispered.

  The tunnel continued for what seemed like forever and abruptly ended in front of a brick wall and another metal ladder. Tony handed his sister his gun and stuck his foot on the bottom rung.

  “What are you doing?” Mercedes hissed.

  “Checkin’ it out. Keep the gun handy.”

  “I think this is a bad idea.”

  Tony ignored his sister and crept up the steps. At the top was a wooden trapdoor. He shoved Mercedes’ cell phone in his pocket and tightened his grip on the ladder. Using his free hand, he pushed on the trapdoor. It didn’t budge.

  He tri
ed again and it refused to give way.

  Tony descended the steps and joined his sister at the bottom. “It’s locked on the other side.”

  “I have an idea.” Mercedes held out the gun. “I’ll trade you. Hand me my phone and take your gun.”

  The two switched and Mercedes tapped the front of her cell phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I have an app on my phone that counts steps. I’m going to count the number of steps we take to get back to Ma. We know the direction we’re walking. All we gotta do is walk the same number of steps along the river and Voila! We’ll be able to figure out where this tunnel ends.”

  “That’s a good idea Mercedes.”

  “I’m full of good ideas.”

  The siblings retraced their steps, returning to the open trapdoor.

  Mercedes climbed up the steps first and joined her mother. Tony followed his sister out of the tunnel and then slid the trapdoor back in place.

  “What did you find?” Carlita handed the backpack to her son and returned Mercedes’ gun to her.

  “There’s a tunnel leading to the river. The tunnel is blocked. There’s a second tunnel. It dead ends at another ladder and trapdoor, but it was locked on the other side.”

  “So you don’t know where it goes?”

  “Nope, but Mercedes has an idea.”

  “A brilliant idea,” Mercedes interrupted.

  “Yes, Mercedes has a brilliant idea and we’re gonna check it out just as soon as we find out what’s in the backpack.”

  The trio exited the building and Tony closed the door behind them. He followed his mother and sister into the courtyard before he set the backpack on the ground and unzipped the front compartment. The pocket was empty.

  He opened the second one. Inside the compartment were a handheld calculator, two ink pens, and a yellow pad with handwritten notes. Tony squinted his eyes and studied the notes. “This looks like Greek to me.” He dropped the items back into the compartment and unzipped the large, center compartment where he pulled out a laptop.

  Tony flipped it open. “It has battery left, but there’s a password lock.”

  “Rats,” Mercedes said.

  “We’ll have to see if we can figure out how to bypass the password.” Tony closed the lid and slid the laptop back inside. “There’s something else in here.”

  Tony stuck his hand inside and pulled out a bulky manila envelope. “What’s this?” He tipped the envelope over and dumped the contents onto the ground. “Whoa. Check this out!”

  Chapter 15

  Several thick stacks of hundred dollar bills fell to the ground and he began counting the cash. “There’s over a hundred thousand dollars here.”

  “Robert,” Carlita said. “I bet a million bucks this backpack belonged to Robert. Why would he tell Shelby he needed money if he had all of this?”

  “Because the man was a sick, twisted individual who wanted his ex-wife and child to be penniless. We’re gonna take it with us.” Tony shoved the cash inside the envelope and the envelope inside the backpack before zipping it shut. “We need to have Shelby take a look at the handwritten notes. She should be able to tell if the writing belongs to her ex.”

  Tony slung the backpack over his shoulder and stood. “Let’s get outta here.”

  He strode out of the courtyard and Carlita and Mercedes hurried to keep up. “We’re gonna tell Shelby we broke into the building?”

  “Why not? She should be relieved we’re onto something.”

  “True,” Carlita said.

  Tony waited for his mother and sister to exit the courtyard before pulling the gate shut. “If this backpack belonged to Robert, it definitely gives someone another reason to take him out.”

  “Hang on a sec. Let me start testing my walking app.” Mercedes tapped the cell phone screen. “We need to add a couple of feet since we’re already out of the building, but this should get us close.”

  The trio walked in a straight line, down the sidewalk that ran adjacent to the river, past the few remaining buildings on Harner Street. They crossed onto a side street and reached an area bustling with businesses.

  They crossed one more intersection and Mercedes held up a hand. “This is it.” She stopped to inspect the back of the building. “What is it?”

  “It’s the back of a building, Sis.”

  “No kidding,” Mercedes snapped. “We need to figure out what it is.” She took a step back and counted the buildings. “It’s the third one in. Let’s circle around to the other side.”

  They continued to the next corner, turned right and walked to the other end of the block. It spilled onto a main thoroughfare.

  “We’re almost there,” Mercedes said. “It’s the next building.

  When they reached the building, Carlita’s breath caught in her throat. “It’s the Black Stallion Club.”

  “It makes perfect sense,” Mercedes said. “Now all we gotta do is confirm who the backpack belongs to.”

  The trio returned to Tony’s car and he waited until they were safely inside and the doors locked before speaking. “I say we keep this to ourselves until I can unlock the computer and find out what’s on it.”

  “Agreed,” Carlita and Mercedes said in unison.

  It was a quick drive back to Walton Square. Tony pulled into an empty spot and they exited the car.

  Elvira must’ve been watching for Mercedes and Carlita to return because she was waiting for them in the alley. “Did you take care of your pressing business?”

  “To some degree,” Carlita said evasively.

  “We still need to hammer out our plans.”

  “Plans for what?” Tony asked.

  “We’re going to hang out,” Elvira said.

  “Huh. Right. I’m gonna head inside and put this in a safe place.” Tony shrugged off the backpack and turned to his mother. “I’ll be in the pawnshop if you need me.” He walked into the building and gave the trio one final look before quietly closing the door.

  Elvira waited until the door was shut. “I was thinking about something. You still have an inkling of suspicion Shelby hasn’t told you everything?”

  “Yes,” Carlita admitted. “I do.”

  “You have a key to her apartment. Now is the golden opportunity to search it.”

  “Search her apartment,” Mercedes wrinkled her nose. “Without her permission?”

  “You have her permission. If my memory serves me correctly, there’s a section somewhere in your ironclad rental agreement where Shelby gave you permission to enter her apartment even if she’s not present.”

  “That’s a gray area,” Carlita said.

  “It is? You broke into my apartment when I wasn’t home. You also brought your buddies with you to search my place.”

  “You were missing, Elvira. Not only were you missing, you ended up getting kidnapped.”

  “And we saved your life,” Mercedes chimed in. “If Ma hadn’t been concerned about your safety, you would be dead by now.”

  “I would’ve figured out a way to escape the evil clutches of that madman,” Elvira scoffed.

  “You’re making light of a serious situation,” Carlita said.

  “You don’t think this is serious, too? A man has been murdered and there’s a chance you might be harboring a killer.”

  Carlita sucked in a breath and briefly closed her eyes. Once again, Elvira was right. The evidence pointed to Shelby somehow being involved in her ex’s murder, and even if she wasn’t, at the very least, she suspected her tenant was hiding something.

  “I hate to admit it, Ma, but Elvira is right. Something fishy is going on and Shelby is not being completely honest with us. People commit crimes of passion all of the time. We both know the lengths she went to, to hide from her ex-husband, how freaked out she was by the thought he might take Violet from her,” Mercedes said.

  Elvira patted Carlita’s arm. “If you don’t have the stomach for it, I’ll volunteer to do the deed myself. I have no qualms abo
ut searching Shelby’s apartment.”

  “I’m sure you don’t,” Carlita said wryly. “No. I’m the landlord. It’s my responsibility to ensure the safety and security of my tenants. I don’t want to tip Tony off, at least not yet. If he suspects Shelby is withholding something else from him, their relationship is toast and I’ll be the one to take the blame.”

  “It could be a blessing in disguise,” Elvira said. “I figure I’m a good judge of character, but even I have to admit if Shelby is involved in some criminal activity and the death of her ex, she has me fooled.”

  Carlita glanced at her watch. “Daylight is burning. I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible.”

  “I think you’re making a wise decision in searching her place now. You can’t let the trail go cold. You have to strike while the iron is hot. Are you sure you don’t need a hand?” Elvira asked eagerly. “I could be your lookout and guard the alley in case Shelby shows up.”

  “No,” Carlita shook her head. “It won’t be necessary. I appreciate you letting me know about the mystery man earlier.”

  “My surveillance cameras have come in mighty handy if I do say so myself.”

  “Yes, they have.”

  Elvira looked disappointed as Mercedes and Carlita stepped into their building.

  “Are you sure you wanna snoop inside Shelby’s place, Ma?”

  “I don’t, but I also don’t see where we have a choice.”

  Mercedes waited in the upper hall while Carlita dashed into their apartment to retrieve her set of master keys.

  “There you are.” Vinnie emerged from their temporary abode at the same time his mother stepped into the hall with the keys. “We wondered what happened to you.”

  “Mercedes and I had to take care of something.” Carlita quickly changed the subject. “How was your morning of sightseeing?”

  “Eh.” Vinnie shrugged. “I’m not much into seein’ the sights. Brittney enjoyed it. We took the trolley tour and a ride on the paddleboat. That was cool. We grabbed a bite to eat in the City Market district and then did a little shopping before heading back.”