“We’re running out of numbers.” She dialed the next number. It rang several times before a man answered. “Hello?”
“Yes, uh.” Elvira briefly hesitated. “This is Tina from radio station WIBS in the greater Atlanta area. Who am I speaking with?”
There was silence on the other end, and Carlita wondered if the person had hung up.
Undeterred, Elvira plunged into her spiel. “I’m calling to inform you that you’ve been randomly selected to receive a dozen free long-stemmed red roses, delivered to the location of your choice.”
“Seriously?” the man asked.
“Absolutely. It’s a pre-Valentine’s Day promotional giveaway, offered by Flowers4u, a national floral company, who is promoting its new location in the Savannah area.”
“Huh.” The man wasn’t convinced. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” Elvira said. “All I need from you is a name and address of where you would like to have the flowers sent. They can be sent to anywhere in the United States, and delivery will take place within the next 24-hours.”
“Sure…uh. Send them to Kelsie Scott.” The man rattled off an address in Richmond Hill, Georgia, and Elvira repeated it back. “Okay. I’ve got the information…and whose name should we put on the card?”
“You want my name?”
“Yes, unless you want the flowers sent anonymously, but then you can’t take credit for such a generous gesture. Personally, I think you would want this special lady to know who sent the flowers.”
“Yes. Of course. My name is Quinton Towns.”
“Okay, Quinton. I have the information and as I said, the flowers will be sent out in the next 24-hours. Have a great day.”
“Thank you.”
Elvira disconnected the line. “Does Quinton Towns ring a bell?”
“No, but that’s Shelby’s last name. So someone who has the same last name recently called her cell phone.”
“Let’s wrap up this operation before we pore over what we’ve got.” Elvira dialed the last few numbers on Shelby’s cell phone list. One was a local drugstore, another rang but no one answered and the last had been disconnected.
“So our best lead is Quinton Towns.” Elvira studied the cell phone log. “This log shows three incoming calls from Mr. Towns’ number. All calls take place within a three day timeframe.”
Carlita clasped her hands. “I’m even more confused than before. Robert is dead. If what you’re saying is true, Shelby has been talking to her ex’s relative.”
“Let’s take a lookee see at a coupla social media sites to see if we can get a visual on Quinton Towns. It’s not a common name, so we should be able to easily find him, if he’s on social media.” Elvira slid her cell phone off to the side and began tapping on her computer keyboard.
“Nothing on this site.” She reached for her mouse. “We got a Quinton Towns who lives in Richmond Hill.” She clicked on the profile and double clicked on the picture. “It looks like we might have our stalker. Check it out.”
She turned the laptop so Dernice, Mercedes and Carlita could see the screen. “I’ll bet money this is the same guy who was lurking around the other day, the one I followed to the Black Stallion Club.”
“Quinton Towns,” Carlita murmured. “Who also called Shelby’s cell phone and was lurking around when her apartment was broken into.”
“He was probably looking for the backpack,” Mercedes blurted out.
“Backpack?” Elvira perked up. “What backpack?”
“It’s nothing,” Carlita murmured.
“It’s something to look into.” Mercedes hopped out of her chair, anxious to avoid Elvira’s impending interrogation. “It’s getting late and I’m sure Brittney is ready to head out on our shoe shopping excursion.”
“Barbie?” Dernice asked. “I figured your son and his gal were already gone. I haven’t seen them around.”
“They’re leaving soon.” Carlita slid out of her chair. “That was very clever, Elvira, and a sneaky way to get someone to reveal their name. How did you think of that?”
“I heard it on a radio program a coupla years ago. The program’s host had female listeners who thought their boyfriends or husbands were cheating on them call in.” According to Elvira, the women would give the talk show host the boyfriend or husband’s name and contact information.
The talk show host would then call them on the phone, all the while airing the calls live while the women were listening in. They somehow convinced the men they were from a flower shop and were randomly calling individuals to send complimentary bouquets of flowers to the recipient of their choice.
“Half the men sent the flowers to the woman secretly listening on the other end, but the other half?” Elvira blew air through thinned lips. “Those cheating dogs were outed right there on the radio and those women were ticked. I would hate to have been some of them when the women got their hands on the cheaters.”
“Well, now you know it works.” Carlita reached for the phone records.
“It’s one of my methods to track down valuable information. I have many more up my sleeve. So what’s the next step? Are you going to confront Shelby and ask her who Quinton Towns is?”
“It’s on my to-do list, Elvira, but not this morning. I have something else to take care of first.”
Elvira followed them to the door. “What about our fact-finding trip to the Black Stallion? We could run by there this evening.”
“Yes, I guess it couldn’t hurt,” Carlita said.
“Perfect.” Elvira rubbed her hands together. “Let’s rendezvous at eighteen hundred hours in the alley.”
“Which is?”
“Six o’clock.”
“Sure.” Carlita thanked her again, for helping them sift through Shelby’s phone records and then they stepped onto the sidewalk.
Mercedes waited until the door was closed. “What do you think?”
“The waters are getting murkier by the minute. I tossed and turned all night thinking about it. After this morning’s phone calls, Shelby is obviously hiding something and I agree with Elvira. I think the man lurking about was Quinton Towns.”
“You keep saying you have something to take care of.” Carlita began walking and Mercedes fell into step. “Let me guess…you’re going to follow Vinnie to see what kind of business he has to take care of.”
“That’s one plan. I also tossed around the idea of asking Vinnie for his help. Vinnie already has knowledge of the Black Stallion if what Elvira claims is true and she saw him there. I don’t know what he’s planning for today, but maybe I can talk to him privately and ask him what’s going down at the Black Stallion.”
“He might not be willing to help you Ma,” Mercedes pointed out. “The family code of honor and all that jazz. It would be considered a conflict of interest.”
“True. The last thing I want to do is put one of my sons on the wrong side of the family.”
“Maybe a better bet is to follow Vinnie, and then later meet with Shelby and ask her about Quinton.”
“I see your point and you’re right. Still, I need to find out for myself what Vinnie is up to.” Carlita sighed heavily. It had been a long few days and it felt like her world was crumbling around her. Tony and Shelby, Vinnie’s surprise marriage and Vinnie’s new job, working for the head of the mafia.
“I say we don’t jump to conclusions,” Mercedes suggested. “We still need to figure out how the cash we found in the backpack, the Harner Street property and the Black Stallion Club are related.”
The women stopped by the pawnshop to chat with Tony, where they found Vinnie and Brittney.
Brittney’s eyes lit when she spied Mercedes. “I’m ready to go.”
“Me too.”
Carlita handed Mercedes the car keys. “You don’t need the car for your…errand?”
“Uh, I hadn’t thought of that.” Carlita had no idea where Vinnie was headed. Her eldest son wasn’t much of a walker, and she was almost certain wherever
he was going, he would drive.
“You can take my Segway. The helmet is hanging on the handlebars.”
“I’m not sure about that, Mercedes. You know I’m still not comfortable tooling around on it.”
Mercedes had taught her mother how to navigate around their neighborhood on the Segway, but that was the extent of her comfort level.
“You might not have a choice.”
Mercedes was right. If Vinnie drove off in his car and Mercedes took their car, Carlita’s only means of transportation would be Tony’s car, a vehicle Vinnie would easily recognize. The Segway would give Carlita the ability to stay under the radar. If, however, Vinnie headed out of town and onto the highway, she would be out of luck.
Vinnie would never suspect his mother trailing after him on the two-wheeler. “You’re right Mercedes. I might have to borrow your Segway.”
Mercedes squeezed her mother’s arm. “You can do it. Just keep an eye out for the uneven bricks. They’ll throw you for a loop if you’re not careful. Oh, and watch out for the touristas. They never pay attention to where they’re going and have a bad habit of walking right into your path.”
“Great. Maybe I should forget about the whole thing.”
Brittney listened quietly to the exchange. “I’m not sure I would want to get on one of those Segways. They look tippy. You can always go shoe shopping with us.”
“I appreciate your offer, Brittney. Maybe next time.”
Vinnie made his way over. “You two ladies heading out?”
“We are.” Mercedes held up the car keys and gave them a quick shake. “We should only be a couple of hours. Do you want us to bring some food back?”
“Sure. Whatever Brittney wants,” Vinnie leaned forward and gave his wife a smooch.
“You’re so sweet,” Brittney gushed.
“Sickeningly sweet,” Mercedes muttered.
“Mercedes,” Carlita chided.
“I’m kidding. Let’s go.” Mercedes and Brittney exited through the back of the store and Tony wandered over. “Has Shelby stopped by yet?”
“I haven’t seen her. I’m not sure how long she plans to stay at her aunt and uncle’s place.”
“She called earlier to say she was going to run by the apartment and pick up a few more things, so I guess she won’t be home tonight either.” Tony massaged the back of his neck. “I tried to bring up the subject of her ex, to see if she heard anything else from the investigators. She shut me down.”
“She has a lot on her mind, son. Give her time,” Carlita said softly.
“Speaking of time, I gotta get goin’.” Vinnie glanced at his watch. “I’m gonna be late for my appointment.”
Vinnie strolled out of the store and Carlita started to follow behind.
Tony reached out to stop her. “Something is up with Vinnie. He keeps talking about this business deal. When I ask him what kind, he clams up, claiming it’s nothing. Do you know what he’s up to?”
“No, I don’t, but just between the two of us I think it’s time for me to find out.”
Chapter 18
By the time Carlita reached the back hall, Vinnie was long gone. She stepped into the alley and spied his car still parked in the parking lot.
She cast a glance toward the top of the stairs and then at Mercedes’ Segway, sitting off to the side, next to Tony’s apartment.
Carlita shoved her keys in her pocket and pulled Mercedes’ helmet off the handle before steering the Segway into the alley. Thankfully, there was still no sign of Vinnie.
After slipping the helmet on, she gingerly climbed onto the contraption. “Forward to go forward, straight up to stop and there is no brake,” she reminded herself.
Carlita eased the handlebars forward and the Segway rolled along the rutted alley. She coasted to the end and shifted the handle to the right, making a wide U-turn.
After successfully making two trips up and down the alley, she hopped off and then steered the Segway into a narrow doorway, not far from the end of the alley.
She peeked around the corner, which gave her an unobstructed view of the alley door. Carlita remained hidden for what seemed like forever, waiting for Vinnie to appear.
Finally, Carlita’s oldest son emerged from the building. He pulled the door shut and then strode to the parking lot at the other end.
Carlita tiptoed forward, far enough to keep an eye on him. The car’s engine revved and loose gravel crunched under the tires as he backed out of the parking spot.
She watched as his dark sedan coasted to the corner and stopped for a minute, before slowly pulling onto the street.
“Here goes nothing.” Carlita sprang into action and steered the Segway to the end of the alley where she climbed on the footrests and gripped the handlebars. She could see Vinnie’s car up ahead, idling at the stop sign. He slowly pulled away and when he did, Carlita eased the handlebars forward.
Vinnie turned left at the next corner before making a quick right onto another side street.
Carlita went as fast as she dared, but hung back as far as she could, praying her son wouldn’t notice her.
He drove back and forth, up and down the side streets, and she began to wonder if Vinnie was lost. Finally, he turned onto a street that ran parallel to River Street, a main thoroughfare that ran along the Savannah River.
Vinnie made one more turn and then eased his car into an empty parking spot.
Carlita steered the Segway between two buildings and hopped off. She ran to the corner and caught a glimpse of her son as he stepped into a building and disappeared from sight.
“What is he doing?” She climbed back on the Segway and sped along the street toward her son’s car. She slowed when she got close, hoping to catch a glimpse of the building he’d gone into.
She did a double take when she read the sign on the front of the building: Savannah Office of Business Development.
***
Mercedes nodded absentmindedly as her sister-in-law chattered on about the penthouse apartment renovations. “I told Vin we should plant an herb garden on the terrace. There’s plenty of room. I’ve been thinking that you know, we want to have children soon and we need to watch what we eat.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Mercedes said. “Ma grows some tomatoes and herbs out on our balcony. Maybe she can give you some pointers.”
“That would be awesome. Once our renovations are finished, you and your mother will have to come for a visit. We’ll have plenty of room for company. Our unit was a two bedroom, two bath. Daddy gave us the one next to it, so we knocked out a few walls and combined the two.”
“It sounds lovely,” Mercedes said politely.
Brittney jabbered on about moving to New Jersey. “Mom wasn’t too keen on me moving to Jersey, but I think she’s finally coming around.”
Mercedes interrupted. “I guess I never thought to ask - do you have any siblings?”
“Yes. I have…had two brothers. Tommy is my older brother. He runs Daddy’s other casino.” Brittney’s normally sunny expression vanished, replaced by a troubled look. “My other brother, Dean, died a couple of years ago.” She glanced at her hands in her lap. “We don’t talk about it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” Brittney said in a small voice.
Mercedes decided to steer the conversation to a safer subject. “What is your favorite thing about Savannah so far?”
“Oh, the architecture. I love Savannah’s architecture and history. I would love to take one of those haunted ghost tours, but Vinnie refuses.”
“Maybe next time you visit, we can go on one. We’re here,” Mercedes announced.
After parking the car, the women made a beeline for the first shoe shop Brittney spotted.
Mercedes was ready to go after the first half an hour, but the outlet mall was loaded with shoe stores and Brittney was like a kid in a candy store. They shopped from one end of the mall to the other and along the way; Brittney purchased several pairs of shoes.
Finally, Brittney had shopped at every single shoe store and seemed satisfied with her purchases.
They returned to the car and Mercedes loaded the bags into the trunk.
“Thank you for taking me shopping. I don’t think you had as much fun shopping as I did.”
“It was okay,” Mercedes said. “I’m not much of a shopper.” She climbed into the driver’s seat.
Brittney slid into the passenger seat and reached for her seatbelt. “I learned one thing today. If Daddy expands his casino business and asks Vinnie to come down here to run it, I’ll have plenty of places to buy my shoes.”
“Yes, you will.” On the way back to the apartment, Mercedes swung by one of the local fast food restaurants where she picked up several burgers, orders of fries and sodas.
Vinnie’s car was parked in the lot and the first thing Mercedes did when she stepped into the hall was check to see if her Segway was there. Her shoulders sagged with relief when she found it parked in the same spot.
Mercedes helped Brittney carry her purchases to the apartment and then carried the bags of fast food to the apartment where she found her mother seated at her desk.
“Hey, Ma. Did you take the Segway out?”
Carlita shifted in the chair. “I did and either I’m getting better at maneuvering on the contraption or I got lucky.”
“Well?” Mercedes reached into the bag and pulled out a French fry. “Where did Vinnie go?”
“To the Savannah Office of Business Development. The name on the door was Emmett Pridgen. He’s some kind of head of the downtown development committee.”
“Brittney told me her father hopes to open a business here in Savannah.”
The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation and Mercedes headed for the door. “That’s probably Brittney. I forgot to give her their food.” She swung the door open to find Shelby standing on the other side.
“Hi, Shelby.”
“Hi, Mercedes.”
Carlita scooted out of her chair and joined her daughter at the door.
The Family Affair: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9) Page 11
