“No. It’s a sleeper sofa.”
“Might as well be filled with lead,” Josh grunted.
Autumn caught Carlita’s eye. “Hi, Mrs. G.”
“Hello, Autumn. I thought I would stop by to see how you’re doing. It looks as if Sam and Josh have it under control.”
Mercedes carried a box into the apartment and set it on the floor. “Hey, Ma. Autumn has almost finished moving in.”
“Where are your movers, Autumn?”
“More like losers,” Autumn joked. “I hired a couple of part-timers from the newspaper to help me move the heavy stuff. When they got here and saw the stairs, they skedaddled. Thankfully, Tony came out to see if I needed any help. He asked Josh to give me a hand. Sam stopped by to check on us and graciously offered more muscle.”
Sam straightened his back. “Those are some steep stairs.”
“It looks like we’re done moving the big stuff,” Josh said.
“Yes, and thank you so much,” Autumn said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“You’re welcome. I better get back to work.” Josh slipped out of the apartment, his heavy steps thumping loudly on the stairs. The back door to the pawnshop slammed shut.
Carlita turned to Sam. “Thank you for saving the day.”
“I couldn’t leave a lovely damsel in distress,” Sam teased.
Autumn clasped her hands, and Carlita could’ve sworn the young woman nearly swooned. “Saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough. As soon as I get settled, I’m going to invite you over for dinner.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Uh.” Autumn shook her head. “I insist.”
“What about me?” Mercedes frowned. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“I’ll invite you over one of these days, too.” Autumn smiled widely, never taking her eyes off Sam.
“You’re welcome.” Sam strode to the door. “I better get going. I have a large tour group booked for this afternoon. We’re making a special stop at Darbylane Museum.”
“It’s a madhouse over there,” Carlita warned. “I stopped by while I was waiting for Reese and the trolley. There’s a guest of honor, some sort of duke or something. The place is packed.”
“By the time I get there, the crowds will have cleared.” Sam stepped into the hallway and Autumn hurried after him. “About dinner…how does Friday night sound?”
“I’ll have to check my calendar.” Sam smiled. “Good luck with the rest of the move.”
Carlita waited until he was gone. “That was very nice of Sam…and Josh to help you move.”
“Right.” Mercedes made a small snorting sound. “I need to take care of some things myself. See you later, Autumn.”
“Thanks, Mercedes.”
“This is for you.” Carlita handed her new tenant the mailbox key. It’s the mailbox key.”
Carlita explained she had a master key, to all of the units. “I’ll only use it in the event of an emergency.” She nodded in the direction of Sam’s unit. “You and Sam seemed to hit it off.”
“We knew each other from before. Sam and my ex are friends,” Autumn explained. “I don’t think Mercedes was too keen on having him help, but there was no way Josh and the two of us could’ve carried my sofa up the stairs.”
“Don’t worry about Mercedes.” Carlita patted her arm. “She and Sam don’t see eye to eye. If you need anything else, you know where to find us.”
Autumn trailed behind Carlita and followed her into the hall. “Thanks again for letting me move in, Mrs. G. You won’t be sorry.”
“You’re welcome.” Carlita smiled softly. “I have a feeling you’re going to spice things up around here.”
Little did Carlita know how exciting things were about to become.
Chapter 3
Carlita returned to her apartment and found her daughter sprawled out on the sofa, television remote in hand and a sour expression on her face.
She set her purse on the table next to the door. “You look cranky.”
“Sam Ivey makes me cranky.” Her daughter turned the television off and tossed the remote on the coffee table. “I regret the day that man moved into our building.”
“Even more than the day Elvira moved in?” Carlita teased.
“Yes…maybe. I don’t know. It’s a tie.”
“I don’t understand why you dislike Sam so much.” Carlita eased onto the edge of the recliner and eyed her daughter. “He’s always so helpful. Look at what he did for Autumn today.”
“He offered to help because he wanted to get under my skin.”
“Mercedes,” Carlita chided. “Are you telling me you think Sam offered to help Autumn move her furniture because he thought it might irritate you?”
“He knew it would irritate me. And then he had the nerve to invite himself to dinner at Autumn’s place.”
“You’re wrong. I was there. Autumn was the one who invited Sam to dinner, to thank him for helping.”
“But he was fishing for an invitation.” Mercedes sprang from the sofa. “I think I need some fresh air. I’m going to check out the art exhibit that’s all over the news.”
“It’s wall-to-wall people down there.”
“You already went and didn’t ask me to go along?”
“No.” Carlita explained she tried to track down Glenda Fox. “I had time to kill before Reese and the trolley circled back around, so I decided to see it for myself. Elvira and her company are handling the security for the event.”
“Maybe she’ll let me in for free.” Mercedes headed to her room and returned with her backpack. “I’m gonna take my Segway instead of the trolley. It’ll be faster.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Mercedes promised her mother she would return before dark and slipped out of the apartment. Since Carlita was the greeter at the restaurant that evening, she grabbed a bite to eat and headed out.
The next couple of hours passed quickly despite several lulls in the crowd, which concerned Carlita. After closing for the evening, she helped the wait staff tidy the dining room.
The chef was the last to leave. Carlita locked up and limped down the alley to her apartment.
Mercedes and her Segway careened around the corner. She waited on the stoop while her daughter hopped off. “Did you enjoy the art exhibit?”
“No.” Mercedes unclipped her helmet. “I changed my mind. I decided to stop by the Thirsty Crow to say ‘hi’ to Cool Bones and his band instead. The place was packed.”
“I need to get down there one of these days.” Carlita thought of the light dinner crowd at Ravello’s. “At least someone is busy.”
She held the door and waited for her daughter to steer the Segway inside. “Tony stopped by the restaurant earlier. I forgot to ask him about Shelby’s follow-up doctor visit. It was either today or tomorrow.”
Before Tony and Shelby’s recent wedding, her new daughter-in-law was exhibiting concerning symptoms of exhaustion and dizzy spells. Not long after returning from their brief honeymoon, Shelby visited her doctor who ran several tests on her.
“It’s tomorrow. I’m covering at the pawnshop while Tony goes with her.” Mercedes told her mother she was heading to her room to work on the book she was writing while Carlita carried the restaurant’s receipts and cash box to her desk.
She made it through part of the paperwork, and then the lines on the computer screen began to blur. Carlita removed her reading glasses and rubbed her eyes, wondering for the umpteenth time if she hadn’t taken on more than she could handle, between the apartment rentals, the pawnshop and now the restaurant.
She still needed to find a tenant for the vacant efficiency downstairs. Although Carlita had reservations about letting Autumn move in, she was relieved the unit was finally rented.
Carlita gave up trying to focus and trudged off to bed. Despite her exhaustion, she had trouble falling asleep, her mind bouncing from Ravello’s to Shelby’s health to Mercedes’ aggravation with Sam.
Her daughter was interested in Sam, and Carlita was certain the feeling was mutual. Autumn had inadvertently inserted herself in the middle of their strained relationship.
She hoped it wouldn’t affect the girls’ friendship, and Carlita wondered if perhaps she should hint to Autumn there was more to Sam and her daughter’s relationship than met the eye. She finally decided it was best not to stick her nose in where it didn’t belong and to let the situation play out.
On the flip side, perhaps a little green-eyed monster was exactly what Mercedes needed to admit she had feelings for Sam after all.
*****
Rambo woke Carlita early the next morning, pawing at her bedroom door. She stumbled out of bed and slipped into her bathrobe. “Let’s go.”
Her pooch led the way down the steps and into the alley. Carlita noticed Elvira’s kitchen lights were on, which was unusual since Elvira and her sister weren’t typically morning people.
It was an easy walk to the end of the alley and Rambo’s strip of grass near the edge of the parking lot. He took care of business before patrolling the perimeter of his small green space.
“Let’s go before someone sees me standing out here in my pajamas.” Carlita coaxed him back to the apartment. Wide-awake, she knew there was no way she could go back to sleep.
Instead, she started a pot of coffee and settled in at the computer. Carlita scanned her emails before finishing her banking and then took a quick look at the morning’s headlines. Her breath caught in her throat when she read the caption:
“Priceless artwork stolen right out from under the nose of the security company hired to keep it and the Cotswold Georgian Exhibit safe.”
The news story explained a valuable piece had been stolen the previous evening from Darbylane Museum. The story hinted at the theft being an inside job.
Elvira’s company, EC Security Services, was mentioned. The last sentence told that the authorities had detained at least one individual in connection with the stolen artwork.
Carlita shoved her chair back. It toppled over, crashing onto the hardwood floor. “Whoops.” She righted it before stepping outside and onto the balcony. She stared at the back of Elvira’s building.
Mercedes dashed out of her room. “What’s going on? I heard a big crash.”
“Sorry. I tipped my chair over. I was just looking at Elvira’s apartment.”
Mercedes traipsed across the living room and joined her mother. “What did Elvira do this time?”
“Someone swiped a priceless piece of art from Darbylane Museum, the one that Elvira and her company were hired to keep an eye on. The authorities have detained someone as part of the investigation. They claim it was an inside job.”
“Elvira?” Mercedes’ jaw dropped.
“I don’t know.” Carlita pointed to the dim light in the window of the building across the alley. “Elvira’s lights are on. She’s normally not a morning person.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Mercedes covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “Excuse me. This isn’t my time of the day.”
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“It’s okay. I needed to get up and get ready. I promised Tony I would cover for him at the pawnshop while he and Shelby visit the doctor this morning for her follow-up visit.”
Carlita followed her daughter into the kitchen. “Hopefully, Shelby’s doctor will have a good report. I know he ran a bunch of tests on her to try to figure out what’s going on.”
“I hope so.” Mercedes poured a cup of coffee and headed to the bathroom to get ready while Carlita returned to her desk.
Determined to get serious about renting out Tony’s old efficiency unit, Carlita sorted through her emails and clicked on a short-term application submitted the previous day.
“Still reading the headlines?” Mercedes emerged from the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel.
“No. We have another short-term application. This one sounds intriguing.”
Mercedes leaned over her mother’s shoulder. “Angelica Reynolds. The name sounds familiar.”
Carlita, still seated at the desk, scooched to the side to make room for her daughter.
“Oh my gosh! It’s Angelica Reynolds.”
“Who is Angelica Reynolds?”
“She’s a famous mystery/thriller writer. I’ve read several of her books.” Mercedes let out a high-pitched squeal. “She’s coming here, to Savannah. I heard they’re making a movie out of her book, Into the Night.”
Mercedes reached for the mouse. “Ma. We have to let her move in. I can pick her brain. Maybe she’ll pull some strings and get us on the set of the movie as extras.”
“Oh no.” Carlita began shaking her head. “No way am I going to be in a movie.”
“I would do it. This is the chance of a lifetime. When does she want to move in?”
“Soon.” Carlita squinted her eyes and studied the screen. “This weekend or early next week.”
“Perfect.” Mercedes clapped her hands. “I’ll handle this. I’ll give her a call to schedule a time for her to come by to check out the unit.”
“Don’t let the stars in your eyes keep you from making a sound judgment. She still has to pass muster. I want a good, solid tenant, a good neighbor and someone drama-free,” Carlita warned.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’s a model tenant. I think she’ll be a perfect fit.” Mercedes rushed back to the bathroom to finish getting ready, and then mother and daughter switched spots.
Carlita climbed into the shower and began washing her hair. She thought about the missing artwork at the museum. There were masses of people on hand for the exhibit. The authorities must believe they had a solid lead to have detained someone already.
What if Elvira had taken one of the paintings? She made a joke about it, not to mention she was quite comfortable navigating the museum and had no qualms about wandering around inside.
Carlita finished showering and began rummaging around in her closet. It was early fall, and while most of the days were sunny and warm, the mornings were cooler. She finished dressing and stepped into the small hall where she heard voices coming from the front of the apartment.
“Hello, Autumn.” Carlita greeted her new tenant, who was standing in the dining room talking to Mercedes. “You’re up early.”
“I’m on my way to work,” Autumn said. “I stopped by to find out if you’re still looking for a tenant for the efficiency unit downstairs.”
“Yes. We’re still searching,” Carlita said.
“No.” Mercedes shook her head. “I think we found someone. Besides, Ma and I decided to turn it into a short-term rental unit.”
“Really?”
“The famous author, Angelica Reynolds, is interested in it.”
“I’ve never heard of her,” Autumn said. “An author, huh?”
“You’ve never heard of Angelica Reynolds?” Mercedes gasped.
“Don’t worry, Autumn. Neither have I.”
“I wanted to thank you again, for letting me take the apartment. The timing was perfect for me to move in. Sam Ivey living in the same building is an added bonus.”
Mercedes made a small grunting sound. “He can be a jerk.”
Carlita ignored her daughter’s comment. “Sam is a wonderful tenant, and so is Cool Bones. I’m sure you’ll like living here.”
“I already do.” Autumn glanced at her watch. “I better get going before I’m late for work.”
“And I better get downstairs to meet Tony and open the pawnshop.” Mercedes dashed out the door and Autumn followed her.
Grayvie, Carlita’s cat, began circling her feet. She reached down and patted his head. “I know. It’s time for breakfast.” She finished filling her pets’ food dishes before pouring another cup of coffee and wandering out onto the deck with Rambo.
Her first task of the day was to meet with Ravello’s chef to start tweaking the restaurant’s menu. She planned to eliminate several of the items that weren’t se
lling and try to find some new ones to spice things up, not to mention add additional profit to the restaurant’s bottom line.
She returned to the computer where she found a new appetizer and an entrée, both of which sounded promising. She printed copies before shutting her computer off.
It was time to check on Mercedes to see if she needed help. Carlita unplugged her cell phone from the charger and noticed she’d missed a call.
It was her friend, Glenda Fox. The call was recent. Carlita checked her volume noticing she’d turned the ringer off.
She dialed her friend’s number and the call went to voice mail. “Hey, Glenda. It’s Carlita. I see I missed your call. I stopped by the SAS yesterday to pick your brain. I need some help drumming up business for Ravello’s.”
She asked her friend to return the call before slipping the phone into her pocket. “C’mon, Rambo. Let’s check on Mercedes.”
Carlita and her pooch exited the apartment at the same time Cool Bones, aka Charles Benson, stepped out of his.
“Hello, Carlita.”
“Hi, Cool Bones.” Carlita pointed to the saxophone case her tenant was holding. “You on your way to practice?”
“Yes, ma’am. Mercedes stopped by the Thirsty Crow last night to say ‘hi.’ I was telling her we got a big gig coming up over at the convention center.” Cool Bones motioned to Autumn’s unit. “I see you rented Shelby and Violet’s old apartment to Autumn Winter.”
“Yes. Now all I have to do is find a tenant for the efficiency downstairs. I think we’re going to start doing short-term rentals.”
“You don’t say. I’ll keep my ears open and let you know if I hear of anyone who might be interested.”
“Thank you. I’ll take all the help I can get.”
Cool Bones joined her, and they made their way down the steps to the hall. “Looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day.”
“Yes, it does. Have a good one.” Carlita watched her tenant exit the building before opening the pawnshop’s back door.
The store was busy for a Thursday morning. Carlita jumped in to help her daughter and the part-time employee.
Glenda returned Carlita’s call, but she was busy helping a customer, so she let it go to voice mail. Finally, there was a quiet moment. She stepped out of the pawnshop before listening to her friend’s message.
Swiped in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 12) Page 3
