“They’re gaining a reputation and not in a good way.”
Their food arrived, and Carlita enjoyed every morsel of her “Savannah Square” omelet, crispy hash browns and homemade toast. Pete had also ordered the omelet, but his was a lumberjack version filled with everything but the kitchen sink.
Carlita was hungrier than she realized and managed to eat her entire breakfast except for a wedge of toast, which Pete promptly polished off. The check arrived, and he refused to allow her to pay her half. “I can’t getcha to go on a dinner date with me. The least I can do is claim I finally got a breakfast date.”
“That’s not true,” Carlita laughed. “As soon as life settles down, we can have a bona fide date.” Their eyes met, and her heart skipped a beat at the unreadable expression on Pete’s face.
“I would like that, lassie,” he said softly.
“Well,” Carlita cleared her throat, “now that we have that settled, I need to head home. I’m working at the restaurant today and need to finish some chores around the house.”
The stroll back was a little slower as they talked about life in Walton Square. Carlita had thoroughly enjoyed her date with Pete and was sorry to see it end.
“We need to do this again sooner rather than later,” Pete said.
“I agree. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for breakfast.”
“You’re welcome.” Pete started to say something but abruptly stopped. “I’ll be seein’ ya later.”
“Absolutely.” Carlita waited for Pete to exit the alley and turn the corner before returning inside.
She started up the stairs when the pawnshop’s back door flew open. Tony, Luigi and Ricco strode into the hall, a serious expression on their faces.
“Is something wrong?”
“You could say that,” Tony said.
“We got a situation,” Luigi blurted out.
Chapter 6
Carlita said the first thing that popped into her head. “Does it involve Brittney or Angelica?”
“No,” Ricco shook his head. “Me and Luigi, we was doin’ a patrol of the neighborhood early this morning. We noticed someone messing around in the bulldozed lot across the street, so we been keepin’ a close eye on it and that’s when we found ‘em.”
“Found who?” Carlita asked.
“The dead guy,” Luigi said. “We ain’t called the cops or nothin’ since…”
Carlita finished his sentence. “Since the two of you have rap sheets a mile long.”
“It’s a possibility,” Ricco hedged. “Luigi and me waited ‘til we figured you guys were awake to let you know in case you wanna call the cops.”
“I was on my way over there to check it out,” Tony said.
Carlita stepped off the stoop. “I’ll go with you.”
Walton Square was merely a pass-through in the early morning hours, used mainly by area residents on their way to the Riverfront District.
Mulberry Street dead-ended at the edge of the district and in front of a newer upscale chain hotel that Carlita had been inside once. The hotel sported a rooftop pool and deck that overlooked the Savannah River.
The hotel butted up to Morrell Park, the location of the shuttle boat offering free rides to those wanting to reach Hutchinson Island and the convention center.
Carlita cautiously followed the men onto the excavated lot. “How on earth did you see anything over here in the dark?”
“With this.” Luigi reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small, silver flashlight. “Follow me.”
The others followed single file, staying close to the edge of the property until they reached the dilapidated fence.
“He’s back here.” They continued following the fence line until they reached a small metal shed. Face down and not far from the entrance was a man’s body, his arms outstretched as if he tried to break his fall. Unlike his arms, his legs were close together.
“Somebody did a number on him,” Luigi shined the flashlight on his legs, and Carlita could see a thick rope circling his ankles.
“He got clipped.” Ricco knelt next to the man’s still form. “See the rope burns around his neck? It was a bad way to go. Not very clean, either.”
“Someone wanted him to feel the burn,” Luigi said.
“Literally,” Tony said. “What time did you say you noticed the body?”
“A coupla hours ago, before daylight. Luigi and I decided to do another patrol since it was startin’ to get light and we’d seen someone messin’ around over here earlier. I don’t think it was someone from the family, although I wouldn’t put it past them to hang out in this shed, using it as a cover to catch us off guard.”
“You sure you didn’t do this…maybe by accident?” Carlita asked.
“No way. This wasn’t us,” Luigi said. “I swear it on my mother’s grave.”
Carlita studied the men’s faces, unsure of whether to believe them.
“Seriously,” Ricco added.
“And you don’t think someone from the family was responsible?” Carlita stared at the man’s body, a sick feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.
“No. This ain’t the family’s style. We straight up fill ‘em with lead until they’re dead.”
“Or tie ‘em up and toss ‘em in the river.” Ricco gave the man’s body a light nudge with the tip of his shoe. “This guy…someone wanted him to suffer. It was an amateur hit.”
Carlita’s mind reeled. She had to report the body to the authorities but needed to make sure there was no mention of Luigi and Ricco.
“The guy didn’t die here. He’s already a little stiff. Someone swung by here, dumped his body and took off.” Luigi pointed to a set of ruts in the dirt, several feet away from the entrance to the shed. “They probably came from back there, pulled up next to the shed and dumped him. Easy in and out.”
“But why here of all places?” Carlita asked.
Ricco shrugged. “It’s as good a place as any. It’s dark, there’s not a lot of traffic and no close neighbors.”
“Give me a minute.” Carlita motioned for her son to join her off to the side. “We need to call the police but somehow leave these two out of it.”
“I’m gonna go with my gut and say I believe there was no reason for either of them to kill this guy. I was thinkin’ the same thing about reporting the body. You wanna feel some heat on us? All you gotta do is tell them two of our guests who have rap sheets as long as a double roll of toilet paper found a body and they’ll be crawling all over the place.” Tony rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I could tell them I was walkin’ Rambo, he got loose, I chased after him and that’s when I found the guy in the shed.”
“That’ll work.” Relieved they’d come up with a plausible explanation for finding the man’s body, they joined Ricco and Luigi, who were still discussing the man’s death.
“We’ll contact the police and leave you out of it.” Carlita pointed to an object Ricco was holding. “What’s that?”
“It’s the hit’s identification,” Ricco said.
“You touched the body?” Carlita gasped.
“With gloves,” Ricco shook his head. “You ain’t dealin’ with rookies here.”
“We had to make sure he wasn’t someone we know. We’ll put it back in a minute.” Ricco flipped the wallet open as Luigi shined the light on it. “He’s a local. His name is…Davis Rutger, born in ’96. This shows an address over on Jefferson Street.”
“You’re kidding.” Carlita’s eyes squinted as she studied the driver’s license. “Tony, Davis Rutger is the ringleader of the Savannah Six, the guy who started the trouble on board Reese’s trolley yesterday.”
Ricco blinked rapidly as he processed the information. “She’s the broad who got into it with the guy yesterday? Maybe she whacked him.”
“There’s no way Reese could’ve killed Rutger, especially by strangulation.” Carlita quickly dismissed the idea.
“Unless she tased him and then strangled him,” Tony suggested.
A car pulled onto the street, slowing as it passed the vacant lot.
Carlita waited for the car to drive off. “We better get outta here before someone sees us.”
“The place is clean. Whoever took him out did a decent job of covering their tracks.” Ricco slid the wallet back inside the man’s pocket and stood.
The four of them silently retraced their steps and returned to the alley. They slowed when they reached the parking lot.
“Ricco and I are gonna make ourselves scarce for a few hours until the cops are done snooping around,” Luigi said.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Tony patted his pocket. “I got both of your cell phone numbers. I’ll give one of you a call when the coast is clear.”
The men climbed into the black sedan, backed out of the parking lot and turned onto a side street.
“I’ll call the cops,” Tony said.
“Let me drop my purse off upstairs. I wanna be with you when they show up, to make sure we have our stories straight.” Carlita ran upstairs to drop off her purse before meeting her son inside the pawnshop.
“I called the cops. I figured by the time they show up, and we talk to them it’ll be time to open the store.”
“Thanks, Son.” Carlita wandered to the front window, her eyes drifting toward the trolley stop across the street. She thought about the incident on board the trolley the previous day and Reese’s attack.
It was theoretically possible Reese could have tased Davis Rutger, tied him up, strangled him, dumped his body from the back of her jeep and then dragged him to the shed. But Reese didn’t strike Carlita as the “killer-type,” and she had known her fair share.
Carlita remembered the bullet that whizzed by her head the previous night. What if Luigi or Ricco had accidentally offed the man? She quickly dismissed the idea. “The Family” preferred a more streamlined approach to murder.
Besides, there was no reason for the men to murder Davis Rutger. Surely, the man had more than his fair share of enemies after targeting, attacking and harassing numerous residents and tourists in recent months.
Or maybe it was one of his own…the Savannah Six. They were thugs who had no respect for laws or people. Carlita made a mental note to put that bug in the investigators’ ears.
She abruptly turned. “I don’t think we should let on to the authorities we know the victim’s identity.”
“I was thinkin’ the same thing.” Tony shifted his gaze over his mother’s head. “The cops are here.”
Carlita hurried to unlock the front door and led several uniformed officers, along with Detective Polivich, inside.
The detective tipped his hat. “You placed a call about finding a man’s body?”
“I did.” Tony stepped forward. “I was walkin’ our dog, Rambo, this morning. He got away from me and ran across the street to the vacant lot. That’s when I found him.”
“Where is the deceased?”
“This way.” Tony motioned the officers and detective to follow him.
Carlita, determined to hear what the authorities had to say, trailed behind.
They stopped when they reached the entrance to the shed. “He’s in there.”
Polivich eased past Tony and stuck his head inside. “I’ll need to call this in.” He removed his cell phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. After a brief conversation with someone on the other end, he shoved the phone back inside his pocket. “Let me get this straight…you happened to be walking your dog. The dog got away from you, he ran over here and you found the body.”
“Pretty much,” Tony shrugged.
“Did you happen to notice any people or vehicles in the vicinity this morning or last night?” The detective reached into his other pocket, pulled out a notepad and pen and began writing.
“No. I close the pawnshop at six. Ravello’s, our family restaurant, stays open until nine,” Tony said. “I didn’t notice anything unusual.”
Carlita opened her mouth to mention the trolley started up at seven for the BOP - passengers with Business Owner Passes, but quickly changed her mind. The less she brought up Reese and the trolley, the better.
Polivich turned to Carlita. “What about you? You live across the street.”
“My apartment unit faces the back alley. Two of my tenants have windows facing this direction. We can ask them if they noticed anything.”
A crime scene van arrived a short time later, filled with a small army of investigators who began combing the area.
“I’m gonna have to ask you to leave so as not to contaminate potential evidence,” the detective said.
“Of course.” Carlita and her son returned to the pawnshop. “If Ricco and Luigi are right, the investigators aren’t going to find anything.”
“Vito’s guys are experts in the field,” Tony joked.
“Experts in the field of murder,” Carlita sighed.
“You think your buddy, Reese, had anything to do with the death?”
“No. I thought about it. I’ve known enough killers in my life, and I think I have a pretty keen sense of who might be capable. Reese is in the capable but highly unlikely category. Now Luigi and Ricco? Yeah, they could definitely have done the deed. Ricco almost took me out last night.”
“But that’s not their style. Rutger’s death was messy. Besides, I’m thinkin’ it was more of a revenge killing,” Tony said.
“I’m with you on that one, Son. There’s no reason for either of those two to take out someone they didn’t know, even if it was an accident. I just don’t see it.” Carlita remembered the men mentioning seeing someone messing around not long before finding the body and reminded her son.
“It may have been the killer dumping the body.”
“Polivich is coming.”
Detective Polivich passed by the front window before entering the shop. “We got a positive identification of the deceased. Do either of you know Davis Rutger?”
“I think I’ve heard the name,” Carlita said. “Isn’t he the Savannah Six’s ringleader?”
“He is. As you recall, he also happened to have been in this area less than twenty-four hours ago raising havoc on board one of the trolleys.” The detective studied Carlita’s face. “You remember the incident.”
“Of course. My daughter was the one who called for help.”
“But you didn’t know Rutger,” the detective probed.
“Of course not. I’ve never met him in my life.”
The detective turned to Tony. “What about you? A lot of people come in and out of this pawnshop. Has there been any recent incidents with troublemakers harassing you or targeting your business, maybe even a member of the Savannah Six?”
“Wait a minute.” Carlita crossed her arms. “Don’t even think about pinning this on my son. We had nothing to do with Davis Rutger’s death.”
“But he was the one who found the body,” the detective said. “I need to follow up on all of the leads, including questioning anyone who lives or works in the vicinity.”
“I understand, but you must know your line of questioning is coming across as accusatory.”
Polivich ignored her comment. “I would like to speak to your tenants.”
“Of course.” Carlita led the detective through the back door, across the hall and up the stairs. She knocked on Autumn’s door first. The door flew open, and the young woman appeared in the doorway. “Mrs. G.” She shot the detective a look. “Hello.”
“Autumn…this is Detective Polivich. He’s here to ask you a few questions. I’ll let him explain.”
“About what?”
“Tony discovered a man’s body inside the shed on the vacant lot across the street. Since your apartment faces that direction, he was wondering if you noticed anything.”
“No way.” Autumn’s eyes grew wide. “I…I saw someone last night before I went to bed.”
“Do you remember what time?” The detective reached for his notepad again.
“It was late.” Autumn shift
ed her feet. “It was after ten because I had finished watching the ten o’clock news. I was pulling my bedroom blinds shut, and that’s when I saw them.”
Chapter 7
“Saw who?” the detective asked.
“These two guys. They were coming from over in this direction. It looked like they were up to something.”
“Did you happen to see what they were wearing, what they looked like?”
“No. Like I said, it was dark.”
Autumn turned to Mercedes, who slipped out of the kitchen and joined them near the door. “Did I mention anything to you about seeing two men lurking around last night?”
“I…no. I don’t recall, and I didn’t see anything.”
“So, one of you saw something, and the other didn’t. Strange,” the detective muttered under his breath. He turned to Carlita. “I would like to see if your other tenants are available.”
“Cool Bones, Charles Benson, lives in the apartment behind me. Sam Ivey, a former police officer, lives in the apartment next door.”
“Sam Ivey?” Detective Polivich lifted a brow. “Ivey is one of your tenants?”
“He is.”
The detective thanked Autumn and Mercedes for their time and then followed Carlita into the hall, waiting while she knocked on Cool Bones’ apartment door.
He answered moments later. “Hello, Carlita.” Cool Bones greeted his landlord first before greeting the detective. “Hello.”
“Mr. Benson, I’m Detective Polivich with the Savannah Police Department. I’m sorry to bother you. I would like to ask you a couple of questions.”
Carlita stepped aside and listened quietly as he questioned her tenant. Cool Bones had nothing to add and claimed he hadn’t heard or seen anything the previous evening or that morning.
The detective thanked him for his time, and they made their way across the hall to Sam’s door. No one answered.
“I have Sam’s contact information.” Carlita pulled her cell phone from her pocket and rattled off his number. “Is that all you need from me?”
“For the time being. I’m going to question a few of the others in the area and would like to come back to check your surveillance cameras.”
Turmoil in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 13) Page 5
