“We are…we’re lost.” Carlita caught Ricco’s eye, and he gave her a small nod.
“I’ve seen you around before,” Ricco shoved his hands in his pockets. “You own a pawnshop in town.”
“I…yes.” Carlita nodded nervously. “Swag in Savannah Pawn Shop.”
“We own a restaurant, too,” Mercedes said.
The man closest to Carlita narrowed his eyes. “So, you’re not undercover?”
“No. Like I said, we were looking for the bus station and decided to take a shortcut after we got lost.”
The man holding Mercedes’ gun relaxed his stance. “You need to be more careful where you’re travelin’ at night. This neighborhood isn’t safe for two women alone.”
“No. I. You’re right.” Carlita made a move to return to the vehicle. “We’ll be on our way.” The man didn’t stop her as she fumbled with the door handle, motioning frantically for Mercedes to hurry up and climb in.
Mercedes stuck out her hand. “Can I have my gun back?”
“This?” The man taunted her as he waved her gun in the air.
“Yes.”
“You got some guts, lady. Sure. Take your gun.” He tossed it to her, and she caught it mid-air before scrambling into the car.
“Watch out for the pole,” one of them yelled before he burst out laughing. The others joined in.
Carlita shifted into drive, cautiously pulling forward as she turned the wheel. She shifted into reverse, narrowly missing the pole as she backed out of the alley. She didn’t let out the breath she was holding until they were back on the street.
“We almost died,” Mercedes gasped. “Thank God Ricco and Luigi covered for us.”
“Yeah. My life flashed before my eyes.”
It was a quiet ride back to the apartment. Carlita’s legs nearly gave way as she stepped out of the car. “Now I understand why the guys didn’t want us over there.”
“It wasn’t safe.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Carlita headed home to wait for Ricco and Luigi while Mercedes ran next door to get Brittney.
She was still watching for them when Brittney limped inside, followed by Mercedes. “Are Luigi and Ricco back?”
“No. Not…yet,” Carlita said.
“Violet wore me out. I think I’m going to go lie down.”
Mercedes waited until Brittney was gone and she heard the bedroom door close. “I don’t think Ricco and Luigi are gonna be very happy when they get back here.”
Carlita turned her attention to the alley. “When you were walking back here, did you notice the car parked on the other side of the street?”
“No.” Mercedes joined her mother. “I see it now. What if they’re undercover cops, watching the place?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Carlita lowered the blind. “We better give the guys a heads up to stay away until we have a chance to check it out.” She tapped out a message to Ricco and pressed send.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Mercedes said. “We make like we’re going somewhere and see if they follow us.”
Carlita stopped by to tell Brittney they were taking a short drive, but the bedroom lights were off. Not wanting to disturb her, they tiptoed out of the apartment, making sure they locked the doors behind them. “You think it’s safe to leave her alone?”
“We’ll only be gone a few minutes.” Carlita tossed the keys to Mercedes. “You drive. I’m done for today.”
On their way out, they passed by the sedan. It was impossible to see inside the tinted windows. The car didn’t follow them. Carlita’s cell phone beeped. It was Ricco. “Is the coast clear?”
Instead of texting a reply, she dialed his cell phone. “I don’t know. We drove right by the car, but they didn’t follow us.”
“Because they’re not lookin’ for you.”
“True.”
“There’s a party store over on Ninth and Greenway. Meet us there.”
“We’re on our way.” Carlita ended the call. “Ricco wants us to meet them over on Ninth and Greenway. You sure no one is following us?”
Mercedes checked the rearview mirror. “Positive.” It was a short drive to the other side of town and the twenty-four-hour convenience store. Ricco and Luigi were already there, waiting for them on the sidewalk.
“Anyone following you?” Luigi asked.
“No, but there’s a sedan parked catty-corner to the alley we didn’t recognize,” Mercedes said. “I think someone might be keeping an eye on our place.”
Ricco jabbed his finger at Carlita. “What was that all about?”
“What was what?”
“You showin’ up at Big Joe’s place. You almost ended up in the river.”
“We decided to check the place out. We made a wrong turn and got into a minor fender bender,” Carlita said. “Thanks for bailing us out.”
Luigi shook his head. “It coulda been bad.”
“I’m sorry. We realize that now.” Carlita quickly changed the subject. “Were you able to find anything out about Phil Duce or the Savannah Six?”
“As a matter of fact, you’re not gonna believe what we heard,” Luigi said.
Chapter 15
“Duce’s fall off the trolley was the tip of the iceberg,” Ricco said. “Somethin’ big is about to go down.”
“You think Duce’s men took Davis Rutger out and they’re about to clean house with the rest of the Savannah thugs?”
“Could be,” Ricco shrugged. “One of the guys started talkin’, musta realized he was sayin’ too much and clammed up.”
“I’m surprised they would tell you anything,” Mercedes said. “Complete strangers walking into a bar and start asking questions.”
“We’re not complete strangers. Vito and Vinnie stopped by there a few months back, talkin’ to some of the local business owners about possibly startin’ a side business in the back,” Luigi reminded them.
“Illegal gambling,” Carlita elaborated. “Which is why the Black Stallion got shut down in the first place.”
“Yep,” Ricco nodded. “Guess Duce and his family, as well as some of the other locals, aren’t giving up on the idea of a lucrative side business, if you know what I mean.”
“Ah.” Carlita lifted a brow. “You let Vito’s name slip, the locals at Big Joe’s warmed up to you, thinkin’ they might have found a new business partner and started talkin’.”
Luigi tapped his finger on the side of his forehead. “Me ‘n Ricco. We’re not as dumb as people think. Besides, Vito…he’s a savvy businessman. He told us Brittney was our number one priority, but while we was down here, we could do a little nosin’ around and find out what happened with the gambling venture.”
Carlita wrinkled her nose. “Is it really that active here in Savannah? Gambling, I mean.”
“Georgia’s a non-gambling state. Vito wants to get in at the ground floor level.” Luigi said Vito had put it on the backburner but decided to take a second look after hearing recent rumors.
“Then Brittney isn’t the real reason you’re here,” Carlita said.
“She is,” Ricco nodded his head. “Vito wants to keep Brittney safe. He figured while we were here, we could do some leg work for him.”
“Back to the Savannah Six and Duce’s men,” Mercedes said. “Do you have any idea when this ‘something big’ is going to take place? We could contact the authorities and give them a heads up.”
“That’s crazy talk,” Ricco grimaced. “Word gets back to our contacts, and our reputation is at stake.”
“And Vito’s.” Luigi nudged Ricco. “Besides, we don’t have cold, hard facts. Just rumors.”
“So, what’s up with this place?” Carlita eyed the rundown party store and noticed a couple of men standing off to the side watching them.
“We needed some smokes,” Ricco said.
“Cigarette smoking is a nasty habit,” Carlita lectured. “Besides, your cigarette smoke is a dead giveaway. One of you were puffin’ awa
y the other night. I had to distract Detective Jackson so he wouldn’t come after you.”
“We got worse habits than smokin’ cigarettes,” Luigi said.
Carlita couldn’t argue the point. “I suppose.”
Luigi accompanied Carlita and Mercedes to their car and then joined Ricco inside the store. The women watched as he handed money to the clerk and then grabbed the cigarettes off the counter while Luigi waited by the door.
On their way out, the clerk must’ve said something. Ricco abruptly stopped. He slowly reached into his jacket pocket, the one Carlita was certain held his gun.
It was a tense few seconds with Ricco’s hand never leaving his pocket. Finally, the men strolled out onto the sidewalk and to the car, their expressions grim.
Carlita rolled down the window. “What was that all about?”
“We gotta get out of here. We’ll talk when we get back to the apartment,” Ricco said in a tight voice. His eyes never stopped moving as he scanned the parking lot.
“We’ll go first to give you a heads up if the coast is clear,” Carlita said.
With a plan in place, Carlita and Mercedes began driving home. Ricco and Luigi followed them until they reached the railroad tracks where the men turned in a different direction.
When they reached the apartment, Mercedes circled their block, driving past the location where the sedan had been parked.
The sedan was still in its original spot. There was a second vehicle parked at the other end of the alley with a bird’s eye view of their parking lot.
“Great. Now what?” Mercedes asked.
Carlita rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I’ll send Ricco a text and tell him to hang tight. There are two cars staking out the alley and the buildings.”
She began tapping out a message while her daughter parked the car. The women casually climbed out of the vehicle and returned to the apartment.
Carlita motioned Mercedes inside first. She closed the door and leaned against it. “I…have an idea. We’ll need some help from Pirate Pete. Hopefully, he’s still at the Parrot House Restaurant.”
Pete didn’t answer, so Carlita sent him a message asking him to call her as soon as possible. “The Parrot House just closed which will work out perfectly. If Pete is at the restaurant, we may be able to get Luigi and Ricco back here without being seen.”
Carlita ran upstairs to check on Brittney, who was still in the bedroom and the lights off. On her way back out, she grabbed her toolbox from the hall closet and joined Mercedes downstairs.
“What’s that for?”
“To pry open the pawnshop’s trapdoor.”
“Whoa.” Mercedes’ eyes grew wide. “You’re gonna sneak Luigi and Ricco in through the pawnshop tunnel? We haven’t used it since…”
“Since we found Mrs. Alder hidden in the tunnel wall.” Carlita’s cell phone rang. “It’s Pete.”
She put the call on speaker. “Hey, Pete. I need a huge favor. I need to send Luigi and Ricco, Vito’s men, your way.” Carlita briefly explained her plan for the men to leave their car parked at the restaurant overnight.
“They’ve been sleepin’ in their car,” Mercedes whispered. “Maybe they could just camp out in the car for the night. I mean, they’ve done it lots of times.”
“I already thought about that. The cops are patrolling the area, and there’s a chance they could be found.” Carlita held the phone back to her mouth. “Sorry, Pete.”
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but perhaps we should park their car in the storage shed on my property,” Pete replied.
“That would be helpful. I need one more favor,” Carlita said. “I need for them to take the tunnel over here…to the pawnshop.”
“I thought you sealed it shut.”
“Yes, it’s nailed shut, but Mercedes and I are gonna pry it open. I’ll send them your way right now. Luigi Baruzzo and Ricco DeGrassi. Thanks, Pete. I owe you one.”
Carlita ended the call and waved her phone in the air. “He said send ‘em over.”
“It’s a good thing you decided not to close off the tunnel,” Mercedes said.
Some time ago, after several incidents involving the tunnel which connected Carlita’s pawnshop with several other underground tunnels, including one that ran to the river, she’d made plans to seal it off.
At the last minute, Carlita had changed her mind and instead decided to install a heavy-duty metal door between the pawnshop’s basement and tunnels, thinking at some point it might come in handy to be able to access the underground system.
As a backup safety feature, Tony had screwed the trapdoor shut.
“Should we go get Tony?” Mercedes followed her mother into the pawnshop and reached for the light switch.
Carlita reached out to stop her. “No lights. We can’t draw attention to the pawnshop. Whoever is watching will see the lights, think that maybe we’re being robbed and decide to investigate. Same for dragging Tony over here. They might wonder what’s going on. I say the two of us try to get it open first and use him as a last resort.”
“True. Good point.”
“But first, we call Ricco and Luigi and tell them to head over to the Parrot House Restaurant, go inside and ask for Pete Taylor.” Carlita was able to reach Luigi right away. She briefly told him her plan to get them back to the apartment, and that Pete would fill them in on how before disconnecting the call.
“We better get a move on.” Carlita set the toolbox on the floor and began shoving the cabinet out of the way.
Mercedes joined her mother, lending a shoulder to the effort. “It won’t budge.”
“We’ll have to empty it.” After emptying and moving the cabinet, Carlita opened the toolbox, using her cell phone’s light to dig through the contents.
She handed Mercedes a small power drill and then reached for a crowbar. “These should do the trick. I’ll hold the light while you take out the screws.”
Mercedes knelt on the floor and began working her way around the door as she removed each of the metal screws. “How many screws did Tony put in here?” Mercedes joked.
“Enough to keep anyone and everyone out.”
After Mercedes finished removing the screws, Carlita pried the edges with the crowbar before setting it aside and grasping the trapdoor’s handle. The rusty hinges groaned in protest as she lifted the door.
Mercedes peered into the dark opening and shivered. “Who knows what creepy crawlies are lurking down there.”
“I’m gonna try not to think about it. I need to unlock the gate for Pete.” Carlita surveyed her surroundings. “I’ll need a flashlight.”
“Tony keeps one in the desk drawer.” Mercedes darted to the desk and returned with a small flashlight. She handed it to her mother.
“Thanks.” Carlita gripped the flashlight in one hand and took a hesitant step down into the musty-smelling darkness. “If you hear me scream, run.”
“I can go instead,” Mercedes offered.
“No. Someone needs to stay up here. Besides, I’m kidding. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Carlita swallowed hard and forced herself to keep moving. When she reached the bottom rung, she ran the flashlight along the perimeter of the thick brick walls.
She gingerly stepped onto the uneven dirt floor and took a tentative step forward, whacking the top of her forehead on a low beam. “Ouch.”
“You okay?” Mercedes hollered.
“I’m fine. I whacked my head.” She placed a light hand to her head and continued walking toward the tunnel’s entrance. Carlita patted her pockets and realized she’d forgotten the keys.
She returned to the ladder. “I need my keys.”
Mercedes tossed them to her.
“Thanks.” Carlita retraced her steps and approached the metal gate. It was easy to locate the gate key, which was larger and heavier than the other keys.
There was a dull thud coming from inside the tunnel and Carlita jumped, nearly dropping the flashlight. She ignored a second clanking noise as she fumbled to unlo
ck the gate.
There was another thud followed by a scurrying sound. She darted to the ladder and hopped onto a lower rung to wait for Pete and the others.
Mercedes stuck her head over the side. “What’s it like down there?”
“Creepy, dark, dank. The same as it was last time we were down here. I hope they hurry.”
A muffled sound echoed from the tunnel. “I think they’re coming.” Carlita flashed the light on the floor to check for movement before slowly returning to the tunnel’s entrance.
A beam of bright light bounced off the wall, and then the light grew brighter. Moments later, Pete, followed by Luigi and Ricco, entered the tunnel and joined Carlita.
Ricco swiped at his shoulders. “That was an interesting trip.”
“Thank you for bringing them here, Pete.” Carlita smiled gratefully.
“No worries. Their vehicle is safe for the night,” Pete said. “I best get back to the restaurant. I told my staff I was giving a couple of tourists a private tour.”
“Tourists?” Luigi snorted. “We don’t look like no tourists.”
“Which is why I should get going.” Pirate Pete winked at Carlita. “Is there anything else for my lady?”
Carlita’s heart skipped a beat. “No. Thanks again. I owe you one.”
“I’m never too busy to help a lass in distress.” Pete gave the men a curt nod, Carlita a smile and disappeared inside the tunnel. She waited until he turned the corner and his flashlight dimmed before locking the gate behind him. “This way.”
“Who is that guy?”
“A friend. His name is Pirate Pete Taylor. He owns Parrot House Restaurant along with a couple of other businesses.”
“I think he’s got the hots for you,” Luigi teased. “He talked about you the entire way here.”
Carlita could feel her cheeks burn in the darkness, and she ignored the comment. “Follow me.”
She led them up the ladder and into the pawnshop. After they were safely inside, Carlita shut the trapdoor and clicked the deadbolt in place. “Let’s slide the cabinet back.”
With Luigi and Ricco’s assistance, they easily slid the cabinet on top of the hidden trapdoor.
“I never been in an underground tunnel,” Luigi said. “New York has them, but they’re full of rats.”
Turmoil in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 13) Page 11
