Pete’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “After you show me the map.”
The employee, who stood watching them, cleared his throat.
Carlita motioned to him. “You go on, Pete. I’ll look at my pictures from last night and let you know if I find anything. If you could send me a copy of the guest list, that would be helpful.”
Pete promised he would and then thanked her before heading inside.
“So, I was thinking.” Elvira motioned for Carlita to climb into the van. “It’s probably gonna be in our best interest to start our own investigation into Roxy’s death. Not that I wouldn’t like to get rid of Luigi, but I don’t think it’s fair for him to get hung with Roxy’s death, especially when he jumped in to stop her from attacking Mercedes.”
“Not to mention you two had words.” Carlita remembered something Luigi had alluded to…some sort of “project” Elvira was working on. “What’s this about some super-secret project you’re working on?”
“I can’t discuss it.”
“Can’t discuss it with me or can’t discuss it with the world?”
“Both. I signed a confidentiality agreement, and so did Luigi. He shouldn’t have even brought it up. We could both get into a lot of trouble.” Elvira made a slicing motion across her neck. She turned onto their street and circled the block.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking it out.”
“Checking what out?”
Elvira sighed exaggeratedly. “Seriously? I’m looking for cops and the ‘family,’ someone besides your suit guy.”
“Joe Mariani,” Carlita said.
“The guy who’s here from up north to bring the hammer down on us.” Elvira shot her a quick look. “You’ve always struck me as a little naïve. How did you manage to get caught up with the mob?”
“I married into it. And it appears once in the ‘family’…always in the ‘family.’”
Elvira eased into an empty parking spot and shut the van off before meeting Carlita near the back. “The black cloud family. I’ve never seen someone with as many crises as you. I’m surprised you’re not in therapy.”
“Maybe I should be. Although I have to say half of my crises directly involve you.”
“When?” Elvira demanded as they began walking.
“Are we going over that again? The time you went missing, the time you were arrested, not to mention just recently when I had to track you down in Florida after a woman was found dead inside your building.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t want me to start on your list.” Elvira’s hand shot out. “Hang on. You feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“Like someone is watching us. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. It’s coming from that direction.” Elvira jabbed her finger toward Cool Bones’ window.
“Cool Bones is watching us?”
“It’s coming from the general vicinity of your building. I’ve felt it before – like I’m being watched.”
“It’s called paranoia,” Carlita joked.
“Very funny.”
They began walking again. When Carlita headed toward her apartment door, Elvira stopped her. “You want to start our investigation in your apartment?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“What if Vito’s guy, Mr. Suit, bugged your building and your apartment?”
Carlita hadn’t considered the possibility, but Elvira was right…and she would know. “Then let’s go to your place.”
Elvira unlocked her backdoor and waited for Carlita to step inside. “We’ll go over the pictures from last night first. Maybe there’s a clue that will help us figure out who found her.”
“The hippopotamus found her.”
“Hippopotamus? Yeah, a wild animal found Roxy.” Elvira pressed a hand to Carlita’s forehead. “Are you feeling all right? You’re not running a fever. Maybe you’re stressed out from the fact your boyfriend and your daughter are about to become murder suspects. Or it could be the stress of having your whole family under the same roof.”
Carlita swatted her hand away. “A passenger or passengers on the hippopotamus float boat were the ones who found Roxy’s body. They were a couple boats ahead of us on the first leg of the trip, and a couple boats behind us during the return trip.”
“Which means they found Roxy shortly after she fell off.” Elvira peered into the alley and then closed the door behind them.
“It stands to reason.” Carlita followed her through the apartment and to the front, where both EC Investigative Services and EC Security Services command center was located.
Dernice was seated at the security services desk. “Hey, Carlita. I got Pete’s text. I’m sorry to hear about Roxy’s death last night.”
“Me too.” Carlita glanced around. “Is Luigi working?”
“No. He was summoned next door by Vinnie.”
“That’s right. I’m sure Joe is grilling him about his involvement.”
“Joe?” Dernice gave Carlita her full attention.
“Luigi’s ex-employer, who also happened to be Roxy’s employer, sent him down to find out what happened.”
“I figured he was gonna be in the hot seat since he and Ricco jumped in to help Mercedes.”
“Let no good deed go unpunished,” Elvira said. “Have a seat.”
Carlita rounded the desk and noticed the new front entrance door. “I like your new door.”
“Thanks to Dernice. I took it out of her pay since she’s the one who blew it off.”
Dernice shot her sister a death look. “It was an accident.”
“Well, it looks very nice.”
Elvira removed a laptop from the drawer and set it on her desk. “Send me copies of the pictures you took last night. While you’re doing that, I’ll try to find out who had the hippo parade boat.”
“The hippo did Roxy in?” Dernice asked. “I remember seeing a hippo on one of the boats.”
“Whoever was on board that boat pulled her from the water,” Elvira reached for the mouse. “It makes sense. Roxy was being detained in the back of the ship, which is where she went over.”
Dernice picked up. “Which means, chances are, she didn’t go over until after we turned around for the return trip.”
“So, maybe someone on board the boat saw or heard something,” Carlita chimed in.
“The cops already have that information,” Elvira said. “I drove by the river on my way here and noticed the cops searching Pete’s ship.”
While Elvira talked, Carlita pulled up the pictures from the party and sent them to her. “I sent you the pictures.”
Elvira began humming under her breath. “Got them. Geez. You made them giganotosaurus.”
“Sorry.”
“I can fix it.” She continued humming as she tapped the keys. “All right. I have them assembled. You want to have a looky-loo?”
Dernice and Carlita gathered behind Elvira and studied the screen. The first few pictures were of Carlita’s grandchildren with Santa.
“Who was Santa?” Elvira asked.
“Mark Fox.”
“I thought I recognized Glenda’s nasally voice when Mrs. Claus spoke.” Elvira chuckled. “Man, I am good.”
“Good at what? Being judgmental?” Carlita couldn’t stop herself, and Elvira swung around. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re not nice sometimes,” Dernice answered. “Maybe people think you have a nasal voice too.”
“I didn’t say it to her face, at least not that I can remember.” Elvira clicked through the rest of the children’s pictures. She stopped when she reached the ones of Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys.
“Do you see something?” Carlita asked.
“No. I was thinking about how gorgeous Cool Bones is. Do you think he still has the portrait I painted of him hanging above his fireplace?”
“Maybe you should find out,” Carlita teased.
“Yeah, maybe I should.” Elvira slowly clicked through the pictures Carlita had ta
ken of the guests on the dance floor. There were several photos taken from different angles of Mercedes and Sam dancing, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Gina and Paulie.
“That’s it.” Elvira clicked away. “That’s all of them.”
“Go back,” Dernice said. “I think I might have noticed something.”
Chapter 12
“Go back to which picture?” Elvira asked.
“I’ll let you know when to stop.” Dernice grew quiet as Elvira pulled up the pictures again.
“There.”
Carlita leaned in. It was a shot of the edge of the dance floor and the refreshment table, which was right next to Santa’s chair…Santa’s empty chair.
“I see Santa heading up the stairs,” Elvira said.
“Right toward the back of the ship where Roxy was being kept,” Carlita squinted her eyes. “I wonder if Roxy was still back there at the time.”
“She had to have been, right?” Elvira said.
“No.” Dernice shook her head. “The fireworks started after the ship turned around. Check the time stamp on your cell phone, Carlita.”
Carlita scrolled through the pictures until she found the one of Santa heading up the stairs. “I took this at ten ‘til ten.”
Elvira slid out of her chair and wandered to the window. “Roxy’s been detained in the bathroom. The party resumes. The ship reaches the turnaround point. Instead of us following the hippopotamus boat, the boat that recovered Roxy’s body is now following us.”
“What if Santa’s the culprit?” Dernice asked.
“Mark Fox?” Elvira looked skeptical. “It’s possible, but what’s his motive?”
“I don’t think it was Mark Fox,” Carlita shook her head. “He spent most of the evening with the children.”
“Leave no stone unturned,” Dernice said. “He witnessed the incident on the deck. I’m sure he, along with everyone else, watched Pete escort Roxy to the back of the ship. He had to have known she was back there. I would think he would want to avoid the area.”
“True. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask Glenda to ask him if he noticed anything when he went up there.” Carlita dialed Glenda’s cell phone. She left a message when she didn’t answer, asking her to return the call.
She ended the call and discovered she had a new text message. It was from Pete, and there was an attachment. “Pete sent me a copy of the guest list.”
“Great.” Elvira rubbed her hands together. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Someone on board that ship stabbed Roxy and contributed to her death. The quicker we can start narrowing down the list of suspects, the better.”
“We might as well get the ball rolling and assemble a list of potential suspects.” Dernice grabbed a yellow pad and pen off the desk. “I’m putting Santa at the top of the list. I know what you said, but he’s the first person we have actual footage of who was headed in that direction after Roxy was locked up.”
“Unfortunately, you’re going to have to add Luigi and Ricco to the list,” Carlita said.
“Yep.” Dernice jotted their names under Santa’s. “And Mercedes. She popped Roxy in the jaw, which put everything leading up to Roxy’s death into motion. Pete is going on the list too.”
“Ricco didn’t care for Roxy,” Carlita said. “Wouldn’t that be something if he saw this as his opportunity to get rid of her and have his former co-worker, Luigi, take the rap?”
Now that Carlita really thought about it, it would be the perfect setup, with dozens of witnesses. Even though Ricco had jumped in to help Luigi, it could have been all for show. She remembered a comment Ricco had made to Roxy right after they arrived the previous day. It was some sort of slur.
“Ricco called Roxy a zips,” Carlita said. “Mercedes told me it’s some sort of insult.”
“Zips.” Elvira tapped the keyboard. “I found it. Italian Americans and Sicilian Americans use zips as a slur when referencing newer immigrant Mafiosi.”
Dernice drew an arrow on the sheet. “I’m moving Ricco to the top of the suspect list.”
Carlita’s cell phone rang. It was Glenda Fox, returning her call.
“Wait.” Elvira held out a hand. “Don’t tell her we saw Santa heading up the stairs. I want to see if she mentions it.”
“Right.” Carlita answered the call. “Hi, Glenda. Thank you for calling me back. I’m gonna put you on speaker so Elvira and Dernice can hear.” She tapped the button and continued speaking. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m sure you know by now Roxy Ciccone, the woman who caused so much trouble at the party last night, has died. I was wondering if you or Mark remember anything about the party or Roxy that might be significant.”
“Pete warned us the police asked for a copy of the guest list and that they might contact us. As far as Roxy goes, I don’t remember much about the woman.” Glenda explained that after she and Mark arrived, they headed upstairs to grab a bite to eat before Mark changed into his Santa suit.
“He changed on board the ship?” Carlita interrupted. “Did he use the main restroom on the lower deck?”
“No. He used a small bathroom on the upper deck, in the back. He didn’t want any of the children to see him enter the bathroom as a stranger and come out as Santa.”
“That makes perfect sense,” Carlita said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No problem. After Mark changed into the Santa suit, we switched spots, and I used the same restroom to change into the Mrs. Claus outfit.”
“The bathroom in the back,” Carlita verified.
“Right. It’s the same one I’m assuming Pete used to put Roxy in after she attacked poor Mercedes,” Glenda said. “Of course, you would know more about that than I do.”
“Yes, that was the bathroom he put her in,” Carlita said.
“That’s about all. Like I said, after we ate, Mark and I spent most of our time with the children. Your grandchildren are absolutely adorable. They were so sweet. Gracie came back later and shared a piece of her candy with Santa.”
“Thank you. They are good kids, and they talked about Santa and Mrs. Claus all morning.”
“Ask her about Mark,” Elvira tapped Carlita’s shoulder and whispered in her ear.
“Yes. Right. Glenda, do you know if Mark remembers anything significant about Roxy?”
“As a matter of fact, he and I discussed it at breakfast after Pete filled us in on what had happened. Neither of us remembers much about her other than the incident. She did talk to us before the ship departed, demanding to know who we were and what our real names were.” Glenda started to say something else and then stopped.
“What is it?” Carlita prompted.
“I hate to be nosy, but who was she? We got the impression she wasn’t one of Pete’s guests.”
“She was there to protect my daughter-in-law.”
Glenda’s voice grew small. “That’s what Mark and I thought…maybe she had something to do with your son. He works at a casino up north if I remember correctly.”
“He manages a casino in New Jersey,” Carlita confirmed.
“So, maybe your daughter-in-law can give you more information since Roxy stayed close to her most of the evening.”
“You’re right.” Carlita was certain Jersey Joe had already spoken to Brittney at length, but it wouldn’t hurt for them to have a chat with her, as well.
“Elvira here. So, after Roxy was escorted out of the party, you never saw her again.”
“Nope,” Glenda said. “Mark left once to use the bathroom. He planned to go upstairs and then remembered Roxy was up there, so he went downstairs.”
Carlita shot Elvira a triumphant gaze. “Thank you for calling me back. Maybe we can get together for coffee sometime next week.”
“That would be great.” There was a moment of silence on the other end. “You don’t think the police will suspect Mercedes had anything to do with Roxy’s death, do you?”
“I think the police will have several suspects, including Mercedes,” Carlita sighed.<
br />
“If I can help in any other way, please let me know.”
Carlita thanked her friend before ending the call. She waved her cell phone in the air. “See? Santa is innocent.”
“Maybe,” Elvira shrugged. “I’m still not ruling anyone out. Can you send me a copy of the guest list? I want to take a look at it.”
Elvira waited for Carlita to forward the list and then printed a copy.
The trio gathered around the desk, studying the names:
The Garlucci Family: Carlita, Mercedes, Vinnie + 2, Paulie + 4, Tony, Shelby, Violet
Security? (Ask Carlita)
Annie Dowton
Mark and Glenda Fox (Santa and Mrs. Claus)
Tori Montgomery
Byron Greeley (Tori’s butler and friend)
Sam Ivey
Cool Bones & the Jazz Boys: Charles Benson, Duke Drake, Lee Strange, Savannah Blue
Autumn Winter
Claryce “Reese” Magillicuddy
Ken Gibbons
There were a few more names on the list, some that looked vaguely familiar to Carlita, perhaps because Pete had mentioned them.
There was a list of employees and a small legend, indicating whether they were The Flying Gunner employees or the Parrot House restaurant employees at the bottom.
“Hey.” Carlita elbowed Elvira. “I noticed your buddy, Ken, is on the list. I don’t remember seeing him there.”
“He couldn’t make it. Looking back, it’s probably a good thing. Ken has a somewhat sketchy background,” Elvira said. “He would definitely be considered a person of interest.”
“Which is why you should never have gotten involved in the Agamerian Project,” Dernice said.
Carlita perked up. “I’m dying to know what this super-secret project is.”
“It’s…”
Elvira wagged her finger at her sister. “Confidentiality agreement.”
“Right.” Dernice cast Carlita an apologetic look. “I can’t talk about it. Although I would love to. It’s absolutely fascinating.”
“Dernice,” Elvira warned as she shook her head.
“Fine.” Dernice changed the subject. “So, now what? We have a list of suspects, all family…literally and figuratively, and a few friends. How do we figure out who had it in for Roxy?”
Christmas Family Style in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 15) Page 9
