She reluctantly pulled away, her cheeks flushed. “You know how to make me forget all about my problems.”
“There’s more where that came from.”
The sound of voices echoed as a group of employees strode down the dock, heading their way.
Pete had a brief word with them about cleaning the galley and mopping the upper deck while Carlita quietly waited for him to finish and for them to make their way inside. “I need to get going.”
“We’ll continue where we left off, perhaps tomorrow after we’re done cleaning the courtyard.”
One of the employees returned. “Sorry, Boss. Do we need to clean the fryer?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll let you go.” Carlita gave him a small wave and made the short walk home where she found her children had all gathered inside the apartment. “Sorry if I’m holding you up.”
“Not at all,” Vinnie said. “We ordered pizzas. They should be here anytime.”
The pizzas arrived, and while they ate, the family discussed visiting the zoo the next day and then heading downtown to the City Market street parade the following evening. As soon as they finished eating, Shelby, Tony, Paulie and Gina rounded up the kids and headed home.
Not long after, Vinnie and Brittney turned in for the night, and Mercedes returned to Autumn’s place.
After everyone was gone, Carlita took Rambo out for his final evening patrol. Her gaze drifted to Elvira’s place. The lights were off, and the place was dark. She wondered how Luigi and Ricco had fared with Jersey Joe.
She wasn’t sure what to think about the man. On the one hand, he seemed reasonable, but on the other hand, she wasn’t fooled by his laid-back demeanor. Joe Mariani had been hired by Vito for one reason, which was to find out what had happened to Roxy.
Carlita thought about the investigation and was somewhat surprised the police hadn’t shown up on her doorstep yet. The fact they hadn’t filled her with uneasiness.
After Rambo finished, they returned inside for another restless night. She heard the baby cry a couple times, the floor creaking as steps were taken and whispering voices as baby Vinnie’s parents tended to him.
She was accustomed to Mercedes lurking around half the night, working on her latest novel, but the baby crying and voices were something she wasn’t used to. It didn’t help that every time the baby cried, Rambo whined.
The last time she heard him was early morning. Carlita lay there for over an hour, trying to go back to sleep before finally giving up.
She was prepared this time and had gotten the coffee ready the previous night. It finished brewing, and she poured a cup before stepping onto the balcony for her morning weather check. It was going to be another crisp and cool day in Savannah.
Carlita returned inside and settled in front of the computer to catch up on her emails and look at the business accounts and online ledgers. After she finished, she flipped through all of the wonderful pictures she’d taken at the party.
There was a family photo Reese had taken, and a second one with all of them plus Pete. Deeming it the perfect Christmas gift, Carlita placed an online order to the local office supply store that offered picture printing services. She ordered several copies and was thrilled to discover they would be ready for pick up that afternoon.
After placing her order, she continued scrolling through the pictures until she got to the one of Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys with the fireworks bursting in a dazzling display of color overhead. She had managed to capture the perfect shot.
Remembering her promise to Cool Bones to give him a copy, she placed another order and added it to her pickup.
It was nearly nine when she finished her bookwork, and Vinnie joined her. “Hey, Ma.”
“Morning, Son.”
“Did we keep you up last night? The baby was fussy.”
“It’s okay.” She smiled as she watched him wander into the kitchen and pour a cup of coffee.
“Brittney’s in the bathroom getting ready. We’re going to eat breakfast downtown and then meet up with the others at the zoo.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“Do you want to go?”
“No, thanks. You go on ahead. I promised Pete I would help him clean up his courtyard.”
Vinnie sipped his coffee, studying his mother over the rim of the cup. “You like him.”
“I do.”
“He seems like a good guy.”
“He is,” Carlita agreed.
“Do you think you two are gonna get serious?”
Carlita studied her son thoughtfully. She remembered how her relationship with John Alder had started out with so much promise and then fizzled. Looking back, it had been too soon. Carlita hadn’t been ready. She was still mourning the death of her husband.
Things were different now. Pete was different. “Maybe. Are you okay with that?”
“I am. In fact, I think it’s time. Pops wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life alone.”
“Probably not. Had it been the other way around, I would’ve wanted him to find someone.” Carlita changed the subject. “Brittney mentioned another baby last night. You think you’re ready for another one?”
“Not yet, but I’m not getting any younger, you know?” Vinnie joked. “How’s it workin’ out with Luigi and Elvira?”
Carlita tipped her hand back and forth. “So-so. He likes working for her, I think.”
“Luigi’s a good guy.”
“You don’t think he took Roxy out, do you?”
“No. She was irritating, but not irritating enough to snuff out,” Vinnie said. “Or stab.”
“Right.”
The outer bell rang, and Carlita jumped. “Now, who could that be?”
“Tony or Paulie?”
“Tony has a key.” Carlita hurried to the window and lifted the blind to have a peek outside. “Great.”
Chapter 16
“What is it?” Vinnie asked.
“Not what, but who. The cops are standing on the back stoop.”
“I figured they were gonna show up sooner, rather than later.” Vinnie joined his mother. “You want me to go down and see what they want?”
“Maybe we should both go.”
Before they left, Vinnie made a quick stop in the back of the apartment to give his wife a heads up that the cops were there and to finish getting ready.
During Carlita’s initial check from the living room window, she saw only two police officers, but when she opened the door, she discovered there were three. “Hello.”
“Mrs. Garlucci?” One of them tipped his hat.
“Yes.”
“We’re with the Savannah-Burnham Police Department. We would like to ask you a few questions about the death of an acquaintance, Roxy Ciccone.” The officer finished speaking and then noticed Vinnie standing directly behind her.
“Hello, Officer Thryce.”
“Mr. Garlucci. I was hoping you would be around since you were next on our list to visit.”
“Please. Come in,” Carlita shifted to the side. “My daughter-in-law and grandson are upstairs getting ready to leave, but we can speak in the living room.”
The trio followed Carlita and Vinnie up the stairs.
“We’re reaching out to the guests who were on board The Flying Gunner the other night. From what we understand, all of your tenants were on the ship as well,” Thryce said.
“They were. Autumn Winter lives across the hall from me. Cool Bones…Charles Benson lives behind me and Sam Ivey, a former Savannah police officer, lives in the catty-corner unit.”
“Sam Ivey,” one of the officers echoed. “I thought the name sounded familiar.”
Thryce started the questioning, asking how well Carlita knew Roxy Ciccone, if she noticed Roxy exhibiting any unusual behavior, or if there were any incidents that stuck out in her mind.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, and I’m sure you’ve already heard this. Roxy wasn’t the most pleasant person. She argued with h
er co-worker, her former co-worker and my daughter. She had words with Elvira Cobb, the owner of EC Investigative Services and EC Security Services, and her sister, Dernice Cobb, who were also onboard the ship.”
“I’m aware of all of the above. I’m also aware that during the last altercation, Ms. Mercedes Garlucci took a swing at Roxy, striking her in the jaw. The victim retaliated by punching your daughter, and they both fell onto the deck.” The officer consulted his notepad. “Which is when Luigi Baruzzo and Ricco DeGrassi, Ms. Ciccone’s former co-worker and current co-worker, respectively, stepped in to break up the fight.”
“Correct.”
“Then what happened?” the officer prompted.
“Mr. Taylor, the owner of The Flying Gunner, fired a shot into the air to stop the fighting. He escorted Ms. Ciccone to a secure area in the back of his ship and locked her inside.”
“Were you aware Ms. Ciccone possessed a firearm?”
“I was. I saw Mr. DeGrassi take it from her,” Carlita said, “which was the smart thing to do if you ask me.”
“And do you know what he did with the weapon once he wrestled it away from Ms. Ciccone?”
Carlita eyed the cop closely. He was trying to lead her, trying to get her to say something to incriminate Luigi, or Mercedes…or possibly even Pete. “I don’t know. Perhaps you should ask him.”
“I have.”
“Then, why are you asking me?”
“Just curious,” Thryce replied. “Do you remember seeing anyone walk to the back of the ship after Ms. Ciccone was…secured/detained?”
“No. No one.”
“Did you go back there again?” the officer probed.
“Yes, after the party ended and the ship docked in Merry Bay, Mr. Taylor and I went back there. That’s when we discovered the bathroom door was open and that Roxy was gone.”
“Anything else?”
“There were a few spots of blood,” Carlita said.
“But no sign of Roxy?”
“None.”
“Did you contact the authorities after you found the blood?”
Bam. This was the reason the officers were there. He wanted Carlita to incriminate herself…or Pete.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because we didn’t know what happened. We started searching for Roxy, calling her cell phone. For all we knew, she could’ve injured herself trying to escape, jumped over the side of the ship and swam to shore.”
“But you don’t really believe that,” Thryce insisted.
“I suppose. I mean, anything is possible, but yeah, it was unlikely.”
Thryce turned his attention to Vinnie. “You reported Roxy missing, you and Mr. Taylor. You were Roxy’s employer.”
“I am…was,” Vinnie confirmed.
“You’re employed by the Treasure Cove Casino.” Thryce consulted his notes again. “Up in New Jersey.”
“I’m the manager.”
“Roxy worked there too.”
“She did,” Vinnie confirmed.
“The owner of Treasure Cove is Vito Castellini, who also happens to be your father-in-law.” Thryce didn’t wait for Vinnie’s confirmation. “The Castellini family is well-known to law enforcement. In the course of our initial investigation, we discovered Roxy was your wife’s bodyguard. So was Ricco DeGrassi. Mr. Castellini wouldn’t send two armed bodyguards to Savannah for a family holiday unless there was a reason for concern. Do you know what that concern might have been?”
Vinnie blew air through thinned lips. “Brittney is always accompanied by bodyguards. She has been from the moment I met her and probably will be until the day she dies.”
The way the cop reacted made Carlita think he was already aware of this, and that he knew it was the standard operating procedure for Brittney.
“Is your wife here?” Thryce asked.
“She is. She’s in the back with our son.”
“Do you mind if I have a word with her?”
“Of course not.” Vinnie excused himself to go get her while Carlita remained silent.
Brittney teetered into the living room, holding the baby on her hip, her eyes wide. “Vinnie said you wanted to talk to me.”
“Mrs. Garlucci?”
“Yes.”
“I’m here to ask you a few questions.” The officer’s voice softened as he glanced at the infant in her arms. “I’m sorry about the death of your…friend, Roxy Ciccone.”
“It’s awful.”
“How close were you to Ms. Ciccone?”
“Roxy worked for Daddy for years, but I didn’t know her well. Then, when Luigi left, Roxy took his place.”
“Can you recall if she had any enemies, anyone who would want to harm or kill her?”
“I…” Brittney blinked rapidly. “No. I’m sorry, I don’t know of anyone who would directly want to harm Roxy.”
The officer asked Brittney a few more questions and then excused her when the baby started to fuss.
Carlita pointedly gazed at her watch. “Is there anything else you need?”
“As a matter of fact, I would like to take a quick look around,” Thryce said.
“Why?”
“To cover all of my bases.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Carlita pressed her palms together and defiantly lifted her head.
“I have a search warrant.” The officer calmly removed a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “I have a warrant to search the entire building, if necessary.”
“This is harassment,” Vinnie exploded.
Thryce motioned to the other officers. “You start here. I’ll start in the back.”
The apartment was small, and it didn’t take long for the cops to look around. Thryce took the longest, snooping around Carlita’s laptop while she hovered behind him. “You’re wasting your time.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Thryce pivoted, facing Carlita. “Do you mind if I take a look at your arms?”
“My arms?”
“Pull up your sleeves.”
“I don’t do drugs,” Carlita pursed her lips.
Thryce ignored the comment. “You too, Mr. Garlucci.”
Carlita and Vinnie reluctantly rolled up their sleeves, moving them back and forth as Thryce inspected their skin. He studied Carlita’s neck, and then his gaze traveled all the way down.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Clues. That’s enough. Thank you,” Thryce said. “Where is your daughter, the one who argued with Roxy hours before her death?”
“She’s staying across the hall at Autumn Winter’s place while my son and his wife occupy her room.”
“Perfect. I can kill two birds with one stone.” Thryce and the other officers made their way out of the apartment and to Autumn’s front door.
Carlita was right behind them. There was no way she was going to allow him to bully Mercedes and Autumn like he attempted to do to her.
He knocked loudly. The door opened, and Autumn appeared. “Hello.”
“Good morning. I’m Officer Thryce and am here to talk to Mercedes Garlucci.”
“She’s in the back.”
The officer consulted his notes. “Autumn Winter?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Can I come in? I would like to ask you a few questions about Roxy Ciccone.”
“I...” Autumn stepped into the hall and pulled the door shut behind her. “It’s messy.”
“He has a search warrant,” Carlita said.
“Why would you want to search my apartment?” Autumn’s jaw dropped. “I never even talked to Roxy. In fact, I didn’t even know her name until yesterday.”
“I don’t plan to search your apartment unless you refuse to let me in.”
“Fine.” Autumn relented. “You can come in.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Determined to keep tabs on what he asked Mercedes, Carlita squeezed in behind them.
Thryce arched his brow.
“I have a right to be here. You’re not gonna railroad my daughter and tenant.”
“Suit yourself.” Thryce asked Autumn the same standard questions. He didn’t bother jotting her answers down, which Carlita assumed meant he didn’t consider her to be a suspect.
“Is Mercedes Garlucci available?”
“She…” Autumn’s eyes slid to the side as she looked at Carlita.
“Do I need your permission to talk to your daughter?” Thryce shot Carlita a quizzical look.
“No. You can talk to Mercedes. She has nothing to hide.”
Autumn hurried to the back and returned moments later with Mercedes. “Autumn said you wanted to talk to me.”
“I’m Officer Thryce from the Savannah-Burnham Police Department.” Thryce repeated the same greeting he had to Carlita and her son and then began a similar round of questioning.
Her answers were almost identical to Carlita’s, and the only difference was her explanation of the events leading up to the altercation between her and Roxy. “She was hitting on my boyfriend.”
“And you took a swing at her for hitting on him?”
“No. Sam can take care of himself.”
“Hold up.” Thryce lifted a hand. “Sam?”
“Sam Ivey.”
“Former police officer, Sam Ivey,” the cop confirmed.
“Yes,” Mercedes nodded.
“This is getting more interesting by the minute,” Thryce said. “Let me get this straight. Roxy Ciccone hit on your boyfriend, Sam Ivey. You told her to knock it off, and when she didn’t, you took a swing at her.”
“That’s where you’re getting it wrong,” Mercedes said. “Like I said, Sam can take care of himself. It was the slur she called me.”
“A slur,” Thryce repeated.
“She called me a fat schifosa – a fat ugly woman, so I hit her.”
“And she hit back.”
“Yes.” Mercedes finished the story, how Roxy landed a punch to her gut, they fell to the deck, which was when Luigi and Ricco sprang into action, and Luigi took Roxy’s gun from her.
“Did you know she was carrying a weapon?”
“No, but I wasn’t surprised. A lot of women carry concealed weapons, at least the ones I know do.”
“Did you see Roxy again, after she was escorted away from the party and locked in a bathroom?”
Christmas Family Style in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 15) Page 12
