Christmas Family Style in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 15)

by Hope Callaghan

  She briefly wondered how much trouble Elvira could get into if the city found out what she was doing. There were several cracks in the bricks, something she hadn’t noticed when she and Dernice were in the tunnel.

  Carlita wedged her fingernail inside one of the larger cracks.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Checking out these cracks. This is a fresh one.” Carlita took a step back, her eyes following the crack from the ceiling all the way down to the dirt floor. “This is what I’m talking about. You’re tinkering with these tunnels, and if you’re not careful, you could cause some real damage.”

  Elvira shoved a hand on her hip. “You’re right. I never noticed these before. Hang on.” She ran back to the tunnel entrance. “Hey, Luigi! We’re gonna call it a day. We’re cracking the tunnel walls.”

  They continued walking with Carlita keeping an eye on the uneven ground. She tiptoed to one side, placing a light hand on the damp wall to balance herself. When she removed it, she discovered that her hand was wet. “I don’t know what this means, but this wall is damp.”

  “It’s just a little condensation,” Elvira muttered as she kept moving.

  When they reached the end of the tunnel where it “T’d” off, Elvira shined her flashlight to the left. “That’s the way you and Dernice took.” She shined it in the opposite direction. “Down here is the area I’m trying to access.”

  There was a scuttling sound, and Carlita cringed, certain that at any moment, a huge tunnel rat was going to land on her head.

  “I saw a rat the other day.” Elvira held her hands six inches apart. “He had to be that big.”

  The scuttling sound echoed again, and Carlita wondered if the rat was following them.

  “I can handle a lot of things, but rats aren’t one of them. I screamed, not one of those girlie screams, but loud.” Elvira let out a loud yelp, so loud Carlita’s ears started ringing. “Like that. I think I scared both of us.”

  Heavy steps echoed behind them. Luigi appeared, gun drawn. “What’s goin’ on? I heard someone screaming.”

  “It was me,” Elvira said. “I was telling Carlita about my encounter with Ralph the Rat.”

  Luigi relaxed his grip. “Don’t scream like that again unless you’re in trouble.”

  “Sorry.”

  He tucked the weapon in his waistband. “Now that I’m here, I might as well keep an eye on you.”

  They took twenty steps forward before Elvira abruptly stopped. She shined her light against the tunnel wall. “Check this out.”

  Carlita inched forward. “What am I looking at?”

  “This.”

  There was a crude carving on the side of the wall.

  “It looks like a map.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Elvira said excitedly. “This is the map I mentioned to Pete. See the wavy part? It looks like water and maybe even a treasure chest.”

  Carlita wasn’t as convinced as Elvira that it was a treasure map, but it was some sort of diagram, and there were waves, which could easily be interpreted as water.

  “I’ve been digging around online trying to research ships and lost treasures, but nothing is coming up.” Elvira continued walking. “I’m still thinking, maybe I should show this to Pete. The two of us could work together to try to figure out if this is authentic. Since he happens to have a ship, we could put together a search and recovery dive team to comb the waters.”

  “Wouldn’t that be something?” Elvira’s eyes lit. “I can see it now…‘Investigator Elvira Cobb makes a twenty-first century discovery of a sunken pirate ship.’”

  “I…it’s something worth looking into,” Carlita agreed.

  “Let’s keep moving.” At the end of the tunnel, Elvira stopped again. “The pirate treasure map is only part of my exciting discovery.”

  Chapter 19

  Elvira illuminated a small hole nearly the size of a baseball in the brick wall. “There’s something back here.”

  Carlita peered into the hole. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Look to the left.”

  Carlita shifted her gaze and spotted an object. “There’s something on the ground.”

  “Yep, and if my calculations are correct, my basement is on the other side.”

  “You need to research the structural integrity of the wall,” Carlita reminded her.

  “Right. There’s that.” Elvira handed Luigi the flashlight. “Hang onto this.” She pulled a small pickax from her pocket and began chipping away at the wall.

  “That is going to take you forever.”

  “Maybe. I have patience.” Elvira continued to pick at the hole. “I only need to make it large enough to get a clear visual. Then, I’ll know if I’m wasting my time busting through here. Who knows? I might find the next Sutton Hoo.”

  Chip. Chip.

  “Sutton who?” Luigi grunted.

  Elvira stopped chipping and stared at him in disbelief. “You’ve never heard of Sutton Hoo?”

  “I haven’t either,” Carlita said.

  “Sutton Hoo, Suffolk was only the location of one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the early 1900s.” She continued chipping as she talked. “The owner of the property, Edith something or other, contacted an archaeologist to investigate some burial mounds on her property.”

  Elvira told them the archaeologist, Basil Brown, uncovered an intact imprint of a ship, roughly eighty-six feet long.

  “And it was filled with what?” Carlita asked.

  “The richest haul of priceless objects in our lifetime,” Elvira said. “What if I find an intact imprint of a pirate ship? I would be famous. My name would be in all the history books.”

  “It would be something,” Carlita agreed.

  Elvira stopped chipping and took the flashlight from Luigi. “There’s definitely something in there.”

  “Your treasure ship?” Carlita joked.

  “Very funny.”

  Elvira continued chipping, and Carlita turned to Luigi. “While Elvira works on the next greatest archaeological discovery, I was wondering…how well did you know Roxy?”

  “She’s worked for Vito for a few years. Right after her father died, Vito promised to take care of her. She’s bounced around a few times.”

  “Where was Roxy from?”

  “Same as the rest of us. Queens. I’m sure your husband knew her. Then, she moved to New Jersey to help Vito with his casinos. She’s been there for a while. She was a tool, always suckin’ up to Vito. That’s how she snagged the job of guarding Brittney after I left.”

  “As far as you know, has she ever lived in Georgia?”

  Luigi paused as he contemplated Carlita’s question. “Nope. Not that I know of. Why do you ask?”

  “During the party, she told Vinnie one of the guests looked familiar. It made me wonder if she once lived in the area.”

  “Hey.” Elvira snapped her fingers. “Hold the flashlight up here.”

  Luigi lifted it higher, and Carlita noticed there was an angry red slash on his inner arm.

  “Have…have you talked to the cops about Roxy’s incident?” She tried not to stare at the mark and averted her gaze.

  “I did. It was the other day, right after it happened. Both me and Ricco talked to them.”

  “But not since?”

  “Nope.”

  Carlita’s mind raced as she mentally went over the timeline. It was possible the investigators had questioned Ricco and Luigi before discovering there was not only Roxy’s blood on the deck but someone else’s.

  Had Luigi confronted Roxy after she was locked up? Perhaps he had. He had her weapon, which meant he believed she had no way to defend herself.

  What if she convinced him to let her out of the bathroom? Once released, she came at him with the knife and was able to injure him before he wrestled it away from her. During the altercation, Roxy was stabbed.

  Luigi panicked and tossed her, along with the weapon, over the side of the ship.

  Bu
t why wouldn’t Luigi have cleaned up the blood? Maybe he didn’t have time.

  Elvira waved a hand in front of Carlita’s face. “Earth to Carlita.”

  “Sorry. What is it?”

  “Take another look and tell me if I’m losing my mind.”

  Carlita took another look inside the hole. There was a box in the corner, not unlike the one she and her children had found not long after moving into their building. Their box had been full of gems, enough to pay for the renovations to her restaurant. “It looks like a box.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Elvira winced as she rubbed her upper arm. “I need to take a break. I can’t hammer away at this anymore.”

  “I think it’s time to stop until you can figure out…”

  “I know, I know, whether I’m gonna have the walls crumbling down around me,” Elvira rolled her eyes.

  “If you don’t, and they do cave in, you’ll never find out what is in that box. It will be buried under a pile of rubble,” she pointed out.

  “True.” Carlita could see Elvira was considering her logic. “I guess you’re right. The box will have to wait for another day.” She dusted off her hands and handed Luigi the pick. “Now that we’re knee-deep in this investigation, perhaps it’s time to have a chat with your dear daughter-in-law, Brittney. Maybe she knows more about Roxy’s past.”

  “Why would she know?” Luigi asked.

  “Girl talk, chit-chat, stuff women share amongst themselves.”

  “Roxy wasn’t the chatty type.”

  “Maybe because it was you.”

  “Elvira does have a point. Roxy may have opened up to Brittney in a way she wouldn’t have to one of her co-workers,” Carlita said. “She’s at the zoo with the rest of the family. They should be back later this afternoon.”

  “Perfect,” Elvira gave her a thumbs up. “I have a little more investigating to do before I head out to check on some jobs.” She pointed to Luigi. “What’s your schedule look like?”

  “I’m working security for a holiday contest. This time it’s a gingerbread house competition over at the convention center,” Luigi said. “I’m still waiting for a big brawl or blow out.”

  “Your job is to prevent brawls and keep everyone calm,” Elvira said, “not wait for one to happen for your entertainment.”

  “Spoilsport,” Luigi joked.

  The trio parted ways when they reached the top of the stairs. Carlita returned home to an empty apartment. She checked her computer and emails and discovered that the pictures from the party were ready for pickup at the office supply store.

  When she got there, the pictures were already packaged and in the pickup bin. Carlita opened it to make sure she had the correct order and was thrilled to discover they had turned out even better than she anticipated.

  There was a five and dime around the corner from the office supply store. Carlita headed there next and perused the aisles, searching for picture frames…one for each of her children plus her, and then one more for Cool Bones’ band picture.

  She made a mental note to remind him about the Christmas Eve dinner as she placed the frames in her handbasket and began making her way to the checkout.

  Carlita made a sudden detour when she spotted barrels of penny candies. There were Pixy Stix, whistle pops, candy necklaces, ribbon candy, root beer barrels, taffy, red wax lips and pop rocks, along with assorted small toys, all perfect for stocking stuffers. Carlita filled the paper bag she found on a nearby rack and then carried her purchases to the counter.

  Back home, she assembled the pictures and frames, and then individually wrapped each before carefully placing them under the tree. She set the one for Cool Bones aside with a plan to track him down later.

  Carlita grabbed the last bag of unwrapped gifts from her bedroom closet and swapped it out for the candy that would be placed in the children’s stockings, which would be hung on the fireplace mantel the following evening, Christmas Eve.

  She carried the gifts to the table and turned on some Christmas music before she tackled wrapping the gifts she’d purchased for each of her children.

  Vinnie’s was a multi-purpose tool with his initials engraved on the side. Up next was Paulie. Since becoming mayor of Clifton Falls, he’d taken up aerial photography as a hobby and was interested in topography as well. With that in mind, she figured a drone would be something he could tinker with.

  Tony’s gift was the easiest. Carlita had picked out a smartwatch for her son, who had been on a health kick ever since Shelby’s diagnosis.

  Mercedes had been the hardest until Carlita thought about what interested her daughter – surveillance and weapons. When Sam mentioned a local indoor shooting range where several part-time officers worked, Mercedes’ eyes lit up, and Carlita promptly purchased a membership for her.

  Not wanting to leave her daughters-in-law out, Carlita had selected hand-crafted Christmas ornaments for each of them. Brittney’s was a designer shoe ornament. For Shelby, it was a heart-shaped locket with a diamond chip in the center. For Gina, who was a huge Disney fan, Carlita had ordered a trio of collectible Disney princess ornaments, something that would be easy to pack and transport home.

  For the grandchildren, she’d picked up gifts suggested by their parents. She briefly wondered about the family surprise Vinnie would be giving to everyone on Christmas Eve.

  She secretly hoped it wasn’t the announcement they would be adding to the family, although Vinnie and Brittney had both assured her that wasn’t it.

  After she finished wrapping the gifts, she placed them under the tree and turned the Christmas lights on.

  She settled in at the computer to check the weather for Savannah’s downtown Christmas parade and then clicked on the local news.

  “Identity of woman found floating in the Savannah River has been released.” Beneath the caption was a small picture of a smiling Roxy.

  Carlita’s heart sank as she read the first paragraph.

  Chapter 20

  “Roxy Ciccone, a visitor from the New York area, was found dead and floating in the Savannah River. Ms. Ciccone fell off the pirate ship, The Flying Gunner, a Savannah tourist attraction owned by local businessman Pete Taylor. Mr. Taylor also owns the Parrot House Restaurant, a decades-old and popular fixture with locals and tourists alike.”

  The story vaguely described the incident onboard the pirate ship, where Pete detained Roxy. Although the reporter didn’t come right out and say it, the writer alluded to the fact that a “close” family friend had an altercation with Roxy shortly before the incident.

  It ended with a statement that the police were following up on several leads involving some locals.

  Carlita leaned back in the chair and stared blankly at the screen. They hadn’t come out and named Mercedes as a person of interest, but it would only be a matter of time before reporters started sniffing around.

  One thing would lead to another…the reporters would start probing into Roxy’s background, link her to Vinnie, to his mother and the restaurant.

  What would happen to her businesses? Would customers shy away from Ravello’s? From shopping at Savannah Swag? And what about Pete? They had named both of his businesses.

  Carlita snatched her cell phone off the desk and dialed Pete’s number.

  “Hello, Carlita.”

  She got right to the point. “I thought you should know the local news has a front-page story about Roxy’s death. They mentioned your name and your businesses. They might as well have given your address and phone number too.”

  There was a moment of silence on the other end. “I saw it,” Pete said quietly. “My dining room manager already showed it to me.”

  “We need to figure out who stabbed Roxy and fast.” Carlita told him what she’d discovered, how she suspected Roxy had gotten one in on her attacker. “While the investigators were here, they checked Mercedes and me for injuries.”

  “I got the same courtesy call from a local authority.”

  “Was it Offic
er Thryce?”

  “No. That name doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “Luigi has an injury to his inner arm. I’m not sure if it’s consistent with being stabbed, but it’s a long, dark cut.”

  “What did he say about it?” Pete asked.

  “I didn’t ask him, at least not yet.”

  The couple talked for a few more minutes, and then her phone began beeping. It was Elvira.

  “Elvira is calling. She must have something.” Carlita ended the call and answered the other line.

  “When’s the airhead-in-law coming back?”

  “Brittney?”

  “How many airhead daughters-in-law do you have?”

  “Zero, but if you’re asking about Brittney, she and the others should be back soon. We’re going to the downtown Christmas parade after dinner.”

  “Don’t you people ever stay home?” Elvira sighed heavily. “No wonder you’re looking aged. I would be exhausted if I did that much running around.”

  “I don’t care to discuss my age or my health, at least not with you. I’ll call you as soon as they return. We won’t have much time.”

  “We won’t need much,” Elvira promised. “I can get what I need with ten questions or less.”

  There was a noise in the outer hallway. A door slammed, and it was followed by loud voices.

  “I just heard the door slam. I think Brittney and the others are back.”

  “Good. I’ll be over there shortly.” Elvira hung up before Carlita could reply.

  Her grandchildren burst into the apartment first, all talking excitedly over the top of each other. Violet raced across the room to show her grandmother her face painting. “Look what I have.”

  “That’s so cute.” Carlita oohed and aahed over each of their face paintings.

  Shelby motioned to Violet. “Okay, you got to show Nana your monkey. Now, it’s time to head home and rest before the parade.”

  “But I’m not tired,” Violet pouted.

  Her mother crossed her arms, giving her “the look.”