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

by Hope Callaghan

  Carlita stared at the door for a long time after Dernice closed it. If Luigi was responsible for Roxy’s death and stabbing, the woman would, once again, have lost a man to the prison system.

  On her way home, she stopped by to check on Mercedes, who was still staying with Autumn. In a couple days, her sons and their families would be gone, and her daughter would get her bedroom back.

  Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and something she was looking forward to – making more memories. It would be hard watching Paulie, Gina and the triplets, along with Vinnie, Brittney and the baby pack their bags and say their good-byes.

  While she chatted with her daughter, Carlita remembered her conversation with Dernice. “That gal friend of yours who does hair, do you think she could squeeze Dernice in for an appointment, maybe a cut, dye-job and style tomorrow?”

  “I’ll check.” Mercedes whipped out her cell phone and sent her friend a message. Seconds later, her phone beeped.

  Carlita shook her head in amazement. “You kids are so quick on your phones.”

  “Because they’re always with us.”

  “All that radiation can’t be good.”

  “Thea said she has an opening at eleven tomorrow morning. She closes at noon.”

  Carlita pulled her cell phone from her pocket. “Let me check and see if that works.”

  Tink. “Dernice is pretty speedy too. She can do eleven. Send me the hairstylist’s address and tell her I’m putting it on my credit card.”

  Mercedes’ head snapped up. “You’re paying for Dernice to get her hair done?”

  “It’s my Christmas present to her. She’s put up with a lot and helped get Luigi a job. Besides, it’s the season to do nice things, and I want to do something nice for her.” Carlita promised to contact her first thing in the morning to give her the credit card information while Mercedes sent Dernice the salon’s address.

  Carlita returned home where it was quiet, and the only light was from the small lamp near the front door. She could hear soft voices coming from Mercedes’ bedroom. She thought about calling it a day but decided to go out on the balcony to get some fresh air to clear her head.

  Could Luigi be responsible for Roxy’s death? What if Ricco was involved too? And what had happened to Jersey Joe? Carlita leaned her elbows on the railing and stared out toward the street.

  It could be that Joe Mariani was spying on them, watching their every move. Even Elvira had commented about feeling like they were being watched the other night.

  What if Jersey Joe had reached the same conclusion as Carlita – that Luigi may have been involved in Roxy’s death? The “family” had their own way of meting out justice. For all she knew, Luigi could have already been exterminated, and his body taken to a remote location never to be found.

  If Vito was as attached to Roxy as everyone said, justice “family style” would be a terrible way to go. Not that being stabbed and going over the side of a ship was much better.

  Carlita wandered back inside to her computer and pulled up the pictures from the party. She went over them one by one, looking for something, anything that would stand out as a clue.

  There were servers and Pete’s employees in some of the pictures. A few of the faces looked vaguely familiar.

  The pictures of her grandchildren with Santa were some of Carlita’s favorites. Perhaps when she had more time, she would print copies, frame them and then send them to their parents.

  The fireworks had been spectacular and were the highlight of the evening. The picture of Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys was good enough to put in advertisements. She couldn’t have planned the picture any better if she’d tried.

  She flipped back to an earlier picture of the band, taken when they first started playing. Something looked different. She flipped to the fireworks shot again, and then she saw it.

  Carlita checked the time. It was late. Cool Bones would be wrapping up his last set at the Thirsty Crow. She remembered the pictures from earlier in the evening, the ones she’d taken of the Christmas parade…Reese, the dancing elf, the Thirsty Crow’s float with Cool Bones’ band on board and noticed the same discrepancy.

  “What if this means something?” Carlita muttered under her breath. She didn’t notice her eldest son quietly making his way into the dining room.

  “What means something?” Vinnie asked.

  “This. Pull up a chair.” Carlita waited for her son to join her. She showed him the first picture of Cool Bones and his band. “How many band members do you see?”

  “Four.”

  Then Carlita showed him the picture she took during the firework display. “Now look at this picture. How many band members do you see?”

  “Three.”

  “Right, and this picture was taken right around the time Roxy would’ve gone missing.” Carlita could barely contain herself. “Think about it. Roxy was locked up before we reached the end of the parade route and turned around.”

  “She was,” Vinnie agreed.

  “The fireworks started after we turned around and headed back to Merry Bay.”

  “Correct again.”

  “Which is when the hippopotamus float started following us and not the other way around.”

  “Yes, but just think, Roxy could have gone over before the parade ended and we turned back around,” Vinnie pointed out. “Maybe she wasn’t spotted until the return trip.”

  “It’s possible, but let’s stick with my theory. So while the fireworks are going off, and everyone is distracted, and the band is playing, Roxy’s attacker went back there to confront her. There is so much going on, so much noise, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have heard anything,” Carlita said. “One of Cool Bones’ band members is missing. Why would you miss the fireworks? Why would you not be playing with the others?”

  “They had to use the john?” Vinnie shrugged.

  Carlita turned her attention to her computer. She opened a new search screen and typed in “Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys, Savannah, Georgia.”

  Their website popped up, and she clicked on the picture. A brief description was in small print just below the caption. She slid her reading glasses on, began rattling off the names of the members of Cool Bones’ band, and nearly fell out of her chair.

  Chapter 22

  “Lee Strange,” Carlita whispered the man’s name. “Do you think it’s possible when Roxy told you someone looked familiar, that instead of saying you wouldn’t know him and he was a stranger, she actually said his last name?”

  “Maybe. I can’t recall exactly how she said it, just that I wouldn’t know him.”

  “Him,” Carlita repeated. “Are you sure she said ‘him?’”

  “I’m not sure of anything at this point.”

  Carlita compared the band’s professional photo to the one from the fireworks. Lee Strange was missing from the photo, and she pointed it out. “Do you think this is a coincidence? We need to find out more about Cool Bones’ band.”

  “Maybe if you click on the ‘about us’ button near the top, you can find out more,” Vinnie teased.

  “Smart aleck.” Carlita clicked the button.

  The intro gave the date the band was formed, plus a brief description of the band members, including the instrument they each played. A list of names was below the intro paragraph, starting with Cool Bones:

  Charles Benson. Lead singer and saxophone.

  Duke Drake. Guitar.

  Lee Strange. Trombone.

  Savannah Blue. Piano.

  There were two other members. Confused, Carlita returned to the fireworks picture. “We’re missing a couple.”

  “Maybe not everyone was able to make it.”

  “True,” Carlita murmured.

  “I only remember four. Besides, the stage wasn’t big enough for all of those band members.”

  The information was limited, only listing the instrument they played and that they were all from the Savannah area.

  “This isn’t much help,” Carlita groaned.
“Why wouldn’t they give more information?”

  “Because they don’t want groupies stalking them?” Vinnie joked.

  “Good point. Elvira was hot after Cool Bones for a while there.”

  “Your best bet is to ask Cool Bones about it first thing in the morning.” Vinnie slowly stood. He lifted both hands over his head and stretched. “I’m beat.”

  “That’s what I’ll do.” Carlita clicked out of the screens and wandered to the bathroom. Lee Strange. Missing during the fireworks.

  Carlita tossed and turned all night, wondering about Luigi. Perhaps he’d taken off and left the area believing the police were after him, not to mention Vito and Jersey Joe.

  Jersey Joe had vanished as quickly as he appeared.

  She crept out of bed as the first few rays of daylight filtered through the slit in her bedroom curtains. Carlita made a quick trip to the bathroom and congratulated herself on how quiet she’d been only to find Vinnie seated at the kitchen bar area, a cup of coffee in hand.

  “Hey, Ma.”

  “Hey, Son.” Carlita gave him a quick hug. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

  “Merry Christmas Eve to you too.”

  She drifted into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. “I didn’t sleep worth a toot.”

  “Me, either. This is the baby’s first Christmas. I guess I’m excited about it.”

  Carlita sipped her coffee as she leaned her hip on the counter, studying her son’s face. He looked happy. Content. Settled in. Married life agreed with him. “I am too. It’s good to have all of you under the same roof, or at least close to all being under the same roof.”

  Vinnie cast his mother a wry smile. “One big happy family. I want to go with you when you talk to Cool Bones this morning.”

  “Because you think I’m onto something.”

  “Maybe. I’d like to get to the bottom of this too, instead of having it hanging over our heads.”

  “And heading home without having it resolved means you’ll have to face Vito,” Carlita guessed.

  “Close. Let’s just say it’s something I’m not looking forward to.” Vinnie twirled his cell phone, which was sitting on the counter next to him. “I finally heard from Luigi.”

  “You did? Is he okay?” A sense of relief flooded Carlita.

  “Yeah. He said he was running some errands. He’s home this morning. I’m gonna chat with him after we talk to Cool Bones.” Vinnie sucked in a breath. “It’s only a matter of time before the cops show up, wanting to take a closer look at Ricco and Luigi.”

  “And Luigi’s injury.” Carlita knew that if the cops got to him first, there was a chance they would arrest him for Roxy’s murder and never bother pursuing other avenues – such as Lee Strange.

  Carlita grabbed the coffee pot and refilled her son’s cup. “I figured you were up early because you can’t wait to share your Christmas surprise.”

  “Tonight.” Vinnie cracked a smile. “When we’re all gathered around the Christmas tree.”

  “You wanna give me a hint?”

  Vinnie started to shake his head and then changed his mind. “Sure. Why not? It starts with the letter ‘c.’”

  “Letter ‘c,’” Carlita said. “Candles.”

  “You’re good. How did you guess it so fast?” Vinnie teased.

  “A car?”

  “For the whole family?” Vinnie chuckled.

  “Casino. A trip to the casino,” Carlita guessed. “We’re all going to visit you in New Jersey.”

  “I wish. That wouldn’t be any fun for the kids, but you’re getting hotter. You got the trip part right.”

  “It’s...”

  Vinnie lifted a hand and stopped her. “I’ve already given you enough clues. You’ll have your answer in less than twelve hours.”

  While Carlita whipped up pancakes, bacon and eggs for breakfast, she thought about how she should pose the question about Cool Bones’ band to him. She didn’t want to outright accuse one of his guys of committing a crime, and then she remembered the framed picture she planned to give him.

  It gave her the perfect lead into her line of questioning. Now all she had to do was wait until a decent hour to head next door.

  *****

  The Garlucci family’s Christmas Eve breakfast was a scene of pure chaos Carlita thoroughly enjoyed. As quickly as the mess was made, the family all pitched in and helped clean up.

  Brittney and Gina headed out to pick up a few final things while Mercedes and Sam offered to take Rambo for a walk with Sadie, Sam’s pup.

  Shelby and Violet were on their way to visit Shelby’s aunt and uncle. Tony and Paulie, who anticipated some last-minute shoppers, went down to open the pawn shop for a half-day of business.

  Ravello’s was closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Carlita had made that decision, knowing most people would be at home with their families – which is what she wanted to do – spend time with her own.

  But first, she had to get rid of the dark cloud that had been hanging over the family’s head since the night of the boat parade.

  When everyone was gone, and the coast was clear, Carlita grabbed the framed picture of Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys while Vinnie waited in the hall.

  They reached his apartment door, and she could hear echoes of soft jazz music coming from within.

  “Here goes nothing.” Carlita blew air through thinned lips and rapped loudly.

  The door opened, and Cool Bones appeared. “Good morning, Carlita.”

  “Good morning, Cool Bones. Merry Christmas Eve.” Carlita handed him the wrapped picture frame.

  “Thank you. I didn’t get you a gift.”

  “That’s okay. I didn’t expect you to. When are your daughter and granddaughter arriving?”

  “This afternoon. Thank you for inviting them…us to your Christmas Eve dinner.”

  “You’re welcome. I can’t wait to meet them.” Carlita motioned to the package. “Go ahead. Open it up.”

  Cool Bones carefully removed the wrapping paper, and a slow smile spread across his face. “That’s my band. Those are my boys, and we are lookin’ good.”

  “Jazzy and snazzy,” Carlita quipped. “I noticed a few of your band members are missing. I’m sorry they weren’t all in it.”

  “A few couldn’t make it. Besides, the stage was too small for all of us to fit.”

  “I think someone’s missing from the picture,” Carlita pointed out.

  “Yeah. Lee. He took off right before the fireworks started.”

  “How well do you know Lee?”

  “He’s been with me for a while. He moved down to Savannah from up north a couple years back.”

  Vinnie, who had been quietly listening, spoke. “Do you know where he came from?”

  “I think it was the New Jersey area. Yeah. It was. He played a gig for a casino up there.”

  Carlita could hear Vinnie’s quick intake of breath. “Before Roxy’s incident, she mentioned to me that someone on the ship looked familiar, that she thought she knew ‘him.’”

  Vinnie told Cool Bones that when he pressed her about it, she said he was strange. “I thought she said I wouldn’t know him because he was a stranger, but I think what she could have said was his last name…Strange.”

  “And you think he may have been involved in Roxy’s death?” Cool Bones stared at the picture. “He took off right before we started playing our final set after we turned around and headed back to Merry Bay.”

  “And then what happened?” Carlita prompted.

  “When he came back, he said he wasn’t feeling well like he thought he ate something bad. Not long after that, we docked, and he left.”

  “Have you seen him since?” Vinnie asked.

  “No. As a matter of fact, he called me the next morning and said he was still sick. He took a couple days off.”

  Carlita placed a light hand on her son’s arm. “What if he’s been injured?”

  “You’re sure he came from the New Jersey area?” Vinnie pro
bed.

  “Positive,” Cool Bones nodded.

  “I can make a quick phone call,” Vinnie said quietly. “Vito can find out real fast if there’s anything on Strange.” He excused himself to make the call while Cool Bones invited Carlita into his apartment.

  She stepped inside and discovered Elvira’s painting of him still hanging above the fireplace. “You still have Elvira’s portrait of you.”

  “Yeah.” Cool Bones chuckled. “It’s grown on me.”

  “Kinda like Elvira,” Carlita joked.

  “In a weird way.”

  They made small talk about the holidays and how much they enjoyed the boat parade.

  “You got a good guy there, Carlita,” Cool Bones said.

  “Yes. Yes, I do.” Carlita caught a movement near the door, and Vinnie returned. “Lee Strange worked for the Royal Flush Casino five years back. He got fired after security caught him tampering with the machines.”

  “Slot machines?” Carlita asked.

  “Yeah.” Vinnie cast Cool Bones a quick look.

  “There’s more,” Carlita guessed.

  “After Strange got caught, some of the security leaned on him. Strange disappeared after that.”

  “But why would Roxy have cared, if that’s the case?” Carlita shook her head, confused.

  “Cuz some money from the casino went missing. The casino’s owner put out an APB on Strange to try to get his money back.”

  “By whatever means necessary.” Carlita cleared her throat. “So, Roxy probably worked at the Royal Flush, she recognized Strange and threatened him, telling him she was going to report his whereabouts to Vito.”

  “Once Strange was outed, his days would be numbered if you know what I mean,” Vinnie said. “My guess is Roxy tried to call Vito, but we didn’t have any cell reception on the ship. Not long after, she got into it with Mercedes, and then Pete locked her up.”

  “Strange, seeing his chance to either threaten Roxy or take her out, sneaked to the back and confronted her. He knew she didn’t have a gun, but she surprised him by attacking him with her knife.” Carlita started to pace. “Why didn’t she tell you who Strange was instead of telling you it was someone you wouldn’t know?”

  Vinnie shrugged. “Maybe she thought if she told me, I would get the credit for turning him in. There’s one more thing. Jersey Joe beat us to the punch. He called Vito early this morning, asking about Strange. It may be too late, and Joe’s already confronted him.”