Page 2 of Shakedown in Savannah

“They didn’t want to know who you were?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm. Maybe it was an innocent question, and I’m making too much out of it.” Carlita pushed her nagging uneasiness from her mind and made her rounds, stopping by each table to make sure diners were enjoying their meals as well as handling a few minor issues. An hour later, she passed by the front window. The table where the men in suits had been seated was now empty.

The lunch crowd finally died down. The dinner prep staff arrived, which meant it was time for Mercedes and her mother to clock out.

“I wanna change before we head over to Pete’s restaurant.” Mercedes sniffed the front of her work blouse. “I smell like a loaf of bread with a dash of garlic mixed in for good measure.”

“I don’t blame you.” Carlita followed her daughter to the apartment building next door and up the stairs to her place. She waited by the door while Mercedes swapped out her clothes. Grayvie, their rescue cat, stalked over and began rubbing against her legs.

“There’s my little buddy.” Carlita scratched his ears. “I need to bring Rambo over soon to visit.”

“I’m ready.” Mercedes waltzed into the living room and twirled around. “What do you think?”

Carlita let out a wolf whistle. “Fancy schmancy. Why did you get all dressed up?”

“Autumn mentioned Elvira has been bugging her to cover the story. I want to look good in case a news crew shows up.”

Autumn Winter, Carlita’s tenant and Mercedes’ neighbor, was the local Channel 11 news station’s field reporter. Snagging one of the best jobs in the business, she covered most of the touristy and historical happenings in and around Savannah, Georgia.

“That woman.” Carlita chuckled. “Her wheels never stop turning.”

“Never.” Mercedes grabbed her house keys and followed her mother down the steps.

“Hang on. Let me see if Tony is gonna meet us there.” Carlita popped into the pawn shop to track her son down, only to find out he’d already left. She caught up with Mercedes, who stood waiting in the alley. “Josh said he and Shelby were already on the way to Pete’s tunnel.”

“We better get a move on.”

“Even if we’re a couple minutes late, he promised he would wait for us.” Carlita linked arms with her daughter. They meandered along, making their way to the other end of Walton Square. “How’s Sam?”

“Okay. Good.”

“Okay and good?” Her mother arched her brow.

Mercedes shrugged. “I still can’t stop thinking about Sam and Natalie.”

“But you forgive him. He apologized, admitted he’d made a mistake, and it’s time to get past this. Natalie is gone. There’s no sense in dwelling on it.”

“I know. I’m working on the forgetting about it part. It’s gonna take a little time.”

“Sam still needs to earn your trust again.”

“Yep.”

“You are a Garlucci. We can be a stubborn bunch.” Carlita and her daughter rounded the corner. Up ahead was Pete’s restaurant.

Elvira’s EC Investigative Services van sat parked alongside Pete’s pickup. Next to it was her sister Dernice’s motorcycle. Pete’s daughter, Kris’s car, was on the other side.

“It looks like everyone is here,” Carlita said.

“Everyone except for Autumn and the Channel 11 news crew,” Mercedes said. “Maybe she told Elvira they weren’t going to cover the story.”

“Could be.”

The women stepped into the lobby. Turning right, they passed through the first and second dining rooms, circling around until they reached the center steps leading to Pete’s tunnel.

Savannah’s tunnel system could best be described as a labyrinth of passageways branching out in all different directions. A portion of it connected to Carlita’s property and Pete’s property, as well as to Elvira’s.

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