Page 56 of Shakedown in Savannah

“Yeah. She remembered your husband, Vinnie. She mentioned seeing two women and a man there the other day.”

“Me, Mercedes and Ma,” Tony said.

“Based on what she said, it would be my guess.” Dernice pointed to Vinnie. “She also commented on seeing you and Carlita over at the property.”

“In other words, she doesn’t miss a thing.”

“Nope. She also remembers seeing Enzo and Costanza.”

Carlita’s heart skipped a beat. “Going inside the building?”

“Yep. After spending time inside your property, they stopped by her laundromat.”

“Awesome.” Mercedes clasped her hands. “What did she say about them?”

“They were asking a bunch of questions about the property, people hanging around, stuff like that. They were also interested in who some of the other business owners on the street were. I’m guessing it was them because she specifically mentioned they were wearing suits and had Italian accents.”

“So Costanza and Enzo were checking the place out,” Pete said. “What did she tell them?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t say. She made an interesting comment about the neighbor. I think she said his name was Barnie Ziffra. He owns a check cashing business. I guess he was planning on buying the place. Vinnie swooped in and got it first.”

“Ziffra should count his blessings,” Carlita muttered.

“June said something along the same lines about how he was lucky and she thought the place was cursed.”

“I have to agree. Bombings, destruction, death. It doesn’t have a great track record.”

“Did you check out the check cashing place?” Luigi asked.

“Nah. Looking back, I should have. I was right there.”

“It’s okay,” Carlita said. “I appreciate you finding out what you did. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Dernice polished off her last bite of cheesecake. “She’s a sweet little lady with spunk. I’m guessing age-wise, she isn’t a day under ninety but is young at heart.”

“Thank you for inviting me to your delicious dinner.” Cool Bones was the first to leave, explaining he needed to head out for band rehearsal. Sam was next, claiming he had a large tour group he was meeting downtown. Luigi and Dernice helped clear the table and then headed downstairs to his efficiency.

After loading the dishwasher, Carlita and Pete, along with Vinnie, strolled back to their apartment.

Vinnie lingered near the back door, smoking a cigarette while Pete and Carlita kept him company. “Any word on Elvira finding someone to take a look at your hole in the wall?”

“She’s still working on it,” Pete said. “We’ve already gotten our own professional opinion.”

“Yeah?” Vinnie flicked his ashes on the ground. “What is it?”

“The restaurant, although already a historical location, may be sitting on another historical site. The expert was somewhat vague about precisely how historical, pending some testing, but he seems confident.”

Carlita nudged her husband. “Let’s show Vinnie.”

“Show me what?”

“Pete and I found a piece of wood wedged in the ceiling. It’s upstairs in the apartment.”

“I’m not much into history, but I wouldn’t mind checking it out. Have you found anything else other than a chunk of wood?” Vinnie’s sharp eye caught the look that passed between his mother and Pete. “You found something.”

“Maybe. We found a few small gems covered in dirt.” Carlita held a finger to her lips. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t. Elvira is going to flip out.”

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