Page 60 of Shakedown in Savannah

“No wonder you couldn’t sleep. Hold your thought.” Reese grabbed her microphone. She went into a brief history lesson as they passed through Reynolds Square before steering the trolley alongside the curb for their next stop. A rider exited. Two more passengers climbed on and they were once again on the road.

“Sorry. So, you found out you own another property. The lender shows up to collect and ends up dead.”

“A man sent by the lender. It wasn’t the guy who actually loaned the money. My oldest son, Vinnie, and I found his body inside the Morton Street property.”

Reese made a choking sound. “You found him? How did he die?”

“Someone shot him. Judging by the way his body was sprawled out, they broke a few of his bones while they were at it. The bottom line is I’m on the police investigator’s radar. The guy worked for a person I’m certain will collect his debt one way or another. If he didn’t take him out, he probably thinks I did.”

“You have a mess on your hands.”

“There’s more,” Carlita said.

Reese’s eyes grew round as saucers.

“Elvira’s cameras caught the other guy who showed up, Costanza, snooping around my property the other night after his partner died.”

“Why?”

“I wish I knew.” Carlita told her how Dernice had chatted with June Cleary, the laundromat / dry-clean owner.

“I know June. She’s been in business over on Morton Street for decades.”

“And has a sharp eye. From what Dernice told us, the two men who were trying to collect were over at her place asking a bunch of questions.”

“About you?”

“About the area. Was it a drug dealer hangout, questions about the neighbors. I’m not sure, but my name may have been brought up at some point.”

They reached the next stop. Once again, Carlita waited for passengers to get off and new ones to board.

Checking for traffic, Reese pulled back onto the street. “Are you thinking maybe June is behind it?”

“I don’t think so. Dernice told me she’s up there in years.”

“She is. You wouldn’t know it, though, by how agile she is. June gets around pretty good. Was he a big guy?”

Carlita thought about it. “He was average. Average build, but the kind of person who could handle himself in a fight. I’m also certain he was armed at the time of his death.” She told Reese the police had questioned her and Vinnie about having a gun.

“Based on what Dernice told you, did she think June sounded angry or irritated?”

“No. I don’t get the impression she was upset with them. She strikes me as being an interesting person with a colorful history.” Carlita mentioned her being a biker chick, which impressed Dernice.

“Oh, June has a colorful history, all right.” Carlita nearly fell off the seat at what her friend said next.

Chapter 24

“June spent a few years enjoying three hots and a cot in Whitworth Correctional Institution.”

Carlita’s jaw dropped. “She’s a felon?”

“Yep. She spent time in the slammer for check fraud. June isn’t shy about telling people about it either. Of course, it happened a long time ago.”

Carlita’s mind whirled. Had June Cleary killed Enzo? If so, what would be the motive? Clearly, she wouldn’t be able to possess firearms. Although possessing guns illegally was an entirely different story. “Do you think she’s capable of murder?”

Reese thought about it. “I don’t know. She doesn’t strike me as the murdering type, but then she doesn’t strike me as a person who would be involved in check fraud.”

“Do you know anything else about the businesses near Morton Street?”

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