Page 63 of Shakedown in Savannah

“Blew the place up.” June threw her hands in the air. “It happened one night, not long after he purchased it. I was in bed at the time. The whole ground shook. I thought it was an earthquake.”

“It must have been a massive explosion.”

“Like nothing I’ve ever been through before.” June lowered her voice. “If you ask me, the place is cursed.”

“I don’t disagree,” Carlita said. “Can you think of anyone in the neighborhood who may have been upset about my husband buying the business?”

June tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Not off the top of my head. Like I said, your husband didn’t own it long before the inside was blown to smithereens.”

“Going back to the men who stopped by, if you don’t mind me asking, what kind of questions did they have?”

She shrugged. “If I had seen people hanging around. Did I think people were over there dealing drugs. They also wanted to know the name of the other business owners on the block. The usual questions when someone is new to the area.”

“Besides me, my son and the two men, do you remember seeing anyone else hanging around recently?”

“No. Actually, I take that back. I do remember seeing you and two other people the other day, before you found the man’s body.”

“I was with my daughter and another son,” Carlita said.

June started to say something and stopped.

“You were going to say something,” she prompted.

“It’s none of my business, but you said your husband never told you he bought the property?” June asked.

“No. Unfortunately, he did not.” Carlita stepped aside to let a customer approach the counter.

He picked up his order and left. “We won’t take up any more of your time. If you think of anything else, could you give me a call?” Carlita handed her a business card.

“Ravello’s.” June flipped the card over. “This is the fancy Italian eatery over in Walton Square.”

“It’s my restaurant. It belongs to me and my children.”

“I’ve seen it featured on Divine Eats in Savannah. Your food looks delicious.”

“Authentic Italian.” Carlita took the card from her. She handwrote a free lunch on the back and signed her name. “Bring this card into the restaurant for a free lunch. Tell the server I gave it to you.”

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to come by soon.”

“And thank you for taking the time to talk to us.” Carlita followed Vinnie through the laundromat and out of the building. “Well?” she asked as soon as they were on the sidewalk. “What do you think?”

“It’s possible she knows more than she’s letting on,” Vinnie said. “For someone her age, she’s sharp.”

“I agree.” Carlita glanced across the street and noticed a familiar vehicle sat parked directly behind hers. Her heart plummeted when she realized who it was.

Chapter 25

Detective Charles Ellery waited for Carlita and Vinnie to cross the street. “Good morning, Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Garlucci.”

“Hello, Detective Ellery,” Carlita said. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“It certainly is.” He nodded toward June Cleary’s place. “I see you were over at the dry-cleaning business.”

“We were. We met June Cleary.”

“She’s an interesting woman.”

“She is,” Carlita agreed.

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