Page 77 of Shakedown in Savannah

“Hang on. The man was a weasel. I did you a favor. Tell you what. I’ll give you a nice tidy chunk of cash and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

“Meanwhile, I’m on the hook for Enzo’s death,” Carlita said. “I don’t think so.”

“Then, I’ll deny it,” Ziffra said.

Luigi pulled back his fist.

Carlita stopped him. “Don’t bother. We’re going to turn Mr. Ziffra over to the authorities. All four of us heard him confess. It’s the best we can do.”

“You’re wrong.” June Cleary’s voice echoed from the doorway. “I heard the entire thing. I have video surveillance showing Barnie coming into this building around the time Mr. Enzo was murdered.”

“June, shut your mouth!” Barnie roared.

“You’ve been the bully on the block for far too long. And now to find out you’re a murderer. Shame on you Barnie Ziffra,” she scolded. “Your mother must be turning over in her grave.”

“Y-you have proof Barnie was in this building?” Carlita stammered.

“I sure do. Barnie begged me not to show it to the cops. He said he was afraid because of his past record that they would throw him in the slammer. I’m all for second chances. I guess I didn’t want to believe he was capable of murdering another person.”

“Thank you, June,” Carlita said sincerely. “Between all of us hearing him confess and your video surveillance, I’m hoping the authorities will be able to wrap this up pretty quickly.”

“I like you, Carlita Garlucci-Taylor. You remind me of myself, filled with spunk and determination.” June gave Vinnie googly eyes. “And that handsome son of yours? I would hate to see his mother go to prison for a crime she didn’t commit.”

Tony eased in next to his mother.

June’s eyes lit. “Another one? Oh, my stars. Two hotties from the same family. This must be my lucky day.”

“And because of you, it’s my lucky day too,” Carlita said.

Chapter 31

“What’s taking her so long?” Carlita started to pace.

“Maybe Elvira’s person didn’t show up,” Mercedes guessed.

Arvid Poindexter tapped the top of his phone. “What was the archaeologist’s name?”

“Randi Colbane, I believe.”

His head shot up. “Randi Colbane? Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure. You know her?” Carlita asked.

“I know of her. She’s famous and nearly impossible to track down.”

“Not for Elvira,” Tony said. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

The faint echo of voices caught Carlita’s ear. “I hear someone talking. It must be them.”

The voices grew louder. Elvira appeared, along with a woman, tall and thin with short blond hair. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I ran into a minor snafu, a misunderstanding.”

“We were getting ready to proceed without you,” Pete said.

Elvira immediately zeroed in on Arvid Poindexter, Pete’s historian / archaeologist. “Who is he?”

Pete introduced them. “Mr. Poindexter has been helping us figure out what we have.”

“But I already found someone.” Elvira stomped her foot. “I spent all this time getting the best in the biz. Meanwhile, you sneak around behind my back and hire someone else.”

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