Page 40 of Shakedown in Savannah

As Vinnie had pointed out, this wasn’t the family’s typical MO. They were more into drive-by shootings and filling their victims full of bullets types of killers.

This seemed a little more…premeditated. Regardless of how Enzo had died, he was in her building. Lombardo’s guy, a man who was putting the squeeze on Carlita and her family, was now dead.

Which meant if the mafia boss hadn’t taken out his own person to set Carlita up, someone else had, and Lombardo wouldn’t take too kindly to it. It was a no-win situation.

Before Carlita could decide whether to chat with the laundromat’s binocular-beaming gawker, an officer appeared.

“I have a few questions for you, Mrs. Garlucci.”

“Yes. Of course.”

Casting a final glance toward the laundromat, Carlita stepped back inside. “Your son, Mr. Garlucci, mentioned he thought you might know the deceased.”

“He’s an acquaintance.”

“Acquainted how?” The cop removed a notepad and pen from his pocket.

“My deceased husband purchased this property some years ago, unbeknownst to me. Mr. Enzo, I’m not sure if this is his first or last name, and another man who goes by the name Costanza, showed up at my restaurant, Ravello’s a couple days ago. They informed me my husband had borrowed money, now owed to their boss, who took over the loan and wanted to reach an agreement regarding repayment.”

“Did you reach an agreement?”

“Not yet. They were supposed to return this morning after I had a chance to review the paperwork, to make sure it was legitimate. They never showed.”

“So you stopped by here to…”

“My son, Vinnie, who lives in New Jersey, came down to visit. When Mr. Enzo and Mr. Costanza didn’t show up, he asked if he could take a look at the property.”

“Go on.”

“So, we came here to see it. When we went upstairs, we found Mr. Enzo’s body.”

The officer continued writing. “We’ll need to see a copy of the papers and will also need the lender’s name.”

“Of course.”

“Do you know how we might track down this associate, Costanza?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t. As I mentioned before, Mr. Enzo and Mr. Costanza were supposed to meet me at my restaurant this morning and never showed up.”

He asked a few more questions, including if Carlita or Vinnie owned a gun.

“My son has one.”

Vinnie appeared, and Carlita motioned him to come over. “The officer is asking us if we own a gun.”

“I have one.” Vinnie handed it to him.

The officer thoroughly examined his weapon, snapped a photo, and jotted down his information. His next line of questioning was about where they had been during the previous twenty-four hours, since the last time she’d seen Enzo alive. He took her address, told her not to leave the area, and promised he would be in touch.

While they were talking, a crime scene team arrived. They secured the property and ushered Carlita and Vinnie out onto the sidewalk.

While investigators continued working, another man, a person Carlita had never met before, arrived. The officer introduced him as Detective Ellery. He and the officer she suspected was in charge stepped off to the side while she and Vinnie hung out nearby.

“What do you think?” Carlita muttered under her breath.

“For now, they seem to be okay. Something tells me when they start digging around, it’s gonna be a completely different story.” Vinnie lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and blew the smoke away from his mother. “It could’ve been his boss. It could’ve been the other guy, Costanza. Or it could have been someone else.”

“The bottom line is I’m on the hook or I’m on the short list.”

---