Pirates in Peril: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 10) Read online

  Pirates in Peril

  Made in Savannah

  Cozy Mystery Series Book Ten

  Hope Callaghan

  hopecallaghan.com

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights reserved.

  *****

  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents, and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual organizations, events or persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  ______________________________

  Visit my website for new releases and special offers: hopecallaghan.com

  Thank you to these wonderful ladies who help make my books shine - Peggy H., Cindi G., Jean P., Wanda D., Barbara W. and Renate P. for taking the time to preview Pirates in Peril, for the extra sets of eyes and for catching all of my mistakes.

  A special THANKS to my reader review teams, here in the U.S., and those across the pond, over the border and an ocean away!

  Alice, Amary, Barbara, Becky, Becky B., Brinda, Cassie, Charlene, Christina, Deb, Debbie, Dee, Denota, Devan, Grace, Jan, Jo-Ann, Joeline, Joyce, Jean K., Jean M., Katherine, Lynne, Megan, Melda, Kat, Linda, Lynne, Pat, Patsy, Paula, Rebecca, Rita, Tamara, Valerie and Vicki.

  Allie, Anca, Angela, Ann, Anne, Bev, Bobbi, Bonny, Carol, Carmen, David, Debbie, Diana, Elaine, Elizabeth, Gareth, Ingrid, Jane, Jayne, Jean, Joan, Karen, Kate, Kathy, Lesley, Margaret, Marlene, Patricia, Pauline, Sharon, Sheila and Susan.

  Contents

  Complete List of Books

  Get New Releases & More

  Cast of Characters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Join The Fun

  Other Series You May Enjoy

  Meet the Author

  The Ghost Roast Restaurant – Marinara Sauce Recipe

  Complete List of Books

  (Click Links Below To Buy or Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

  Audiobooks

  (On Sale now or FREE with Audible Trial)

  Key to Savannah: Book 1 (Made in Savannah Series)

  Road to Savannah: Book 2 (Made in Savannah Series)

  Justice in Savannah: Book 3 (Made in Savannah Series)

  Swag in Savannah: Book 4(Made in Savannah Series)

  Starboard Secrets: Book 1 (Cruise Ship Cozy Series)

  Portside Peril: Book 2 (Cruise Ship Cozy Series)

  Lethal Lobster: Book 3 Coming Soon!

  Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery Series

  A mother and daughter try to escape their family’s NY mob ties by making a fresh start in Savannah, GA but they soon realize you can run but you can’t hide from the past.

  Key to Savannah: Book 1

  Road to Savannah: Book 2

  Justice in Savannah: Book 3

  Swag in Savannah: Book 4

  Trouble in Savannah: Book 5

  Missing in Savannah: Book 6

  Setup in Savannah: Book 7

  Merry Masquerade: Book 8

  The Family Affair: Book 9

  Pirates in Peril: Book 10

  Matrimony & Mayhem: Book 11

  Swiped in Savannah: Book 12

  Turmoil in Savannah: Book 13

  Exes and Woes in Savannah: Book 14

  Book 15: Coming Soon!

  Made in Savannah Box Set I (Books 1-3)

  Made in Savannah Box Set II (Books 4-6)

  Garden Girls Cozy Mystery Series

  A lonely widower finds new purpose for her life when she and her senior friends help solve a murder in their small Midwestern town.

  Who Murdered Mr. Malone? Book 1

  Grandkids Gone Wild: Book 2

  Smoky Mountain Mystery: Book 3

  Death by Dumplings: Book 4

  Eye Spy: Book 5

  Magnolia Mansion Mysteries: Book 6

  Missing Milt: Book 7

  Bully in the ‘Burbs: Book 8

  Fall Girl: Book 9

  Home for the Holidays: Book 10

  Sun, Sand, and Suspects: Book 11

  Look Into My Ice: Book 12

  Forget Me Knot: Book 13

  Nightmare in Nantucket: Book 14

  Greed with Envy: Book 15

  Dying for Dollars: Book 16

  Stranger Among Us: Book 17

  Dash For Cash: Book 18

  Arsonist and Lace: Book 19

  Court of Corruption: Book 20

  Framed in Florida: Book 21

  Murder on Summer Lane: Book 22

  Alien Allure: Book 23

  Book 24: Coming Soon!

  Garden Girls Box Set I – (Books 1-3)

  Garden Girls Box Set II – (Books 4-6)

  Garden Girls Box Set III – (Books 7-9)

  Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery Series

  A recently divorced senior lands her dream job as Assistant Cruise Director onboard a mega passenger cruise ship and soon discovers she’s got a knack for solving murders.

  Starboard Secrets: Book 1

  Portside Peril: Book 2

  Lethal Lobster: Book 3

  Deadly Deception: Book 4

  Vanishing Vacationers: Book 5

  Cruise Control: Book 6

  Killer Karaoke: Book 7

  Suite Revenge: Book 8

  Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’: Book 9

  High Seas Heist: Book 10

  Family, Friends and Foes: Book 11

  Murder on Main: Book 12

  Fatal Flirtation: Book 13

  Deadly Delivery: Book 14

  Reindeer & Robberies: Book 15

  Transatlantic Tragedy: Book 16

  Southampton Stalker: Book 17

  Peculiar Poison: Book 18

  Book 19: Coming Soon!

  Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Box Set I (Books 1-3)

  Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Box Set II (Books 4-6)

  Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Box Set III (Books 7-9)

  Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Box Set IV (Books 10-12)

  Divine Cozy Mystery Series

  After relocating to the tiny town of Divine, Kansas, strange and mysterious things begin to happen to businesswoman, Jo Pepperdine and those around her.

  Divine Intervention: Book 1

  Divine Secrets: Book 2

  Divine Blindside: Book 3

  Divine Decisions: Book 4

  Divine Christmas: Book 5

  Divine Cozy Mystery Book 6 (Coming Soon!)

  Samantha Rite Mystery Series

  Heartbroken after her recent divorce, a single mother is persuaded to book a cruise and soon finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly adventure. Will she make it out alive?

  Waves of Deception: Book 1

  Winds of Deception: Book 2

  Tides of Deception:
Book 3

  Samantha Rite Box Set – (Books 1-3-The Complete Series)

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Short Stories Series

  Twin sisters with completely opposite personalities become amateur sleuths when a dead body is discovered in their recently inherited home in Misery, Mississippi.

  Teepees and Trailer Parks: Book 1

  Bag of Bones: Book 2

  Southern Stalker: Book 3

  Two Settle the Score: Book 4

  Killer Road Trip: Book 5

  Pups in Peril: Book 6

  Dying To Get Married-In: Book 7

  Deadly Drive-In: Book 8

  Secrets of a Stranger: Book 9

  Library Lockdown: Book 10

  Vandals & Vigilantes: Book 11

  Fatal Frolic: Book 12

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Box Set I: (Books 1-4)

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Box Set: II: (Books 5-8)

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Box Set III: (Books 9-12)

  Sweet Southern Sleuths 12 Book Box Set (Entire Series)

  Cozy Mystery Collections

  Summer Sleuths Cozy Mysteries Collection

  Cozy Mysteries Collection (Heart and Holiday Edition)

  Fall Into Murder 6 Book Fall Themed Cozy Mystery Collection

  Cozy Mysteries 12 Book Box Set: (Garden Girls & Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery Series)

  Cozy Mysteries Cookbook (Free w/Newsletter signup)

  Cozy Mysteries Cookbook-Recipes from Hope Callaghan Books

  Get New Releases & More

  Get New Releases, Giveaways & Discounted Books When You

  Subscribe To My Free Cozy Mysteries Newsletter!

  Cast of Characters

  Carlita Garlucci. The widow of a mafia “made” man, Carlita promised her husband on his deathbed to get their sons out of the “family” business, so she moves from New York to the historic city of Savannah, Georgia. But escaping the family isn’t as easy as she hoped it would be and trouble follows Carlita to her new home.

  Mercedes Garlucci. Carlita’s daughter and the first to move to Savannah with her mother. An aspiring writer, Mercedes has a knack for finding mysteries and adventure and dragging her mother along for the ride.

  Vincent Garlucci, Jr. Carlita’s oldest son and a younger version of his father, Vinnie is deeply entrenched in the family business and not at all interested in leaving New Jersey for the Deep South.

  Tony Garlucci. Carlita’s middle son and the second to follow his mother to Savannah. Tony is protective of both his mother and his sister, which is a good thing since the female Garlucci’s are always in some sort of a predicament.

  Paulie Garlucci. Carlita’s youngest son. Mayor of the small town of Clifton Falls, New York, Paulie never joined the “family business,” content to live his life with his wife and young children away from a life of crime. His wife, Gina, rules the family household with an iron fist.

  Chapter 1

  Mercedes stepped inside the apartment. She slinked past an oversized armoire blocking her path and reached for the handle of her Segway.

  “You’re in the way,” a deep male voice growled from the stairwell.

  “Give me a sec.” Mercedes tugged on the handle, firmly wedged behind the large piece of bedroom furniture. “I’ll be out of here as soon as I move this out of the way.”

  “It shouldn’t be parked there in the first place when someone is trying to move in. You’ll have to leave it ‘til later. There’s no way to get it out right now.”

  Mercedes could feel her blood begin to boil as she lifted her gaze, her eyes locking with the most unusual combination of blue-green eyes. The man arched his brow, his lip curling at the corners in a mocking smirk.

  “I wasn’t aware a tenant was moving in today.” Mercedes added extra emphasis to the word tenant and crossed her arms as she forced herself to defy the unpleasant man who was staring down at her. “A little notice would have been appreciated and I certainly would have moved my Segway to a safer spot.”

  The stairs creaked as the man slowly descended the steps, making his way past the armoire until he was standing mere inches from Mercedes, who was trapped in the corner. “Mrs. Garlucci was aware I was moving in. Are you the cleaning lady?”

  “Cleaning lady?” Mercedes sputtered. A hot heat burned up her neck. “I’m Mercedes Garlucci, part owner of this property.”

  The statement was a bit of a stretch. Technically, Mercedes’ mother, Carlita, was the sole owner of 210 Mulberry Street, a restored apartment building in Savannah’s beautiful and historic Walton Square.

  “Huh.” The man crossed his arms, mimicking Mercedes’ stance.

  The duo continued their stare down for several long seconds, until Mercedes’ palm itched with the overwhelming desire to slap the smirk off the stranger’s face.

  Certain her mother would be furious, not to mention the sneaking suspicion the action would somehow cause her opponent to emerge the victor, she quickly changed tactics and forced a smile. “If you would be so kind as to back up, I’ll get out of your way.”

  The man took a step back, giving Mercedes a wide berth to slip past him. She was almost in the clear when he abruptly stepped forward, as if he was going to block her again.

  “Pfft.” Mercedes bolted past him and picked up the pace, taking the stairs two at a time. She could feel the heat of his stare as his eyes bore into her back. “Jerk,” she hissed under her breath as she flung the apartment door open.

  She stormed into the apartment, slamming the hall door so hard, the pictures hanging on the wall rattled.

  Startled by the loud bang, Carlita Garlucci spun in her chair and clutched her chest. “For Pete’s sake, Mercedes. Please don’t slam the door. You scared the daylights out of me.”

  “Sorry, Ma.” Mercedes marched across the room. “That man is making my blood boil.”

  “I know your brother can be aggravating at times, but you two need to learn to walk away from each other when you disagree.”

  “I’m not talking about Tony.” Mercedes jabbed her finger toward the door. “It’s the rude, arrogant, egotistical, self-important tenant across the hall.”

  Carlita frowned. “Are you talking about Mr. Ivey, our new tenant? He’s such a nice young man. Earlier this morning, he saw me struggling with my bags of groceries and helped me carry them to the apartment. Now there’s a real gentleman.”

  “Not to me. I noticed there was furniture in the downstairs hall, so I thought I would be nice and move my Segway to make more room. The jerk had the nerve to get onto me about leaving my stuff in the way.”

  “I’m sorry, Mercedes. I forgot to tell you Mr. Ivey was moving in today. It completely slipped my mind after Bob Lowman caught me in the alley to go over some details for the new apartment.”

  Mercedes shuffled across the room. “Did Tony and Shelby approve the final reno changes?”

  Tony, Carlita’s middle son, had recently become engaged to Shelby Townsend, one of Carlita’s tenants. Tony currently lived in a small efficiency on the lower level behind Savannah Swag, the pawnshop Carlita and her children owned. Shelby rented a two bedroom, one bath apartment across the hall.

  The couple planned to move into a larger place, one where they would have room to expand their family and give Violet, Shelby’s daughter, siblings.

  Carlita came up with the idea to add a larger apartment above the adjacent building, which would house Ravello, Carlita’s restaurant. The timing was perfect.

  Since Ravello was close to being finished, Lowman’s crew was able to start working on the three bedroom, two-bath unit. The new apartment would be ready in time for the couple’s summer wedding, giving the family of three a new home to start their new life.

  “Yes.” Carlita slowly nodded. “The apartment is coming along nicely. Which reminds me…” She slipped her reading glasses on and turned her attention to the computer screen. “I need to start running some ads to rent out Tony’s efficiency and Shelby’s apartment before the wedding.”

  “I�
�ll let you handle the ads if you let me screen the tenants,” Mercedes muttered. “We don’t need another Sam Ivey moving in. One is enough.”

  Carlita jotted a reminder note on her to-do list. “I’m sorry you two got off on the wrong foot. Once Mr. Ivey settles in, I’ll invite him to dinner, so we can all get better acquainted.”

  “Remind me not to be here.” Mercedes walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of lemonade. “I thought you were supposed to meet Pirate Pete and Tori this afternoon.”

  “Fudge! I completely forgot.” Carlita sprang from her chair and jogged to her bedroom.

  “You forgot?” Mercedes trailed behind her mother. “You’ve been talking about this meeting all week.”

  “I know.” Carlita grabbed her purse and hurried to the door. “Pete and Tori are excited about this new venture, but I’m not sure I can handle another business. Once Ravello is up and running, we’ll have our hands full running the restaurant and the pawnshop, not to mention being a landlord.”

  “You might want to take the fire escape instead,” Mercedes joked. “Getting by our new tenant on the stairs is going to be impossible.”

  “Mercedes,” her mother chided. “You need to give Sam Ivey a chance.”

  “I think he hates me and he doesn’t even know me.”

  Carlita stepped into the hall and Mercedes joined her. “Good luck at your meeting. Maybe Tori and Pete are looking for a silent partner.”

  “I’ll find out soon enough. We’re meeting at Pete’s place. I’ll be back a little later.” Carlita sidestepped two men, who were carrying a couch up the stairs.

  The new tenant stood at the bottom of the stairs, directing the movers. When Carlita reached the landing, she stopped to chat.

  She could hear the tinkle of her mother’s laughter and Ivey’s low voice. He chuckled and patted Carlita’s arm before she stepped out of the building. Mercedes quickly slipped back inside the apartment, anxious to avoid another confrontation.

  Carlita pulled the door shut behind her and then hurried to the sidewalk.

  When she reached the entrance to the Parrot House, she stopped to catch her breath before stepping into the restaurant’s lobby and making her way to the hostess station. “Yes, I’m looking for Pete. I have a meeting with him at two o’clock.”