Setup in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 7) Read online

“So you agreed to meet a complete stranger, at night, in a dark parking lot to get the scoop on an unsolved murder and when you got here you found a body?”

  “That about sums it up,” Mercedes said. “Listen, no one can make up this kind of story.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” The officer rocked back on his heels. “I would like you.” He pointed his finger at Mercedes and Autumn. “Both of you, to accompany me to the police station to answer a few questions.”

  Mercedes cleared her throat. “Okay.”

  The officer reached for his radio while Autumn grabbed Mercedes’ arm and whispered in her ear. “Don’t say anything else. I’m gonna tell him we want a lawyer present for questioning.”

  “We’re not being arrested,” Mercedes said. “Are we?”

  The officer glanced at the women as he spoke to the dispatcher. “10-4. We’ll be leaving shortly.” He clipped his radio to his belt. “My patrol car is parked over here.”

  “Wait.” Autumn held up her hand. “We would rather answer your questions here. Why do we have to go down to the police station?”

  “You don’t. I thought it would be easier to talk down at the station but I can’t force you.”

  “Then we’re not going anywhere.” Autumn crossed her arms and her shirt bunched up, revealing the grip of her gun.

  “You’re carrying a concealed weapon?” The officer narrowed his eyes and pointed at her gun.

  “I-uh.” Autumn uncrossed her arms. “Yes. For protection. I have a weapons license.”

  “Can I see your driver’s license and carry license?”

  “Of course.” Autumn fumbled around inside her jacket pocket and pulled out a small wallet. She unclasped the front, removed her carry license and driver’s license, and then handed them to the officer.

  He glanced at the front. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Great,” Mercedes moaned as the officer strode to his patrol car. “Now I’m sure they’re gonna arrest us and haul us down to the station.”

  “How can they?” Autumn asked. “We haven’t done anything wrong. I mean, sure it doesn’t look good meeting a total stranger at night, in a remote area, he may be dead and I’m carrying a loaded gun.”

  “Maybe he’s just unconscious,” Mercedes said. “I better call Ma to let her know there’s a chance we’re on our way to jail.”

  ***

  Carlita Garlucci hummed as she rearranged the array of flatbreads. Soon, Paulie, Carlita’s youngest son, would return with Gina and the kids.

  Gina had originally planned to fly down the previous Saturday, but the triplets, Carlita’s grandchildren, had all come down with colds and Gina wanted to wait until they were feeling better.

  She managed to find a last minute flight into the Hilton Head / Savannah Regional Airport, and although it would be late by the time they arrived, Carlita thought they could at least munch on a quick snack and spend a few minutes catching up before heading off to bed.

  It would be Gina’s first visit to Savannah and Carlita wanted everything to be perfect. She hoped her daughter-in-law would fall in love with Savannah and love it so much; she would head back to Clifton Falls, New York, pack her bags and the family would move south.

  Carlita was trying not to get her hopes up. Gina was born and raised in New York. It was her home. Her parents lived there. Her siblings lived there. Paulie was mayor of Clifton Falls and had a promising career in politics.

  “Perfect.” Carlita placed the potholder inside the drawer and pulled her apron off. She had the whole week planned for the family. While Gina and Paulie spent time alone, patching things up after Gina practically kicked her husband out of the house, she would spend time with Gracie, Noel and Paulie, Jr. or “PJ” for short.

  They would visit the children’s museum, the wildlife center and spend some time at Forsyth Park, which sported two large children’s playgrounds. High on her list was a trip to the famous Leopold’s Ice Cream for some sweet treats.

  She glanced worriedly out the window at the darkening skies. Mercedes had gone out earlier, vaguely mentioning meeting a contact to discuss an old Savannah murder mystery she planned to use in an upcoming novel.

  When pressed for details, Mercedes told her mother she was meeting a fellow author, Jon Luis, a man who knew a great deal about the colorful characters and rich residents of Savannah. She assured her mother it was perfectly safe, that she’d done a thorough background check on Mr. Luis and he was on the up and up. Just to be safe, she’d asked Autumn to go with her.

  Rambo, Carlita’s pooch, trotted through his doggie door and Carlita followed him out onto the deck. She placed both elbows on the railing and breathed deeply. Her thoughts wandered to Gina and Paulie again. She couldn’t wait for her daughter-in-law to meet Shelby and Violet, to meet Cool Bones, another one of the tenants who lived in her apartment building.

  Carlita frowned as she thought about her other tenant, Elvira Cobb. The woman was trouble with a capital “T.” She’d nearly gotten herself killed during a recent investigation, and if it hadn’t been for Carlita and her children, she would likely be six foot under.

  “What on earth is keeping Mercedes? I better find out what’s going on,” she told Rambo, and then headed back inside the apartment.

  It took a few minutes for Carlita to remember where she’d left her cell phone. When she picked it up, she noticed she’d not only missed a call from her daughter, but the volume on her phone was turned down.

  She turned the volume up and then dialed Mercedes’ cell phone.

  “Hey Ma. I tried calling you,” Mercedes said.

  “I had the volume turned down. I was gettin’ worried about you. You on your way home?”

  “I don’t know,” Mercedes said. “I got to the spot where I was supposed to meet Jon Luis and found some guy lying on the ground and unresponsive, so Autumn and I called the police.”

  “Is…he gonna be all right?”

  “No. The cops just told us he’s dead.”

  Chapter 2

  Carlita tightened her grip on her cell phone. “Where are ya? I’m gonna come down there.”

  “I’m at the end of West River Street, near the last of the tourist shops,” Mercedes said. “We’re in the end parking lot, right next to the creepy factory on the river. You can’t miss it. The place is swarming with cops.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Carlita said. “Don’t say nothin’ else to the cops until I get there.”

  “Autumn and I already agreed we’re going to insist on having an attorney present for questioning.”

  Carlita told Mercedes that she was on her way and then hurried to her bedroom to grab a sweater and her purse.

  She was halfway to the front door when it swung open and her middle son, Tony, stepped inside. “I closed up shop. Paulie called. Him, Gina and the kids are about ten minutes away.”

  “You’re gonna have to hang out here and hold down the fort to wait for them.” Carlita shifted her purse to her other arm. “Mercedes was supposed to meet some guy down by the riverfront, to interview him for her new book. When she got there, she found a body and called the cops.”

  “Was it the guy she was supposed to meet?”

  “She thinks so,” Carlita said. “I’m headin’ down there now.”

  “Tell her not to talk to the cops,” Tony said. “Don’t let her take the heat, neither. The cops’ll try to coerce a confession.”

  “How do you know so much about this?” Carlita waved her hand. “Never mind. I don’t wanna know. I’ll call you as soon as I know what’s goin’ on.”

  Tony accompanied his mother out of the apartment building and walked her to her car.

  She gave him a quick hug. “We might need to scrape together some bond money.”

  “I hope not.” Two bright beams of light flashed across the parking lot as a car pulled into the alley. It was Paulie’s car. “I better say hello to Gina and the kids.” Carlita waited until Paulie steered the car into an empty spot
before she hurried to the passenger side of the car.

  The door opened and a petite, slender dark-haired woman stepped out.

  “Gina. I’m glad you’re here. Welcome to Savannah.” Carlita gave her daughter-in-law a warm hug, keeping both hands on Gina’s arms as she took a step back. “I love what you’ve done to your hair.”

  Gina ran her fingers through her shoulder length locks. “Thanks. I was gonna cut it a little shorter.” She shrugged. “Paulie likes it long.”

  The back door of the sedan flew open. A small child hopped out and flung himself at Carlita’s legs. “Nonna.”

  Carlita bent down and picked up her son’s namesake, Paulie. “Oh my PJ. I think you’ve grown a whole foot since Nonna saw you last.”

  Another child, Carlita’s granddaughter, Gracie, sprang from the car and ran to her grandmother’s side. “PJ is in trouble.”

  “So are you,” PJ insisted. “Mommy said we’re all in trouble.”

  Noel slipped out of the car and joined her siblings. “I’m hungry.”

  “I know you are.” Gina shook her head. “It was the longest four hours of my life and I will never endure a long layover with these three again. I shoulda made Paulie come get us.”

  Paulie exited the car. “I offered to come get ya.”

  Gina ignored the comment and gazed at the back of the apartment building. “This is your building? The way Paulie described it; I was expectin’ the Taj Mahal.”

  Carlita could tell from the tone of Gina’s voice that she wasn’t impressed with their home.

  “You’re lookin’ at the back of the building.” Paulie popped the trunk, reached inside and grabbed a suitcase. “Give it a chance, Gina.”

  “I have some snacks in the apartment and juice for the kids.” Carlita jingled her car keys. “I gotta take care of somethin’ for Mercedes.” She shot Tony a warning glance and he nodded. The last thing Carlita needed was for Gina to start ranting and raving about what a dangerous place Savannah was after hearing Mercedes was at a potential crime scene.

  She hugged her grandchildren and Gina one more time and waited until they disappeared inside the apartment before climbing into her car and backing out of the parking spot. It was a short ten-minute walk to the riverfront district, but it was dark and since she was alone, Carlita decided to drive.

  On top of that, she wasn’t sure if she would have to follow Mercedes and Autumn to the police station if they were taken in for questioning. Carlita wondered if Detective Zachary Jackson was on the scene. He and Mercedes had been dating. Well, not technically dating…they’d gone on one date.

  She turned onto Bay Street and drove to the other side of the Riverfront District. When she reached the Artisan Hotel, she turned right, onto a bumpy cobblestone street.

  The ruts jostled Carlita as the car crept along the uneven roadway. When she stopped at the bottom of the hill, she spied the flashing lights of the patrol cars and figured she was close.

  After a quick left turn onto River Street, she pulled into the parking lot marked Private Lot B, slid out of the car and joined the crowd that had gathered.

  Carlita circled the onlookers until she caught a glimpse of her daughter and Autumn standing off to the side, talking with a police officer.

  “…and I swear that is all I know. I’ve never met the man before in my life. I know it sounds odd.”

  “You don’t have to talk Mercedes.” Carlita eased in between Autumn and Mercedes, and squeezed her daughter’s arm.

  The uniformed officer lifted a brow. “And who are you?”

  “Mercedes’ mother.” Carlita lifted her chin defiantly. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Detective Skip Wilson.” The man clicked the end of his pen as he studied Carlita’s face. “You have a unique name. What’s your last name again?” The detective consulted his notes. “Garlucci. You wouldn’t happen to know a Detective Zachary Jackson, would you?”

  “We’re, uh, friends,” Mercedes said. “He helped us track down one of our tenants who went missing not long ago.”

  The detective smirked. “Ah, now I remember. There was some nut job woman who was camped out at Fort Pulaski and ended up being kidnapped by a killer.”

  “My tenant, Elvira Cobb,” Carlita said. “Please don’t hold it against us.”

  “I think I’ve got enough information to go on for now. You’re free to leave.” The detective fished a business card out of his front shirt pocket and handed it to Mercedes. “If you think of anything you forgot to mention, give me a call.”

  “I will.” Mercedes took the card, and the trio waited until the detective made his way over to the crime scene investigators.

  “What happened, Mercedes?”

  “Like I told you earlier, my author group and I were discussing, Jon Luis, a famous local author. He wrote a book about an unsolved murder back in the early 1980s involving several prominent, local Savannah residents. It seemed like such an interesting story and it gave me an idea to start a new book, Savannah’s Secret Society, so I contacted Mr. Luis. We emailed, texted back and forth and finally set up a time to meet.”

  Mercedes went on to tell her mother Jon Luis refused to meet in a public place and insisted they meet at night. “He picked this location. I jumped at the chance to meet with him, but then I got to thinking it was dangerous to meet a stranger alone at night.”

  “So Mercedes asked me to tag along,” Autumn said. “The plan was for me to stay out of sight so we wouldn’t spook the guy.”

  “I almost didn’t recognize you.” Carlita pointed at Autumn’s ball cap, black t-shirt and matching sweatpants.

  “I was keeping a low profile.” Autumn patted her pistol, still tucked under her shirt. “Don’t worry, we were both protected.”

  Carlita’s eyes widened. “You brought a gun? Do the cops know you have a gun?”

  “Yeah; I have a carry license, so they cleared me.” Autumn tapped the tip of her black sneaker on the ground. “While Mercedes was talking to the cop, I wandered closer to the scene. From what the investigators were saying, it looks like the man was shot from behind. He never even saw it coming.”

  “Poor thing.” Carlita made a cross symbol across her chest and then glanced behind her. “I parked the car over there. Where are your Segways?”

  “They’re up on the hill. We left them locked up next to the bike racks,” Mercedes said. “I was hoping to meet with Jon Luis and be back home before Gina and the kids showed up.”

  “Too late.” Carlita, Mercedes and Autumn slowly walked to the front of the parking lot. “They got to the apartment just as I was leaving. I didn’t tell them what happened. I don’t want Gina to get the wrong impression of Savannah.” She motioned towards the hill. “I’ll give you a ride back to the Segways.”

  “That’s probably not a bad idea.” Mercedes shivered as she glanced at the team of crime scene investigators. “The killer could still be lurking nearby.”

  The women climbed into the back seat while Carlita slid behind the wheel. She slowly drove out of the parking lot, up the hill and stopped in front of the bike rack. “Do you want me to follow you home?”

  “No.” Mercedes opened the car door. “This touristy area is safe and there are still a lot of people out. I’m sure we’ll be okay to make it home on our own.”

  “Thanks for the ride Mrs. G.” Autumn slid out of the seat and stepped onto the sidewalk. “I’ll have to swing by to meet the rest of your family. Is Vinnie coming down here for a visit anytime soon?”

  Carlita had detected a spark between Autumn and her oldest son, Vinnie, during his last visit. “He promised me that he’ll be here for Thanksgiving.”

  “I’ve been wondering how he’s been.” Autumn smiled at Carlita and slowly closed the door.

  Carlita waited until the women slipped their helmets on and were on their way before pulling onto the main street.

  During the drive home, she thought about her family, how she had vowed to her husband on his deathbed that she
would get their sons out of the “family business.”

  Her hope was that a move to Savannah would give them all a fresh start, a chance to start over again. Despite her best efforts, parts of Carlita’s past life had followed them from Queens all the way to their new home.

  Tony seemed happy with his new life in Savannah, even thriving since he started dating Shelby Towns, one of Carlita’s tenants. He was also doing a wonderful job of running their pawnshop, Savannah Swag.

  When Paulie came to visit after his argument with Gina, Carlita hoped the charm of the historic city, not to mention the wonderful weather and tons of fun things to do, would be tempting enough for him to consider moving.

  Gina, on the other hand, would be a tough sell, which is why Carlita had worked hard to plan every single detail of Gina and the children’s visit, in hopes of letting her see for herself what she was missing.

  Then there was Vinnie. He was the first of her sons to visit Savannah. He’d shown an interest in Autumn and Carlita thought there was a possibility he would consider moving south, but Vinnie was firmly entrenched in the “family business.”

  She hoped, over time, he would come to see how dangerous the mafia life was, see that his brother was happy living in Savannah and would change his mind. Whether “the family” would let him leave…that was another matter. There was a famous saying in La Cosa Nostra…The only way you leave the family is in a box.

  It was Carlita’s greatest fear Vinnie wouldn’t make it out and she would end up burying her beloved son like she had his father.

  Mercedes and Autumn must have taken a shortcut because by the time Carlita parked the car and made her way to the back of the apartment building, Mercedes was already there.

  “Where’s Autumn?”

  “I dropped her off at Shades of Ink. Steve was closing up shop and she wanted to wait for him.”

  “Have you met Steve’s girlfriend?” Carlita asked.

  “Paisley? Yeah. She and Steve met at a tattoo conference or something like that.” Mercedes unlocked the back door and steered her Segway into the hall. “Did you know that Paisley has over a hundred tattoos?”