Matrimony & Mayhem: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 11) Read online

  The guest list was a mix of business associates, immediate family, friends and their close-knit Walton Square neighbors.

  The original plan was to invite immediate family only, but as the wedding grew closer, the list grew. It was still manageable, and Carlita was thankful the restaurant was able and ready to host the event.

  Ravello’s kitchen staff, servers, busboys and greeters were all in place and ready to go. Carlita had done as much as she could to make sure the wedding and the reception went off without a hitch.

  “Thanks for picking up the suit, Ma.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m gonna run by the courtyard and then the restaurant before heading to the apartment.” Carlita turned to go before turning back. “Will you and Shelby be joining us for dinner? I’m going all out and ordering Monster Pizza for dinner,” she joked.

  “We wouldn’t miss it.”

  A customer approached. “Can I have some help over in the gun case?”

  “Sure.” Tony motioned to his sister. “You tell Ma about her surprise?”

  “Not yet.” Mercedes smiled slyly.

  “I wish I could be there to see the look on her face.”

  “See what?” A feeling of dread swept over Carlita. “That does it. I’m going upstairs to see my surprise before I do anything else.” She marched out the back door and into the hall.

  Mercedes hurried after her mother and followed her up the stairs.

  “You know how I feel about surprises.”

  “Wait!” Mercedes sprinted ahead of her mother, blocking the entrance to the apartment. “I have only one thing to say.”

  “What?”

  “For the record, this wasn’t my idea.” Mercedes opened the door and stepped inside.

  Chapter 2

  At first glance, Carlita didn’t recognize the person standing in front of the balcony doors, his back to her.

  “Eddie?”

  The man spun around and took a step towards her. “Hey, Carlita. I bet you’re surprised to see me.”

  “Eddie.” Carlita repeated herself as she stared at her only sibling, her younger brother, Eddie DelVecchio. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here for Tony’s wedding. I ran into Vito Castellini a coupla weeks ago. He told me his son-in-law and daughter was heading to Savannah for Tony’s wedding. I thought I would make a quick trip down here and surprise you.”

  “Surprise me? More like shock. Where’s Anjelica?”

  “She’s out on your balcony, smoking a cig.” Eddie jabbed his thumb toward Carlita’s balcony. “I wanted to swing by, check the place out and say ‘Hi.’ We’re not gonna hang around. In fact, we were gettin’ ready to head out. We’re staying at the swanky new Savannah Riverfront Inn. Nothing but the best for my Anjelica.”

  “I…had no idea.” Carlita pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. She hadn’t seen her brother since Vinnie’s funeral a year ago. The siblings were never close, despite the fact that Eddie had been a member of “the family” almost as long as her deceased husband, Vinnie.

  The balcony door opened and Anjelica DelVecchio tottered inside, the tip of her stiletto heel catching on the doorframe.

  Eddie reached out to steady her. “You’re gonna kill yourself in those heels.”

  “You wish.” Anjelica regained her balance, tugging the edge of her silk jacket over her slim hips. The corners of her fire engine red lips curled in a mocking smile. “Carlita. How are you?”

  She extended a limp hand in Carlita’s direction.

  “I’m fine, Anjelica.” Carlita inwardly winced as she took her sister-in-law’s hand. “I must admit I’m a little surprised that you and Eddie made a special trip to Savannah for Tony’s wedding.”

  Anjelica shot her husband a quick glance. “It’s more a mixture of business and pleasure.”

  Eddie cleared his throat at his wife’s comment. “It’s all pleasure, Anjelica.”

  Carlita could tell from the tone of her brother’s voice he was displeased at Anjelica’s comment, and she felt a sudden uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. “You’re not here for Tony’s wedding. Did someone send you down here?”

  “There is a little business matter. It ain’t got nothin’ to do with you. We’re family. Can’t I pay a visit to my family?”

  “Oh, you’re family all right.”

  Carlita forgot Mercedes was in the room until she stepped between Carlita and her brother. “It’s nice to see you, Uncle Eddie. I’m sure you and Aunt Anjelica are exhausted after the long trip and want to go relax.”

  “Yeah. We gotta get going. We’ll be here tomorrow around noon for the nuptials.” Eddie placed a light hand on his wife’s back and guided her toward the door. “Vito said Vinnie and Brittney will be arriving sometime today.” He paused when he reached the door. “He staying here with you?”

  “Who’s asking? You or Vito?” Carlita asked.

  “Maybe Vito. Maybe me,” Eddie shrugged.

  “Maybe not,” Anjelica muttered.

  Eddie jabbed a stubby finger at his wife. “You got a big mouth.”

  “You got a bigger mouth.” Anjelica lifted her chin and turned to Carlita. “Congratulations on the upcoming wedding. It’s nice to see you again, Carlita, even if I’m not a big fan of the south. Too many bugs and ridiculous heat. I’m goin’ downstairs to smoke.”

  Anjelica stepped out of the apartment, her heels clattering on the stairs as she made her way down the steps.

  Eddie muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

  Carlita pinned her brother with a stare. “I don’t want any crap goin’ on at Tony’s wedding, whether it’s you, or Vito or even my son, Vinnie. This is Tony and Shelby’s big day.”

  Eddie lifted both hands. “You got my word. I won’t start anything as long as no one else gets it going.”

  “Eddie…” Carlita warned. “I will personally throw you out if you start trouble.”

  “You got my word.”

  Carlita followed her brother down the stairs and into the alley.

  Anjelica stood on the stoop smoking. She blew a puff of smoke in her husband’s face. “I’m hungry. You got any decent restaurants in this Podunk town?”

  “The Parrot House Restaurant around the corner serves delicious food. My friend Pete Taylor owns it.”

  “What kind of food?” Anjelica took another drag on her cigarette before dropping it on the ground and grinding it with the tip of her shoe.

  “The edible kind,” Eddie smarted off.

  “You’re a jerk.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “They have a large menu. Burgers, wings, the typical pub fare. They also serve specialty dishes with a southern flair.” Anxious to get away from her obnoxious sister-in-law and annoying brother, Carlita backed into the hall. “I’ll see you tomorrow. The wedding is at twelve o’clock sharp in the courtyard out front.”

  “We’ll see you then.” Eddie escorted his wife to the rental car before climbing behind the wheel and driving off.

  Carlita started to close the door.

  “Hey!” Elvira, Carlita’s neighbor and former tenant, motioned to her from the doorway across the alley.

  “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to ask you if there are any last minute instructions to go over for tomorrow.” Elvira graciously offered her company’s security services to oversee Tony and Shelby’s wedding, claiming it was their wedding gift.

  At first, Carlita dismissed the idea, but after giving it some thought, she decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone keep an eye on the restaurant entrance. Elvira’s presence would head off potential hungry customers from crashing the wedding reception.

  “No. The wedding ceremony is at noon over in the courtyard. The reception will start right after the ceremony.”

  “Sounds good. Dernice offered to help out, too.”

  “It should be an easy job.” Carlita remembered Eddie’s words and Anjelica’s mysterious comment, how her brother was in
town to not only attend the wedding but also take care of a little business. “Or maybe not.”

  Elvira nodded in the direction of where Eddie’s car had just pulled out. “Is that more of your mafia family showing up for the wedding?”

  “What makes you think they’re mafia?”

  “The clothes. I know my designer duds. The chick was wearing a Marni dress. They cost a cool six hundred bucks minimum and the Jimmy Choo shoes.” Elvira continued. “His suit wasn’t cheap, either. He’s not a looker like your sons, but he’s kinda got some of your features.”

  Elvira studied Carlita’s face. “Must be your sons have their father’s looks. My guess is he’s a relative of yours. You have the same close set eyes and pointed chin.”

  Carlita clenched her fists, resisting the urge to whack Elvira. She had enough going on without having to put up with the woman’s nonsense. “Are you done insulting me and my family?”

  “So he is related.” Elvira clapped her hands. “I knew it! Man, I’m good.”

  “You’re a pain in the butt. I have enough to do without standing here listening to you rattle on.”

  “Wait!”

  Carlita slowly turned back. “Now what?”

  “Someone left a box on your back step while you were gone.” Elvira ran inside her apartment and returned, carrying a large brown box. “It looked like it was going to rain. I thought it might be a wedding present or something and I didn’t want it to get wet.”

  She handed the box to Carlita. “Whatever it is, it’s not very heavy.”

  Carlita shook the box. It made a small rattling noise. “Thank you for picking it up. As annoying as you tend to be, I appreciate you offering your security services for Tony and Shelby’s wedding. We’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely.” Elvira stepped back inside her apartment and closed the door.

  Carlita wandered across the alley and up the steps. “Mercedes?”

  Mercedes emerged from her room. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Uncle Eddie and Aunt Anjelica. Uncle Eddie wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “It was a surprise all right.” Carlita perched on the edge of the sofa, still holding the box.

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know. Elvira found it on our back stoop. She thought it might be a wedding gift and didn’t want it to get wet.”

  Mercedes joined her mother. “Well? Open it up.”

  “If it is a wedding gift, maybe we should give it to Tony and Shelby.”

  “Then they should’ve addressed it to Tony and Shelby.”

  “True.” Carlita eased her fingernail under the corner of the packing tape. She ripped the tape off and flipped the flaps.

  Inside was another smaller box. “Garlucci” was scrawled across the front in big, black letters. She picked it up and gave it a gentle shake.

  “Is there a return address?” Mercedes reached for the larger empty box. “No. Nothing.”

  Carlita frowned. “Maybe it’s not for the wedding.” A troubled feeling settled over her, an inkling she wasn’t going to like what she found inside.

  “Here. You open it.” She handed the box to her daughter. “I’m gettin’ a bad feeling about this.”

  “Maybe it’s a mini bomb.” Mercedes pried the tape off and reached into the smaller box. “What in the world?”

  Chapter 3

  “It’s a miniature bride and groom…a cake topper.” Mercedes gingerly removed the figurine. On closer inspection, she noticed something was missing. “The groom’s head is missing.”

  Sure enough, the intact bride clutched the hand of a headless groom.

  “Maybe there’s something written on the outside of the smaller box, and we missed it.” Carlita carefully inspected the box. “It could be the package got damaged in shipping, and the groom’s head broke off.”

  She removed the brown packing paper. The groom’s missing head was not inside.

  “Well, that blows my theory,” Mercedes said. “Why would someone mail a bride and groom cake topper with the groom’s head missing?”

  “Maybe Eddie is playing a sick joke on Tony.” Carlita reached for her cell phone and tapped out a message to her brother, asking if he had left a box on the back stoop. “I wonder if Elvira’s surveillance camera picked anything up.”

  Carlita’s cell phone beeped. Instead of Eddie, it was Vinnie, telling his mother Brittney and he had exited the highway and stopped for gas. His text ended with him telling his mother there was something important he needed to discuss with the family and wanted to make sure everyone was around.

  “I don’t like the sound of this.” Carlita dialed her eldest son’s number and waited for him to pick up. “You’re not springing another surprise on me, are you?”

  “No. No surprise this time. More of a complicated matter.” Vinnie sounded distracted. “I’d rather not get into it over the phone in case someone is listening in. You know?”

  A chill ran down Carlita’s spine, and one word popped into her head…mafia. The family. “You’re not bringing trouble to Tony’s wedding, are you? Cuz we got our hands full without having to worry about family friends crashing the wedding.”

  “Like I said, I’ll talk to you when I get there. Brittney and I will be there in ten minutes, fifteen tops.” Before Carlita could reply, Vinnie disconnected the line.

  She frowned at the phone.

  “Now what?” Mercedes watched her mother set the cake topper on the coffee table. “What did you mean by family friends?”

  “Vinnie said he wants to have a meeting when he gets here. He has something important to talk to us about.”

  “We can rule out Vinnie eloping, and his new wife being pregnant,” Mercedes joked. “What else could there be?”

  “I don’t know.” Carlita headed to the kitchen while Mercedes kept an eye on the alley.

  “He’s here,” Mercedes said. “I’ll run down to let them in, and see if Tony has a second to spare while I’m at it.”

  Carlita watched through the window as her daughter greeted her older brother before giving Brittney a quick hug. The trio disappeared from sight, arriving on her doorstep a couple of minutes later with Tony in tow.

  She gave Brittney a warm hug and took a step back. “You’re absolutely glowing, although not even showing.”

  Brittney patted her nearly flat stomach. “I’ve been waitin’ every day for the baby bulge to appear, but nothing yet.”

  Vinnie wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her tight. “You look great, Ma.”

  “Thanks. All of this running around trying to get the restaurant ready for the grand opening, not to mention helping out with the wedding have kept me on my toes.” Carlita, not one to mince words, got down to business. “What’s this important matter you need to discuss?”

  Carlita’s sharp eye didn’t miss the uneasy glance Vinnie and his new bride exchanged. “What is it, Son?”

  “We…gotta coupla unexpected extra guests attending the wedding and reception.”

  “What do you mean - unexpected guests?”

  “Daddy insisted two of his personal bodyguards accompany us on this trip,” Brittney said. “They’re outside.”

  Carlita stepped over to the living room window and peered into the alley below. She caught a glimpse of a tall man, wearing a three-piece suit and standing on the stoop. “He wouldn’t happen to be a burly man in a suit wearing a white fedora?”

  “That’s Luigi,” Brittney nodded.

  “I thought you said there was more than one.”

  “Ricco went around front. He’s guarding the entrance to the pawnshop.”

  Mercedes peered over her mother’s shoulder. “Why do you need bodyguards?”

  Tony, who had remained silent so far, spoke. “I don’t want any trouble at my wedding, Vinnie. Why are Vito’s goons here?” He turned to Brittney. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Brittney replied. “It’s for all of our safety and protection.”

  “Vito�
��s got a hit on him, or maybe someone close to him. As an extra precaution, he sent two of his bodyguards down to keep an eye on us.” Vinnie went on to tell his mother Vito suspected another “family member,” Louie Esposito, had taken out a hit, with rumors it might take place while the couple was in unfamiliar surroundings.

  Carlita slowly made her way across the room, her eyes drawn to the headless wedding topper. “Elvira found this on our back stoop a little while ago. We have no idea who sent it.”

  “It’s a wedding cake topper,” Vinnie shrugged. “So Tony’s wedding cake topper got busted.”

  “That’s not ours.” Tony picked it up. “Could be Shelby ordered it before we found a topper with a man, woman and little girl on it. She can send it back since it’s broken.”

  “The head is missing,” Mercedes said bluntly.

  “Missing?” Tony asked.

  “Yeah. The head was off when we got it. It isn’t inside the box.”

  “That’s creepy.” Brittney shivered.

  “It may be some sort of warning,” Carlita said quietly. “But if this is a warning, then Tony is the target.”

  “I dunno, Ma. We ain’t had no trouble around here. The first thing to do is find out if Shelby ordered a cake topper. Let me check real quick.” With the topper in hand, Tony exited the apartment. He returned a short time later. “Shelby said she never ordered a topper. Where’s the package it came in?”

  Mercedes handed the boxes to her brother.

  “I don’t know what to think. Seems to me someone went to a lot of trouble to leave a broken cake topper on our doorstep.”

  “Maybe it’s your Uncle Eddie playing a practical joke.”

  Vinnie’s head shot up. “What’s this about Uncle Eddie?”

  “He’s here. He showed up on our doorstep a couple of hours ago,” Tony said. “He wanted to surprise us.”

  “What a scumbag.”

  Carlita pressed a hand to her chest, taken back by the hard tone in Vinnie’s voice. “Your Uncle Eddie is a scumbag?”

  “He’s not supposed to be here. Vito told him to stay put. Wait’ll Vito finds out Eddie is down here.”