Turmoil in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 13) Read online

  “Elvira?” Carlita asked.

  “I don’t know her name. She’s the one with the crazy hair who’s always wandering around out back with her metal detector.”

  “I’ll chat with her,” Carlita promised. “Elvira and her tenants have their own parking area. I’ll be sure to remind her.”

  “And now…this morning. These two creepy goons Mercedes claims are family friends were hogging two spots instead of pulling into one. When I told them to move, they ignored me.” Angelica rambled on, starting in again about the noise and the temperature of her water.

  Brittney tottered into the hallway. “Would you mind running down to the car to grab my last bag?” She jangled a set of keys. “Ricco and Luigi are having a little trouble fitting my suitcases in the bedroom.”

  “I bet they are,” Mercedes muttered under her breath.

  Carlita jabbed her daughter with her elbow and reached for the keys. “I’ll be happy to.”

  “Who are you?” Angelica rudely asked.

  Brittney turned her bright blue eyes on the woman. “Who are you?”

  “A paying tenant, who’s getting tired of subpar apartment conditions. And now I have to deal with a couple of creepy goons hanging around.”

  Brittney’s jaw dropped. “Are you talking about Ricco and Luigi?”

  Ricco appeared behind them. “The bags are in the room.”

  “There’s one of them,” Angelica said.

  “Why…” Brittney’s expression morphed from angelic to enraged. “Goons?” she fumed. “Like you have room to talk. Someone needs to buy you a mirror…a nice big round one so you can take in a full view of yourself.”

  Angelica reared back, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Are you calling me fat?

  “If the fat fits,” Brittney taunted.

  Carlita made a move to step in and defuse the situation, but it was too late.

  Chapter 2

  Angelica’s hand shot out, and she slapped Brittney’s cheek. The force of the strike was enough to create a loud whack that echoed in the hall.

  Brittney pressed a hand to her cheek as she let out a strangled gasp. Her eyes glittered angrily as she grabbed a fistful of Angelica’s hair and pulled.

  Angelica clawed at Brittney as she shrieked in pain. “Let go of me.”

  Ricco, who was standing directly behind Carlita, shoved her out of the way and thundered toward Angelica, a look of impending doom on his face.

  Carlita, certain her tenant was mere seconds from death, wedged her body between the warring women. “Stop!”

  She said it forcefully enough that even Ricco, who was charging like a bull, slowed, but the murderous expression on his face was still firmly in place. “Ricco, please let me handle this.”

  It was as if the man never heard Carlita, his eyes on his target, and she wondered if he was deciding whether he was going to fill Angelica full of lead or choke her, a strong possibility judging by the way his fists were clenched.

  Carlita swung around to face Brittney. “Let go of Angelica’s hair.”

  “She hit me,” Brittney gritted out; her fist still full of the other woman’s hair.

  “Yes, she did. I think it was a reflexive move. She didn’t mean to.”

  Angelica made a gurgling sound, which Carlita took as an apology. “See? She’s apologizing.”

  Carlita placed a firm grip on her daughter-in-law’s arm. “Let go. This isn’t solving anything.”

  Brittney reluctantly released her hold, and Angelica stumbled backward. “She deserved to be slapped.”

  “That’s enough,” Carlita snapped.

  Mercedes sprang into action, grabbing Angelica’s arm and pulling her toward the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” Angelica jerked her arm, attempting to escape Mercedes’ grasp. She was no match for Mercedes who kept an ironclad grip on her as she dragged the woman down the stairs.

  “How does a night in jail sound?” Mercedes said the first thing that popped into her head.

  “Jail?”

  “For assault,” Carlita said. “You assaulted my daughter-in-law.”

  “I did not. I merely put her in her place.”

  “And left a mark on her face.” Carlita followed her daughter and temporary tenant to the bottom of the stairs. “I want you out. You have twenty-four hours to vacate this apartment, or I’ll contact the authorities and have you arrested.”

  “You…you can’t do that,” Angelica huffed. “I have a signed lease.”

  “And you broke the lease,” Carlita said. “You’re disturbing the peace of other tenants.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Angelica stormed down the hall, flung her apartment door open and marched inside. She slammed the door so hard it rattled the hall window.

  “I’ll handle this.” Mercedes followed Angelica into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

  Carlita slowly turned her attention to Ricco and Brittney, who stood watching from the top of the stairs.

  “Why did you stop me from poppin’ the putz?”

  “Because you can’t go around killing people. You want the heat on us? You start offing people and what’s happening in Atlantic City will be the least of your worries.”

  “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” Ricco relaxed his stance. “A body right now could be somewhat problematic.”

  “I’m evicting her…pronto.” Carlita climbed the stairs and approached Brittney, the outline of Angelica’s hand clearly visible on her cheek. “I’m sorry, Brittney. Angelica is a troublesome tenant. I’ll need to give her a couple of days to move out. In the meantime, I think it’s best if you avoid her.”

  Brittney placed a light hand on her injured cheek. “I…I will. It’s a good thing Daddy wasn’t here. We would already be dragging her body to the car.”

  Visions of Vito Castellini offing her tenant filled Carlita’s head. And for the umpteenth time, she wondered why on earth her eldest son had become entangled so deeply in “the family.”

  Mercedes exited Angelica’s apartment and sprinted up the steps. “She’s on the phone trying to find a place to go. At first, she kept threatening us for breaking her lease, but after I reminded her that Brittney has every right to press charges, she realized she could be in trouble and agreed it’s time for her to leave.”

  “See?” Carlita forced a smile. “Problem solved.”

  Ricco took the keys from Carlita and returned downstairs to grab Brittney’s last bag. Carlita trailed behind. “Where are you and Luigi staying?”

  “I dunno. We weren’t plannin’ on makin’ this trip. It was kind of spur of the moment. We’ll probably end up sleepin’ in the car.”

  “No.” A sudden thought popped into Carlita’s head. “If you can make do for a day or two until Angelica moves out, you and Luigi can move into her furnished efficiency.”

  “Are you sure?” Ricco eyed Carlita. “That’s mighty kind of you, Mrs. G.”

  “Yes.” Carlita warmed to the idea. If someone was targeting Brittney, the closer Ricco and Luigi were, the better. “Absolutely.”

  “I appreciate the generous offer.” Ricco removed the last bag from the back seat and shut the car door. “We’ll stay on the down low. You won’t even know we’re around.”

  They began strolling toward the apartment when a movement from the building on the opposite side of the alley caught Carlita’s attention. Dernice, Elvira’s sister, stepped onto the stoop and pulled the door shut.

  Carlita slowed, motioning to him. “Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

  He returned inside, and Carlita waited until Dernice noticed her.

  “Hey, Carlita.”

  “Is Elvira around? I want to talk to her about the parking situation.”

  Dernice’s eyes slid to the side in the direction of the back door. “She’s…kind of under the weather. Yeah…she’s caught some terrible virus. I don’t think you should be around her right now. It could be some sort of plague.”

  “Plague?” Carlita wrinkle
d her nose. “Is she all right? Has she seen a doctor?”

  “No. I mean, I think she should, but not yet. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “One of my tenants is complaining about your security services van parking in our lot and blocking the parking spots. I know parking is tight, but I have out of town guests who just arrived. I’m going to need all of my spaces for my tenants and company.”

  “I understand. I’ll move the van, and we’ll start parking them on the street.”

  “Thanks.” Carlita turned to go. “Tell Elvira I hope she’s feeling better soon.”

  “I will.” A troubled look crossed Dernice’s face, and she opened her mouth to say something.

  Carlita waited, but the look passed and Dernice gave her a half-smile. “See you later.”

  “Later.” Carlita returned to her apartment building. She could feel Dernice watching her and turned back. A sad expression flickered across the woman’s face. She eased the back door open and disappeared inside.

  Carlita started up the steps and changed her mind, making her way into the pawnshop where Tony was helping a customer. He finished and joined her.

  “I see Brittney and her entourage arrived,” Tony joked.

  “Oh my gosh.” Carlita rolled her eyes. “What a mess. I’ve never seen so much luggage in my life.”

  “What’s Mercedes think since she’s being kicked out of her room?”

  “She’s moving in with Autumn until Brittney and her bodyguards leave.”

  “That’s a good idea. Vinnie called this morning, asking me to keep an eye on Brittney, Luigi, and Ricco.”

  “That won’t be hard. They’ll be staying in your old apartment,” Carlita said.

  “What about the new temporary tenant?”

  “I’m evicting her.” Carlita told her son about Brittney and Angelica’s altercation. “She slapped Brittney. Ricco was ready to snuff her until I intervened. All we need is for one of Vito’s hitmen to take out one of my tenants.”

  “And I missed all of the action?” Tony grinned.

  “I’m sure there’ll be more. Somehow, I think today’s incident is just the beginning.”

  A couple entered the store, and Carlita returned upstairs to the apartment where she found Luigi and Ricco out on the balcony smoking. Brittney was in Mercedes’ bedroom, frowning at the row of suitcases.

  “I don’t know where I’m going to put my clothes.”

  Carlita placed a hand on her hip. “Our apartment is kinda small and seeing as it’s only a two-bedroom there’s not much extra space.”

  Brittney scooted over to the closet. “Do you think Mercedes would mind making a little more room for me?”

  “A little more room?”

  “Yeah.” Brittney shoved Mercedes’ clothes to the side. “She gets half. I get half.”

  “I suppose I can move some of her clothes into my closet.” Carlita eased past her daughter-in-law, grabbed an armful of clothes and carried them into her bedroom. She repeated the process several times until half of her daughter’s closet was empty.

  “Thanks, Ma.”

  “You’re welcome.” Carlita left her to unpack, deciding she should warn Mercedes she’d moved half of her closet’s contents into her own.

  The door to Autumn’s apartment was ajar. Carlita gave it a light knock and then stepped inside where she found her daughter standing at the living room window, staring out.

  “What are you doing?”

  Mercedes turned. “Something is going on over at the trolley stop.”

  Carlita joined her at the window, peering past the courtyard and to the trolley stop on the other side of the street where her friend, Reese, and Reese’s trolley were parked.

  “They’ve been parked there for a long time.”

  “I wonder if there’s a problem.” Carlita could see sudden movement inside the trolley. The rear emergency door flew open, and a passenger tumbled out, landing face down on the pavement.

  Chapter 3

  Carlita raced out of the apartment with Mercedes hot on her heels. They clambered down the steps and dashed out the back door.

  When they reached the corner, Carlita could hear people yelling inside the trolley. The passenger the women had seen fall from the emergency exit was lying on the ground. “Call 911!” she yelled.

  Mercedes yanked her cell phone from her pocket and began dialing. “Yes, this is Mercedes Garlucci. I’m at the corner of Halston and Mulberry at the trolley stop. We need an ambulance and the police here as soon as possible. There’s some sort of fight going on inside the trolley. One of the passengers fell out of the emergency exit and isn’t moving.”

  The dispatcher reassured Mercedes help was on the way. “They’re coming.”

  From the back of the trolley, Carlita caught a glimpse of Reese. She was struggling to restrain a man. Several other passengers surrounded her and were yelling.

  “Go get Tony,” Carlita gave her daughter a shove. “Reese needs help.”

  Mercedes ran across the street, returning moments later followed by Tony, gun in hand.

  “Reese is in trouble,” Carlita said breathlessly.

  Tony jogged to the trolley door, quickly assessing the situation. “Hey. Let her go!”

  There was so much yelling and commotion inside, Tony’s voice was drowned out. He pointed his weapon away from the trolley and fired a shot in the air. “Let the trolley driver out!” he yelled.

  At the sound of the gunshot, the fighting stopped. Moments later, Reese stumbled down the steps and onto the sidewalk. There was a large gash on her cheek and a trail of blood.

  “Reese.” Carlita rushed forward to help her friend as Tony stayed focused on the passengers still inside. “The police are on the way.”

  The faint sound of sirens echoed from a side street. Several cop cars careened around the corners, coming at them from both directions. Officers sprang from the vehicles and raced toward them. “Hands up!”

  Tony, who was still gripping his gun, lifted both hands. “I’m armed with a registered weapon.”

  The officer closest to him trained his gun on Tony. “Drop it!”

  Tony set the gun on the ground, and the officer began patting him down.

  Several more cops and an ambulance arrived at the scene. Carlita immediately recognized one of them. It was Detective Polivich. He caught her eye and strode over. “Who called 911?”

  “I did,” Mercedes said. “My mother and I were across the street in our apartment and noticed some sort of commotion. Before we could check it out, we watched a passenger fly out of the emergency exit. When we got here, we realized there was some sort of fighting going on inside.”

  Polivich turned his attention to Reese, who was standing next to Carlita. “Are you the driver?”

  “I am,” Reese nodded.

  “Do you need one of the paramedics to take a look at your injuries?” the detective asked.

  “No. I think I’ll be all right. The Savannah Six are on board. I didn’t realize it until we reached this stop and they started causing trouble.”

  Polivich grimaced and motioned to one of his men. “Get some guys on board and sort this out.” He placed a light hand on Reese’s arm. “Let’s go over here where it’s quiet, and you can tell me exactly what happened.”

  Carlita and Mercedes watched the detective lead Reese away from the scene.

  The officer finished patting Tony down. “I’m gonna run a check on the gun.”

  “No problem.”

  The cop returned to his vehicle, and Tony joined his mother and Mercedes. “Any idea what happened?”

  “The Savannah Six struck again,” Carlita said.

  A group of thugs had been terrorizing Savannah and harassing business owners. The group, nicknamed the Savannah Six by local media, had ramped up their aggressive behavior, and for the last week had begun targeting the city’s trolleys and tourists.

  The most recent incident occurred when one of the vigilantes attacked a tro
lley driver, seized control of it and then drove it to the Bonaventure Cemetery where the Savannah Six proceeded to vandalize the historic landmark.

  Outraged, area residents had picketed city hall and the police department, demanding the authorities take action after the press leaked the identities of the members.

  Things had been quiet until the other day, when Reese confided to Carlita that they suspected someone had been messing around with the trolleys after hours.

  “The cops can’t keep lettin’ them get away with this,” Mercedes said. “They gotta do something before someone ends up dead.”

  The officer who had searched Tony and taken his gun made his way over. “I found your registration. You can have your gun back. One of the witnesses claims you were firing shots in the air.”

  Tony took the gun. “I fired a single warning shot to get their attention.”

  “You mean it accidentally discharged since it’s against the law to fire a gun inside the city limits,” the officer said pointedly.

  “Yeah.” Tony grinned. “It accidentally discharged…while I had it pointed in the air, with the safety off, and my finger on the trigger.”

  “That’s what I thought.” The officer stepped away from them, and Carlita waited until he was out of earshot. “Thanks for getting over here so fast, Son. Who knows what would’ve happened to Reese if we hadn’t called the police.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad I was around to help. I better get back to work.” Tony crossed the street and went into the pawnshop.

  While the women waited for Reese to finish talking to Detective Polivich, they made their way to the back of the trolley and the man who had been pushed from the emergency exit. He was lying on a gurney with bandages wrapped around his head. The EMTs rolled the gurney to the nearby ambulance and began loading him in the back.

  Carlita turned to a man standing next to her. “Is he going to be all right?”

  “I think so. I heard the paramedic mention something about a head injury. He was responding. Hopefully, he’ll be okay.”

  The passengers began exiting the trolley single file. As each rider disembarked, an officer standing at the doorway checked their identification and motioned for them to step off to the side.