Family Feud in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 16) Read online

  “Did you meet the owner?” Perhaps if Carlita stopped by to chat with either the owner or the construction supervisor and let them know what an employee was doing, she could nip the troublesome situation in the bud.

  “I did. Her name is Sandy Sue Jarvis. Her husband, Carl, wasn’t there. She said I would need to talk to him about camera installation. She seemed a little…”

  “A little what?” Mercedes asked.

  “Well, not particularly warm and fuzzy.”

  “She was rude,” Dernice elaborated.

  “Although she did say she would get back with me.”

  “Is it possible for you to text a copy of the surveillance footage to me? I’m going to take it over there and politely ask the workers not to use our dumpster.”

  “Sure.” With a couple quick clicks, Elvira’s message and attachment popped up on Carlita’s phone.

  “This should do the trick.”

  Elvira followed behind as Carlita and her daughter made their way to the door. “We’ve only got a couple of months before we hit the high seas. I think we should have a pre-cruise meeting so we can go over the plan.”

  “Plan?”

  “You know…port stops and excursions, making reservations for the specialty dining restaurants. I might even book a visit to the spa,” Elvira said. “I heard their Waves of Wonder show is spectacular. You have to get to the theater early to get a good seat.”

  “She has a point. It might be in our best interest to plan ahead,” Mercedes said. “Vinnie might also have some suggestions since the cruise was his idea. Or perhaps his in-laws have made other plans.”

  Elvira abruptly stopped. “Vinnie’s in-laws are going?”

  “Yes, and I’m sure they’ll be bringing along a bodyguard or two, as well.”

  “You mean the mob is cruising with us?” Elvira gasped. “I-I thought it was family only.”

  “The Garlucci family plus Vinnie’s in-laws. From what he told us, the cruise is part business trip, part family vacation.”

  “What kind of business? I mean, do we really know what we’re getting ourselves into?”

  “We did not ‘get ourselves’ into anything. No one twisted your arm to book this cruise,” Carlita pointed out. “If you’re concerned about being around Vinnie’s in-laws, then perhaps you should reconsider.”

  “It’s a little late. If I cancel now, I’m gonna lose my deposit.” There was a flicker of concern as Elvira consulted her sister. “What do you think, Dernice?”

  “It’ll be fine. I mean, we won’t be hanging around Vinnie’s in-laws.”

  “Except for dinner. I thought we could link our reservations. That way, we can all dine together.” Elvira cleared her throat. “This throws a wrench into my plans.”

  “I’m sure it will all work out.” Carlita patted her arm. “Perhaps we should lower our expectations for quality time, plan to meet for dinner once or twice and then call it good.”

  “No. I want us to stick together.” Elvira insisted. “I suppose I could be overthinking it. I don’t have a lot of experience with mob people, except for you, of course. I’ll plan on keeping a low profile and not get on the boss’s radar. What’s his name again?”

  “Vito Castellini.”

  “Do you have any idea what cabin he’s staying in?”

  “No. What I do know is that Vito and his wife have reserved a suite.”

  Elvira pressed a hand to her chest. “Good. Good. There are no suites on our deck.”

  “What exactly do you think Mr. Castellini is going to do? Weapons aren’t allowed on board the ship. In fact, I’m certain passengers’ bags are screened and contraband items taken at the gate.”

  Elvira cast Carlita a skeptical look. “Don’t be naïve. I’ve watched enough of those mob shows to know those guys don’t go anywhere without guns.”

  The woman had a point. All of her husband’s associates, not to mention anyone she’d ever met from the “family,” packed heat, including her son, Vinnie.

  “All I know is I won’t be bringing a weapon, and neither should you.” Carlita thanked her again for the surveillance footage before exiting the building.

  Mercedes hurried to keep up with her mother’s fast pace. “The cruise is shaping up to be one exciting vacation.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of chaotic, stressful, maybe even disastrous.”

  “C’mon, Ma,” Mercedes chided. “How bad could it be?”

  “We’re talking Elvira, here.” Carlita paused long enough to grab an empty paint can they had removed from the dumpster before making her way along the sidewalk.

  Construction workers were everywhere. As they drew closer, Carlita could see Sandy Sue’s was almost done.

  The front porch was warm and inviting. Blooming baskets, filled with purple, pink and yellow flowers, hung along the railing. Despite the restaurant’s rustic charm, the interior was light and bright.

  The double doors were open, and the overpowering smell of floor polish drifted out.

  “It looks like they just finished the floor,” Mercedes said.

  “You’re right. We don’t want to mess them up. Let’s go around back.” Carlita and her daughter backtracked, making their way to the rear of the building. She could feel her blood beginning to boil when she spotted a dumpster.

  She strode over to it and peered inside. It was brand new. “Check it out.”

  Mercedes joined her. “It’s new.”

  “Can I help you?” A man wearing a City Square Construction t-shirt stood in the doorway.

  “I hope so.” Carlita held up the empty paint can. “I own the property across the street and found this empty paint can, along with some other construction materials, in my dumpster this morning.”

  “Yeah.” The man looked bored. “And your point is?”

  “I would like to speak to whoever is in charge of the construction crew.”

  “That would be me.” In no hurry, the man ambled toward them. He was tall, much taller than Carlita’s barely five-foot frame. “Whatever you found is not from this site.”

  “You’re wrong.” Carlita handed the can to Mercedes. She grabbed her cell phone and pulled up the surveillance footage Elvira had sent her. “A man wearing a jacket with your company’s logo on it dumped this paint and other construction trash in my dumpster last night.”

  She could tell from the expression on the man’s face he couldn’t care less. “I’ll mention it to my guys, although I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”

  Carlita could feel the tips of her ears burn. “The city has fined me, not to mention refused to empty my dumpster. I wouldn’t exactly call that nothing.”

  Mercedes jabbed her finger in the direction of the pristine dumpster. “I suggest you use your dumpster instead of ours.”

  A woman, in her late forties if Carlita had to guess, joined them. Her hair was long and braided in the back with touches of gray around her temple. “What’s going on, Bud?”

  “These women are from across the street. They claim my guys dumped construction materials in their trash.”

  “We have proof.” Carlita waved her phone in the air. “We caught the man on our surveillance cameras.”

  The woman gave Bud a pointed stare. “Is it true?”

  “I…maybe,” the man stuttered. “I’ll find out.”

  “You do that.” The woman’s voice was hard. She stared the construction supervisor down until he walked away. Her voice softened as she faced Carlita and Mercedes. “I do apologize. I’m Sandy Sue Jarvis.”

  Carlita shook her hand. “Carlita Garlucci. This is my daughter, Mercedes.”

  “My pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”

  “Thank you.” Carlita released her grip. “Your restaurant looks very inviting. Are you opening soon?”

  “Our soft opening is tomorrow. Feel free to stop by.” Sandy Sue tilted her head. “I hope to hit the ground running by creating a little local buz
z about the place. I noticed your Ravello’s restaurant seems a little…slow. I hope that’s not the case for my place.”

  “Slow?”

  “Light traffic. Not a lot of cars parked out front. That sort of thing.”

  “My business is doing fine,” Carlita said coolly.

  Sandy Sue arched a brow. “I was in there the night before last for dinner. It was deader than a doornail.”

  Carlita forced a smile as she held out the empty paint can. “Best of luck on your new restaurant. If you could please return this to the construction manager, I would appreciate it.” She turned on her heel and strode off.

  Mercedes hurried after her. “She was baiting you.”

  “Yes, she was,” Carlita muttered under her breath. “Something tells me Mrs. Jarvis doesn’t give two rips about whether her hired construction workers dumped their trash in our dumpster.”

  Mother and daughter stepped onto the sidewalk. Something told Carlita to turn back. She did, and it was just in time to catch a glimpse of an object whizzing by her head.

  Chapter 3

  Carlita instinctively ducked. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know,” Mercedes said. “The construction supervisor is holding something. It looks like a slingshot.”

  “Seriously?” Carlita stumbled on a chunk of rotting cabbage core. “I think I found out what it was.”

  She snatched it off the ground and held it up. The core was still moist. Carlita could see the construction manager standing next to the dumpster. He gave her a thumbs up. “Nice shot, huh?”

  Disgusted, she threw it down. “What kind of person does that?”

  “We could call the cops for assault,” Mercedes said.

  “And put an even bigger target on our backs? At least the construction phase is wrapping up and the crew will be gone soon.”

  “And we’ll be stuck with Sandy Sue.”

  Carlita remembered what the woman had said. “Jarvis mentioned she was at Ravello’s the night before last.”

  “Checking out the competition, I’m sure. We should find out who waited on her.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  The women returned to Ravello’s. It didn’t take long for Carlita to track down the server, McKenna, who had been working that evening.

  Carlita and Mercedes pulled her aside. “You waited on a woman the other night. Her name is Sandy Sue. She has long, gray hair, and it may have been braided.”

  McKenna slowly nodded. “Does she have a scratchy voice?”

  “She does.”

  “I remember her. She and her husband both ordered the dinner special. They ate most of it and then complained. They were cheap wads.”

  “Cheap wads,” Carlita repeated.

  “You know…cheapskates, tightwads.” McKenna shifted her tray. “Why? Did they call and complain?”

  “No. The woman owns Sandy Sue’s Bar-B-Que. We think they were in here, checking out the competition.”

  “Oh.” McKenna’s eyes widened. “That explains why they were asking so many questions, how long Ravello’s has been in business, if I could recall the health department ever being called in.”

  “You’re kidding,” Mercedes said.

  “I thought it was kinda odd, but then after they returned what was left of their food, I figured they were wondering if anyone had ever gotten sick. I told them ‘no.’”

  Carlita’s mouth set in a grim line as she thanked McKenna for the information. She and Mercedes exited through the front door and stood staring at the restaurant across the street. “Something tells me Sandy Sue’s and Ravello’s are in for a rocky relationship.”

  “I’m sorry, Ma. Try not to worry about it.”

  After a quick stop at the pawn shop to fill Tony in on their confrontation with Sandy Sue, they returned home.

  Carlita plugged her phone into the charger and realized she’d missed a call from Pete. There was also a text, reminding her that he planned to swing by with Gunner, his parrot.

  She had offered to watch Gunner while Pete traveled to Atlanta for a three-day business trip. He was hoping to expand his pirate-themed business and perhaps venture south to St. Augustine.

  Since he needed boots on the ground, not to mention cash in hand, Carlita’s boyfriend had lined up meetings with several interested investors.

  He arrived before noon, and Carlita invited him to join them for lunch.

  “I don’t want to impose.”

  “You’re not,” Carlita insisted. “I threw together some sandwiches and even made an extra one in case you decided to join us.”

  While they ate, she told him what had happened, starting with the notice from the city about the construction waste, the construction supervisor sling-shotting a cabbage core at them and last, but not least, her discovery Sandy Sue and her husband had visited Ravello’s.

  “I heard she’s raising a ruckus down at city hall. Something about the zoning. She already wants to expand, basically creating two income streams on a single parcel of land. I believe the name was Sandy Sue’s Backyard Bar-B-Que, some sort of pavilion to host large events.”

  “Great.” Carlita took a big bite of her sandwich and mulled over Pete’s news. There were certain times during the day that Walton Square’s streets were congested. She couldn’t imagine the place doubling in space. Parking would be a nightmare. “I hope it doesn’t go through.”

  “From what I heard, it hasn’t. Glenda Fox might know more since she’s part of Savannah’s Architectural Society and in charge of approving structures or improvements inside the city limits.”

  “You’re right. That’s an excellent idea.”

  “Gunner is handsome,” Gunner squawked. “Gunner is hungry.”

  “You just ate.” Pete pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and set it on the table. “I jotted down some notes. Gunner’s a cunning fella. If you’re not careful, he’ll eat you out of house and home.”

  “Room view,” Gunner said.

  “Oh, and Gunner likes to be near the window. I’m sure the living room will suffice. He can watch Elvira coming and going. It should keep him entertained,” Pete joked.

  “Speaking of entertaining,” Mercedes said. “Elvira is going on our cruise.”

  Pete made a choking sound. “Elvira?”

  “She booked a cabin for her and Dernice.”

  “Without our knowledge. Are you sure you can’t go with us?” Carlita asked hopefully.

  “I’m sorry, love. I’ve booked a large group for a pirate ship, treasure hunting excursion that week. They’re paying me handsomely. No matter how much I would love to join you, I can’t cancel now.”

  “Maybe we should’ve told Elvira about it. She would’ve chosen to search for lost treasure over a cruise any day.” Carlita sighed heavily.

  Pete squeezed her hand. “It will be all right.”

  “Elvira’s a dirty bird,” Gunner said.

  “She’s something all right.” Mercedes offered to clear the table while Carlita walked Pete out. He stopped in the alley, pulling her into his arms. “I wish you could go to Atlanta with me.”

  “Who would watch Gunner?” Carlita flicked a loose strand of hair from Pete’s face. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too.” Pete kissed her…a long and tender kiss. “Perhaps if you enjoy your cruise, we’ll sneak off on one by ourselves.”

  “We’ll see how this one shakes out first.”

  “We could have the captain marry us.” Pete’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

  “Hmm. Now, wouldn’t that be something?”

  “It’s a thought.” Pete kissed her again and then reluctantly pulled away. “I’ve got to hit the road if I’m going to make it to Atlanta before rush hour gridlock.”

  “Drive carefully. Good luck.”

  “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  Carlita lingered on the step, watching as Pete strolled off. When he reached the sidewalk, he blew her a kiss and gave a small wave befo
re rounding the corner.

  She turned to go inside, nearly colliding with her tenant, Luigi, who was also Elvira’s employee.

  They both took a quick step back. “Hey, Luigi.”

  “Hello, Carlita. How’s it going?”

  “Not so good. I had a run in with Sandy Sue and found out Elvira and Dernice are joining us for our family cruise.”

  “She told me about it a couple weeks ago. She made me promise not to say anything. Elvira wanted to surprise you.”

  “Actually, it was more like shocked.”

  “I guess it’s good news for me. Elvira trusts me enough to let me run the businesses while she’s gone.”

  “That is good news. I’m happy for you. Savannah suits you.”

  “It does.” Luigi rocked back on his heels. “Ricco’s goin’.”

  “On the cruise?”

  “Yep. He’s the only one who will be on board guarding Brittney. He said Brittney’s been going through bodyguards like crazy.”

  Although Carlita loved her daughter-in-law, she had long suspected Brittney’s father indulged her every whim. Vinnie did the same. What Brittney wanted, Brittney got. Motherhood had matured her to a degree, but it was more of a work in progress. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “He don’t seem to mind.” Luigi glanced at his watch. “I better get goin’. I’m workin’ a security gig down by the river.”

  The rest of the afternoon flew by with Gunner chattering incessantly while Carlita worked on Ravello’s books, checked inventory, and crunched some numbers, making note of what she would need for the upcoming month.

  Mercedes, who had spent most of her afternoon holed up in her room working on her latest crime novel, joined her.

  “You’re a hottie,” Gunner told her.

  “You’re such a flirt.” Mercedes tapped the cage. “Flirty bird.”

  “Don’t let the pirates steal your booty.”

  “Don’t encourage him,” Carlita said. “That’s his every third phrase. We need to work on expanding his vocabulary.”

  “How about, ‘Polly wants a cracker,’” Mercedes said.

  Gunner cocked his head. “Dummy.”