Page 15 of Takedown in Savannah
The conversation ended when a sullen Dernice and a resigned Luigi reappeared.
“At the risk of repeating myself, you’re making a big mistake,” Dernice said.
“Again, my back is against the wall. I can’t risk being on the cops’ radar.”
Carlita, her interest piqued at Elvira’s hardline decision and tone, was more than a little curious aboutwhyshe was so determined to keep the investigators away. “Are you in the middle of some covert undercover project that could get you in big trouble?”
“Leave it to Carlita to hit the nail on the head,” Dernice snickered.
Elvira cut her sister off. “Watch it, or you could be next.”
“Whatever. Regardless, Carlita has your number.” Dernice hugged Luigi. “Hang in there. The cops are gonna sort this out, and you’ll be cleared before you know it.”
“I’ll be keepin’ my fingers crossed.”
Carlita caught up with Luigi at the front door. They trekked around the block, entering the pawn shop through the front entrance.
They found Tony standing near the gun case tagging merchandise. He watched as his mother and Luigi made their way across the store. “Morning.”
“Good morning, Son.” Carlita nudged Luigi ahead of her. “Did you happen to notice the unmarked cop car in the alley earlier?”
“Yeah. I didn’t think anything of it. Figured it had something to do with Elvira. She has all sorts of irons in the fire and not necessarily in a good way,” he joked.
“She put Luigi on temporary leave.”
Tony made a choking sound. “I thought you just got promoted.”
“Promoted, demoted, taken off the payroll all within the last twenty-four hours.”
“Why?”
“The cops picked me up last night.” Luigi briefly filled Tony in on what had transpired. “They started doing a little digging around. I’m thinking they may have found some dirt from my previous position working for the Castellinis, and now I’m at the top of their list.”
“Elvira’s worried they’ll start taking a closer look at her business, seeing how Luigi is her employee,” Carlita added.
“But Elvira doesn’t have anything to hide.” Tony waved dismissively. “What am I saying? She probably has tons to hide.”
Luigi made a slicing motion across his neck. “She’s cutting the ties, at least until the cops bust the San Maris Gang.”
“I figured Luigi could help you out here at the pawn shop until Elvira brings him back on board.”
“The holidays are right around the corner. Business is picking up. We can always use an extra hand.” Tony tapped the top of the gun display case. “Weaponry is your field of expertise. I’ll let you handle this department, labeling the guns and making sure the merchandise is in working order.”
Luigi rubbed his palms together. “Now, this is the kind of retail I can handle.”
Tony gave him brief instructions about what needed to be done: cataloging the inventory, adding description tags and helping with pricing.
After finishing, Carlita pulled her son aside for a private conversation. “I hope it was okay for me to offer Luigi a job.”
“No worries, Ma. We’re rolling into our busy season. I was being honest when I said I could use more help. I hope the cops nail these gang members soon. They’re getting a little too close for comfort.”
“I agree. It’s unfortunate Luigi got caught in the bust. On the flip side, at least we know the police are working on catching them,” Carlita said. “It’s a tough break, going from a well-deserved promotion to being put on unpaid leave.”
Tony glanced over his shoulder. “Got any ideas about what Elvira wants to keep on the down-low?”
“Who knows with that woman,” Carlita sighed. “She’s a mess.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, did you finally give her the bad news about the non-treasure over at Pete’s place?”
