Page 17 of Takedown in Savannah
“Come on by when you’re done.” Carlita stepped into the hallway and motioned to the boxes. “What’s up with the boxes in the hall?”
“They belong to Sam.”
“Sam’s doing some fall cleaning?”
Mercedes hesitated, an unreadable expression on her face. “Not quite.”
Chapter 8
“Why does Sam have moving boxes in the hallway?” Carlita asked.
“I think it would be best if he told you.” Mercedes slid her cell phone from her pocket and tapped the screen. “He’s home and said you can come on over.”
“Are you…”
Her daughter shook her head.
“Fine.” Carlita crossed the hall, reaching it at the precise moment the door opened and her tenant, who was also Mercedes’ on-again, off-again boyfriend, appeared. “Good morning, Carlita.”
“Hey, Sam. Mercedes asked me to stop by.”
“Come on in.”
She crossed the threshold and came to an abrupt halt. Neatly stacked boxes lined the bare walls. Empty end tables. Cleared kitchen counters. “You’re moving out.”
Sam snatched a sheet of paper off the desk and handed it to her. “I’m terminating my lease.”
Carlita glanced at the paper, a non-renewal lease form carefully filled out with his information. “So I guess this means you and Mercedes decided to call it quits for good.”
“We had a long talk and both agreed it’s for the best.”
She carefully folded the paper in thirds and tucked it into her purse. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too. It’s been a tough…a rough year for me and Mercedes. As luck would have it, a friend told me about a lead on a new place. It’s in the perfect location, and the price is right. You’ve been a great landlord, not to mention a good friend.” Sam told her he took the day off to pack. “I’ve already signed the lease and hired a moving company to help me with the heavy stuff.”
“Are you sticking around Savannah?”
Sam, a former cop who ran his own tour guide company in downtown Savannah, had worked hard to build a loyal following. His tours were sold out months in advance.
“I’m moving closer to City Market. I’ll be right there, right in the heart of the action.”
Sadie, Sam’s pup, scampered across the room and trampled over the top of Carlita’s shoe.
She bent down and fluffed her ears. “You and Sam are gonna get a new home.”
“The apartment is near a dog park. I took Sadie there the other day. She’s already made some new friends.”
“It sounds like it’s meant to be. I’m sad to see you go and hope you’ll stay in touch,” Carlita said. “I consider you part of the Garlucci family. You’ve helped us more times than I can count, having those connections and friends down at the police station.”
“I’ll still be available if you need me,” Sam offered. “Whether it’s giving you an inside scoop or helping you cut through red tape.”
“And keeping us out of jail. Speaking of which, Luigi’s in a tough spot.” Carlita told him what had happened. “Elvira wasn’t thrilled when the cops showed up on her doorstep this morning asking questions.”
“She probably thought they were coming after her,” Sam joked.
Carlita rolled her eyes. “Whatever she’s involved in must be pretty major because she put Luigi on leave until the investigation wraps up.”
“Poor Luigi. Let me guess…she’s not paying him.”
