Page 25 of Takedown in Savannah
“With lots of cheesy, creamy goodness.” Carlita bit into the end, deeming the combination of mozzarella and creamy ricotta a perfect blend. She polished off her piece and insisted that she and Mercedes trade places.
“Have you had time to post an ad for a new tenant?”
“Yeah. I haven’t checked my messages to see if we have any applications yet.” Mercedes told her that she swung by the pawn shop before heading over. “I ran into Luigi. He’s happy to beworking, but you can tell he’s bummed about Elvira putting him on unpaid leave.”
“Can you blame him? He’s been promoted, demoted and put on leave all within a day,” Carlita said. “It doesn’t make sense why the cops are targeting him. He had a legitimate reason for being in the neighborhood.”
“Maybe they ran a check on him and noticed something that threw up a bunch of red flags.”
“Could be. The cops were at Elvira’s place, asking questions and wanting to take a look at his personnel file. Elvira told them to come back.”
“Come back?”
“Later. After they left, she started shredding stuff.”
“Who knows what kind of information she had in his file. I wonder if she still has files on all of us,” Mercedes said.
“I asked her and got the runaround, so my guess is the answer is yes. She made a comment about not wanting the cops delving too deeply into her business.”
“Because she’s engaged in activity she’s not supposed to be?”
“Without a doubt.”
Tink.Mercedes’ cell phone chimed. She pulled it from her pocket and glanced at the screen. “Autumn sent a text. She said the cops just held a press conference about the San Maris Gang investigation. The station is reporting on the story on Channel Eleven right now.”
Carlita ran to the living room and turned the television on. She flipped through the channels until reaching the station where Autumn, a local reporter, worked.
A big, bold red banner streamed across the top,Breaking News. Police have new leads in the San Maris Gang investigation.
A reporter appeared, giving a brief history to viewers, how the gang had infiltrated downtown Savannah and begun targeting local businesses. “We have some new information suggesting a local security services company may be involved.”
Chapter 11
A photo of Elvira’s business popped up on the television screen. “We don’t have direct knowledge about this company’s involvement, other than it relates to an employee, Luigi Baruzzo.” The reporter stressed Luigi hadn’t been charged but had been taken to the police station for questioning.
To Carlita’s horror, a corner shot of their pawn shop appeared. The reporter stated the person of interest lived adjacent to Savannah Swag and in the same building.
She shut the television off and tossed the remote on the couch. “Elvira didn’t mention news crews coming around.”
“Maybe she didn’t know.”
“I bet she does now and is fit to be tied. If this keeps up, Luigi might never get his job back.”
“We have bigger issues than worrying about how Elvira feels,” Mercedes said. “This could put a damper on finding a new tenant.”
Carlita’s heart plummeted. Her daughter was right. Who in his or her right mind would want to live in the same building as a suspected gang member?
Ting. Ting.Mercedes’ phone chirped loudly. “It’s Autumn.” She promptly tapped the answer button. “I have you on speaker. Ma is here with me.”
“Hey, Mrs. T. Did you see the news clip?”
“Yeah. The reporter mentioned Luigi’s name, flashed a picture of Elvira’s building and our pawn shop.”
“I had no idea the reporter was going to post pictures.” Autumn told them she called the station and asked them not to include pictures of the Garlucci’s building. “Unfortunately, it’s probably too late.”
“I appreciate you trying to help. Hopefully, any potential new tenants won’t see the story. Even if they do, I doubt they’ll put two and two together. A lot of the buildings in downtown Savannah look the same.” Carlita’s hand flew to her lips, realizing she’d slipped about Sam moving out.
“Sam stopped by earlier. I’m bummed he’s moving,” Autumn said.
