Page 28 of Takedown in Savannah
“For what? Doing his job?”
“Exactly.” Dernice changed the subject. “I was just telling Carlita and Mercedes that I have a friend who might be interested in Sam’s apartment.”
“Cool beans.” Autumn clapped her hands. “They’ll love it here. By the way, I have my rent check ready.”
“I’ll grab it.” Mercedes climbed the stairs, turning back when she reached the top. “I’ll email a copy of the rental application to you by morning.”
“Thanks, Mercedes.” Carlita waited until Autumn and her daughter were out of sight. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”
“I’m fine.” Dernice’s shoulders drooped. “I can’t believe Elvira is so quick to pull the trigger and let Luigi go.”
“She must really be concerned about the investigators taking a closer look at her operations.”
“The sad thing is Luigi loves his job.” Dernice glanced over her shoulder. “All I told him was we got into a big argument. I don’t have the heart to tell him she plans to fire him. She promised to hold off for a couple of days to think about it.”
“Maybe she’ll change her mind.”
“I hate to bother you, but you’re good at tracking down the bad guys. Any chance you could help me do a little digging around to help clear his name?”
Luigi Baruzzo may have been a criminal for a good number of years, but despite his troubling past, he’d helped Carlita and her children on numerous occasions, always the first to volunteer, even knowingly becoming involved in dangerous situations without asking for anything. The very least she could do was return the favor. “Yes. Absolutely. We’ll get started first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks, Carlita. I feel better already.”
“You’re welcome.” She was halfway home when Pete called to check on her.
“I’m fine, but Luigi isn’t.”
“Don’t tell me the authorities arrested him.”
“Not yet. I’ll tell you when I get there.” Carlita found Pete and the girls waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. “You didn’t have to come down.”
“We wanted to, Nana. In case Crackpot is here.”
Pete made a choking sound. “Crackpot?”
“Elvira,” Carlita explained. “Violet overheard Tony calling her a crackpot. We found her sneaking around the backyard earlier with a tape measure.”
“What?” Pete roared. “She was told in no uncertain terms that we’re done tearing our place apart.”
“She didn’t do anything. At least I don’t think she did. Short of getting a restraining order, I’m not sure we’ll be able to stop her from continuing her search,” Carlita joked.
“A restraining order. What a brilliant suggestion.”
She playfully punched him in the arm. “You’re not banning her from coming here.”
“If she keeps it up, I might be tempted to,” Pete warned. “What happened to Luigi?”
Carlita called Rambo, who had trotted off to explore, and they returned to the apartment. While Violet finished getting ready for bed, she filled him in. “The bottom line is Elvira plans to fire him. Dernice convinced her to hold off for a couple of days.”
“And now Dernice wants you to help her do some digging around to clear his name.”
“He’s helped us so many times, it’s the least I can do.”
Pete’s expression grew somber. “These aren’t petty theft criminals. They’re hardcore gang members who wouldn’t hesitate to chop you up into tiny pieces.”
“I know, and I understand what we’re up against.”
“Please be careful.”
