Page 3 of Takedown in Savannah
“No.”
“Considering how well you know Luigi, have you ever felt threatened or that your life was in danger?”
“Of course not,” Carlita snapped. “I would never have allowed him to move into my building if I thought any of my tenants was in potential danger.”
“Including me,” Mercedes chimed in.
“Especially my daughter. I’m thrilled Luigi lives in my building. It’s like having a built-in bodyguard. He keeps an eye out for trouble and wouldn’t hesitate to stop someone in their tracks if they were committing a crime which is also, I believe, why you hired him in the first place.”
“You said it.” Dernice lifted her hand and gave Carlita a high five. “I’ve been trying to tell Elvira that Luigi is as good as gold, but for some reason she has it stuck in her head she’s asking for trouble if she promotes him.”
“I gotta protect my business,” she insisted. “It’s nothing personal. I like Luigi. He’s never given me an ounce of trouble,which is why he’s the first person I thought of when I decided to add another security team.”
“I hope our conversation addressed your concerns,” Carlita said. “If you’re looking for a recommendation, I wholeheartedly give Luigi my 100% backing.”
Mercedes pointed to Dernice. “How do you feel about all of this?”
“The only downside is I’m running my own team. Luigi will be running his and we won’t see much of each other. We’ll be like two ships passing in the night.”
“Hopefully, the cops nab the gang and life will return to normal,” Carlita said. “Have you considered the possibility that once the San Maris Gang is taken down, you won’t need Luigi and his new team?”
“Nah.” Elvira waved dismissively. “Business has been picking up for a while. I was thinking about adding another team so even if things calm down, I still have enough contracts to keep everyone busy.”
“Hopefully, I helped put your mind at rest.” Carlita took a step back. “I should get going. I need to head home to check in with Pete.”
Mercedes caught up with her mother at the door.
Elvira sprang from her chair and hurried after them. “I’ve been meaning to ask you…how’s it going at Pete’s place as far as the dig team is concerned? Last time we talked about it, you said they were wrapping things up and would have information on their findings soon.”
Carlita and her daughter exchanged an uneasy glance.
“They have wrapped it up!” Elvira whooped loudly. “Give me the good news.”
“I…uh…” Carlita started to hem and haw.
“Ma.” Mercedes leaned in and whispered in her mother’s ear.
She nodded. “I think it would be best if we visited the dig site to go over what they found.”
“Can we head over there now?” Elvira asked. “It’s gonna drive me nuts, thinking about the possibilities.”
“And she’ll be drivingmenuts,” Dernice joked.
“Let me find out.” Carlita sent a text to Pete, asking if he was around and able to meet her and Elvira downstairs.We can head over via the tunnel system,she added.
His reply was prompt. He was working at the Parrot House and would wait for them near the entrance. “Pete’s gonna meet us in the tunnel.”
“This is it…the moment I’ve been waiting for.” Elvira snatched her keys off the desk. “I’ve already got my share of the money spent.”
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Carlita’s stomach. Elvira was in for a big surprise, and not necessarily a good one.
Chapter 2
After Mercedes left, Carlita, Elvira and Dernice caught up with Pete near the tunnel’s locked door, only steps away from the dig site where Arvid Poindexter, a local historian, and his team of archaeologists had spent hundreds of hours sifting through the dirt, searching for clues about the site’s history and colorful landowners, namely Pirate Pete Taylor’s ancestors.
Despite their thorough search and having recovered several artifacts left behind by the pirates, the team never found buried treasure. Which promised to be a problem for Elvira Cobb, who had spent both time and money scouring Savannah’s tunnel system as well as chipping away at her basement walls hoping to strike it rich.
“This is the big day.” Elvira licked her lips. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years.”
