Page 32 of Takedown in Savannah
“Nana even hung our paintings in the bathroom.”
“I bet they look great.”
“Next time you go to her house, you can use her bathroom.”
“The guest bathroom. Thank you for letting the girls spend time with me. It went by so fast.” Carlita grabbed the baby’s portable playpen bed and trailed behind Shelby, following her to the apartment.
“Nana’s gotta get going.” She kissed Melody’s plump little cheeks and gave Violet a big hug. “Maybe Santa will bring you a piano for Christmas this year.”
“I already know what kind I want. I want a piano like Mrs. Montgomery has.”
“I dunno if it will be as fancy or as big.” Carlita hugged Shelby last. “I may be slightly biased, but you have the sweetest daughters in the world.”
“I do.” Shelby proudly patted Violet’s head. “And the best in-laws a woman could ask for.”
During the trek down the alley, Carlita couldn’t help but compare her life to Tori’s. Whatever the woman wanted or needed was at her fingertips. Yet she sensed sadness and maybe even a level of regret. One thing was certain—money couldn’t buy happiness; of that Carlita was certain.
Chapter 14
Carlita grabbed two Italian sodas from Ravello’s on her way to the apartment building’s private courtyard.
Dernice ran over when she noticed her juggling the drinks while trying to open the gate. “Hey, Carlita. You got your hands full.”
“I figured I would grab something for us to drink.”
“Thanks.”
She handed a cup to her and set the other on the table. “How did it go last night?”
Dernice tipped her hand back and forth. “Okay. I didn’t slip up, so Luigi has no idea Elvira plans to fire him. I’m hoping with your help I won’t have to worry about it much longer.”
“We’ll have to be careful. As Pete pointed out, we’re not dealing with rookie criminals. These are organized thugs who wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of us if they thought we were getting a little too close.”
“Good point. I didn’t mention what we’re doing to Luigi for the same reason.” Dernice pulled a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and placed it on the table. “I figured I would get a head start and map out the places the gang has hit so far.”
Carlita slipped her reading glasses on. Red “x’s” hopscotched the downtown Savannah historic district.
“Over the last few weeks, these places, mostly businesses with a few private estates, have been hit.”
“Confirmed San Maris Gang hits?” Carlita asked.
“From what I could tell and the vague clues the police department has released. I could be way off, but I see a pattern.”
“A pattern?” She leaned in, studying the map. “You went to a lot of trouble numbering them.”
“I figured the more information we had, the better,” Dernice said. “Do you see the pattern?”
“No.”
“Follow the tourist trolley route.”
Carlita ran her finger along the dots. Sure enough, the trolleys followed almost all the red “x marks the spot” on the map. “This could be a clue or maybe not.”
“Because the trolleys travel up and down almost every single downtown Savannah street.”
“Exactly. Still, it’s an interesting observation. Not all, but quite a few of the hits have taken place close to the river.”
“Most of the San Maris Gang’s first hits were along the river.” Dernice slurped her drink. “Maybe this is their MO. They travel via the river for a quick route in and out of the city.”
