Page 37 of Takedown in Savannah
“No worries. I came out for a smoke and noticed the doors were open, so I came over to see what was going on.” Luigi flicked his cigarette butt on the ground, grinding it out with the heel of his boot. “I had better get back to work.”
Dernice told him she would see him later and waited for him to make his way back inside the pawn shop.
“Nice cover. At least he didn’t catch us digging through his glove box.” Carlita swiped her hand across her forehead. “The good news is we’ve searched every square inch of Luigi’s apartment and car and haven’t found a single scrap of incriminating evidence.”
“Which means we need to move onto Plan B, to hit up some of the spots the gang has targeted.” Dernice fell into step. “If you’re free, we could meet up after dinner.”
“Sounds good.” Carlita tapped the top of her watch. “Right here around seven tonight?”
“I could meet you at your place.”
“We’re not taking the trolley?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of staying incognito,” Dernice said. “Plus, my plan will keep us more mobile.”
Carlita started to ask her what “more mobile” meant but was sidetracked when an EC Security Services van turned onto the alley. As it drew closer, she noticed Elvira was behind the wheel.
“Time for me to skedaddle.” Dernice darted inside the apartment building, leaving Carlita alone in the alley. She stepped off to the side, giving the van room to pass by.
Elvira slammed on the brakes and rolled the window down. “Hey, Carlita.”
“Hello, Elvira.”
“I’m sure you heard Dernice and I got into a big fight.”
“I did. She said you plan to fire Luigi but promised to give her a couple of days before pulling the trigger.”
“A promise is a promise.” Elvira’s brows knitted. “Let me guess…she asked you to help clear his name.”
“Luigi is my friend. I can say with almost a hundred percent certainty he’s not a part of the San Maris Gang.”
“But not one hundred,” Elvira insisted.
“There’s always a sliver of doubt. Dernice and I are going to figure this out. Luigi loves his job. He’s very good at what he does. Unfortunately, he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Did you see my business on the news last night?”
“Yes, and so was the pawn shop.”
“I don’t like it.”
Carlita tucked her arms behind her back. “You’ve been on the local authorities’ radar multiple times. Your building has beenon the news so many times, the tour guides should add it to the list of local sightseeing stops.”
“Very funny,” Elvira griped. “Anyway, Dernice got all bent out of shape, packed up her stuff and stormed out.”
“Which was probably a wise decision. It gives both of you time to cool off.” Carlita turned to go.
“Hold up. Can you tell her I’m sorry for making her mad? She’s not taking my calls or answering my texts.”
“I will. At this point, the only thing she’s going to accept is you changing your mind about firing Luigi.”
“Then you two better get cracking on figuring this out.” Elvira made a ticking sound. “The clock is ticking.”
“The good news is I work well under pressure.” Carlita told her goodbye and returned home, where she found Rambo standing at the door waiting to go out. She tracked down his leash and off they went, to a favorite spot—Morrell Park.
Starting at the far end, she and her pup meandered along the walkway. A cargo ship appeared, and they stopped to watch it effortlessly glide along the river. Carlita waved to the crewmembers who were standing on the open deck and wondered what it was like to work on a cargo ship, navigating the high seas, traveling between continents.
Although not prone to motion sickness, she wasn’t sure how she would handle rough seas for days at a time.
