Page 43 of Takedown in Savannah
Dernice snapped her fingers. “I know where you’re going with this. You think we should stakeout the river aboard Pete’s pirate ship.”
“Close. Brad, the ship’s manager, and I hid cameras in the cannons earlier today. They’ll be recording all night. Pete and I will swing by in the morning to see if they catch anything of interest.”
“What a great idea, although a bona fide stakeout would be much more exciting.”
“Depending on what we find, it’s not off the table.”
The women walked the length of River Street and returned to the Harley. Dernice pulled the map from her pocket and showed Carlita the route she planned to take. “If you have a few extra minutes, I’m kind of hankering to take an evening cruise.”
“A cruise?”
“A night ride if you’re up for it.” Her face was so full of hope, Carlita didn’t have the heart to tell her no. “I don’t see why not.”
“Awesome,” Dernice beamed. “I promise I won’t do anything to scare you.”
“I appreciate it.” Carlita slipped her helmet back on. “In the words of the famous Denver Broncos NFL quarterback Russell Wilson…Let’s ride.”
Old pros at navigating Historic Savannah’s backstreets and alleys, the women hopscotched from location to location, searching for some sort of connection that would tie the targets together, giving them a much-needed clue.
An hour in, Carlita was starting to believe there was no link and all the hits were random.
Reaching the halfway point, Dernice pulled into the downtown visitor’s center, next to the Savannah Trolleys parking lot, where her friend Claryce “Reese” Magillicuddy worked as a trolley driver and tour guide.
Carlita tapped Dernice’s shoulder. “It’s quitting time for the trolley companies. If Reese is around, she might have some information about the gang.”
“Good idea.” Dernice drove to the other end of the parking lot and the gate separating the public parking from the trolley’s private lot.
As soon as they stopped, Carlita texted her friend:Hey, Reese. Carlita here. Are you still at work?
Reese:Just clocked out. What’s up?
Carlita:Dernice and I are sitting in the visitor center’s parking lot.
Reese:I’m only a minute away. See you in a sec.
“Reese is meeting us here. I see her now.” Carlita stood on the sidewalk, watching as Reese’s Jeep careened into the parking lot. She pulled into an empty spot and hopped out. “Hey, Carlita, Dernice.”
Carlita gave her a warm hug. “I haven’t seen you around in a while.”
“Because you haven’t taken the trolley in a while.”
“I’ve been busy working, watching the grandkids, trying to figure out how to stop the San Maris Gang from taking over Savannah.”
“What a mess.” Reese rolled her eyes. “I hope the cops catch them soon. They’re scaring the tourists away. Business is sinking like a lead balloon.”
“I bet. We’re here because of Luigi.”
“Ah.” She arched her eyebrow. “I saw the news story. Let me guess…Elvira is worried about her image and Luigi being associated with her company, so she fired him.”
“Close,” Dernice said. “He’s on unpaid leave. She gave me a couple of days to get him off the cops’ radar or she’s going to let him go.”
“Like she’s squeaky clean and hasn’t been in trouble before.”
“Exactly.” Carlita shifted her feet. “Dernice mapped out the gang’s hits. We’ve found a few clues leading us to believe they might be hiding out somewhere along the river.”
“Because they’re committing crimes near there, except for a few random hits on the other side of town.”
“Pawn shops, a credit union,” Dernice said. “Both of which would be attractive targets.”
