Page 58 of Takedown in Savannah
The trio kept moving, trekking along the sidewalk with Elvira leading the way. The farther they walked, the more foot traffic they encountered. Soon, they were in the bustling River Street district.
Elvira motioned them off to the side. “We’re almost on top of the next access point.”
“What are we looking for?”
“Some sort of square, possibly a door or another metal cover.”
Carlita spun in a slow circle, keeping her eyes peeled for anything matching the marking on the map. “I’m not seeing it.”
“Me either,” Tony said.
“I’m stumped.” Elvira leaned against the entrance to the covered elevator. “Maybe they sealed it off and this map hasn’t been updated yet.”
“I thought you knew these tunnels like the back of your hand.”
“Not all of them and not from street level.”
“We might have to rethink our strategy,” Tony said.
“Wait a minute.” Carlita took a step back and studied the elevator. “The elevator is square.”
“The elevator?” Tony shrugged. “Why not?”
Elvira wrinkled her nose. “It would be too obvious.”
“Too obvious for us, or too easy for a gang who wants easy access to the river?” Carlita pressed the silver button.
The light lit. It took forever before the doors opened. A group of women emerged. The trio waited for the elevator to empty and stepped inside.
“I only see an up button,” Carlita said. “So much for thinking we were onto something.”
“Not so fast.” Elvira handed Tony the map. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a pair of clippers. “Hold the door-closed button in case someone tries getting in.”
Carlita held the button, watching Elvira slide the nail file out. She wedged the tip into the control panel cover.
Pop.The cover popped off, revealing another set of buttons, including an arrow pointing down. She pressed the down button, and the elevator started to descend.
“I had no idea there was a secret elevator panel.”
“I learned that trick from a customer. He owns one of the bigger buildings downtown.”
“If the San Maris Gang is traveling via the tunnel system, they must’ve known about your trick too.”
“Not necessarily,” Elvira said. “I’ll show you what I mean.”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.
On the other side was solid concrete. Bare bulbs hung from the concrete ceiling, evenly spaced a few feet apart.
Carlita shivered involuntarily. “I wouldn’t want to be traipsing around here by myself at night.”
“Same.” Elvira lifted her eyes. “On the plus side, it looks like the city maintains the tunnel and it’s not falling apart.”
“Unlike someone else’s tunnel,” Carlita teased.
“Hey, I stopped blowing holes and chipping away.”
“Because the city threatened to seize your property.”
