Page 61 of Takedown in Savannah
Dernice entered the nearest empty stall. She emerged moments later wearing a blond wig, a plain pink T-shirt and black sweatpants. A Savannah Bananas ball cap, pulled lowacross her forehead, obscured her face. She stepped over to the sink and began washing her hands.
Carlita slipped in next to her and took the backpack. “Luigi is near the exit. You go out first. Elvira and I will be right behind you.” She told her where his car was parked. “Once we reach the parking lot, we move at a quick but steady pace to avoid drawing unwanted attention.”
“Got it.”
Following the plan, a disguised Dernice exited the restroom. Waiting for a few seconds, Elvira and Carlita slowly trailed behind. Up ahead, she could see Dernice. She passed by Luigi, not even looking in his direction.
Luigi turned and followed her, with Elvira and Carlita bringing up the rear. Although the terminal was bustling, it wasn’t packed. Clusters of travelers lingered about, standing in groups, checking their bags, staring at their phones.
As soon as they stepped through the automatic doors, they crossed the crosswalk and trekked along the sidewalk until finally reaching the convertible.
Dernice and Luigi were already inside.
“I like it when a plan comes together.” Elvira waited for Carlita to crawl into the backseat. “Let’s roll.”
Luigi fired up the engine and backed out of the parking spot. “Did you notice anyone following you?”
“Nope, but then I was trying not to draw attention to myself.”
“I’m pretty sure whoever was trailing you is still watching the bathroom waiting for you to come out,” he said. “We’ll take the long way home, just to be safe.”
As soon as they reached the highway, Dernice peeled the wig off and handed it to her sister. “Thanks for rescuing me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do for a minute there.”
“You did the right thing,” Carlita said. “So, tell us what happened. How did you end up thinking you were being followed?”
Dernice shifted, motioning to her sister. “You know Shrimpy, who works down at the docks.”
“Yeah. He’s a weasel.”
“He could say the same about you.”
Elvira rolled her eyes and made an unhappy sound. “Whatever.”
“I ran into him today. We got to talking about the San Maris Gang cuz you know how he’s right there working near the river. He told me that something big is going down tonight.”
“Big as in criminal activity?”
“Shrimpy called it a heist,” Dernice said.
Carlita’s scalp tingled. “Stealing what?”
“A big barge the gang has been tracking. It’s full of drugs.”
“Drugs?” Luigi echoed.
“Pharmaceutical drugs being shipped from overseas. Chock full. The San Maris Gang is targeting it because of the street value.”
“How does Shrimpy know?” Elvira demanded. “He would be the last person I would tell.”
“He accidentally overheard a conversation. His supervisor is in on it.” Dernice cleared her throat. “I bet they offered him big bucks to keep quiet and be available to assist if needed.”
“To turn a blind eye,” Carlita clarified.
“Exactly. Anyway, when Shrimpy was telling me about it, he started getting nervous, breaking out in a sweat. He said he saw one of them watching us and took off,” Elvira said. “We didn’t even finish our conversation.”
“Maybe they were watching him,” Luigi theorized.
“Could be. I’ve been calling his cell phone. He’s not answering.”
