Page 69 of Takedown in Savannah
“What are they doing?” Mercedes asked.
“I see tow ropes,” Tony said. “It looks like they’re confiscating the cigarette boat.”
“To move it to a safe location where they can search it,” Elvira said. “The Coast Guard isn’t missing a beat.”
“Thanks to Shrimpy.” Dernice proudly patted her friend’s arm.
Elvira shuffled over. “I owe you an apology, Shrimpy. You’re not a weasel after all.”
“Considering the source, I’ll take this as a compliment,” he joked.
She frowned. “Somehow, I’ve just been insulted.
“Nah.” He playfully punched her arm. “We’re good. I’m messing with you.”
“There must be some valuable cargo on the ship,” Shelby said.
“A load of pharmaceutical drugs with a street value guaranteed to bring in a pretty penny,” Carlita said. “I call it a win-win…catching the bad guys and making sure the drugs don’t end up in the wrong hands.”
Pete’s phone rang. “Brad is calling.” He promptly answered it. “Hey, Brad. I have you on speaker. We’ve been watching from the hotel rooftop. Give us the good word.”
“They got ‘em. I’m sending you a photo.”
His phone chimed. Pete tapped the top, pulling up a blurry photo of a group of men all dressed in black, surrounded by cops and being handcuffed.
“The police have both ends of the river blocked, ready to catch any stragglers who might try to get away.”
“What about the elevator and tunnel?” Carlita asked. “We’re pretty sure they were using the tunnels as an escape route.”
“Hang on.” Brad’s voice grew muffled and then became clear as a bell. “I see more coming off the elevator. One, two, three, four more.”
“I love it when a plan comes together.” Carlita whooped loudly. “A bona fide Takedown in Savannah. What about Luigi? Is Detective Wilson around?”
“Wilson is here.” Brad’s voice grew muffled again. “Luigi is officially no longer a suspect.”
“That’s awesome news,” Dernice beamed. “All of our hard work has paid off.”
Pete trained his binoculars on the area where most of the action was taking place. “The Channel Eleven news crew is already on the scene. If Autumn is covering the takedown, she’ll have a whopper of a story to report on.”
Mercedes tapped her pocket. “I gave her a heads-up. She’s been waiting over on Bay Street. I bet she’ll make national news with this story.”
“It always helps to get a hot tip from an insider,” Elvira said. “Too bad we didn’t do a better job of bargaining.”
“What do you mean?” Tony asked.
“Make the station cough up some cash for the lead. It happens more than you realize. The news channel is making money off the story. Why shouldn’t we?”
“Oh, brother.” Carlita placed her hand on her forehead. “Is there ever a moment when you aren’t working an angle to make money?”
Elvira thought about it. “No. Not really.”
“It’s finally over.” Dernice nudged Luigi’s arm. “The cops got their guys, and you’re officially off the hook.”
“It’s a good day. One of the best I’ve had in a while.” Luigi cleared his throat, casting Pete a nervous glance.
Pete placed his arm around his wife and gently pulled her back. “It’s all yours.”
Luigi reached into his pocket. He lowered to his knee and grasped Dernice’s hand. “I can think of only one thing that could make my day better.”
