“Why don’t you sign for it?” Mercedes asked.
“Elvira told me that under no circumstances should I sign for any mail, and then she wanted to know who it was from.”
“Elvira is having some legal issues,” Carlita said.
“Could be. Or maybe it has something to do with another piece of mail she got. Check it out.” Dernice motioned Carlita and her daughter inside the office. She snatched an envelope off the desk and handed it to her.
Mercedes leaned over her mother’s shoulder as Carlita removed the contents. “It’s a Warranty Deed.”
“Yep.”
“Tybee Island,” Mercedes said. “She bought property on Tybee?”
“Check out the grantee…the buyer.”
Carlita lowered her gaze, her eyes skimming the first paragraph. “EC Investment Group. You started an investment group?”
“Not me. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Remember when I told you Elvira cleaned out one of the business accounts? Now I know where all of the money went.”
“I’d forgotten about that until you just mentioned it.” Carlita thought about the day Elvira disappeared and remembered Dernice telling her that she’d emptied one of the business accounts on her way out of town. “Why is she buying property on Tybee Island?”
“I think I know.” Mercedes snapped her fingers. “I’ve been doing some research on Tybee Island for my upcoming book. An investment company is snatching up properties near the beach. They plan to build a large entertainment complex along with housing and vacation rentals.”
Dernice’s eyes narrowed. “No kidding. Before Elvira went MIA, she was spending a lot of time working security detail on Tybee. She wouldn’t let anyone else handle the accounts, insisting on taking care of them herself.”
“Why wouldn’t she just tell you she was starting an investment company?” Carlita shook her head, confused.
“We’re talking about Elvira here,” Dernice said.
“Good point. So now what?”
“There’s an address on the deed. I want to check out the property. But first, I gotta handle a small employee issue at one of the jobs.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t go alone, to Tybee, I mean.” Carlita tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If you wait a couple of hours, I’ll see if Luigi is free. We’ll tag along while you check out the property. At the same time, you can talk to him about a job.”
“That’s a great idea.” Dernice walked them to the door as they set an agreed-upon time to meet in the alley parking lot.
“We’ll be there, or at least I’ll be there and hopefully Luigi too.”
Dernice’s cell phone chimed, and she glanced at the screen. “I gotta take this call. I’ll meet you out back later.”
Carlita gave her a thumbs up, and she and Mercedes headed out. “What do you think?”
“About what?” Mercedes asked.
“About Luigi working with Dernice.”
“No one is gonna know how Luigi is gonna do unless they give him a chance.”
They returned home and found Luigi standing on the stoop. He lit a cigarette and watched as they approached. “Your neighbors are quiet these days. Not much action goin’ on.”
“Speaking of action and neighbors, Dernice is looking to hire experienced security people. Would you be interested in talking to her?”
“Sure. Yeah.” Luigi took a deep drag off the cigarette and blew the smoke over their heads. “I appreciate you helpin’ me out. I’m not sure if being a pawn shop employee is the right career move for me.”
“I agree. You need to explore some other options.”
“I’m headin’ in.” Mercedes slipped past her mother and returned inside.
Carlita waited until she was gone. “My friend, Pirate Pete, the one who sneaked you and Ricco through the tunnel, is hosting a private event on his pirate ship and needs some security help, as well.”
“Pirate ship?” Luigi flicked his ashes on the ground. “Sounds interesting.”
“I think it might be a good start for you. It’s next weekend.” Carlita changed the subject. “Have you finished working today?”
“Yeah.”
“If you have time, we can head over to the pirate ship to talk to Pete.”
“I got nothin’ but time on my hands.”
“I’ll be right back.” Carlita ran up the stairs. She sent a quick text to Pete to give him a heads up they were on the way.
While they walked, Carlita chatted about life in Savannah, asking if Luigi had met any of the locals or made any friends.
“As a matter of fact, one of the other tenants, Cool Bones, invited me to check out him and his band at the Thirsty Crow. I played a little saxophone back in the day, and he invited me to jam out with them.”
Despite Luigi’s compact and broad girth, he moved at a quick clip.
“Cool Bones is a great guy,” Carlita said breathlessly as she struggled to keep up.
“Sorry, Mrs. G.” Luigi slowed. “I’m used to havin’ to hustle.”
“In more ways than one, I’m sure.”
They passed the Parrot House, Pete’s restaurant, crossing the street to Morrell Park. The park was not only home to the Waving Girl statue, but it was also the docking area for The Flying Gunner, Pete’s pirate ship.
They reached the dock and side-stepped a trio of employees who were hosing off the gangplank. The workers waved them through and waited for them to climb the gangway and board the ship.
Pete’s office was on the main deck, on the opposite side of the ship. Carlita gave his office door a light rap. She eased the door open when she heard a muffled reply.
“Carlita.” Pete pushed his chair back and made his way across the room. “That was fast.”
“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice. I’m sure you remember Luigi,” she said as the men shook hands. “I explained to him that you’re hosting a private event and need some extra help.”
Luigi jabbed
