“Let’s get some ice cream,” Carlita said.
The line at Leopold’s was out the door and down the sidewalk. It took several minutes for them to reach the inside of the building and the order counter. Carlita ordered three child cones of chocolate chip, a single scoop caramel swirl for Mercedes and a mint chocolate chip single scoop for herself.
Leopold’s was packed and there wasn’t an empty seat, so they maneuvered their way around the long line of people waiting to order to the sidewalk out front.
Mercedes adjusted her sunglasses and stared at the front of the building. “Let’s walk to Oglethorpe Park. They have plenty of benches over there.”
Carlita licked a circle around the rim of her cone and nodded. “And it’s only a block away.” She turned to her three grandchildren. “Hold on to your cones. We’re not gonna go back for another one if you lose it.”
She tightened her grip on her cone and placed her other hand on PJ’s back. “Stay close to Nonna.” The children obediently followed behind Carlita while Mercedes brought up the rear.
When they reached the park and an empty bench, Gracie held out her cone. “My cone is leaking.”
Carlita pulled a napkin from her pocket and wrapped it around the cone. “That should help.”
While they ate, Carlita and Mercedes discussed Jon Luis’ death. “Are you gonna warn Autumn the detective mentioned questioning her?”
“I should text her.” Mercedes single-handedly whipped her cell phone out of her back pocket, switched it on and began tapping the screen. “There. I sent her a message.” The phone beeped before Mercedes had time to shove it back into her pocket.
“Too late.” She squinted her eyes and studied the screen. “Detective Wilson already tracked her down, asking questions about her gun.” She grew quiet. “It wasn’t a match. The bullet that killed Jon Luis doesn’t match Autumn’s gun.”
“That’s a little good news,” Carlita said.
“What if he thinks I shot Jon Luis and then tossed the gun into the river?”
“And then called the cops?” Carlita asked. “What killer would do that?”
They finished their ice cream and began to walk home, taking the long way around the block.
Mercedes slowed down when they reached The Book Nook. “Cricket is working.” She waved to someone standing in the back of the store. “I want to tell Cricket what happened.”
“Can we go in the bookstore Nonna?” PJ asked.
Mercedes reached for the door handle. “They have a children’s section.”
“Sure. I don’t see why not,” Carlita said.
The doorbell chimed as they stepped inside the cozy bookstore. A hint of mustiness, mingled with the scent of vanilla, lingered in the air.
“The books are over there,” Noel said. Colorful, bright chairs, perfect for young children, surrounded low, round tables. Mini shelves lined the walls. A cardboard cutout of Paddington Bear peered down on the tables.
The children each grabbed a book from the shelves and settled in at the table.
“Hello Mercedes.” A fiftyish woman with gray hair, pulled back in a tight bun gazed at them through gold round spectacles.
“Hi Cricket.” Mercedes smiled. “My ma, nieces and nephew, and I just had breakfast ice cream at Leopold’s. We were heading home and decided to stop.”
Cricket grinned. “Ah. Breakfast ice cream. Can’t go wrong with breakfast ice cream, especially if grandma suggests it.” She winked at Carlita and Carlita immediately took a liking to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking about you this morning. How did your meeting with Jon Luis turn out?”
“That’s another reason we stopped by. Jon Luis is dead.”
Cricket clutched the strand of pearls hanging around her neck. “Oh dear.”
Mercedes briefly told the woman what had transpired.
“And the police believe you’re somehow involved in Mr. Luis’ death?”
“It doesn’t look good,” Carlita spoke. “The fact that a young woman agreed to meet a complete stranger after dark in a secluded area is suspect.”
“I wasn’t alone,” Mercedes reminded her mother.
“True. But it still doesn’t look good.” Neither mentioned to the woman that Autumn followed her to the meeting spot or the fact that the police found Mercedes’ home address jotted on a pad of paper inside Jon Luis’ home.
“You’ve lived in the Savannah area a long time,” Mercedes said. “Is there anything you can recall seeing or hearing that involved Jon Luis?”
“Not right off the top of my head. Other than him working on several of Savannah’s unsolved murders, including the Madison Square murder, which we’ve already talked about in our group.” Cricket shook her head. “Such a shame. I guess Jon Luis carried his secrets to the grave.”
“The people he was researching should be considered suspects,” Carlita said.
“True,” Cricket agreed. “Now that I think about the Madison Square murder, I believe all of the original suspects are dead.” She clasped her hands together. “Yes, I’m certain they’re all dead and several of them died under mysterious circumstances.”
“They did?” Mercedes asked. Maybe they were onto something. “What if there’s a serial killer out there, Jon Luis was nosing around and the killer decided to take him out?”
Carlita started to reply when PJ raced down the aisle to her side. “Nonna. This is my favorite book in the whole world. Can I have it?” He held up One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss. Her granddaughters joined them, each carrying a book of their own. “Can we have a book, too?”
“Of course. Let’s take them to the counter.” Carlita followed Cricket and her daughter to the cash register.
Cricket rang up the purchases, swiped Carlita’s debit card and handed it back before turning to Mercedes. “Will you be here for our
