Instead of having the children sleep in the living room where Tony would wake them up when he came home from Shelby’s, she decided to let them sleep with her in her king size bed.
She’d forgotten how much young children flopped around and woke up several times during the night. One time, PJ’s heel was pushing against the side of her forehead.
Gracie was the first to wake and she began to wiggle around, which woke the others.
Carlita left them in the bedroom to watch television while she toasted some pop tarts and carried them, along with some fruit, back to the bedroom in an attempt to let Tony and Mercedes sleep a little longer.
Despite her best efforts, the children began to giggle and run around the small room.
“I thought I heard someone giggling.” Mercedes stuck her head in the room. “Were you the one giggling?” She swooped Gracie into her arms and began tickling her. “Yep, this is the giggler.”
She set her on the floor and Gracie scampered off.
“Are you really gonna evict Elvira?” Mercedes asked.
“Don’t tell me you stayed up all night worrying about Elvira.”
“No. She was the least of my worries, but I heard some thumping out in the hallway already this morning. I figured it was her.”
“She better be fixing the mess she made,” Carlita said. “And, yes, I am going to evict her before she burns our home and business down to the ground.”
The thought of Elvira made Carlita’s blood boil. She’d reached her limit with the woman and there were ample sections of the lease Elvira had broken where it would be easy to get the woman out.
“Don’t forget about our 1976 Tour tonight,” Mercedes said.
“I already forgot. What time is it?”
“It starts at nine. I’m gonna do a little more research today, before we head out.”
“Great,” Carlita groaned. “I can hardly wait to track down ghosts.”
Chapter 10
“Do you want me to go with you?” Mercedes pointed at the eviction papers in Carlita’s hand.
“No. Thanks for the offer, but I can handle this. If I’m gonna be a business owner, I’m gonna have to get used to doin’ unpleasant things,” Carlita said. “Elvira knows this is coming. The sooner I get this over with, the better.”
Carlita had almost changed her mind about evicting her pain in the rear tenant. Almost. But she had put up with enough. On the one hand, she believed that deep down Elvira hadn’t set out to damage Carlita’s property and it wasn’t intentional when she impulsively placed herself in dangerous predicaments. It was the principle of the matter, and Elvira’s antics seemed to be escalating. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Carlita sucked in a deep breath, flung the door open and marched across the hall where she rapped loudly on her tenant’s front door.
The door opened a crack.
“I’m here to serve you with your eviction notice,” Carlita said.
The door opened. Elvira held out her hand. “Okay.”
Carlita handed the papers to her. “That’s it? You’re not gonna raise a stink?”
“Nope.” Elvira shrugged her shoulders. “I knew after the small incident with the fire that you were going to follow through with your threat. Plus, my six-month lease is up in a couple of months. I’ve been on the hunt for a new place. I need to live somewhere that’s a little less rigid. All these rules and regulations are cramping my style.”
“No hard feelings?” Carlita asked.
“Not at all,” Elvira said. “I’ll have this place fixed up and looking brand new by the end of next week. In the meantime, I plan to start moving my stuff. I’ve already signed the paperwork for my new place and I have the keys.”
She shifted to the side and pointed to a moving box on the floor near the door. “I’m clearing out the damaged bedroom first, so I can work on it.” Elvira placed the eviction papers on her desk. “I will get my deposit back and pro-rated rent that I’ve already paid, right?”
“Technically, you signed a six month lease.” Carlita paused. “I’ll cut you a deal and let you out of your lease a little early, but you won’t get a refund for the rest of this month and if the apartment is in move-in condition after you’re out, I’ll refund your deposit.”
“That’s gonna put me in a pinch,” Elvira said. “Paying rent on two places.”
Carlita lifted an eyebrow.
“Okay. It’s a deal.” Elvira picked up the box and followed Carlita into the hall. “Can you pull my door shut?”
Carlita pulled the door shut and followed Elvira to the top of the stairs. “You’re gonna have to make a ton of trips moving your stuff in your little car.”
“I’m not driving to the new place. I’m walking.” Elvira shifted the box and slowly made her way down the steps. “Walton Square is a desirable location. It took some digging around to find a vacant space in this area, enough room for an apartment, a storefront to sell and display my artwork, not to mention a place where potential clients who are looking to hire EC Investigative Services can come.”
“You’re moving somewhere here in the neighborhood?” Carlita stumbled down the stairs and followed Elvira into the alley.
“Yep. I’m moving over there.” Elvira nodded at the building on the other side of the alley. “Got it for a steal. The rent is even less than what I was paying you. It’s a little rough around the edges, but with my track record it’s probably better that way. You wanna check it out?”
“I thought it was for sale.” Carlita hurried to keep up with Elvira.
“The owner, Davis, took it off the market. I’m renting it month-to-month, but figured if my investigative business or art store
