“Okay.” Autumn pulled her cell phone from her pocket and tapped the screen. “We’ll see what he says. I’m still hungry.”
“We still have some leftover pizza,” Mercedes said.
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
Mercedes shoved her chair back and headed into the kitchen where she reached inside the fridge and pulled out a pizza box before carrying it to the dining room table. “I have no idea where you put all this food.”
Autumn lifted the lid, reached inside and grabbed a slice of pizza before taking a big bite. “All of this sleuthing is making me hungry.” Her phone beeped and she picked it up, juggling a slice of pizza in one hand and her cell phone in the other. “He said the unit was at Southern Savannah Storage over off MLK Boulevard. I know exactly where it’s at.”
“Ask him for the unit number,” Mercedes said.
Autumn shook her head. “No way. He’ll know we’re going over there and if he thinks we’re snooping around, he’ll be forced to report us and I’ll risk losing my contact.”
“Crud,” Mercedes stared out the window. “I have an idea on how to find out what unit it is and I’m sure one of my brothers, or maybe even you, can help me find a way inside.”
Chapter 13
“You want me to go with you Mercedes?” Tony asked.
“Nah.” Mercedes gazed at the entrance to the Southern Savannah Storage office and reached for the car door handle. “It’ll look less suspicious if I go in by myself. Wish me luck.”
“You got this.” Autumn leaned over the front seat and patted Mercedes’ arm. “Remember, you’re a grieving niece who wants to look through her uncle’s belongings before you head back home.”
“Got it.” Mercedes gave her brother and Autumn a thumbs-up and slid out of the car. She hurried to the front door and took a quick look back before stepping into the small lobby.
Mercedes approached the counter. “I’m hoping you can help me. My uncle, Jon Luis, recently passed. He rented a storage unit here and I was wondering if there was any way I could take a look inside the unit.”
The man eyed her suspiciously. “I don’t know who Jon Luis is, I mean, was. He’s a popular guy. First, the cops are in here searching the unit and now you.”
“I don’t mean to bother you. I’m heading home tomorrow and hoped to check it out before I leave,” she said. “What happens if the items inside the unit go unclaimed?”
“I gotta wait thirty days after the bill is unpaid to post a notice stating I plan to sell the contents to settle the debt. It won’t be happenin’ to this unit anytime soon. The renter paid a year in advance. If you got a key to the unit, I can’t stop you from lookin’ around inside. It’s a free country.”
“Well, there’s the problem,” Mercedes said. “I don’t have the key.”
“I can’t let you in,” the man bluntly said. “If you got a key, help yourself.”
“But I’m leaving town soon,” Mercedes said. “Please?”
“Sorry. Can’t do it.”
Mercedes’ hands dropped to her side and she turned to go. “I’m going to search my uncle’s place one more time tonight. Can you at least tell me what I’m looking for? Describe the key to me?”
“Sure. It’s orange, oblong and has the unit number on it.” The man paused as he tapped the keyboard in front of him. “It’s unit D62.”
“D62. I’m gonna see if I can find it.” She thanked him and exited the building.
Mercedes slid into the passenger seat and reached for her seatbelt. She could see the man watching her through the store window. “D62, but we’re gonna have to sneak back in. He’s watchin’ me like a hawk. He’s already suspicious since the cops have already been here, checkin’ out the unit.”
“No problem.” Tony backed out of the spot, drove to the exit and turned left, onto the street. “There’s a back alley over here and the fence ain’t too high. I noticed it when we drove by. We’ll have to find a way in. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Famous last words,” Autumn said. “You got something to pick the lock on the unit?”
“Maybe,” Tony said.
“If not, I brought this.” Autumn held up a small plastic container. “I borrowed it from Steve. He has a storage unit across town. He lost his key and found this baby on the internet. Said it works like a charm and even showed me how to use it.”
“We’ll keep it as a backup,” Tony said as he eased into an empty parking spot directly behind the storage units. “This is as close as we’re gonna get. We’ll have to hoof it from here.”
The trio exited the car and approached the chain link fence that secured the perimeter of the property.
Tony shaded his eyes and gazed in both directions. “We’re gonna have to find a way in.”
They walked along the sidewalk, all the way to the corner, before turning around and retracing their steps.
When they reached the other corner, Mercedes spotted a gap in the fence. “Over there. It’ll be a tight squeeze. I’ll go first.”
Tony and Autumn tugged on the corners of the fence while Mercedes slipped through the gap. “Piece of cake.”
“You go next,” Autumn said.
“Ladies first.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
Mercedes pushed on one side of the fence while Tony pulled. Autumn slipped through the opening and joined Mercedes on the other side.
“On the count of three, we both push our side.” Mercedes nodded at Autumn. “One, two, three.”
Tony squeezed through the opening while the women pushed on the fence. His jacket caught on a jagged piece of metal. Rip.
He tugged on the jacket and it ripped even more before he was able to pull it loose. “Great.
