“So Mercedes asked me to tag along,” Autumn said. “The plan was for me to stay out of sight so we wouldn’t spook the guy.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you.” Carlita pointed at Autumn’s ball cap, black t-shirt and matching sweatpants.
“I was keeping a low profile.” Autumn patted her pistol, still tucked under her shirt. “Don’t worry, we were both protected.”
Carlita’s eyes widened. “You brought a gun? Do the cops know you have a gun?”
“Yeah; I have a carry license, so they cleared me.” Autumn tapped the tip of her black sneaker on the ground. “While Mercedes was talking to the cop, I wandered closer to the scene. From what the investigators were saying, it looks like the man was shot from behind. He never even saw it coming.”
“Poor thing.” Carlita made a cross symbol across her chest and then glanced behind her. “I parked the car over there. Where are your Segways?”
“They’re up on the hill. We left them locked up next to the bike racks,” Mercedes said. “I was hoping to meet with Jon Luis and be back home before Gina and the kids showed up.”
“Too late.” Carlita, Mercedes and Autumn slowly walked to the front of the parking lot. “They got to the apartment just as I was leaving. I didn’t tell them what happened. I don’t want Gina to get the wrong impression of Savannah.” She motioned towards the hill. “I’ll give you a ride back to the Segways.”
“That’s probably not a bad idea.” Mercedes shivered as she glanced at the team of crime scene investigators. “The killer could still be lurking nearby.”
The women climbed into the back seat while Carlita slid behind the wheel. She slowly drove out of the parking lot, up the hill and stopped in front of the bike rack. “Do you want me to follow you home?”
“No.” Mercedes opened the car door. “This touristy area is safe and there are still a lot of people out. I’m sure we’ll be okay to make it home on our own.”
“Thanks for the ride Mrs. G.” Autumn slid out of the seat and stepped onto the sidewalk. “I’ll have to swing by to meet the rest of your family. Is Vinnie coming down here for a visit anytime soon?”
Carlita had detected a spark between Autumn and her oldest son, Vinnie, during his last visit. “He promised me that he’ll be here for Thanksgiving.”
“I’ve been wondering how he’s been.” Autumn smiled at Carlita and slowly closed the door.
Carlita waited until the women slipped their helmets on and were on their way before pulling onto the main street.
During the drive home, she thought about her family, how she had vowed to her husband on his deathbed that she would get their sons out of the “family business.”
Her hope was that a move to Savannah would give them all a fresh start, a chance to start over again. Despite her best efforts, parts of Carlita’s past life had followed them from Queens all the way to their new home.
Tony seemed happy with his new life in Savannah, even thriving since he started dating Shelby Towns, one of Carlita’s tenants. He was also doing a wonderful job of running their pawnshop, Savannah Swag.
When Paulie came to visit after his argument with Gina, Carlita hoped the charm of the historic city, not to mention the wonderful weather and tons of fun things to do, would be tempting enough for him to consider moving.
Gina, on the other hand, would be a tough sell, which is why Carlita had worked hard to plan every single detail of Gina and the children’s visit, in hopes of letting her see for herself what she was missing.
Then there was Vinnie. He was the first of her sons to visit Savannah. He’d shown an interest in Autumn and Carlita thought there was a possibility he would consider moving south, but Vinnie was firmly entrenched in the “family business.”
She hoped, over time, he would come to see how dangerous the mafia life was, see that his brother was happy living in Savannah and would change his mind. Whether “the family” would let him leave…that was another matter. There was a famous saying in La Cosa Nostra…The only way you leave the family is in a box.
It was Carlita’s greatest fear Vinnie wouldn’t make it out and she would end up burying her beloved son like she had his father.
Mercedes and Autumn must have taken a shortcut because by the time Carlita parked the car and made her way to the back of the apartment building, Mercedes was already there.
“Where’s Autumn?”
“I dropped her off at Shades of Ink. Steve was closing up shop and she wanted to wait for him.”
“Have you met Steve’s girlfriend?” Carlita asked.
“Paisley? Yeah. She and Steve met at a tattoo conference or something like that.” Mercedes unlocked the back door and steered her Segway into the hall. “Did you know that Paisley has over a hundred tattoos?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Carlita murmured. She waited while her daughter hung her helmet on the Segway’s handlebar before climbing the stairs and making their way into the apartment.
Carlita’s grandchildren were sprawled out on the living room floor watching television while Tony, Paulie and Gina were seated at the dining room table.
Paulie turned. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah…uh.” Mercedes shot her mother a quick glance. “I was having a little trouble with my Segway, so Ma drove over to help out,” she fibbed.
“Segways sound fun.” Paulie glanced at his wife.
“They sound dangerous,” Gina turned to Carlita. “I brought you a couple bags of your favorite bagels from Blumenthal’s. I thought we could have ‘em for breakfast. They’re down in my suitcase.”
Paulie, Gina and the kids were staying in Tony’s downstairs apartment while Tony camped out on Carlita’s sofa bed.
