“Precisely.” Tori nodded. “If you don’t mind, perhaps you could have your son do a little undercover investigating for me. Of course, I would certainly make it worth his time, but it will look a lot less suspicious for him to ask questions than for me.”
“You’re right.” Carlita rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “First, I’ll need to know exactly what items were stolen. Dates and times would be helpful, too.”
“Certainly.” Tori reached into her front pocket, pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to Carlita. “Here’s a detailed list, the time we first noticed the items were missing, a description and the estimated value.”
“Perfect,” Carlita said. “Now, all I’ll need is a list of what you sold, when and the price.”
Tori smiled. “It’s at the bottom of the sheet.”
Carlita lowered her gaze. “This should help us get started.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know who else to ask.” Tori stood; her signal the visit had ended and Carlita followed suit. “You will come to the masquerade ball?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Byron appeared in the doorway, and Carlita had the distinct impression he had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
“The invitations are at the printer now,” Tori said. “Thank you for helping me plan the party.”
Carlita smiled. “Of course. I’ll help in any way that I can. That’s what friends are for.” She followed Byron out of the house, across the courtyard and to her car.
He opened Carlita’s car door and she climbed inside. “Thank you Byron.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good day.” Byron held the door for a moment and gazed at Carlita before pushing it shut and tromping back across the drive.
Carlita watched him walk away and couldn’t help but think he was going to say something, but had changed his mind at the last minute. She would’ve given anything to know what that something was.
***
Mercedes Garlucci breezed into the apartment she shared with her mother. “Hot off the press, Ma. Check it out.” She waved a book in the air.
“What’s ‘hot off the press?’” Carlita squinted her eyes. “I can’t make heads or tails of what you’re holding.”
“It’s my book, Savannah’s Secret Society. It’s finally in print.” Mercedes tapped the top of the paperback. “I’ve officially got two books under my belt. You know what this means?” She didn’t wait for her mother’s reply. “I’m a bona fide, published author.”
Carlita took the book from her daughter and studied the front cover. “That’s awesome Mercedes. I’m proud of you, especially after everything you went through to get this book published.”
“Thanks. I’ve been busy helping Tony in the pawnshop now that Paulie is back in New York, so I haven’t even had time to check to see if the e-book published. I wonder if I’ve had any sales.” Mercedes hurried to her room and her mother followed behind.
“Of course, I’ve got a long road ahead to make a living off writing, but you gotta start somewhere.” Mercedes plopped down in her chair and tapped the keyboard. “No way! I sold two e-book copies and one paperback.”
Carlita peered over her daughter’s shoulder. “Did you have to buy your own paperback?”
“Yeah.” Mercedes frowned. “I bet this is my purchase.”
“But you still sold a couple of the e-book copies,” Carlita pointed out.
“True.”
“And it’s only been out a couple of days.” Carlita patted her daughter’s shoulder. “You’re off to a great start. I’m sure it takes some authors years to sell lots of books.”
Mercedes shifted in her chair. “Austin, one of the other authors in my author group, told me it took him two weeks to sell a copy of his first book and months of eating ramen noodles before he made enough to be able to buy his first fast food meal.”
“See? Everyone has to start somewhere,” Carlita said. “Don’t get discouraged and give up, if this is your dream.”
“Oh, I’m not giving up.” Mercedes reached for the book. “I was so excited to see my book; I forgot to give you the rest of the mail.” She handed a small stack of envelopes to her mother. “It looks like we got some sort of invitation.”
“I bet it’s the invitation to Tori’s masquerade party.” Carlita flipped through the stack until she reached a red invitation, a spray of glitter coating the top. She slipped her finger under the edge of the seal and removed a matching red invitation, the front decorated with twinkle lights and gold Christmas tree ornaments bordering the edge. “I think you’re right.” She read the invitation aloud:
“Merry Masquerade
You’re invited to Montgomery Hall’s Merry Masquerade Holiday Party for an evening of dinner, drinks and dancing.
Please join us on Saturday, December 2nd 2017
Time: Seven p.m. to Eleven p.m.
Location: Montgomery Hall, Savannah / Tybee Island
Hosted by: Victoria Montgomery
Evening Attire: Formal attire and mask are required for admittance.
RSVP Regrets Only: (212) 766-1218”
“That was fast. I was over there a few days ago,” Carlita said. “The party is right after Thanksgiving and only a couple of weeks away.”
“Speaking of Thanksgiving.” Mercedes wrinkled her nose. “What are we doing this year?”
Carlita hadn’t given Thanksgiving much thought. The weather was too warm to think about celebrating the holidays. It would also be her first major holiday since her husband, Vinnie, had passed away.
Paulie, his wife, Gina, and the kids would remain in Clifton Falls since they’d just left. Vinnie, Jr. was on the fence about making the trip south, which left Tony, Carlita’s middle son, Mercedes, her only daughter, and her to celebrate on their own.
If Carlita had her way, she would hibernate inside the apartment for the holiday and pretend it never happened, but that was selfish. She needed to
