“I can save you a trip,” Carlita said. “Shelby and I were already there. There’s nothing to see except a small park and some empty buildings.”
“Huh.” Elvira lifted her brow. “I may have underestimated your investigative techniques after all.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“So, back to my story. I was on my way out the back door when I happened to notice a lurker hanging around in the alley. At first, I thought it was your son, Vinnie. When I took a closer look, I realized it wasn’t him.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“Nope.” Elvira shook her head. “Never seen him before in my life. He was acting kinda funny, as if he was casing the joint. Check it out.”
Elvira switched her phone on, clicked the camera icon and then handed it to Carlita. “I wasn’t able to get a real clear picture of the guy cuz I didn’t want him to see me. I checked my surveillance camera and he was just out of the visual range, which reminds me, I need to tweak my cameras for a better visual on the back of your building.”
“I’m sure,” Carlita frowned. She studied the photo of the man with light brown hair. Was this the stranger who stopped by the Journey’s End? Could he be the man with brown hair that Bob Lowman mentioned or possibly even the person who ransacked Shelby’s apartment?
“Do you recognize him?” Elvira asked.
“No, but then it’s impossible to recognize someone when the only thing you have to go on is the back of their head.”
Elvira ignored the comment and swiped the screen. “He was acting suspicious, so I followed him.”
“Where did he go?”
“To the Black Stallion. Here’s another shot of the man going into the club. He stopped to talk to someone near the front door before going in.”
Carlita squinted her eyes and studied the photo of the man. This time it was a side shot. “How is this a clue?”
“It’s all about the body language. Did I ever mention I studied body language? Anyhoo, I could tell by the expressions on their faces they were having a serious conversation. The man I was following, let’s call him Carmine…Carmine was walking into the Black Stallion, said something to a person I believe may have been a bouncer. There was a brief exchange. Carmine said something the bouncer didn’t like, he grabbed Carmine’s arm to stop him. Carmine jerked his arm away and stormed into the establishment.”
Carlita handed the phone back. “I’ve never seen this man before in my life. I’ve never been inside the Black Stallion and I don’t recognize the bouncer outside the club. Someone broke into Shelby’s apartment around the same time you saw this person lurking about.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes. They ransacked her place.”
“Well.” Elvira cleared her throat. “Far be it from me to tell you that you keep questionable company, or at the very least your children do. I would definitely be on guard until we figure out who the mystery man is, and who killed Shelby’s ex.”
Elvira snapped her fingers. “Wait a minute. Are you sure this wasn’t a love triangle gone bad?”
“What are you talking about?”
“A crime of passion.” Elvira began to pace. “Perhaps Shelby was carrying on with her ex, right under Tony’s nose. He found out and then snuffed him out.”
“That’s absurd,” Carlita sputtered. “You’re talking about my son. He’s not capable of committing murder.” At least Carlita didn’t think he was capable of murder.
“It still doesn’t explain the mystery man lurking about or who may have trashed Shelby’s apartment.”
Elvira abruptly stopped. “It’s obvious what our next logical step should be.”
“What do you mean ‘our next step?’ This matter doesn’t involve you.”
“It most certainly does involve me. We share common areas and I don’t like the idea of questionable characters lurking about, breaking into people’s homes.”
“That’s a lame excuse.”
“Lame or not, I’ve already invested time in the investigation and I plan to proceed with the next step.”
“Which is?” Carlita asked, although she wasn’t sure she would like the answer.
“I think it’s time for us to pay a visit to the Black Stallion Club.”
Carlita chewed her lower lip and studied Elvira. The woman was right. Somehow, the club was linked to Robert. “I need to handle a couple of small matters before we head down there. Can you hold off until later?”
“Later tonight?”
“I’m not sure. I have some other matters to handle first.”
“Okay. Keep in mind time is of the essence. There’s not much action in the district during the day. Nighttime would be a better time to conduct an undercover/covert surveillance mission.”
******
After Carlita left Elvira’s place, she headed to the pawnshop. Tony and the part-timer, Melody, were both working. She made a beeline for her son. “I need your help.”
“Sure, Ma.” Tony, noting the tone of his mother’s voice, gave her his full attention. “What’s up?”
“There’s a property in the riverfront area I want to scope out.”
“So? Go scope it out,” Tony said.
“No, I mean scope out the inside.”
“You want to break in?”
“If that’s what it takes,” Carlita said bluntly. “There’s a property on Harner Street, a property which was recently purchased by a private group. I think it’s linked to Shelby’s ex and I want to take a look at it while Shelby’s not around.”
Tony rubbed the stubble on his chin. “You think Shelby might be involved in her ex’s death?”
“I don’t know what to think, son. What I do know is the Journey’s End, the hostel where Robert was staying prior to his death, the Black Stallion Club, the spot where Shelby found Robert’s body and this property on Harner Street are all within striking distance of each other. Shelby and I already talked to the
