She sauntered to the back of the bar and casually leaned against the wall directly across from the restrooms. Elvira pulled her cell phone from her purse and began studying the screen.
The man now identified as Emmett Pridgen exited the bathroom. Instead of returning to the bar, he turned right and disappeared from sight.
Elvira gave the women a thumb-up and then followed Pridgen down the hall.
“Oh my gosh. She’s following him,” Annie gurgled.
“I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not,” Carlita said. “Get ready. We might have to make a quick exit.”
Thankfully, the server returned with Carlita’s card and receipt. She hastily scribbled in a generous tip and signed the bottom.
Several more men entered the hall, passed by the restroom and disappeared from sight.
“Where are they going? Where is Elvira?” Carlita’s armpits grew damp as visions of an injured Elvira filled her head.
There was a small commotion near the back hall. Elvira and two burly bouncers appeared. The bouncers began dragging Elvira across the dance floor.
“Take your hands off of me! I’m perfectly capable of exiting this disgusting dive on my own two feet!”
The men ignored Elvira’s protests and continued escorting her to the exit.
“Let’s go.” Annie, Mercedes and Carlita bolted from the table and hurried after them.
By the time they exited the club, Elvira was standing on the sidewalk. “You have no right to manhandle me like that. I ought to file a police complaint.”
One of the bodyguards took a menacing step towards her. “You entered a restricted area and were asked to leave. Since you ignored our request, we escorted you out. If you ever set foot inside the Black Stallion again, we’ll have you arrested.”
“Oh, you won’t have to worry about me setting foot inside this dump ever again.” Elvira lifted her middle finger and waved it in the air.
The other man made a move toward Elvira and she ran down the sidewalk.
The trio jogged along behind Elvira, joining her a safe distance from the club.
“No one has a sense of humor these days.”
“What were you doing back there?” Annie asked.
“At first, I thought something funny was going on inside the men’s restroom, but when I got there, I realized all of these patrons were bypassing the toilet and entering a room in the back.”
“So you decided to see what they were up to,” Mercedes prompted.
“Yeah. I figured it was worth a shot. I made it as far as the doorway when one of the goons escorted me out. I asked him what was going on and he said something about it being a private party. He grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away and out of nowhere comes goon number two. Next thing I know, they’re dragging me out of the bar.”
“So you weren’t able to see what was going on in the back?”
“You underestimate the determination of Elvira Cobb when she’s on a case. Before I was manhandled, I got a peek inside the room, and you’ll never guess what’s going on in the Black Stallion Club.”
Chapter 23
Elvira lowered her voice. “Illegal gambling. I saw a roulette wheel and a craps table. There were a bunch of men off to the side, and I think I saw them playing cards before the creeps shut me down.”
“I wish I coulda snapped a picture, but the goons were on me too fast.” Elvira began walking and the others hurried to keep up.
“I appreciate you trying to help us, Elvira,” Carlita said as she fell into step with her former tenant. “I’m still trying to figure out why you put yourself in harm’s way this evening.”
“I already told you…I wanted to know who the mystery man was. I don’t like people lurking in our neighborhood. After you told me that someone broke into Shelby’s apartment, I figured we needed to find out whom we were dealing with. Plus, I like Shelby and Violet.”
“Huh.” Carlita shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. “So you’ve been doing all of this for the safety and security of our neighborhood?”
“Absolutely. Not to mention I have a little free time on my hands. The security services business is booming. The investigative business is a little slow right now. Robert Towns’ death is all over the news. If Emmett Pridgen is involved, we could be hot on the trail of one of the biggest news stories Savannah has seen in decades.”
“Ah.” Carlita nodded. “Now I get it. If this turns out to be a big news story, Elvira Cobb and EC Investigative Services will get plenty of free advertising.”
Mercedes chuckled. “And here we thought you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart.”
“It’s a little of both,” Elvira admitted. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“I wish we could’ve eyeballed the owner of the Black Stallion, Pat Duce,” Carlita said.
Elvira abruptly stopped. “Are you saying the owner of that dump is someone by the name of Pat Duce?”
“Yeah,” Annie said. “We looked it up before we left.”
“While I was in the hall, one of the doofuses kept referring to someone named Duce. Next thing I know, there’s some woman standing behind me. She was the one who told her goons to escort me out.”
“She?” Mercedes asked. “Pat is a she?”
“Without a doubt.” Elvira nodded. “She was dressed down, but judging by the body parts I observed, Pat Duce is definitely a woman.”
“I’ll be darned.”
Elvira continued walking. “What do you plan to do with the information?”
“Shelby is coming for dinner. We’re going to tell her what we found out and urge her to go down to the police station.”
“It’s a far-fetched story,” Annie said. “Maybe you should go with her since you have more of the details.”
Carlita’s mind was whirling. How could she possibly explain her
