“We can’t wait to hear what you come up with.”
It was a short drive to Glenda’s house. The front porch lights were blazing brightly and Carlita eased the car into an empty parking spot directly in front of the house. “Don’t say anything about sneaking on board the Mystic Dream.”
“Mum’s the word.” Mercedes patted her mouth.
Carlita climbed the front steps and waited for the girls to join her before pressing the buzzer. The door slowly opened and Glenda’s butler, Reginald, peered down at them. “Yes?”
“Hello, Reginald. Carlita Garlucci. Glenda is expecting me…expecting us.”
Reginald opened the door wider and motioned them inside. “Follow me.” His heels clicked sharply on the gleaming floor as he escorted the women down the long hall, to the back of the house.
He stopped abruptly in front of a door Carlita knew opened to the library. He knocked twice before opening the door and stepping to the side.
Glenda sat facing the fire while her husband, Mark, was seated across from her. She sprang from the chair. “Carlita. I almost forgot you were stopping by.”
The first thing Carlita noticed was the pale and pinched expression on her friend’s face. “Let Reginald take your wet jackets.” Glenda’s hand shook as she motioned to Reginald.
Carlita waited for the butler to exit the room before turning to her friend, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you okay? You’re pale as a ghost.”
“The authorities left here not long ago. They claim to have found some information in Lawson’s office.”
Chapter 14
“I’m guessing it wasn’t good.”
“It was a log of dates, if you will, where Lawson claims Mark was harassing him, trying to shut down the Mystic Dream and destroy his business.”
“Where did he come up with that crazy notion?” Carlita asked.
“I have no idea. There was also another name the detective mentioned, one I didn’t recognize.” Glenda turned to her husband, a blank expression on her face. “Do you remember the name, Mark?”
“It was Kyle Flinch,” Mark said.
“Flinch…Flinch.” Carlita repeated the name. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
Mercedes tapped her mother’s arm. “TG Flinch. Remember her? She owns The Ghost Roast. The Ghost Roast is the site of the Madison Square murders.”
“Ah.” Carlita lifted a brow. “She was the goth girl. She scared the you-know-what out of me when we met her. Sweet gal, though. I wonder if she’s related to this Kyle Flinch.”
“It’s not a common name,” Glenda said. “The investigator asked a bunch of questions about the downtown building project, how well Mark and Lawson knew each other and the last time he saw Lawson.”
Carlita interrupted. “You mentioned yesterday that Mark planned to confront Lawson about his accusations.”
Glenda turned, giving her husband an anxious glance. “Yes. Mark did and unfortunately, it wasn’t a pleasant exchange.”
“Were there witnesses?” Carlita asked.
“Yes.” Mark slowly rose from the chair and limped across the room. “I accused Lawson of being a bully and informed him he didn’t own the City of Savannah. He told me he would have his cousin, the mayor, shut down my project. I got a little hot under the collar. I told him he’d better not do that or he would be sorry. One of Lawson’s employees was there during our entire conversation.”
“We suspect the authorities are working on a search warrant,” Glenda said. “I would warn Pete if I were you.”
“The authorities have already talked to Pete.” Carlita went on to explain Pete was concerned after having his own confrontation with Lawson, and spent the previous night on board the pirate ship, expecting Lawson to try something.
“Let me guess…Pete was there alone at the time of Lawson’s attack and he has no alibi,” Mark said.
“Yes, so it looks like both of you are in the same boat,” Carlita grinned. “In the same boat, get it?”
Glenda briefly closed her eyes. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t funny.” Carlita patted her friend’s arm. “Let’s hope Lawson comes out of his coma and can tell the authorities who attacked him.”
The five of them chatted for several more minutes and then Carlita told them they needed to get going. She thanked the couple for letting them stop by to ask questions and then the trio followed Reginald to the front.
Carlita waited until they were on the steps and Reginald closed the door behind them. “What do you think? Do you think Mark Fox struck Lawson?”
“I don’t know Mark,” Mercedes said. “If truth be told, we don’t know Glenda that well, either. Lawson sounds like a real jerk and has his share of enemies. Either Mark has horribly bad luck or he was involved in the attack.”
“I can’t imagine Mark Fox attacking Lawson,” Autumn said. “He doesn’t strike me as the violent type.”
Carlita and the girls made their way down the steps. “What about Kyle Flinch? That’s the first I heard his name.”
“We ought to check it out.” Mercedes slipped into the passenger seat and reached for the seatbelt. “He might be able to shed some light on Lawson.”
A sudden thought popped into Carlita’s head and she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “What if the authorities put a hold on Pete’s pirate ship license?”
“Or they revoke the license,” Mercedes said. “We’ll be out a cool twenty-five k.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Carlita vowed. “We know Pete didn’t attack Lawson. We have to figure out who did and I think we move on to the next logical person.”
“Kyle Finch?”
“Him and Pridgen.” Carlita glanced at the clock on the dash. “I bet The Ghost Roast is still open. I’m hungry for a snack. You up for it?”
“You’re driving.” Mercedes settled into her seat. “Maybe we’ll see a
