“It’s all falling into place,” Carlita said. “The night the girls boarded the Mystic Dream, Mercedes could’ve sworn someone was on the riverboat with them. The cheap labor, the Spanish speaking employees and high turnover rate.”
“Working short spurts of time and then disappearing,” Pete said. “Could be one of the smuggled workers set fire and damaged the Mystic Dream.”
“We’ve got to do something.” Carlita popped out of the chair and began to pace. “We have to proceed with caution. Technically, we have nothing to go on - just our hunches.”
“I agree,” Pete said. “These are some very serious accusations.”
“I’ll do a little more digging around on my end.” During the walk home, Carlita mulled over all of the clues. Mark Fox’s trip to South America, how Glenda said Mark intended to confront Lawson and now Mark was walking with a visible limp. Was that the result of a confrontation with Lawson? Was Mark Fox involved in human trafficking?
She thought about Pirate Pete. Pete spoke Spanish, too. Pete had both motive and opportunity. He was guarding his pirate ship the same night Lawson was attacked. But why not confess to authorities if Lawson and he had become involved in a physical confrontation?
Could it be that Lawson threatened to make sure Pete or even Mark Fox never moved forward with their business ventures using his cousin, Mayor Puckett’s, clout? Perhaps his real goal was to get them out of the way, fearing his human trafficking ring was in jeopardy.
She still hadn’t been able to chat with Emmett Pridgen to get a feel for his involvement. The man was already a suspect in several suspicious business dealings in the Savannah area. What if he was involved in human trafficking?
Perhaps he was the one behind the scenes. From another previous investigation, she knew Pridgen was hot to get the gambling boat venture up and running.
What if Pridgen was determined to turn Pete and Lawson against one another in an attempt to get rid of the Mystic Dream riverboat and the new pirate ship venture?
Pridgen could succeed in eliminating the competition, clearing the way for the gambling boat!
She picked up the pace. There had to be a way to meet with Pridgen. Mercedes and she still hadn’t heard back from the business development office on the bogus application for a graffiti art studio.
Mercedes was in her room when Carlita arrived home. She made a beeline for her daughter’s bedroom and rapped lightly on the door.
The door flew open and Carlita stumbled back. “You got me again.”
“Sorry, Ma. It’s a bad habit.” Mercedes leaned her hip against the doorframe. “How did it go with the interviews?”
“I think Pete and I figured out what’s going on at Lawson’s place. He’s involved in human trafficking.”
“What?” Mercedes’ eyes widened. “Human trafficking?”
“Think about it…the low wages, the high turnover, and the unusual roster of names. Pete and I began to piece it all together. We think Lawson has been smuggling people through what they call the Smuggling Straits. It’s an undercover operation of smuggling illegals into the United States and using them for forced labor.”
“Among other things,” Mercedes said. “Remember how I said Autumn and I thought we heard someone on the Mystic Dream and then I thought I saw someone when I was getting off?”
“It could be illegals coming into the country,” Carlita said. “Did you know Pete speaks fluent Spanish?”
“No and so does Mark Fox. Remember what Kyle said? He heard Lawson arguing with someone in Spanish.”
“In his office,” Carlita interrupted. “Where Autumn found the roster.”
“And I heard noises and thought I saw someone.” Mercedes pressed a hand to her throat. “We have to do something.”
“I agree. Before we go to the authorities with nothing more than a hunch, I want to see if we can glean some clues from Emmett Pridgen. He could be part of this, too.”
“The receptionist said we’d be contacted in forty-eight hours or less. I think we should call.” Mercedes grabbed her cell phone off her desk and searched the internet until she found the telephone number for the business development office.
Using her best professional voice, she asked to speak with Emmett Pridgen about a business application. She paused as she listened to the woman on the other end. “I see. Okay. Thank you.”
“Well?” Carlita asked.
“He’s in the office and in a very important meeting.”
“Crud.”
“No, not crud.” Mercedes squeezed past her mother and stepped into the hall. “We’re going down to the business development office and plant ourselves in the waiting room until Pridgen gets out of his meeting.”
Chapter 20
The same woman who was in the business development office the day Mercedes and her mother submitted the business application was there once again. She gave them a strange look when they walked in. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, we were in here the other day and filled out a business license application. You told us we would receive our answer within forty-eight hours or less, but we’re kind of in a hurry.”
“Our office has been very busy with applications this week,” the woman apologized. “We’re experiencing a slight backlog.”
“I completely understand, but I have potential clients waiting to see samples of our graffiti products and I need an answer,” Mercedes said. “If I recall correctly, you said the business development chairman, a Mr. Puckett...”
“Pridgen,” the woman corrected. “Clarence Puckett is the mayor.”
“Right. Mr. Pridgen would make the decision. I called a short time ago and you told me he was here, but in a meeting.”
“That’s correct.” The woman nodded.
“Perfect. We’ll wait over here until he’s out of his meeting.” Mercedes strode across the room
