There was a long pause. “That’s a stretch, Ma. I mean, it would have to be an inside job. You know all of your employees.”
“I just met them.” Carlita could feel herself becoming hysterical. “What if it was a setup?”
Vinnie and Brittney may have been the targets. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. From what Carlita remembered, Megan was petite with light-colored hair, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Brittney. What if someone was working on the inside, hired to take Brittney out, but they accidentally took out the wrong woman?
“Vito didn’t send his guys to Savannah for the fun of it. He must have believed there was a credible threat. Something isn’t sitting right,” Carlita said. “Promise me you’ll be careful.” She stopped short of mentioning her brother’s name.
“I’ll put a call into Vito, to see if he thinks Louie Esposito sent someone down here. If it makes you feel better, I promise Brit and I will be extra cautious. Look, I gotta go. We ran into Uncle Eddie and Aunt Anjelica a few minutes ago. We’re heading into a pub for a cold brew and snack. We’ll see you a little later.”
“Don’t let them buy you a drink,” Carlita yelled into the phone. It was too late. Vinnie had already disconnected the call.
Chapter 10
Carlita flung the phone on the table. “Your Uncle Eddie and Aunt Anjelica are with Vinnie and Brittney.”
“I chatted with them for a few minutes at the wedding.” Mercedes covered her mouth to stifle her yawn. “Uncle Eddie mentioned something about taking care of a small business matter.”
“That’s what I mean.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What if Vinnie and Brittney are the business matter?” Carlita glanced at Violet, sprawled out on the sofa and engrossed in a cartoon. “I haven’t heard a peep out of my brother since we moved to Savannah. Next thing I know, he’s on my doorstep.”
“He’s family.”
“My point exactly.”
Carlita glanced at her watch. “I left some decorations in the hall I need to bring inside.” She stepped into the hall, quickly sorted through the box of decorations and then slid the box inside the apartment.
“Your cell phone was beeping, Nana,” Violet said.
“It was?” Carlita snatched it off the counter. She had missed two calls and a text, all from Reese. Her eyes squinted as she read the message. Got an interesting story from one of the other trolley drivers. Call me.
Carlita promptly dialed Reese’s cell phone. It went right to voice mail. “Hey, Reese. I got your message. Call me back.”
She carried the phone into the living room. Violet crawled onto her lap and placed her head on Carlita’s shoulder.
Carlita smiled as she pulled her close. Tomorrow, they would visit Pete’s pirate ship. Since Paulie and Gina were spending a few days in town, they offered to take Violet with them to the hotel, so she could play with the kids and swim in the hotel’s swimming pool.
Chirp. Carlita’s phone chimed. It was Reese. She shifted Violet off her lap and headed to the balcony to talk. “I got your message.”
“I chatted with the afternoon trolley driver, the one who filled in for my route including Walton Square. Hang on.”
There was a moment of silence before Reese returned. “Anyhoo, he was asking how the wedding went and then mentioned a couple of passengers who were acting funny. He picked them up at your stop, right around the time of the wedding.”
“Funny as in ‘haha’ funny?”
“No. Funny as in odd and acting suspiciously.”
“Acting suspiciously?”
“Yes. Like very nervous. They were in a big hurry and asking unusual questions. Hang on again.”
The line went silent. Reese returned. “Listen, I got too many people on this trolley to talk privately. Will you be riding the trolley in the morning?”
“Yep. I’ll be on your first run.”
“Perfect. We’ll talk then. Gotta go.”
Carlita thanked Reese and disconnected the line.
She stared at the phone, Megan’s collapse weighing heavy on her mind. It was probably an unfortunate accident, so maybe she was reading too much into it.
Still, there was the break-in at the restaurant, hours before the wedding, not to mention the mysterious and headless cake topper. As far as Carlita knew, neither Tony nor Shelby had enemies in Savannah, but maybe someone was intent on ruining their wedding.
She ran inside to grab a piece of scrap paper and an ink pen. Mercedes was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of tea. “What are you doing?”
“Taking some notes. Reese called. She said the trolley driver who was running the Walton Square route earlier today, picked up a couple of riders who were acting suspiciously and thought it might mean something.”
“Reese couldn’t elaborate. I’m gonna talk to her first thing tomorrow morning.” Carlita carried the pen and paper to the counter and began a bullet point list:
- Headless cake topper - in unmarked box.
- Break-in at the restaurant.
- Eddie shows up unexpectedly and uninvited.
- Vito sends bodyguards after threat to family.
- Trolley passengers - suspicious behavior.
- Megan Burelli’s collapse during wedding.
She handed the list to Mercedes. “These can’t all be coincidental.”
Mercedes scanned the list and handed it back to her mother. “I think you’re a little paranoid. Do you really believe Uncle Eddie is involved?”
“I’m not counting anyone out. I’ll know more after I talk to Reese.”
Rambo padded into the kitchen, looking for a treat. “How about a treat and a walk?” Carlita reached into the cupboard and pulled Rambo’s box of special treats out. “Violet, do you want to give Rambo a treat?”
“Yes.” The young girl bounced off the sofa and skipped into the kitchen. “What about Grayvie? He wants a treat, too.”
“I’m sure Grayvie does.” Carlita called for her cat, who lay
