“I heard it’s a great show,” Reese said. “Pirate Pete has really outdone himself. I plan to go one of these days. Not today, though. I’m pulling a full shift.”
“Because you took time off yesterday for the wedding?”
“Yep, and it was worth every minute of it. The food was delicious, the wedding beautiful. You have some swell kids, Carlita.”
“Thank you. They are good kids. Shelby is a wonderful addition to the family.” Carlita grew silent as she thought about her new daughter-in-law, a small niggle of concern in the back of her mind over Shelby’s recent health issues.
Reese interrupted her thoughts. “I polished off the leftovers you gave me last night. It’s a shame there weren’t any chicken parmesan sticks left. They were delicious.”
“The parmesan sticks were one of the favorites,” Carlita said. “They’re not on Ravello’s menu. With so many people raving about them, maybe I should add them.”
“Definitely. They would sell like hotcakes.”
The trolley rolled to a stop, and the Big Peach picked up a few more early morning passengers. Reese greeted them by name.
Carlita waited until they were on their way again. “On the phone yesterday, you told me the trolley driver who filled in for you during the wedding mentioned that he picked up a couple of interesting riders.”
“Yes. Jim said he picked them up at your stop. Sketchy is what he called them. They weren’t regulars. He’d never seen them before.”
“I’m sure there are all kinds of interesting people who board the trolleys,” Carlita pointed out.
“Yep. I can attest to that fact. We get ‘em all of the time.” Reese patted her jacket pocket. “Which is why I pack heat.”
Carlita lifted a brow. “You…carry a handgun?”
“Close enough. It’s a Voltek 650, one of the most powerful Taser guns on the market. Cost me a pretty penny. I haven’t used it yet. Just knowing it’s close by gives me peace of mind.”
“I’ll have to remember that. So the riders were acting suspiciously.”
“Yep. They asked Jim a bunch of questions about Walton Square, the businesses in the area, if there was a lot of crime in Savannah.”
“Maybe they were just making conversation.”
“That’s what I told Jim, and I probably would’ve thought the same thing. It was one of the last questions they asked before getting off that Jim found interesting.”
Chapter 12
“They wanted to know where they could purchase a gun.”
“A gun?”
“Right, and then they wanted to know how to get to the bus station.”
“The question about purchasing a gun raises a few red flags, but the question about the bus station isn’t particularly odd, I suppose.” Carlita mulled over Reese’s statement while she waited for passengers to exit and the next group to board the trolley. “Maybe they were in town on vacation or visiting friends and on their way out.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Reese tapped the side of her forehead. “I was going down the same path until Jim asked them if they were in town visiting family or friends. One of them said ‘yes.’ The other said ‘no,’ and then they gave conflicting stories.”
“I wish we could figure out if they were guests at the wedding.” Carlita stared out the window as they passed Colonial Park Cemetery. “Do you think Jim would remember what the couple looked like?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Reese glanced at Carlita in the rearview mirror. “The trolleys are equipped with surveillance cameras. Savannah Trolley installed ‘em after a rider claimed they tripped over a rip in the aisle runner and sued. Now if we see anything suspicious, we start recording.”
“Really?” Carlita clasped her hands. “So do you think he caught them on camera?”
“I already left a message to find out, but haven’t heard back yet. He did say the couple was in a big hurry to get off the trolley. The woman forgot her small handbag.”
“What was inside?”
“Jim said it contained some girlie stuff, but no ID. He turned it in to Buzz, our boss. I asked Buzz about it this morning. He said no one called to claim it yet. Course, if they were hightailing it out on the bus and there was nothing of value inside, I doubt they would come back for it.”
“So there was no ID?”
“Nope. He made a point of reminding me employees are not allowed to rummage through the lost and found cabinet.”
“Another company policy?”
“Yep. Could be clues inside the bag. Now, all we gotta do is figure out a way to get our hands on it. We’re here.” The Big Peach shuddered to a halt at the City Market stop.
Carlita stood. “I have a few errands to run. I’ll hop back on in about an hour or so.”
Reese waited for Carlita and her box of goodies to squeeze down the narrow bus stairs. “In the meantime, I’ll do some thinking on how we can get our hands on the handbag. Before I forget, Jim did mention one other thing about the couple.”
“What’s that?”
“The man was carrying a purple camo backpack. He almost left it behind, too. Jim tried to hand it to him. The man snatched it up like he didn’t want Jim to get too close to it.”
“Maybe he was on a gun-buying spree, and there were weapons stashed inside.”
“I dunno,” Reese shrugged.
“Thanks, Reese,” Carlita paused when she reached the bottom. “You’re a good friend.”
“So are you, Carlita. I hate to see bad things happen to good people.” Reese shut the Big Peach’s door, and the trolley rumbled off.
Thankfully, the rental store was a short walk from the trolley stop. Carlita returned the rented items and then headed toward the bank
