“You’re not a distraction, attraction or whatever.” Mercedes’ rant made Sam smile even wider, and Carlita suspected he was enjoying the exchange immensely.
“I give up. Leave your door wide open. Run around in your underwear for all I care.” She uttered something unintelligible under her breath and stomped inside their apartment, slamming the door behind her.
“She sure does like to slam doors,” Sam commented. “Maybe that’s why I leave my door open. I’m waiting for her to ask me if she can slam it.”
Carlita tilted her head. “You would like that.”
For once, Sam was at a loss for words.
“Ah. I see it in your eyes. You do like Mercedes.” Carlita leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “I think she likes you, too. She just has a funny way of showing it.”
She winked at her tenant and then sauntered back to her own apartment.
Sam was still standing in his doorway when she stepped inside.
“Mercedes?”
“I’m in here.”
Carlita wandered into the kitchen and found her daughter chowing down on a tub of chunky chocolate peanut butter ice cream. “Sam likes you. Really, he does.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.” Mercedes dropped the dirty spoon in the sink before placing the leftover ice cream back in the freezer. “I feel better already. It’s time to get down to business.”
Carlita grabbed the employee file folders and flipped through the applications. “I found Duane Sorensen’s application and telephone number.”
“I’ll make the call.” Mercedes reached for her phone.
Carlita rattled off the cell phone number while her daughter dialed.
What happened next, made them realize they might be onto something with the purple backpack-toting stranger and his companion.
Chapter 16
I’m sorry, but the number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service.
Mercedes ended the call. “Well…that answers that. It appears Sorensen’s cell phone has been disconnected.”
“I say we try the other employee numbers while we’re at it,” Carlita said. “Just because Sorensen lived in New York doesn’t mean he was the one in the alley, carrying a purple backpack and dressed in one of the restaurant’s work uniforms.”
“There’s something else.” She stared at her daughter thoughtfully. “Elvira mentioned the couple she saw waiting for the bus stop were both wearing casual clothing - not work uniforms.”
“But they could’ve easily changed,” Mercedes pointed out. “The backpack could’ve had a change of clothes.”
“You’re right.” Carlita rubbed her hands together. “Let’s finish going through the list.”
All of the other numbers were legit except for one, which had also been disconnected.
“We’ll add Rudy Swanson to the list of possible purple backpack employees, since his number has been disconnected, too.” Carlita jotted his name on a sheet of paper. “Dominic might be able to help since he was in charge of the staff yesterday. He may know if an employee was acting suspiciously, and possibly even remember seeing the backpack.”
“Good idea,” Mercedes said. “We should take a closer look at my video of the courtyard yesterday, right after Megan collapsed.” She sorted through the emails until she found the one with the video.
Carlita slipped her reading glasses on as Mercedes pressed the play button.
“You did a good job of getting everyone and everything,” Carlita whispered.
“Thanks. I tried to pan slowly to get clear shots.”
The beginning moments were of the courtyard entrance and Ricco. There were several guests milling about, all eyes focused off camera and Carlita guessed in the direction of poor Megan.
The video ended abruptly.
“Let’s watch it again,” Carlita said. “I didn’t see anything.”
Mercedes played the brief video a second time, starting with a view of the courtyard gate and Ricco, panning over the guests and ending near the courtyard wall where two of the servers huddled off to the side.
“Stop right there. Can we zoom in on the servers?”
“Yep.” Mercedes tapped the mouse to enlarge the picture. “I don’t recognize the servers, but I’ve only met them once, right after you and Dominic hired them.”
“They look kinda familiar.” Carlita forced herself to focus. One of the servers was balancing a tray of champagne flutes. The other was holding a tray of hors d’ oeuvres. “Let’s say…hypothetically speaking, one of the kitchen workers intentionally slipped something into one of the pre-dinner goodies. They then handed it off to their accomplice…a server, who then delivered it to the intended victim.”
“But why Megan Burelli?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be Megan Burelli. Go back to the footage of her.”
Mercedes rewound to the part where Megan sat face down at the table, surrounded by her friend, Sam Ivey and Carlita.
“There.” Carlita tapped the screen. “Megan is blonde, like Brittney. They look a lot alike. Even Ricco commented that at one point he thought Vinnie was talking to Brittney. It would be fairly easy to confuse the two.”
“I dunno.” Mercedes frowned. “If this was a hit, wouldn’t you want to make sure you took out the right person the first time?”
“They may have gotten confused; thinking the person Vinnie was with was his wife, Vito’s daughter, the target. Oh my gosh.” Carlita’s mouth dropped open. “If my hunch is correct, they were both targets - Brittney and Vinnie. A double hit at the same time. I need to get to Vinnie.”
Carlita’s finger trembled as she dialed her son’s cell phone. Vinnie picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, Son. I’m sorry to bother you. I have a quick question.”
“You’re not bothering me. I’m hanging out, waiting for Brit to finish her shoe shopping. What’s up?”
“Yesterday, during the wedding while you were out in the courtyard. You remember talking to the woman, Megan Burelli, briefly before Brittney came up and pulled you away.”
“Do I ever,” Vinnie groaned. “She thought the chick was flirting with me. I would never cheat on my
