“See? You worried over nothing.”
“I have to worry about something, don’t I?” Carlita rubbed her eyes. “I think I’m going to head to bed. Tomorrow is shaping up to be a very long day.”
She had no idea how accurate her statement would turn out to be.
Chapter 19
Carlita struggled to sleep. Every time she woke, she began worrying about something else.
First, was Megan Burelli’s collapse. If the investigators determined Megan became ill after eating one of the wedding appetizers, what would stop the local authorities or the Georgia Department of Public Health, the department in charge of restaurant inspections, from shutting Ravello’s down before it ever opened up?
Next on her list of worries was Violet’s sleepover. She’d seemed excited when Carlita talked to her, that the children were “camping out.”
If all of that wasn’t enough, she wondered what possessed Elvira to buy the building across the alley. Perhaps her motivation was money. Not long ago, she’d snuck into the upper level of her apartment building and found an antique dagger hidden in one of the boxes.
Could it be Elvira unearthed more valuables upstairs and decided to buy the building, lock stock and barrel? Carlita wouldn’t put anything past her former tenant if it involved money.
The thought of Elvira owning the building a stone’s throw away was cause for concern. Her nosy neighbor would have no qualms about spying on her and her family. It was enough to make Carlita want to install surveillance cameras of her own.
Which brought up something else… she still needed to ask Elvira if she’d caught anything on her camera, a glimpse of whoever left the mysterious, unmarked box containing the headless cake topper on their doorstep.
Rambo was Carlita’s regular alarm clock, but he was nowhere in sight when she woke the next morning. Bright sunlight beamed in through a crack in her bedroom curtains.
She slipped her robe on and then wandered into the living room. Mercedes was at the office desk, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, clad in a pair of sweatpants and a V-neck t-shirt.
“You’re up early.”
“Nana.” Violet rolled off the sofa and hurtled her small body at Carlita.
“Violet.” Carlita scooped her up. “How did you get here?”
“Gina called first thing this morning,” Mercedes said. “Violet woke up sad and wanted to come home. I guess your cell phone was plugged into the charger in the kitchen, so she tried my number. You looked tired last night, so I wanted to let you sleep in. I took the trolley across town and picked Violet up.”
Violet placed a chubby hand on each side of Carlita’s cheek. “I woked up because I missed Rambo and Grayvie.”
“I’m sure they missed you too.” Carlita held her close. “And guess what else?”
“What?” Violet wiggled out of Carlita’s arms.
“Mommy and Tony will be home today.”
“Today.” Violet hopped up and down. “I made them a special card. It’s in my backpack.”
“Are you hungry?” Carlita followed Violet into the kitchen.
“Aunt Mercedes bought me breakfast.”
“We were hungry, so we grabbed some food at Colby’s on our way home. I left a breakfast sandwich in the fridge for you,” Mercedes said.
“What time is it?” Carlita glanced at the clock on the stove. “Oh my gosh. I thought I was up early. It’s almost ten.”
“We tried to keep quiet to let you sleep.”
“Thanks, Mercedes.”
“I already checked on Josh in the pawnshop. I also returned a couple of phone calls, on prospective tenants. One of them is interested in Shelby’s unit. I told them they would have to wait a couple of days until Shelby finished moving out, to take a look at it.”
“Perfect. We need to get those units rented as soon as possible.” Carlita poured a cup of coffee and carried it into the dining room. “In case the health department shuts Ravello’s down before it even opens.”
“It won’t happen,” Mercedes said. “We still need to question the employees who were working Saturday.”
“I agree. First, I want to stop by Pete’s restaurant to see if he recognizes either of the women in the photo.”
“Right. Why don’t you grab a bite to eat and then get ready? We can go together.”
Carlita wolfed down the breakfast sandwich and then headed to the bathroom. Mercedes and Violet were both ready and waiting for her when she finally emerged. “I want to stop by Elvira’s place first, to see if her surveillance camera recorded whoever dropped the box with the headless you-know-what on the back step.”
“I forgot about that,” Mercedes said. “You have a sharper memory than I do, Ma.”
“That’s because I spent half the night, lying awake in bed worrying about everything. It’s a wonder I got any sleep at all.”
The trio crossed the alley, and Carlita knocked on Elvira’s back door. The door opened a crack. She caught a glimpse of Dernice, peering out. “Yeah?”
“Is Elvira here?”
“She’s taking care of an important business matter. She should be home soon.”
“Maybe you can help.” Carlita briefly explained wanting to check Elvira’s video from Friday morning, the timeframe of when the headless cake topper was dropped off.
She didn’t mention that Elvira hadn’t technically offered to let Carlita see the video, and instead planned to use it as some sort of bargaining chip, yet to be determined.
Dernice lifted a brow. “She said you could see it?”
“I don’t think those were her exact words. I believe she was going to let me have a look.”
“Well…I suppose.” The door opened wider, and Dernice motioned them inside to an area that reminded Carlita of a mini command post, complete with blinking red and blue lights beaming from an array of electronics.
“Welcome to EC Command Center.” Dernice plopped down on the chair and reached for the
