“I’m glad to see you, too.”
“I thought you were a customer.”
“Nope. Not a customer…just an aggravated neighbor.”
“What did Elvira do this time?” Dernice grinned.
“Someone parked an EC Investigative Services van in the back alley. It’s blocking delivery vehicles from reaching my restaurant.”
“It’s my fault. Sorry about that. I thought I was going to be in and out lickety-split,” Dernice apologized.
Carlita’s tone softened. “It’s okay. I…it’s just that we’re sharing the alley. If the food trucks can’t get back to my restaurant, there’s nowhere else for them to unload.”
“Right. I didn’t think about that. You should’ve gone ahead and moved it out of the way.”
“I would need the keys.”
Dernice waved her hand. “I leave the keys in the ignition, that way I know exactly where to find them.”
“Aren’t you worried someone might drive off with the van?” Carlita remembered the trashed interior and foul odor. “Never mind. I don’t think anyone would steal the vehicle smelling the way it does.”
“That’s Elvira’s nasty natto. I told her the stuff stinks to high heaven but she claims she can’t smell it.”
“Speaking of Elvira…where is she?” Carlita glanced around, realizing she hadn’t seen her nosy neighbor for a couple of days.
“She’s managing the security gig over at Darbylane Museum.”
“Ah.” Carlita lifted a brow. “I heard there’s some sort of famous exhibit in town. It’s attracting a lot of attention and publicity.”
“And with publicity comes crimes, so the city officials decided to hire the best security company in Savannah.”
“EC Security Services,” Carlita said.
“Yep. I’m on my way back there in a few. You should stop by and check out the exhibit. I’m not much into the artsy fartsy scene, but they have some cool old paintings.”
“I might,” Carlita said. “In the meantime…”
“Yeah. Move the van.” Dernice followed Carlita out of the building, to the back and climbed behind the wheel.
“Gross.” Dernice waved her hand in front of her face. “I was hoping if I rolled the windows down it would air out, but I think the smell is even worse now.”
Dernice drove off while Carlita headed back inside. She stopped by the pawnshop to check on Tony and exited through the front entrance, turning right and making her way to Ravello’s.
The recent grand opening of the Garlucci family’s new restaurant had been a resounding success. Despite a few weeks of robust sales after opening, business had started to drop off, and it was slower than Carlita had anticipated. She knew she needed to get the word out so tourists and area residents would find out about her new restaurant.
She needed help, and she needed it fast. There was one person Carlita thought might be able to help - her friend, Glenda Fox, a member of the Savannah Architectural Society. Glenda, a longtime local, had plenty of connections not only in Savannah’s Historic District, but also in the surrounding communities.
There were only a few diners inside Ravello’s during the lunch hour rush. Carlita decided it was time to stop worrying and start working on drumming up business. She ran upstairs to grab her purse, and then hurried across the street to catch the next trolley to the City Market district.
She made it to the stop and only had a short wait before Reese and the trolley turned the corner. Reese gave a small wave as the trolley rolled to a stop.
“Hey, Reese.” Carlita climbed the steps and settled onto the bench seat directly behind her friend.
“Hey, Carlita. Where ya headed?”
“City Market. I’m gonna try to track down Glenda Fox, Savannah Architectural Society’s president. I’m hoping she can give me some pointers on drumming up business at Ravello’s.” Carlita cast an anxious glance out the window. “Now that summer is almost over, and we’re in our official end-of-the-summer slump, I need to figure out a way to get more customers through the front door.”
“I’ve been meaning to call you.” Reese closed the door, and the trolley chugged away from the curb. “I’ve been giving it some thought. What about coupons?”
“Coupons?”
“Yeah. I was thinking if you had some coupons printed up, I could pass them out to trolley passengers when they board.”
“Really?” Carlita leaned forward. “That’s a great idea. Could you? I mean, is it against the trolley company’s policy to promote area businesses?”
“Nah.” Reese waved dismissively. “I’ve done it before. Pirate Pete gives me some to hand out every once in a while.”
“Hmm.” Carlita warmed to the idea. “Yes. Coupons might work.”
“I’ll be happy to help out.”
“Thanks, Reese. You’re the best.”
The trolley reached the next stop and a large group of passengers boarded.
“You’re busy today.”
“Yep. We will be for the next couple of days. It’s because of the Darbylane Museum’s new exhibit.” Reese waited for the passengers to find a seat before pulling back onto the street. “It’s a mess.”
“These riders are all trying to get to the museum?”
“Some of ‘em, I’m sure.” The trolley rounded the corner and turned onto Bay Street, the main thoroughfare that ran parallel to Savannah River.
“Crud.” Reese hit the brakes, and the trolley screeched to a halt.
Carlita’s eyes grew wide. “What on earth?”
Chapter 2
“Welcome to Cotswold Georgian Exhibit country,” Reese said grimly. “The downtown city streets have been solid gridlock since yesterday.”
“Because of the exhibit at Darbylane Museum?”
“Yep.” Reese shifted gears, gunning the engine as she veered into the other lane and careened onto a narrow alley. “I can’t wait ‘til this exhibit thingy ends. It’s making my job of maneuvering around town and reaching my stops a nightmare.”
“It’s that big of an event?”
“Today is by far the worst. There’s an important and famous guest arriving soon to tour the exhibit which means the cops and city officials have blocked off even more of the
