“You got Astrid all wrong. Searching her stuff is an invasion of privacy.”
“And so was having the cops show up on my doorstep with a search warrant and invade my private home.” Carlita abruptly stopped when she reached the back door. “You don’t have to go with me.”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
Carlita marched down the alley. Elvira hurried after her. “I know you’re upset. I can’t say as I blame you, but none of my employees had anything to do with the theft. It was an inside job.”
“We’ll see.” When Carlita reached the small domed tent, she unzipped the door and stuck her head inside. The tent was empty except for a sleeping bag, neatly rolled up. Sitting next to the sleeping bag was a flashlight.
She crawled inside the tent and unrolled the sleeping bag.
“This is crazy,” Elvira mumbled.
“No. This is your fault.” Carlita unzipped the bag and gave it a good shake.
“See? You wasted your time.”
Carlita ignored her as she zipped the bag. She rolled it up and adjusted the ties that held the bag together. She carefully returned it to the same spot and dusted off her hands. “What time did you say Astrid gets off work?”
“Nine o’clock. Bif told me he would drop her off at the corner. Why?”
“Because I plan on keeping a close eye on her. I think you’re wrong. I think there’s a good chance she’s involved in the theft. Think about it…how many times have your security gigs gone awry?”
“Well…” Elvira pressed the tips of her fingers together. “If you don’t count the time Dernice accidentally tackled the mayor’s brother during a scuffle at the Riverfront Inn’s ribbon cutting ceremony, only once or twice.”
“Tackled the mayor’s brother? Never mind. What I’m saying is…all of the clues are starting to point to Astrid. She’s outside security during the museum exhibit and only hours before the painting goes missing. She’s lying about her identity. She refuses to let you near her belongings. In fact, Astrid keeps her backpack with her at all times. All of these sound like someone who is hiding something. If she can find a black market for the painting, she’ll have more than enough cash for a first-class plane ticket to Paris.”
Carlita backed out of the tent and zipped it shut.
“What are you going to do?”
“I already told you. I’m going to keep an eye on Astrid.” Carlita had another thought. “Was Astrid around earlier when the authorities stopped by with the search warrant?”
“Yes. I mean, I saw her shortly before they showed up, but when they got here, she was gone,” Elvira said.
“With her backpack.”
“Yes.”
“I rest my case.” Carlita scooted between two vehicles, and the women returned to the alley.
“So you’re going to spy on one of my employees.”
“That’s the plan.”
“I want to go with you.”
Carlita spun around to face Elvira. “Don’t you care someone out there has set you or one of your employees up?”
“Of course I care. My reputation is at stake.”
Their eyes met. Carlita stared at Elvira for a long moment. “My plan is to follow her this evening, whether you like it or not.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you out here at eight-fifty. I’ll show you where Bif is dropping her off.”
Carlita returned to the apartment and noticed Autumn’s door was ajar. She could hear the tinkle of Mercedes’ laughter and then her new tenant’s laugh.
“Hello?” Carlita called out.
“Hey, Mrs. G.” The door opened, and Autumn motioned her inside. “Mercedes was telling me about the search warrant.”
“You missed out on all of the fun. I’m surprised they didn’t get a warrant to search your unit, too, since you were with me at the museum. How is your ankle?”
“Good as new. Like it never happened.” Autumn lifted her leg and rotated her foot. “They caught you on camera?”
“Sneaking into the storage room. They also caught me on camera with Elvira entering the back of the museum and touring the exhibit.”
“They think you and Elvira are working together.”
“Possibly. I personally think Elvira’s new employee/yard guest may be involved.”
“The woman with the tent,” Autumn said. “Mercedes was just warning me about her.”
“She’s using a fake name. Elvira found her digging through the dumpster out behind the museum and offered her a job. She claims she’s claustrophobic which is why she’s staying in a tent. I think she’s hiding something in her belongings, possibly the painting, and is using the claustrophobia as an excuse to keep her distance.”
“What are you going to do?” Autumn asked.
“I’m going to follow her. If she is hiding the painting, she knows the investigators were here looking around, and she’s going to have to make a move.” Carlita told the women she planned to follow Astrid after a co-worker dropped her off later that evening.
“I’ll go with you,” Mercedes offered.
“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Elvira is insisting Astrid is innocent, and she wants to go with me, too.”
“Are you sure, Elvira or even her sister, isn’t involved in the theft?” Autumn asked.
“I’m beginning to wonder. This mystery is getting murkier by the minute. I do know one thing…I’m going to clear my name if it’s the last thing I do. In the meantime, I’m going to give Glenda a call to see what idea she has for Ravello’s.”
Her call to Glenda went to voice mail. She hadn’t even set the phone down when her friend called back. “You got my message?”
“I did. Believe it or not, the police showed up on my doorstep to search my businesses and my apartment. They were looking for the missing painting.”
“They think you’re a suspect?” Glenda gasped.
“Yes.”
“That’s crazy. I wonder if they plan to search my place, too.”
“I doubt it. I did something stupid. I helped Elvira, and it
