“Are you okay?”
Carlita stumbled backward, clutching her chest.
Sam Ivey stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at her.
“Sam. You scared me half to death.”
“I’m sorry.” Sam and his pup, Sadie, hustled down the steps. “I saw you leaning against the window and thought I heard you gasping for air.”
“I…I’m fine.” Carlita offered him a smile. “I haven’t seen much of you lately, Sam. You’re keeping a low profile.”
“It’s my busy season. I’m booked solid until after New Year’s. The cooler weather brings out the tourists.”
“Can’t say as I blame them.”
“I heard you have your hands full, too. An unexpected houseguest, evicting a troublesome tenant, finding a body in the vacant lot across the street.”
“You could say that. I’m sure Mercedes has shared her thoughts on our houseguest.”
“She was venting about it yesterday. She seems in a better mood now that she’s staying with Autumn.” Sam’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “I offered to let her move in with me for a few days, but she told me no.”
Carlita punched him in the arm. “You did not.”
“I didn’t, but I wanted to see how you would react. Now I know.”
“No shacking up.” Carlita wagged her finger.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“So…” Carlita leaned her hip on the edge of the staircase. “Are you two official yet?”
“Official?”
“Officially dating. All I can get out of my daughter is ‘We’ll see. We’re in no hurry.’”
“We’re dating,” Sam switched Sadie’s leash to his other hand. “I think she’s worried you’re going to go overboard and start planning an engagement party.”
“I like the sounds of that.” Carlita placed a light hand on his arm. “I’ll stop nosing in. I’m happy for you. Mercedes seems happy. Speaking of party, I’m hosting a fall party at the restaurant the Saturday after Halloween. We’d love for you to come.”
“A costume party?”
“That’s an idea. What would you come as?”
“A tour guide,” Sam joked.
Carlita laughed. “Very funny.”
Sadie let out a whimper and began wrapping her leash around Sam’s legs. “That’s Sadie’s signal we need to hurry.”
“Be careful out there. The authorities still haven’t caught Davis Rutger’s killer.”
“I stopped to chat with some of my buddies at the precinct earlier. They were talking about Davis Rutger. He was bad news.”
“Yes, he was. He was causing trouble on Reese’s trolley yesterday. He and the other members of the Savannah Six attacked her and pushed a passenger out the emergency exit, injuring him.” Carlita stepped closer. “You probably know a little more than I do about the investigation since your friends are cops. Do the authorities have a suspect on their radar?”
“More than one, including the rest of the Savannah Six members along with a few local business owners Rutger never should have messed with.”
“I saw his body before the cops got there. Someone bound his feet, and there were burn marks around his neck. I think he was murdered somewhere else and his body dumped in the shed.”
“Stands to reason. There…” Sam abruptly stopped.
“What?” Carlita asked. “What were you going to say?”
“It’s something the police discovered…an unusual clue.”
Chapter 11
“A clue?”
“Rutger’s killer branded him. The killer carved a symbol on his chest.”
Horrified, Carlita clamped her hand across her mouth. “How awful.”
“It’s only a rumor, and the guys didn’t know exactly what it looked like. My guess is it was some sort of message.” Sadie began to whine. “We better go, or you’re gonna have a puddle on the floor.”
Carlita thanked Sam for the information and told him to be careful before making her way home. She dropped her keys on the counter and walked over to the living room window. Sam and Sadie were heading in the opposite direction of the parking lot.
“Is everything all right?” Brittney, who was sprawled out on the couch, muted the volume on the television.
“As far as I know, Luigi and Ricco haven’t been picked up yet. There was no trace of either of them on our surveillance cameras. One of my tenants shared an important clue in Rutger’s murder, and it’s time for me to go to bed.”
“I’m not even tired,” Brittney said.
Carlita opened her mouth to tell her it was probably because she didn’t get out of bed until after noon but decided Brittney’s sleeping habits were none of her business. Or perhaps it was just the younger generation.
Mercedes was up half the night, too, working on her latest novel. Luigi and Ricco had given her plenty of new mafia material. She hoped her daughter would finish the last mobster book in her series and move onto something a little lighter…like romance.
“Where’s Mercedes?”
“She finished cleaning up and then said she was heading across the hall,” Brittney said.
“I think I’ll turn in for the night. Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. Rambo and Grayvie are keeping me company.” Brittney reached behind her where Grayvie was lounging on top of the couch and scratched his ears. “I wish I could’ve brought my pup, but Vinnie made me leave him at home.”
“These two will keep you company.” Carlita patted Rambo’s head. “I’ll see you in the morning…err…afternoon…tomorrow. Good night.”
It didn’t take long for Carlita to get ready for bed. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and slipped on her pajamas. Rambo was waiting for her by the bathroom door, and she let him in the bedroom first.
As was their new evening routine, Rambo patrolled the perimeter of Carlita’s bed before settling onto his own special doggie bed, one she’d recently purchased after he chewed holes in his old one.
The new bed reminded Carlita of a small cot. What sold her on it was the design. The bed was off the floor, keeping Rambo cooler. Plus, the pup couldn’t chew it.
She waited for him
