“I think I twisted my ankle.” Brittney gingerly reached for her ankle and massaged it.
“The other Mrs. Garlucci told me she was waiting for you.” The detective nodded toward the vacant lot. “What were you doing?”
“Snooping,” Carlita said bluntly. “Reese Magillicuddy, the trolley driver, and I are friends. She thinks you’re targeting her, so I offered to do a little digging around.”
“Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong,” the detective said.
“I’m not breaking any laws.” Carlita shifted her feet. “So, you happened to be in the neighborhood, drove by, noticed Brittney sitting on the bench and decided to stop.”
“I figured since I was here, I would check to see if you noticed anyone else in the neighborhood hanging around or you remembered something which might be helpful in our investigation.”
“Hanging around as in the two burly guys who were supposedly here a couple of nights ago?” Carlita asked.
The detective jabbed his finger in the direction of the pawnshop. “Sometimes, businesses like yours attract an…unsavory crowd.”
“I’m sure you’ve already questioned my son, Tony. He’s the one to ask if anyone suspicious was hanging around.”
“I did.”
Brittney rubbed a light hand across her brow. “It’s hot out here. I think I should head back inside.” She struggled to her feet.
“Let me give you a hand.” Carlita slipped an arm under Brittney’s. “Did you need anything else, Detective Jackson?”
“No. Would you like some assistance?”
“I think we have this.” Mercedes slipped in on the other side of Brittney.
“Have a good day.”
Carlita could feel the detective’s eyes on them as they slowly made their way to the other side of the street.
“Hang on.” Brittney abruptly stopped. “Do you think the police are still looking for Luigi and Ricco?”
“It would seem so,” Carlita said grimly. “They’ll need to continue to stay out of sight, except for maybe later tonight. I have an idea…a favor to ask and something I think might be right up their alley.”
*****
“How much longer we gotta wait, Mrs. Garlucci?” Ricco rubbed the watch on his wrist, staring impatiently at the apartment door.
“Mercedes will be down in a minute.” As if on cue, Mercedes slipped out of the apartment and bolted down the steps. “Sorry. I was making sure Autumn won’t be home anytime soon.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Luigi asked.
“It’s not much of a plan, other than we swing by Big Joe’s Pool Hall to see if you can dig up some dirt on Phil Duce. Duce owns the Black Stallion Club near the Riverfront District. He was also the one Davis Rutger pushed out of the trolley.”
“Hey.” Luigi whacked Ricco. “We know that place. It’s the one we visited with Vito and Vinnie last time we were here. Vito was lookin’ into some gambling opportunities.”
“Correct, and I would send you over there to snoop around, but there’s a chance you’ll be recognized. I figured since you’ve already spent some time at Big Joe’s Pool Hall you could try there instead.” Carlita jangled her car keys.
“So why do you care again?” Luigi asked. “The dead guy sounded like a scumbag.”
“Because my friend, Reese, is a suspect, not to mention the cops are on the lookout for you two. The sooner we can nail Davis Rutger’s killer, the sooner the authorities stop snooping around here.”
“Sounds like a lot of work for nothin’,” Ricco shrugged.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Mercedes and I would like to go with you.”
“No way.” Ricco shook his head. “Me ‘n Luigi work alone. Besides, two ladies hanging around a joint like that is gonna draw unwanted attention.”
“But…”
Ricco lifted a hand. “Our way or no way.”
“Fine,” Carlita grumbled. “Your way.”
“So, you think Rutger, the dead guy, banged up Duce, the owner of the Black Stallion Club, on the trolley and you want names of possible suspects who may have whacked Rutger.”
“In a nutshell.”
“I was hoping Mercedes and I could tag along,” Carlita said. “The investigators are on the lookout for you, and I want to be keeping an eye out for them.”
“We ain’t stupid enough to get busted by the cops,” Luigi said. “We know how to stay on the down low.”
“Besides, someone has to hang out and keep an eye on Brittney,” Ricco said.
“She’s at Tony’s place. He’ll keep her safe.”
“We go alone,” Luigi repeated.
“Fine.” Carlita set her mouth in a grim line. “Have it your way.”
Luigi adjusted his fedora, and then he and Ricco slipped out of the building. Carlita watched through the peephole as moments later headlights beamed onto the side of the building before it went dark.
“Now what?” Mercedes asked.
“Part of me wants to trust Luigi and Ricco, that they’re on the up and up with us. The other part wonders if there’s something else going on behind the scenes. They agreed to help us a little too easily.” Carlita continued. “I say we follow them…at a distance, of course. But first, we gotta figure out how to get to Big Joe’s Pool Hall.”
“That’ll be easy.” Mercedes plucked her cell phone from her pocket and tapped the screen. “Got it. It’s over by the bus station.”
“Not a good area of town. Maybe we should stay put.”
“I say there’s no harm in us doing a quick drive-by.” Mercedes patted her pocket. “My gun is locked and loaded. Let’s roll.”
Carlita and Mercedes climbed into the car, doing a quick visual of the area before backing into the alley and coasting to the side street. “Which way?”
“Left.”
Carlita followed Mercedes’ directions, making several more turns before they reached a sketchy area of town.
“Turn right,” Mercedes directed.
Carlita turned right and onto a dark alley. The headlights illuminated a large sign, “Private Property. No Trespassing.”
“I think we went the wrong way.” Mercedes consulted her phone. “We shoulda circled the block. This is
