She found Mercedes sitting at her desk, staring at the computer. “Hey, Mercedes. What are you doing?”
“My computer is running an update, so I decided to borrow yours.” Mercedes tapped the screen. “Did you see this?”
“See what?”
“I was doing some research for my new book. You’ll never guess what I found.” Mercedes didn’t wait for her mother to reply. “I found a story about the investment company that’s snatching up the Tybee Island properties.”
Carlita slipped her reading glasses on and read the headline aloud, “Atlantic Deep Corporation is slowly buying up Tybee Island for their new project, Coastal Adventures.”
Mercedes waited for her mother to finish reading. “One of the local businesses, a restaurant, caught fire after hours. It happened right before the owner sold to Atlantic Deep. I’m thinking about running over to Tybee to check it out. There might be a story angle I can work with.”
Carlita remembered the car that forced Dernice’s van off the road. “I would rather you not go alone. I’ll ride over there with you.” She changed the subject. “I just met Zulilly, Elvira’s daughter.”
“Elvira disappears, and her daughter shows up?” Mercedes slid out of the chair.
“You shoulda seen the look on Dernice’s face when she opened the door and found Zulilly standing on her stoop. She wouldn’t let her in the building until she got Elvira on the phone.”
“Smart move, Dernice,” Mercedes chuckled.
“There’s more to Elvira’s disappearance than depression. She claims she’s handling a personal matter.” A feeling of dread washed over Carlita as she thought about Dernice’s brief and private conversation with her sister.
What if Elvira was up to no good, and Luigi was unwittingly placing himself in a bad situation? The last thing he needed was to start off on the wrong foot in Savannah and end up on the wrong side of the law.
They reached the lower level hall, and Carlita cast an anxious glance at Luigi’s apartment. “I wanna chat with Luigi for a sec. I’ll meet you by the car.”
“Sure.”
Carlita rapped on Luigi’s apartment door, but no one answered. She made a beeline for the alley, passing by his car, which was parked in the lot. She rounded the corner and found Dernice and Luigi inspecting what was left of the business’ front door.
“Hey, Carlita.” Luigi took a step back. “Dernice and I were checking out the damage. I think a coupla sheets of plywood will secure the place.”
“I’ve been thinking about Zulilly’s sudden arrival and your sister’s disappearance.” Carlita crossed her arms, pinning Dernice with a stare. “Who does she think is messing around here?”
“She…uh…we aren’t sure. I’m gonna go pick up some sheets of plywood so we can get the door fixed. There’s a hardware store a few blocks away. I’ll be right back.” She hurried around the corner and out of sight.
Carlita waited until she was gone. “I don’t trust Dernice, or her sister, for that matter. I thought working for their security company would be a perfect fit for you, but now I’m not so sure.”
“You don’t think I should work with them?” Luigi asked.
“It’s just...” Carlita pressed a hand to her forehead. “I feel it’s my responsibility to warn you that there may be more going on around here than meets the eye.”
“Without a doubt. Someone’s messing around the building and forcing vehicles off the road. This place is starting to liven up.” Luigi patted his front pocket. “Me and my piece can take care of any trouble that comes our way.”
Despite Carlita’s misgivings about the matter, Luigi was an adult. She couldn’t necessarily tell him what to do – not that she even wanted to. In fact, she suspected he’d handled a lot more dangerous situations than having the vehicle he was riding in forced off the road.
Zulilly sauntered out of the building. “Where’s Aunt D?”
“She ran to the store to pick up some stuff to fix the door,” Carlita said.
“I need to head out,” Zulilly consulted her watch. “Can you tell her I had some errands to run, and I’ll be back later?”
“Sure.” Luigi gave her a curt nod as the woman slipped back inside the building. “Now her – I don’t trust.”
“I don’t either.” Carlita patted Luigi’s arm. “All I’m saying is watch your back.”
Zulilly and her car were gone by the time Carlita reached the alley. Her daughter was perched on their rear bumper. “I saw a chick with purple hair drive off.”
“That’s Zulilly.” Carlita climbed into the driver’s seat and waited for her daughter to join her. “My gut tells me there’s something fishy goin’ on around here.”
During the drive to Tybee, Carlita shared her concerns. “Originally, Dernice thought the reason Elvira left town was because she had a falling out with her daughter, and she fell into a deep depression.”
“Cleaning out one of the business accounts on her way out,” Mercedes reminded her mother.
“Correct. My guess is she used the money to start a new company and purchase property on Tybee Island. Zulilly shows up on their doorstep, claiming she’s there to help her aunt. Dernice is not happy about it and forces Zulilly to call her mother. From what I could tell, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.” Carlita tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “I hope Dernice and Elvira aren’t setting Luigi up to become involved in something unethical or illegal.”
“We’re talking about Elvira, here,” Mercedes joked.
“Yeah, and that’s my concern.”
The Savannah River sparkled in the bright sunlight. Carlita rolled the window down, letting the fresh ocean breeze in. She breathed deeply as they drove onto the island. The hustle and bustle of Savannah was temporarily forgotten as they entered “island time.”
She slowed when they
