“Stop.” Mercedes made a chopping motion. “Knock it off. Both of you.”
Carlita chuckled and winked at Sam. “You sure know how to get her going.”
Mercedes was still ranting as he closed the door behind them.
Carlita shooed her pup inside and then wandered around aimlessly before deciding to get ready for bed. Mercedes still hadn’t returned by the time she finished. Restless, she slipped her robe on and drifted to the balcony doors.
Her eyes were drawn to the building next door. There was a flicker of light in Elvira’s kitchen window, and she caught a glimpse of a shadow darting back and forth.
Carlita studied the alley below. Luigi’s vehicle was parked next to her car. She eased the door open and slipped onto the balcony. The faint smell of cigarette smoke wafted up. Although she couldn’t see anyone, Carlita was certain Luigi was somewhere nearby.
“Hey, Ma.” The balcony door swung open, and Mercedes joined her. “Whatcha’ doin’?”
“Thinking about Elvira. Wondering if helping Luigi get a job working for Dernice was a mistake.” The uneasiness she’d felt earlier returned.
“You worry too much.”
“It’s just...” Carlita tugged on a stray strand of hair. “Why didn’t Elvira give Dernice a heads up that Zulilly was coming to Savannah?”
“Because she wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Exactly. But why? Do you think it’s because Elvira doesn’t trust her sister? Dernice is a convicted felon.”
“And Luigi hasn’t been around the criminal element all of his adult life?” Mercedes slipped her arm into her mother’s and led her back inside. “He’ll be fine.”
“I know…” Carlita’s voice trailed off, unable to pinpoint exactly why she felt uneasy. “I’m headin’ to bed.”
“Tomorrow is another day.”
“You’re right.” Carlita clapped her hands. “C’mon Rambo. It’s time for bed. Where’s Grayvie?” She checked the sofa to see if her cat was in his favorite spot on top.
“He’s already on my bed.” Mercedes pointed to the ball of fur curled up on her pillow. Hearing his name, he stretched and yawned before closing his eyes again. “Lazybones.”
“Spoiled pets. Spoiled rotten.” Carlita followed Rambo into the bedroom. He circled his new bed several times before finding a comfortable spot and plopping down.
Carlita waited for him to settle in before shutting the light off. She lay there wide-eyed and wide awake, still uneasy over Elvira’s absence and the nagging feeling there was a reason for Zulilly’s unannounced arrival.
She eventually drifted off, but it was a fitful sleep, her dreams filled with jumbled thoughts of Elvira.
She woke early the next morning, tossed and turned and then finally gave up on going back to sleep. Rambo met her at the bedroom door and let out a low whine.
“I know. It’s time to get up.”
They made a quick trip to Rambo’s patch of grass and hurried back inside, anxious to escape the chilly morning air.
The pup abruptly stopped near the bottom of the steps and then let out a low warning growl. It was then that Carlita noticed Luigi’s apartment door was open.
Rambo growled again, and Carlita tiptoed closer. “Luigi?” She stopped when she reached the open door, her breath catching in her throat.
Chapter 9
Luigi was seated at the kitchen counter, an angry slash across the side of his face and extending down his neck.
Carlita’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. What happened to your face?”
“Hey, Carlita. It looks worse than it is. I was bein’ a numbskull. I thought I saw some lights flashing in my living room window, almost like someone was tryin’ to see inside, so I went outside to check it out.”
Luigi told her he caught a glimpse of a light across the street. “It was over in front of the real estate office.”
“Just now?”
“About half an hour ago.” Luigi winced as he gingerly touched his face. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and ran into a broken gutter.”
“Broken gutter,” Carlita echoed. “I know which one you’re talking about.” She inspected the angry scrape and dried blood. “You want me to go grab some bandages? I have some upstairs.”
“Nah.” Luigi waved dismissively. “I’m fine. It’ll teach me to pay better attention to where I’m going.”
“I was just out there with Rambo. We didn’t see anything.” Carlita talked with Luigi for several more moments until she was sure he was going to be okay.
As she headed home, another, even more disturbing, thought entered her mind. What if this incident and the other one involving the tailgating car had nothing to do with Elvira? What if someone from Luigi’s past had tracked him down, and now that he was no longer under the protection of the “family,” they were after him?
But how would they know where to find him – unless Ricco had tipped them off. Carlita immediately dismissed the idea. Luigi and his former partner, Ricco, were friends.
She couldn’t rule out the Castellini family. Perhaps someone was settling an old score.
She kicked her shoes off and strode to the balcony doors. One of Elvira’s motion sensor lights was on. Her neighbor’s rear door opened and then quickly shut.
Carlita grabbed her cell phone off the counter and returned to the door, staring out as she dialed Dernice’s cell phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Dernice. It’s Carlita. You got a minute?”
“Yeah. Sure. I was gonna call you to let you know Luigi tangled with the broken gutter out back.”
“I just stopped by his place. It’s a nasty scrape. He said he thought he saw someone across the street.”
“I heard. I checked the cameras but didn’t see anything. I’m beginning to think all of our cameras are hunks of junk.”
Carlita could hear papers rustling on the other end.
“I have something I want to show you. Do you have
