“I’m sorry, Carlita. I thought I owed you a heads up.” Dernice rubbed her hand across her brow. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
Carlita sighed heavily. “What about Zulilly? Interestingly, the incidents around here have escalated since she blew into town.”
“She didn’t kill the woman.” A look of doubt crossed Dernice’s face. “At least I don’t think so.”
“How well do you know your niece?”
“We’re not close, as you can probably guess. I lived in California for years, and then there was that stint in prison, so we haven’t kept in contact.”
“Do you think Zulilly has an alibi?”
“Hard telling. She’s been secretive about her movements. I’m not sure if she’s working for her father or for her mother at this point.” Dernice waved her phone in the air. “I have the address of the place where Elvira is staying. I’m almost positive she’s renting a room in downtown St. Augustine.”
“Send me the address.” An idea started to form in Carlita’s head. “I’m going down there to confront your sister before the police start pounding on my door.”
“I wish I could go with you, but I can’t leave the businesses unattended. I mentioned it to Zu about her going down to talk to her mother, but she didn’t seem interested. I overheard a conversation last night she was having with her father. I’m beginning to think he may be behind some of this.”
“The woman’s death?”
“Maybe. Or whoever has been messing around our place.”
“I’m sure I can persuade Mercedes to go with me.” Carlita waited for Dernice to send the text with Elvira’s address. After the text came through, she clicked on the link, and a map of St. Augustine popped up. “I have a favor to ask.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell Elvira I’m heading her way. I want it to be a surprise.”
A slow grin spread across Dernice’s face. “I like your way of thinking.” She made a zipping motion across her lips. “My lips are sealed.”
*****
Carlita promised to keep Dernice in the loop on her surprise visit before making a beeline for the pawn shop. After mapping out the location, she discovered it would take nearly three hours to drive to St. Augustine.
She would have to move fast. She needed to let Tony know she was leaving, throw some things into a suitcase, ask Autumn to keep an eye on the pets and last, but not least, convince Mercedes to go with her.
She was able to pull Tony aside long enough to explain she needed to have a face-to-face chat with Elvira.
“How long you gonna be gone?”
“My plan is to be back sometime tomorrow.” She consulted her watch. “It’s a three-hour drive from here. If I can convince Mercedes to go with me, we’ll make it there by early evening. We’ll get up tomorrow morning and track down Elvira.”
“If she’s still there,” Tony pointed out.
“She is, at least, according to Dernice. I want to get out of town before the cops show up on my doorstep. If they come by here looking for me, tell them I’m on a business trip and should be back tomorrow.”
“I hope this works out for you, Ma. You know how Elvira can be.”
“Which is why my plan is to catch her off guard. Dernice promised not to say anything. In fact, she wanted to go with me, but someone has to stay here to run the businesses.”
“Call if you need help.” Tony wished his mother luck, and she headed upstairs. She found Mercedes working on her laptop in the apartment. She briefly told her daughter about the trip and asked if she would tag along.
Mercedes wrinkled her nose. “St. Augustine?”
“Yeah. I mapped it. It’s only about three hours, straight down the highway with a turn toward the coast. We’ll hit the road as soon as we pack some things. We can give Autumn a call on the way to ask her to keep an eye on the pets. If not, I’m sure Tony and Shelby will take care of them.”
“Sure. I mean, there’s no way you should go alone.”
“Thanks, Mercedes.” Carlita consulted her watch. The clock was ticking, and it was only a matter of time before the authorities tracked her down.
To her credit, Mercedes was ready before her mother and waiting by the door. Carlita wasn’t far behind, after quickly cramming clothes into her overnight bag.
She plucked the keys off the hook and handed them to her daughter. “You’re the more experienced driver.”
“Not by much.”
It was a short drive to the interstate. Mercedes picked up speed as they merged onto the busy highway.
Carlita cast an anxious glance at an eighteen-wheeler looming over them in the next lane. “What’s up with all of the traffic?”
“Thanksgiving is next week. Everyone is heading to Florida for the holidays.”
The women encountered even heavier traffic when they reached Jacksonville, creeping all the way through the city before making it to the south end of town. Thankfully, the St. Augustine exit was just south of the city.
“How much farther?” Mercedes slowed for the vehicle ahead of them. “We turned off the highway a long time ago.”
Carlita studied her phone. “We’re close. Our turn is up here.”
“Do you have the address to where we’ll be staying?” Mercedes asked as they turned onto the road leading to the historic city.
“Staying?” Carlita blinked rapidly. “Crud. I was so busy trying to get out of town, I forgot about finding a place to stay.” She switched screens and began searching for area hotels. The ones near the highway were already booked.
She lucked out and found a vacancy at a bed and breakfast a couple blocks from
