“I wondered why she was holding up the sales. I can tell you the other sellers are not very happy with her. Coastal has offered an attractive price to each of us. I figured she would be the first in line to jump on the offer.”
“She’s using the property as leverage against her husband. If she sells the property and she can’t get the divorce finalized, he could take half of her properties or assets.”
“Perhaps she killed the woman,” Tori said.
“She’s in St. Augustine.”
Tori started to reply when Byron returned, carrying a silver tray. Mrs. O’Brien, Tori’s cook, waddled in behind him, pushing a cart laden with tiered trays of tasty treats.
She gave Carlita a quick smile. “Mrs. Garlucci. It’s so good to see you again.”
“Hello, Mrs. O’Brien. It’s nice to see you too.”
“When Mrs. Montgomery told me you were stopping by for a visit, I said to myself, ‘Mary, we need to fix something special for Carlita and her guest.’” Mrs. O’Brien slid the cart in next to the coffee table.
After she finished, Byron placed the silver tray with a teapot and teacups on the coffee table.
“Is this Tea Forte?” Tori asked.
“It is. Dolce Vita – honeyed pear.”
“Perfect.”
Mrs. O’Brien moved the tray of goodies to the center of the coffee table, giving the trio easy access. “My savory cheese scones are filled with thin slices of apple and chutney. The scones are the perfect accompaniment to the tea. There are also a fresh batch of raspberry and dark chocolate teacakes along with ham and roast beef sandwiches.”
“I can’t wait to dig in.” Dernice rubbed her hands together, hungrily eyeing the treats.
Tori caught Carlita’s eye and winked. “Well, you had best dig in.” She handed Dernice a small plate.
Carlita sucked in a breath, waiting for her to grab one with her hands. Instead, she reached for the tongs and delicately selected one of the sandwiches. She added a cheese scone and then passed the tongs to Carlita.
While they ate, the conversation returned to Coastal Adventure’s project.
“Are you involved in Elvira’s new investment company?” Tori asked.
Dernice nibbled the edge of her scone. “I had no idea she even started it until the Warranty Deed showed up in the mail.”
“So, you’re not a part of her get-rich-quick-with-real-estate scheme,” Tori said.
“Nope. Carlita and I think the recent incidents – someone forcing my van off the road and the dead woman are somehow related to the sale of the remaining properties and their owners.”
“I think it’s her husband,” Carlita sipped her tea. “He has motive and opportunity.”
“Did he…the husband…know the dead woman? Obviously, the answer would be yes since she was an employee of his company.”
“I’m sure he did,” Carlita said. “Are you concerned about the big development coming to Tybee?”
“I’m both concerned and saddened.” Tori told them she and her husband had owned the property for many years. “Of course, we never had big plans for it. We always hoped Tybee would remain a small beach town.”
“Is there any way to stop Coastal?” Dernice asked.
“No, short of a miracle. My belief is if we don’t willingly sell, they’ll somehow force our hands. I’m too old for that kind of fight.”
“Can they do that?”
“They have their ways.” Tori sampled one of the sandwiches and reached for a raspberry and dark chocolate teacake. “Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time.”
Carlita finished the rest of her tea. She set the cup on the saucer and carefully placed both on top of the silver tray. “The reason I called you was to see if you know the identity of the fourth property owner. You are one. Elvira is the second. Ken Gibbons is the third. We haven’t been able to figure out who’s behind Savannah’s Beach. The property is in a trust, meaning we’re having difficulty tracking down the owner.”
“We figured you, having all of the island connections, would know who it is.” Dernice inched forward in her chair.
“As a matter of fact, I do know who owns it.” Tori rattled off the owner’s name, and Carlita’s jaw dropped.
Chapter 20
“Mayor Clarence Puckett.” Carlita blinked rapidly. “Savannah’s mayor owns the last parcel of property?”
“Correct.” Tori nodded.
“This puts a whole new spin on things.”
“Which is why I said I believe it’s only a matter of time before Atlantic Deep purchases the remaining four properties they need to move forward, including Elvira’s. Puckett will see to it.”
Carlita grew quiet, her head spinning as she attempted to digest the information. “Do you think the mayor could be responsible for the woman’s death?”
“I don’t know Mr. Puckett well. He would have no reason to harm Kim Turbell. At least not that I’m aware of, although we all knew Ms. Turbell. She was handling both sides, negotiating the purchase of the properties as well as eventually overseeing the selling of the investment units once the project was finished. As you said, Elvira is the only holdout. If you recall, Mayor Puckett was related – cousins I think – to that dreadful man who was involved in human trafficking a year or so ago.”
“Lawson Bates.” Lawson Bates had owned a riverboat, the Mystic Dream. When Pirate Pete, who was also Bates’ competition, was being investigated for a horrific attack of a local businessman, Carlita had done some digging around. She even went so far as to go along with Mercedes sneaking onto his riverboat one night where they stumbled upon a group of illegal immigrants who were living onboard.
It turned out Bates was involved in human trafficking and used his boat to ferry the poor victims from southern islands, north and to points inland to sell them.
“You know the saying,” Dernice said, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Maybe the whole family is
