“I’ll open it.”
Dernice moved out of the way, making room for Luigi. The door was no match for his strength. He easily lifted it and then leaned it against the wall.
A strong, musty smell wafted up.
Dernice cautiously peered over the edge. “It’s a pit of darkness. Let me grab a flashlight.” She fumbled inside a nearby cabinet, pulled out a flashlight and shined it into the opening. The beam of light illuminated a wooden ladder. There was a dirt floor at the bottom.
Carlita could’ve sworn something furry and black scurried by. “You gonna check it out?”
“I…” Dernice swept the flashlight along the perimeter. “Later. I need to find out what’s going on in Tybee first.”
“Are you ready to head over there?” Carlita asked.
“Yeah. If you have time, I’m ready to go.”
*****
During the drive to Tybee, Dernice vented about her sister, her secretive attitude and the trouble she was causing. Carlita didn’t interrupt, and honestly, she couldn’t disagree with anything she said.
It took them longer to find Elvira’s property than it did to drive there. Dernice eased into an empty parking spot in front. The buildings on both sides were boarded up. All three were in a similar, sad state of disrepair.
It struck Carlita as odd that only one of the vacant buildings sported a for-sale sign. It was stapled to a sheet of plywood covering the front.
Dernice consulted a scrap of paper she dug out of her pocket and rattled off the address. “This is it.”
They exited the vehicle and gathered near the entrance.
Dernice tried the door. “It’s locked. Good thing I brought these.” She removed a small tool from the case she was carrying and inserted it into the doorknob’s keyhole. With a couple of twists, the door swung open.
“I’ll go first.” Luigi placed a light hand on his jacket pocket as he eased past the women and entered the building.
Empty shelves lined the right-hand wall. To the left were several storage boxes.
Carlita studied the stack of boxes. “Caution. Flammable materials.” Emblazoned on the side of the top box was a fire symbol.
Dernice flipped the flaps and pulled out a bottle of nail polish remover. “This place must’ve been a beauty salon or supply store.” She set the remover back inside. “I wonder if Elvira has even seen this place.”
“Didn’t you say she was handling the area’s security detail right before she took off?”
“She was, and now that I think about it, we were hired a few months back to keep an eye on a business that was planning to build a large development.” Dernice told them the company was being targeted by locals who were protesting the company’s project.
“So when Elvira found out what was going on, she must have decided to buy a property, hoping to turn around and sell it for big bucks.” Carlita tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
The trio finished their search near the building’s rear exit.
“Hang on.” Luigi ran a light hand over the doorjamb. “Someone tried to get in.”
“You’re right, and it looks like it was recently.”
Luigi tested the door. “It still opens and shuts.” He slid the bolt across the top. “This flimsy lock ain’t gonna stop someone from gettin’ in here, not that there’s anything worth stealing.”
“Great. This is just one more thing for me to worry about,” Dernice said.
With a final sweep of the building’s interior, they climbed back into the van for the return trip. They had gone about a mile when Carlita noticed Dernice kept glancing in the rearview mirror. “Is everything all right?”
“I dunno.” Dernice stopped for a red light and looked back again.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think we’re being followed.”
“We are?” Carlita peered into the passenger side mirror. A black car was close behind them.
Luigi unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted so he could see through the rear cargo door windows. “They’re tailgating.”
“A little too close for comfort,” Dernice said.
The van reached the stretch of road connecting the island with the mainland.
Carlita’s gaze never wavered as she watched the car behind them continue to tailgate. There was a sudden jolt, and she grabbed the dashboard to steady herself. “What was that?”
“They bumped the van.” Luigi pulled his gun from his pocket. “They’re gonna do it…”
Before he could finish his sentence, there was another jolt. Dernice fought to maintain control as the van started to swerve.
The second jolt sent Luigi off balance. He quickly regained it and climbed over the seat. “I wanna roll the windows down.”
“They don’t open. You can slide the sides open.”
“That’ll have to do.” Luigi crawled to the back corner. “Hang on.”
There was another jolt. The jolt forced the front tires of the van onto the soft gravel, pulling them off the road.
The black sedan swerved, straddling their lane and the oncoming traffic lane.
Carlita’s heart raced as the vehicle pulled even with them. The passenger side window lowered, and a gun appeared.
“They’re gonna shoot!” Dernice jerked the wheel, sending their vehicle into a semi-spin.
Pop. Pop. The rapid-fire echo of gunshots filled the van.
Chapter 5
As if in slow motion, the van veered back onto the road before coming to a screeching halt.
Through the front windshield, Carlita watched as the sedan roared off, turning into a small black dot before disappearing.
“You all right?” Luigi vaulted over the bench seat.
“We…I think we’re fine,” Dernice answered in a shaky voice. “They were shooting at us.”
“They wish. I got off the first shots,” Luigi bragged. “I nailed the passenger side mirror too.”
“Maybe it was a distracted driver who accidentally bumped us.” Dernice cautiously steered the van back onto the road.
“Three
