“I don’t think he was completely surprised,” Carlita said. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself despite the disturbance.”
“That Roxy chick.”
“Right.”
“Speaking of her.” Elvira leaned her hip against the door. “On our way home, we crossed over the bridge and noticed some police boats cruising on the river. I figured something was going on, so I turned on my ham radio when I got home. A woman’s body was picked up by one of the other parade boats.”
“I heard,” Carlita said.
“What happened to Roxy after Pete escorted her to the back of the ship? He didn’t happen to toss her over the side, did he?”
“No.” Carlita’s eyes slid to the side. “He didn’t toss Roxy over the side.”
“So, it wasn’t her they found.”
“I don’t know,” Carlita answered truthfully.
Elvira’s eyes grew wide. “You mean, it could be her body?”
“Maybe. After The Flying Gunner docked, we went back there to let her out, and she was gone. Unless she possesses some superpowers and managed to remove the metal bar Pete placed across the door, someone else let her out.”
“Luigi took her piece. I watched him do it.” Elvira let out a low whistle. “This isn’t good.”
“For any of us,” Carlita said miserably. “Where did you say you heard about it?”
Elvira repeated that the information had been broadcast on her ham radio. “If it was her, there are more suspects than Santas at the mall.”
“Exactly,” Carlita grimaced. Rambo trotted to their apartment door. “Thanks for the heads up. I think Rambo is ready to head to bed.”
Before slipping back inside, Elvira promised she would do a little more digging around and let Carlita know if she learned anything the next morning.
Carlita made quick work of getting ready for bed and then spent a restless night tossing and turning, not only because of Roxy’s disappearance but also because of all the noises in the house. Once, she heard the baby cry and then the muffled sound of steps in the hall.
Rambo had heard it too and gave up his comfy spot on his doggie bed to guard their bedroom door.
Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, Carlita stumbled out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen, where she started a pot of coffee. After it finished brewing, she carried a cup to the alley while Rambo completed his morning patrol.
She returned upstairs and to the balcony where Grayvie, her cat, joined her. It was their morning routine to get up early and savor the quiet of the city before the hustle and bustle of the trolleys and tourists kicked in.
Ravello’s was doing a brisk business, and, like Pete’s pirate ship, several large groups had booked the restaurant for their Christmas parties. The pawn shop’s business had slowed slightly, but not enough to concern Carlita…at least not yet.
Her apartment units were filled with Luigi settled into the efficiency downstairs, Sam and Cool Bones at the end of the hall and Autumn Winter, directly across from her.
Life was good for Carlita Garlucci. Having all of her children home for the holidays was something she was determined to enjoy every minute of. As the grandchildren grew older, she knew there would be fewer get-togethers. Paulie and Gina lived in Clifton Falls, a few miles north of New York City. Vinnie and Brittney were in New Jersey, and Carlita’s other two, Mercedes and Tony, lived with her in Savannah.
It wasn’t the ideal situation, but something Carlita could live with…as long as they were able to visit sometimes.
There was a small noise behind her, and she turned to see her firstborn standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Morning, Son. How did you sleep?”
“The baby was up a few times, but not bad.” Vinnie lifted both hands over his head and stretched. “It’s nice and quiet here.”
“Yes, it’s our own little piece of paradise in the city.” Carlita held up her coffee cup. “Help yourself to some coffee.”
Vinnie returned moments later, cup in hand, and settled into a chair opposite his mother. “I talked to Ricco. There’s no word from Roxy.”
“I have a feeling the woman the other boater found is her.” Carlita told him about her conversation with Elvira the previous night. “My guess is they’ll identify her soon enough.”
Vinnie shook his head. “They won’t. Roxy didn’t have any ID on her.”
“You mean, no driver’s license or anything?”
“Nope. By design and Vito’s rules.”
“That’s crazy. How do you drive a car without carrying a license?”
“Leave it in the glove box. The only thing Vito requires is carrying a piece and a cell phone.”
“Well, then they’ll eventually figure out who she is via her cell phone,” Carlita said.
“If that was her, it got wet, so it won’t work.”
“So, you’re saying the authorities are going to have a hard time identifying her.”
“Yep. I figure the cops will release a sketch or some kind of photo asking for the public’s help,” Vinnie said.
Carlita thoughtfully stared at her son. On the one hand, it would buy them some time to try to figure out what exactly had happened to Roxy – if it was Roxy, and judging by what she now knew, she was almost one hundred percent certain it was her.
On the other hand, if they didn’t file a missing person’s report and waited for the investigators to come to them, it would look suspicious. But then, there were so many other pieces to it. In other words, it was getting complicated.
Pete locking Roxy in the bathroom. The trail of blood. Luigi arguing with Roxy and taking her weapon. Mercedes arguing with her over flirting with Sam. Dernice and Elvira arguing with her. The list went on and on.
And there were witnesses…Cool Bones and the Jazz Boys,
