“Good morning, Cool Bones. Merry Christmas Eve.” Carlita handed him the wrapped picture frame.
“Thank you. I didn’t get you a gift.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t expect you to. When are your daughter and granddaughter arriving?”
“This afternoon. Thank you for inviting them…us to your Christmas Eve dinner.”
“You’re welcome. I can’t wait to meet them.” Carlita motioned to the package. “Go ahead. Open it up.”
Cool Bones carefully removed the wrapping paper, and a slow smile spread across his face. “That’s my band. Those are my boys, and we are lookin’ good.”
“Jazzy and snazzy,” Carlita quipped. “I noticed a few of your band members are missing. I’m sorry they weren’t all in it.”
“A few couldn’t make it. Besides, the stage was too small for all of us to fit.”
“I think someone’s missing from the picture,” Carlita pointed out.
“Yeah. Lee. He took off right before the fireworks started.”
“How well do you know Lee?”
“He’s been with me for a while. He moved down to Savannah from up north a couple years back.”
Vinnie, who had been quietly listening, spoke. “Do you know where he came from?”
“I think it was the New Jersey area. Yeah. It was. He played a gig for a casino up there.”
Carlita could hear Vinnie’s quick intake of breath. “Before Roxy’s incident, she mentioned to me that someone on the ship looked familiar, that she thought she knew ‘him.’”
Vinnie told Cool Bones that when he pressed her about it, she said he was strange. “I thought she said I wouldn’t know him because he was a stranger, but I think what she could have said was his last name…Strange.”
“And you think he may have been involved in Roxy’s death?” Cool Bones stared at the picture. “He took off right before we started playing our final set after we turned around and headed back to Merry Bay.”
“And then what happened?” Carlita prompted.
“When he came back, he said he wasn’t feeling well like he thought he ate something bad. Not long after that, we docked, and he left.”
“Have you seen him since?” Vinnie asked.
“No. As a matter of fact, he called me the next morning and said he was still sick. He took a couple days off.”
Carlita placed a light hand on her son’s arm. “What if he’s been injured?”
“You’re sure he came from the New Jersey area?” Vinnie probed.
“Positive,” Cool Bones nodded.
“I can make a quick phone call,” Vinnie said quietly. “Vito can find out real fast if there’s anything on Strange.” He excused himself to make the call while Cool Bones invited Carlita into his apartment.
She stepped inside and discovered Elvira’s painting of him still hanging above the fireplace. “You still have Elvira’s portrait of you.”
“Yeah.” Cool Bones chuckled. “It’s grown on me.”
“Kinda like Elvira,” Carlita joked.
“In a weird way.”
They made small talk about the holidays and how much they enjoyed the boat parade.
“You got a good guy there, Carlita,” Cool Bones said.
“Yes. Yes, I do.” Carlita caught a movement near the door, and Vinnie returned. “Lee Strange worked for the Royal Flush Casino five years back. He got fired after security caught him tampering with the machines.”
“Slot machines?” Carlita asked.
“Yeah.” Vinnie cast Cool Bones a quick look.
“There’s more,” Carlita guessed.
“After Strange got caught, some of the security leaned on him. Strange disappeared after that.”
“But why would Roxy have cared, if that’s the case?” Carlita shook her head, confused.
“Cuz some money from the casino went missing. The casino’s owner put out an APB on Strange to try to get his money back.”
“By whatever means necessary.” Carlita cleared her throat. “So, Roxy probably worked at the Royal Flush, she recognized Strange and threatened him, telling him she was going to report his whereabouts to Vito.”
“Once Strange was outed, his days would be numbered if you know what I mean,” Vinnie said. “My guess is Roxy tried to call Vito, but we didn’t have any cell reception on the ship. Not long after, she got into it with Mercedes, and then Pete locked her up.”
“Strange, seeing his chance to either threaten Roxy or take her out, sneaked to the back and confronted her. He knew she didn’t have a gun, but she surprised him by attacking him with her knife.” Carlita started to pace. “Why didn’t she tell you who Strange was instead of telling you it was someone you wouldn’t know?”
Vinnie shrugged. “Maybe she thought if she told me, I would get the credit for turning him in. There’s one more thing. Jersey Joe beat us to the punch. He called Vito early this morning, asking about Strange. It may be too late, and Joe’s already confronted him.”
“So, now what?” Carlita asked. “We could contact the authorities and tell them what we know.”
Vinnie shook his head. “If we tip our hand to the cops, they’ll go over there to chat with him...if Joe hasn’t already gotten to him. Either way, the heat will be on Strange soon, he’ll pack up and head out. In fact, he may be on his way out already.”
Cool Bones lifted a hand. “I planned to run by his place to check on him this morning.”
“I have an idea.” Carlita held up a finger. “We may need a little help.”
Chapter 23
Vinnie turned into the trailer park and slowed as the sedan jostled over the rutted gravel road.
“Good grief,” Elvira grabbed the door handle. “This road is a free roller coaster ride.”
“I’m gettin’ off to the side,” Vinnie tightened his grip on the wheel. “I guess you could call these nature’s speed bumps.”
Elvira unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Cool Bones, who was seated next to her. “I’ll need your cell phone.”
“My phone?”
“To put the listening device on it,” she patiently explained. “It’s an app.”
“You
