“Your face is turning red.”
Carlita could almost feel welts popping up on her cheeks and chin. “It’s getting worse.”
“Try not to mess with it too much,” Mercedes advised. “You don’t want to rub it into your skin.”
The itching became almost unbearable. Abandoning the elderly man act, she picked up the pace and began jogging down the alley.
Elvira emerged from her building. “How did it go?”
“We have some leads. The makeup is itching like crazy.”
“I was afraid of that. You were turning a little red when I put it on.” Elvira held up a finger. “Hold tight. I have something to take care of the itching and swelling.”
The warm air was aggravating her already itching skin. It felt as if a thousand microscopic mites were crawling on her face. Carlita could feel perspiration form on her brow. The sweat only intensified the itch.
“Your face is really red.” Mercedes propelled her mother inside their building. “It’s kind of melting.”
“Into an itchy blob.” Carlita cast a desperate glance toward Elvira’s apartment. “I can’t wait any longer. I need to get this goop off.” She bolted up the steps and rushed into the apartment, not slowing until she reached the bathroom.
Desperate for relief, she turned the cold water on and began splashing her face.
“Hold up!” Elvira’s voice echoed from the hallway. She appeared in the bathroom doorway. “Did you use anything to take the makeup off?”
“Just some water.”
“Good.” Elvira handed her a green tin. “Try this. It will stop the itching, rash, hives, everything.”
“What is it?”
“Bag balm.”
“Never heard of it.”
“It has a slight odor but works wonders.”
Desperate for relief, Carlita removed the lid. Ignoring the stench, she dipped her fingers in and then slathered a thick layer of ointment over her face. The more she rubbed, the less she itched.
“Good stuff, huh?”
“It’s working.”
“So, how did it go?”
Carlita scooped out some more. “Our server, Angel, told us that Sandy Sue sold her other barbecue restaurant to her brother.”
“Gordon Coldwater.”
“You know him?”
“I know of him. Angel is one of the better servers. She seems to get along with most of the other employees.”
“We got the same impression. There was also another gal,” Mercedes said. “Her name was Mei.”
“Nervous as a tic, that one.”
Carlita told her how Angel collided with Mei.
“Was Sandy Sue there?”
“She was in the back. She wasn’t happy about the incident and chewed them out,” Mercedes said. “Angel made a comment about not particularly caring for Sandy Sue’s brother. I wonder if it would be worth it to visit Big Hog’s BBQ.”
Elvira leaned her hip against the door. “If you do, at least you won’t need a disguise.”
Carlita placed the lid back on the ointment and handed it to Elvira. “We ran into Luigi.”
“This is his last day working there. I hate to pass up making a buck, but there seems to be a lot of animosity amongst the workers and management. I don’t need him to be getting into the middle of their mess.”
“I don’t blame you.” Carlita followed Elvira to the door. “Thanks for the balm. My face is feeling much better.”
“It looks better, not as puffy and bloated.” Elvira stepped into the hallway. “I was thinking about our cruise. Maybe we should get together to go over our game plan. If we wait too long, I’m afraid the most popular excursions will sell out.”
She motioned to Mercedes. “Is that hunky guy of yours going on the cruise?”
“No. It’s gonna be me, Ma, my brothers and their spouses.”
“And grandkids and Brittney’s parents and their entourage,” Carlita added.
“This ought to be one exciting cruise.” Elvira tapped her chin. “Which reminds me, we still need to link our bookings. I can have my contact, June Deville, who also happens to be my travel agent, start working on it.”
“Let me get with my son, Vinnie, first.” Carlita reminded her that Vinnie was the one who had surprised the family with the trip.
“The sooner, the better.”
“I thought you were working on some super-secret Agamerian Project for the government.”
Elvira held a finger to her lips. “No one is supposed to know about that.”
“I don’t know about it, only what you’ve said, which is next to nothing, other than it’s some secret project.”
“Which is exactly what it needs to remain. The less you know about it or even talk about it, the better.” Elvira made a slashing motion across her neck. “If you know what I mean.”
“I don’t, but I’ll take your word for it.” Carlita waited at the top of the stairs until Elvira exited the building. She hurried to the window and watched as she crossed over to her alley.
As if sensing someone watching, Elvira turned back. She gave her a quick wave and then slipped inside her building.
Mercedes joined her. “Are you really gonna let her link our bookings together?”
“I’m leaning toward no.”
Knock. Knock.
“I’ll see who it is.” Mercedes ran to the door. She returned moments later with Tony in tow.
“Hey, Son.”
“Hey, Ma. What’s wrong with your face?”
“It’s a long story. It involves Elvira.”
Tony smiled. The smile quickly vanished. “Remember how I told you I was having a friend of mine run a trace on the license plate from the other night – the car that Shelby got into?”
“Yeah.”
“He gave me the name and address of the person who owns the vehicle.”
Chapter 15
“The car Shelby got into the other night is registered to Ava Whalen.”
“Who is Ava Whalen?” Carlita asked.
“I don’t know. What I do know is that Melanie’s last name is Whalen. The woman lives
