Carlita leaned against the door and closed her eyes. If there was anything perfect in her life, anything worth waiting for, it was Pete Taylor.
Back upstairs, she called Tony. The call went to voice mail. Carlita left a message, telling him she was checking in and that she would catch up with him the next morning.
She headed to bed, but sleep was elusive. She wondered how Shelby and Tony’s relationship went from wonderful to horrible in what seemed to be a matter of weeks.
She thought about what Cool Bones had said, how Shelby was running with a rough crowd. Which made her even more concerned for Violet and Shelby’s safety.
As she finally drifted off to sleep, her last thought was about what tomorrow would bring and if the trip to South Carolina was going to help – or hurt – the situation.
Chapter 16
Tony was already waiting on the stoop when Carlita joined him early the next morning. She didn’t bother asking how he’d slept. All she had to do was look at the dark circles beneath his eyes.
“Do you want me to drive?”
“I appreciate the offer, Ma, but you don’t even like driving around town.”
“True. We would both be a nervous wreck by the time we got there,” she said. “I’ll try to be an excellent navigator instead.”
“Tony!” Elvira hustled toward them, carrying a large box. “Are you on your way to track Shelby down?”
“How did you know?” Carlita asked.
“Elvira and I ran into each other at the Thirsty Crow last night,” Tony said.
“Tony and I had a long talk. After I got home, I did a little intel on Shelby’s location.” Elvira patted the box. “This might come in handy.”
“What is it?”
“A drone. Have you ever used one of these?”
“Sure,” Tony nodded. “We’ve had a few come through the pawn shop. I test them out before buying them, to make sure they work. They don’t sit on the shelves long.”
“Based on what I found, you might be able to put this to use.”
“Thanks, Elvira.” Tony offered her a grim smile. “And thanks for lending an ear last night.”
“Anytime, Tony. That’s what family is for.” Elvira’s cell phone chimed. “Gotta run. I’m late for my staff meeting.”
After she left, mother and son climbed into Tony’s car. It took a few minutes for him to pull up Ava Whalen’s address. “It says we’ll be there in less than an hour.”
During the drive, Tony told his mother he had called Jerry Crowley the previous evening to check on Violet. “They let me talk to her. She was excited she was gonna be seeing her mother, but a little sad near the end.”
“Because her family has been ripped apart. Poor kid.”
“He and Ginny are taking Violet to her mother sometime today. Hopefully, we won’t run into them.”
Carlita reached across the seat and squeezed her son’s arm. “Perhaps a little time apart is a good thing. It will give Shelby a chance to realize how good you are to her and how much you love her.”
“Maybe.” Tony tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Cool Bones told me he saw Shelby out with a rough-looking crowd. It was on a night she told me she and Melanie were going to a movie.”
“He mentioned the same to me,” Carlita admitted. “Not the movie part, but the rough crowd.”
Tony changed the subject. “Elvira mentioned something about finding a treasure map. We got off on another subject and she never finished telling me what she found.”
Carlita filled her son in on Elvira’s discovery – the chest, the map and the coin. “She and Pete signed an agreement to use his ship and crew to go treasure diving.”
“You think it’s legit?”
“The map?” Carlita shrugged. “Pete seems to think there’s something to it.” She pondered the thought. “Wouldn’t that be something if they actually found sunken treasure?”
“My money is on Elvira. If there’s something out there, she’ll find it.”
The topic shifted to business, both the pawn shop and Ravello’s. “We need to make sure we’re covered for the upcoming cruise.”
“I’m not sure I wanna go now,” Tony said.
“Your cabin is already booked, Son. Do you think you can back out?”
“I dunno.”
“I say leave it as is,” Carlita suggested. “A lot can happen between now and October.”
As they drew closer to their destination, the area reminded Carlita of the road connecting Savannah to Tybee Island. It made her think of her friend, Tori. “I wonder how Tori is doing.” Making a mental note to call her later, she focused her attention on navigating a series of turns.
They reached the small town of Bayrock, only a few short miles from Hilton Head. The town boasted a single stoplight. Only a handful of downtown shops were open. The rest of the buildings were boarded up.
Carlita stared out the window, admiring the picturesque street lined with towering oaks draped in moss. “This is a pretty little area.”
The scenic area ended. They entered a seedier side of town with small, wooden houses, sagging porches and peeling paint.
Chain-link fences with gaping holes ran the length of the sidewalk. Tony slowed at the reduced speed limit.
A rusted red pickup with a loud muffler pulled out in front of them and crept along, forcing them to drive even slower.
Carlita’s sharp eye noted most of the front porches sported old metal folding chairs. The occupants warily watched Tony’s shiny sedan pass by.
The hair on Carlita’s arms prickled. “I don’t think this is the best part of town.”
“Nope.” Tony sucked in a breath. “I was hoping for a better neighborhood but had a hunch it would shake out like
