Chapter 10

“Cray. Right here in Cool Bones’ handwriting is the name Cray,” Mercedes said. “Maybe he forgot.”

“It’s entirely possible.” Carlita studied the cryptic notes, written in code, a code only her tenant would understand. “There are a lot of names and numbers in here. This thing is twenty plus years old. I’m not sure I would remember names either.”

Mother and daughter flipped through a few more pages before giving up on deciphering what it all meant.

“Hopefully it will come back to him.” Carlita slowly stood. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been inside this apartment.”

“Cool Bones is tidy.” Mercedes swiped her finger across the counter. “Not a speck of dust.”

“Unlike someone I know,” Carlita teased.

“Hey, I try. I’m a busy woman. Besides, housework isn’t at the top of my to-do list.”

“You can keep the apartment any way you want. It’s all yours.” On the way out, Carlita shut the lights off and followed Mercedes into the hall. “I haven’t asked in a while, but how is the single life suiting you?”

“It’s awesome. I can write late at night and don’t have to worry about bothering you. If I want to sleep in, I don’t feel guilty. Knowing Sam is across the hall and Luigi is at the bottom of the stairs makes me feel safe.”

“Nothing is going to get past an ex-cop and an ex-mob man.”

“Nothing. Autumn and I…and Cool Bones have it made.”

“We have a great group of tenants and I plan on keeping it that way.” Heading back downstairs, Carlita swung by the pawn shop to check on Tony and fill him in on what they’d discovered. “I think this Cray person is the key. If we can figure out who Cray is, we’re a step closer to proving Cool Bones didn’t kill Rudy McCoy.”

“It looks like you have your work cut out for you,” Tony said. “Speaking of work cut out, I was thinking about Mercedes and Elvira and their community service.”

“What about it?”

“I was talkin’ to an employee who has done community service and trash time. It might not be their cup of tea,” Tony said.

“I would think picking up trash for a day would be a piece of cake.” Carlita snapped her fingers. “Knock it out and get it done.”

“We’ll see. I’ll be curious to hear how they do.”

Carlita turned to go and abruptly stopped. “How is Shelby?”

“Still having mild contractions. She’s trying all the old tricks to induce labor. Spicy foods, lots of walking, you name it. Every day she’s trying something new.”

“I know it’s tough, especially near the end.” Carlita patted his arm. “When she cleans the whole house, she’s getting close. I do know that.”

Tony shoved his hands in his pockets. “No kidding. She called earlier and told me she was cleaning the kitchen cupboards.”

“It won’t be long now. I hope she hangs on long enough for the baby shower.”

“I think she will,” Tony said. “After that, all bets are off.”

Back home, Carlita fixed a cup of tea and flipped through the bookie journal again, stopping when she found the entry with Cray’s name.

Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to do a little digging around, she logged onto the home computer and tried finding the name “Cray” to no avail. Her stomach grumbled, and she realized she hadn’t given a single thought about what to make for dinner.

“Let’s see what we can find, Rambo.” Carlita began rummaging around in the fridge, which is where Pete found her when he and Gunner arrived.

“I brought dinner.”

“Oh, good. I was wondering what to fix,” Carlita said.

He lifted the to-go bag. “Tonight we’re dining on French onion soup and toasted club sandwiches.”

“Sounds good.”

“Soup is for the birds,” Gunner squawked. “Where’s Snitch?”

“He’s been asking for you-know-who all day,” Pete sighed. “One of us must have mentioned her name.”

“Gunner misses his gal.”

Elvira had brought Snitch over not long after she adopted the parrot, concerned because she was showing signs of stress or depression. As soon as Gunner and Snitch met, it was an instant and mutual attraction. The visit had worked wonders and helped pull the parrot out of her funk.

Although Carlita and Elvira planned for the two to get together again, it hadn’t happened yet. “Maybe I can give Elvira a call to see if she wants to bring S-N-I-T-C-H over.”

“Snitch. Where is Snitch?” Gunner’s head bobbed up and down, peering through the bars, searching for his love.

“Let me see what I can do, Gunner.” Carlita stepped out onto the balcony and closed the door behind her. She called Elvira’s office first, only to find out she wasn’t there. She tried her cell phone next.

A breathless Elvira answered. “Hey, Carlita. Were your ears burning? I was wondering how your visit with Cool Bones went.”

“He’s down in the dumps. He told us what happened the last time he saw Rudy McCoy.” Carlita mentioned the bookie journal. “Cool Bones must not remember, but he specifically wrote about meeting Cray.”

“Interesting. Is there anything you need from me?”

“Not yet. I’ll let you know.” Carlita glanced toward the living room. Gunner was still pacing, his head bobbing up and down. “Gunner has been asking for Snitch.”

“You want to set up another date?”

“Sure. What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

Carlita warmed to the idea. “You’ll be gone all day knocking out your court-ordered punishment.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with Snitch while I’m on trash patrol. She would love to see Gunner again.” Elvira’s voice grew muffled as she baby talked her parrot. “She’s on a new kick.”

“What kind of kick?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. It’s annoying.”

“What if Gunner picks it up?”

“I hope not.”

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

“You can’t back out now. Snitch heard us talking and is asking for Gunner. She’ll be heartbroken.”

“Fine,” Carlita relented. “You can bring Snitch over in the morning before you report to the police department.”

“We’ll swing by around seven thirty. I’ll be sure to bring some of her favorite toys. See you tomorrow.”

“Wait.” It was too late. Elvira was gone.

Carlita stared at the phone. “I hope I didn’t just create a lot of stress and headache for myself.”

She slipped back inside and motioned to Pete. “I have some news.”

“About visitors?”

“Yeah.” Carlita pulled him toward her. “Elvira is bringing Snitch over tomorrow morning at seven thirty,” she whispered in his ear. “Fair warning. Apparently, she’s picked up some sort of habit or words Elvira isn’t thrilled about.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh is right. She wouldn’t tell me what it was. It’s too late now.”

“Snitch is here. Snitch is here,” Gunner crowed.

“Have you ever noticed Gunner has excellent hearing?” Pete joked.

“Something tells me tomorrow will be interesting.” Carlita mentioned the bookie journal and her promise to deliver it to Cool Bones.

“I can take it down to the station.”

“I have a better idea. Elvira can take it with her when she drops her feathered friend off.” Carlita poured sodas while Pete warmed their soup.

After finishing, the couple carried their dinner out to the terrace. Despite the warm summer temps, a gentle breeze blew, making it more bearable.

“I love this rooftop terrace,” Carlita said. “Even in the middle of summer, we’re up high enough to catch a nice breeze.”

“And it’s even better spent with you.” Pete grasped Carlita’s hand and kissed the top. “This year has gone by fast.”

Carlita stirred her soup. “It has. Do you think it’s time to start seriously thinking about stepping back from the daily grind?”

Pete considered her question. “Maybe. You’re fortunate enough to have Tony and Mercedes already helping. Passing the reins will be easy. I, on the other hand, do not think Kristine is interested in inheriting or running a pirate ship or restaurant.”

“We also have the excavation downstairs,” Carlita reminded him. “Who knows how long the project will drag on.”

Although moving at a slow pace, the hunt for treasure and what might be buried in Pete’s basement was moving forward. Tedious, delicate work to ensure potential artifacts weren’t destroyed was the goal.

The slow progress was causing Elvira to lose interest. Hence, her trip to Alaska.

“Let’s do this. Let’s wait until the project wraps up. I wouldn’t mind doing some traveling.” Carlita sipped her soup. “A cruise with Millie on board Siren of the Seas sounds fun.”

“I’ve heard so much about Millie and her friends.” Pete reached for his sandwich. “Why don’t we take a look at the ship’s itinerary and plan a cruise?”

“Seriously?” Carlita clasped her hands. “I would love to take another cruise.”

The couple discussed the idea, and Carlita promised to check out upcoming voyages.

Dinner cleanup was easy-breezy, and the rest of the evening was quiet and peaceful. The couple turned in early, knowing the following day would be a busy one.

As soon as Carlita’s head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.

*****

Having had a good night’s rest, Carlita was up and out of bed early the next morning. She fixed a pot of coffee and dressed for the day.

At exactly seven thirty on the dot, the outer bell rang. Carlita ran down to let Elvira in. She opened the door and found her former neighbor and tenant with a birdcage in hand.

On closer inspection, she noticed Elvira’s face was pale and her hair matted, as if she’d just crawled out of bed. “What happened to you?”

“We overslept. I didn’t have time to shower. I forgot to pack Snitch’s food.”

“No worries. We have plenty of food.” Carlita led Elvira up the stairs and into the living room.

“Snitchy Snitch.” Snitch announced her arrival.

Gunner, who was near the door, excitedly flapped his wings. “Gunner is handsome.”

Back and forth, the parrots bantered, chattering nonstop.

“She’s getting kinda picky about what she eats,” Elvira warned. “The only thing I can get her to eat are bell peppers, apples and raw broccoli.”

“We have plenty,” Carlita promised.

“I hate to drop and run, but I promised Mercedes I would meet her at the PD at ten ‘til.”

“While you’re there.” Carlita grabbed Cool Bones’ bookie journal off the counter. “Can you take this to the visitor’s desk? I put a sticky note on top with Cool Bones’ name so they know who to give it to.”

Elvira snapped to attention and saluted her. “Will do.”

“Thanks, and good luck.”

“Mercedes and I might need it,” Elvira said. “I mentioned to a friend I was doing trash pickup for community service and he laughed his head off.”

“Why was he laughing?”

“When I asked him what was so funny, he told me I would find out soon enough. Gotta run.” Elvira dashed out, leaving in such a hurry she forgot to tell Snitch goodbye.

Fortunately, the bird didn’t seem to notice. She only had eyes for Gunner.

“Gunner is enchanted,” Pete said.

“I would say the same about Snitch.” Carlita found a bell pepper in the fridge and began slicing it. She sliced an apple and split the food up, placing even amounts on two plates before sliding them into their respective cages.

Snitch scooted across the bar. She cocked her head and belted out, “vamos a bailar!”

“What in the world?”

“She sounds like she’s in pain,” Pete said.

Snitch repeated the phrase, this time even louder, causing Carlita to plug her ears. “This must be what Elvira was talking about.”

“It’s a horrible, shrieking sound.” Pete frowned.

Rambo scrambled to his feet and ran out of the room, desperate to escape the racket.

“We need to figure out how to distract her.” Carlita grimaced. “If not, something tells me we’re in for a very long day.”