Chapter 16

The apartment was quiet…almost too quiet…after Snitch and Elvira left.

“Snitch wore poor Gunner out,” Carlita said.

“She wore me out too.” Pete grabbed his keys. “I need to cover a manager’s shift at the restaurant. What’s on tap for the rest of your day?”

“I was thinking about checking in with Shelby to see if she needs anything.” Carlita gave her husband a quick kiss. “I guess this means I’m on my own for dinner.”

“Unfortunately. It’s summer vacation season, which means the managers are all taking their breaks.”

“Arnie will be taking his vacation soon too.” Carlita accompanied Pete to the door and closed it behind him. She picked up her phone, intending to plug it into the charger, when she noticed she’d missed a call and text from Mercedes. I’m at Steve’s tattoo shop. Call me.

She promptly dialed her daughter’s number. “Hey, Mercedes.”

“Hey, Ma. I stopped by Steve’s shop. We got to talking about Cool Bones and the murder charges. You’ll never guess who one of his tattoo customers is.”

“Who?”

“Eunice Culpepper, Rudy McCoy’s landlady, the woman who told investigators Cool Bones met with Rudy the day he died.”

Carlita’s mind whirled. “Steve knows Culpepper?”

“She’s a regular customer.”

“No kidding. I wonder if she still owns the apartment building.”

“Steve looked her address up for me. She does, or at least she lives on the same street. Do you have time to swing by?”

“I have more than enough time to swing by. In fact, Pete’s working which means I’m free as a bird for the rest of the day.” Carlita promised she was on the way.

Thinking Rambo could use some fresh air and exercise, she tracked down her pup, who was sprawled out on the terrace deck, snoozing in the shade.

All it took was for Carlita to say the word “walk” and Rambo was on his feet, raring to go.

With keys and phone in hand, they hurried out of the apartment. To save time, they cut between the buildings, passing by Colby’s Corner Store and Cricket Tidwell’s The Book Nook , arriving at Shades of Ink within minutes.

Steve and Mercedes were there, along with Paisley.

Mercedes met her at the door. “That was fast. We were just talking about Mrs. Culpepper.”

“She’s a character,” Paisley said. “A colorful character.”

“Literally,” Steve said. “She’s what I call my bread-and-butter customer. We’re working on a realism tattoo for her. They’re complicated, which means I add more ink in stages.”

“Realism tattoo?” Carlita echoed.

“Lifelike. The skin blends in with the artwork,” Steve explained. “They’re also pricey because of the time involved.”

“Hers is a little.” Paisley tipped her hand back and forth.

“Too realistic?”

“Dark. You would have to see it to understand it,” Steve said. “Mercedes filled me in on what’s going on. I have Culpepper’s full address on file. If you have the street number, we can figure out if she’s still living in the same apartment building.”

“That would be great. Cool Bones remembered the exact address. I jotted it on a notepad and took a picture of the notes with my cell phone so I would have them with me.” Carlita tracked down the picture and rattled off the address.

“Let’s see what we have.” Steve stepped behind the counter. “Culpepper has an appointment coming up for the next phase of her artwork.”

“Maybe you could…”

“Pump her for information.” Paisley finished Mercedes’ sentence. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“I got it,” Steve said. “Her address is 2012 Gleason Street, Savannah, Georgia.”

“It’s a match. She still lives there. I think it’s time to swing by and check it out.” Carlita thanked him for looking it up.

“Cool Bones is my friend too. I hate seeing someone convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. Especially a crime this serious.”

Mercedes and Carlita began making their way to the door.

Paisley trailed behind. “Mind if I tag along?”

“The more the merrier.” Carlita slipped her arm through Paisley’s. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and run into her while we’re scoping the place out.”

With a quick calculation and realizing Gleason Street was only a few blocks away, the trio decided to walk.

Over the years, Carlita and Mercedes had learned several shortcuts—how to get from one side of town to the other, bypassing the busy tourist districts and more popular squares.

While they walked, Carlita asked Paisley how she and Steve were doing. “Are you catching up on your past due bills?”

“Our utilities are all current. We’re still behind on a couple of credit cards we’ve been using to stay afloat. Steve contacted the companies and we’re hoping they’ll work with us on a more manageable repayment plan.”

“It never hurts to ask.”

“Thank you for giving me a job and steady income,” Paisley said. “If not for you, Steve and I would be out on the streets.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Carlita said. “We would find a way.”

“Have you thought about a fundraiser?” Mercedes asked.

“We’re barely scraping by. Fundraisers take money to make money.”

“Not necessarily,” Carlita said. “We could host something at Ravello’s. Maybe include a silent auction. If we can get Cool Bones out of jail, I know he would help. I’ll throw in some free food. Free music. I bet we could find plenty of donors.”

“I like it.” Paisley clapped her hands. “Or maybe we can host it at Steve’s shop. When were you thinking?”

“We would need a month or so to plan it and send out invitations.” Carlita tapped Paisley’s arm. “It’s up to you.”

“You’ve already done so much for Steve and me. I hate to impose or cause more work.”

Mercedes waved dismissively. “I love throwing parties and this would be for a good cause.”

“A great cause,” Carlita corrected.

“Let me text Steve.” Paisley tapped out a short text. His reply was prompt. “He said if the Garluccis want to throw us a party, sign me up.”

“I’ll start working on it,” Mercedes promised.

“I don’t know what to say.” Paisley blinked rapidly. “Your family has shown Steve and me nothing but kindness.”

“We’re returning the favor,” Carlita said. “I’ll never forget the day Mercedes and I rolled up in Walton Square. Steve was the first person to welcome us to the neighborhood.”

“He helped us break into our own building,” Mercedes reminded her.

“You’re right. I forgot about that. It seems so long ago.”

“We’re getting close.” Paisley slowed, studying the numbers on the front of the brownstone buildings. “These all look the same.”

Carlita consulted her slip of paper. “This is the place.”

“It’s a little rough around the edges.” Mercedes pointed to the weeds, choking out the bed of wildflowers lining the porch. The light fixture by the door was broken, exposing a bare light bulb.

The windows facing the street were missing screens. On closer inspection, Carlita noticed the one that still had a screen was ripped and torn. The sidewalk leading to the porch was covered with dirt and mold, in desperate need of a thorough cleaning.

“This place has seen better days,” Mercedes whispered under her breath.

“Maybe Mrs. Culpepper is spending her lawn maintenance budget on tattoos,” Carlita joked.

Paisley shaded her eyes and spun in a slow circle. “At least the apartment building blends in. So what’s next?”

“I have a couple of ideas in mind. I noticed a surveillance camera pointed in our direction, which means I’m pretty sure we’re being watched,” Carlita said. “I’ll figure out what to say if, or when, we meet Mrs. Culpepper. For now, follow my lead.”