Chapter 4

“I don’t know who to call first.” Carlita darted from the living room to the kitchen. “Maybe Sam can help.”

Pete pried his wife’s cell phone from her hand, scrolled through the screen, and dialed Sam’s cell phone number. The call went directly to voicemail. He left a brief message. “He’s probably in bed. I don’t recall seeing him at the Thirsty Crow.”

“He stopped by early in the evening and had to leave,” Carlita said. “What time is it?”

“After midnight. We might as well call it a day. Mercedes and Elvira won’t be getting out at this hour.”

“True.” Carlita trudged after Pete while visions of Mercedes locked up and behind bars ran through her head. She was almost certain her daughter hadn’t thrown the beer bottle. Mercedes had a temper but she would never strike another person, no matter how angry she may have been, unless it was self defense.

Elvira, on the other hand, was another story. She couldn’t even begin to guess why the woman had been arrested, other than she must’ve driven the cops crazy, so they threw her in jail while they were at it.

And then there was Cool Bones. Dernice and Luigi claimed they spoke to the Jazz Boys and discovered he was being charged with a cold case murder. Something involving a bookie.

Dernice had done a little digging around and found out Carlita’s tenant had a criminal record. Nothing exceptionally serious. Petty theft. Illegal gambling. The charges were old…a couple of decades old.

Reading between the lines, it appeared someone from Cool Bones’ past spotted him being featured on the local news stations along with the Jazz Boys. It had triggered a memory and now this person was convinced Cool Bones was a killer.

Although the details were fuzzy, Carlita believed the police had the wrong guy. She would bet her life Cool Bones wasn’t a murderer.

“It’ll be okay.” Pete hugged her. “We’ll get Mercedes out of jail ASAP and even Elvira if you want to.”

“I’m more worried about Cool Bones.”

“For good reason.” Pete offered her a grim smile. “If what Dernice and Luigi said is true, he won’t be going anywhere. The authorities must have some sort of concrete evidence to arrest him.”

“They could have at least waited until the evening ended instead of making a scene and slapping the cuffs on him in front of friends and customers,” Carlita said.

“Could be they knew he’d been traveling and found out he was back at the Thirsty Crow, their first opportunity to get him,” Pete theorized.

“I suppose. Tomorrow is a new day.” Carlita made quick work of getting ready for bed. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, peering at her reflection in the mirror. Some days she felt younger than her sixty plus years. While others, she felt older…much older. Tonight was one of them.

Pete waited for his wife to join him in bed, holding her close and assuring her it would all work out. He reminded her that Mercedes had been in jail before, which was true.

But something felt different this time. Maybe it was the circumstances. Maybe it was the fact the gung-ho cops had arrested two other people she cared deeply about. Yes, even Elvira.

A niggling voice in the back of her mind questioned whether Cool Bones could have committed murder. Under certain circumstances, people snapped and did things they later regretted. Had he taken another person’s life? The police thought so. More than thought so. Clearly, they had some sort of proof.

She tossed and turned, worrying about her daughter and friends. Finally, early the next morning, Carlita crawled out of bed.

Rambo, who had been napping in the hall, trotted after her, stopping when he reached the front door.

“Some fresh air sounds good. Let’s take a walk.” Summer was in full swing, which meant she wouldn’t need a jacket. Throwing on shorts and a lightweight shirt, Carlita jotted a quick note for Pete. She grabbed her cell phone and followed her pup down the stairs.

As if knowing where she wanted to go, Rambo led her home to Walton Square. With keys in hand, she let herself into Mercedes’ apartment. Grayvie, the family’s rescue cat, met her at the door.

“There’s my Grayvie.” After checking his food and water dish, Carlita did a perimeter search of the apartment, confirming her daughter hadn’t somehow miraculously been released. The apartment was quiet and empty…too empty.

Stepping back into the hall, she lingered in front of Cool Bones’ door. While Mercedes would be coming home soon, her tenant wouldn’t be released until someone helped clear his name.

She hesitated, wondering if Sam was around. It was early…too early for a guided tour. It was also too early to bother him on a Sunday morning.

Mercedes had given Elvira her allotted call, which meant it was possible that Sam had no idea Mercedes was behind bars.

But Autumn, her other tenant, did. She was at the bar when Mercedes and Elvira were arrested. Which brought up another concerning thought. Cool Bones’ arrest would be big news…news covered by all the local outlets.

Even if he was exonerated, the stigma of being arrested would linger long after. His years of sacrifice and hard work would be gone in a flash.

With renewed determination, Carlita exited the building and walked across the alley to Elvira’s back door.

Suspecting Dernice was already awake, she rang the bell. Elvira’s sister, with dark circles under her eyes, appeared moments later. “Hey, Carlita.”

“Hello, Dernice. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Not at all. I’ve been making phone calls this morning, trying to find someone who can get Mercedes and Elvira before a judge today.”

“Any luck?”

“Nope.” Dernice rubbed her forehead. “I worked my way down the list of every single person I could think of. Note to self—never get arrested on a weekend unless you don’t mind being stuck behind bars.”

“Sam might be able to help. I figured I would wait until he’s up and around.”

“Luigi and I talked to him last night. He’s working on it, although he didn’t sound hopeful. He’s been out of the law enforcement loop for a while.”

“Bummer.” Carlita frowned. “They might have to sit tight for another night.”

“Yep.”

“Let me give it some thought.” Carlita turned to go. “About Cool Bones. There’s no chance of getting help for him.”

“It’s not looking good. I talked to Duke Drake, one of Cool Bones’ friends who is part of his band. Apparently, a bookie was murdered here in Savannah years ago. Cool Bones knew the guy. He went to his apartment. They argued. Cool Bones claims the man was alive when he left.”

“And then someone killed him?”

“Yep. It’s only recently resurfaced. The cops have questioned Cool Bones about it. Something about a former neighbor, someone who lived in this guy’s building, remembered seeing Cool Bones at his place the day he was murdered.”

“Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“So…the cops exhumed the body. He was a minor league baseball player who was into illegal betting. Anyway, he was buried with his favorite bat. They fingerprinted Cool Bones but couldn’t get a match.”

“And now, with advanced technology along with new information from the eyewitness, they decided to try again.”

Dernice nodded. “Lo-and-behold, they matched Cool Bones’ fingerprint to a set found on the bat he was buried with.”

Carlita wrinkled her nose. “The guy wanted to be buried with the bat that killed him?”

“I’m sure stranger things have happened, but not this time. The bat he was buried with wasn’t the murder weapon. At least, that’s what I was told.”

“It’s amazing what technology can do these days. Still, I’m having a hard time believing it’s true. I want to hear Cool Bones’ side of the story.”

“Like I said, Duke Drake, the band member who is up to speed with what’s going on, confirmed he knew the deceased. Cool Bones even admitted to arguing with him but swears when he left the man’s apartment, he was very much alive.”

“There has to be more to the story,” Carlita said.

“I’m a pretty good judge of character. Cool Bones might have a little history with the cops, but he’s no killer.”

Carlita thanked Dernice for trying to help. She and Rambo returned home and found Pete was up and waiting for them.

“I talked to Mark Fox a few minutes ago. I told him what happened and about Mercedes’ arrest. He and Glenda know all the area judges. They’re going to try to get Elvira and Mercedes both hearings this morning.”

Carlita’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s wonderful news.”

“They want to know if we can meet them down at the courthouse. The judge hears special cases starting at ten.”

“Absolutely.” While Carlita ran to the bathroom to freshen up, Pete let Mark know they would be there at ten on the dot.

With a few minutes to spare, Carlita grabbed their checkbook along with a credit card and they took off for the quick trip across town.

Mark and Glenda Fox were already waiting for them on the courthouse steps when they arrived.

“Thank you for offering to help.” Carlita hugged her friends. “I’m sure Mercedes will be thrilled to get out.”

“Elvira is also locked up,” Pete reminded her.

“Yes. Elvira, as well.”

“Elvira Cobb?” Glenda wrinkled her nose. “I’m inclined to let her sit and stew.”

To say there was some bad blood between Glenda and Elvira was putting it mildly. Elvira, a former member of SAS, Savannah Architectural Society, of which Glenda was the president, had been a thorn in her side. Correction—in the entire committee’s side, particularly after purchasing her historic building and promptly making unapproved changes to the structure.

“I’m sure you are. In her defense, she was trying to help Mercedes when she got arrested.”

“So, she did something nice?” Glenda asked. “Color me shocked.”

“Elvira is mellowing out in her old age,” Pete said. “I suppose, in part because she spends all of her energies hunting for treasure and chipping away at my basement.”

“How is the project going?” Mark asked. “Last I heard, it was moving slowly.”

“At a snail’s pace now that it’s been designated an archaeological site. I let Elvira in once a week to sift through the loose dirt.”

“Has she found anything?” Glenda asked.

“A few baubles and trinkets. Nothing earth-shattering. We’re waiting for a special team to arrive to assess the progress. They specialize in designated excavation sites,” Pete said.

“In the meantime, she’s connected with an Alaska gold-mining company and is leaving in a few weeks to dig for gold.”

“Alaska,” Glenda said. “I think the final frontier is the perfect place for her.”

“In the meantime, I feel like maybe we should try getting her released as well,” Carlita said.

“Your call. I’m sure it will cost a few bucks to have them both released,” Mark warned.

Pete patted his pocket. “I have my American Express Gold Card ready to go.”

Passing through security, the foursome took the elevator to the second floor. While Carlita, Pete and Glenda waited in the hall, Mark, who had phoned ahead and spoke with the judge on duty, slipped inside for a brief consultation.

He returned moments later. “It’s a go. The bailiffs are heading to the jail to pick up Elvira and Mercedes and bring them before the judge. If all goes well, they’ll be out of here by noon.”

“Thanks, Mark.” Pete patted his arm. “We owe you one.”

“No problem. I’m glad we could help.”

Glenda glanced at her watch. “I hate to run, but we have a Sunday brunch meeting in City Market we can’t miss.”

“Thank you for helping.” Carlita pressed her hand to her chest. “Stop by Ravello’s anytime. Lunch is on me.”

“Or at the Parrot House. In fact, give us a call, and Carlita and I will meet you for dinner.”

“It’s a deal.” Glenda, with husband Mark by her side, stepped into the nearby elevator, waving goodbye right before the door closed.

Carlita waited until they were gone. “Let’s head into the courtroom to wait.”

Pete crossed his fingers. “Fingers crossed the judge shows leniency. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll drop the charges.”

Carlita grimaced. “We’re talking about Elvira. The best we can hope for is she’s smart enough to keep her mouth shut.”