Chapter 19

Carlita and the others caught up with Luigi and Dernice at the end of the parking lot, surrounding the company van as they exited.

"What?" Dernice's eyes traveled around the group. "Why are all of you looking at me like that?"

"We need a favor," Carlita said.

Luigi swung the door open and hopped out. "Let me guess…something happened with Enzo and Costanza."

"Enzo is dead." Carlita briefly brought them up to speed. "The key is the Morton Street property. The firebombing, Enzo's death, Vinnie purchasing the property. This all ties into the place."

"I'm familiar with Morton Street," Dernice said. "It's a rough area."

"It is. Despite my hunch, I'm clinging to the hope there's the off chance the guy's death has nothing to do with me."

"Or it's the exact opposite and has everything to do with you and Lombardo," Vinnie said.

"Either way, we need more info about the property," Carlita said. "For various reasons, none of us can snoop around with the cops there. We're not sure when they plan to wrap up their investigation."

"You want me to do some digging around?" Dernice asked.

"If you don't mind. There's a laundromat very close by. I noticed someone with binoculars staring out the window earlier when we were there. I checked out some of the old news stories after the property was vandalized. They specifically mentioned the laundromat."

Dernice's brows furrowed. "It wouldn't happen to be Spiffy Clean Dry-Cleaning and Laundromat, would it?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because June Cleary, the little old lady who owns the place, is..." Using her index finger and thumb, she made circles and pressed them to her eyes. "Eye spy. I took my leather jacket to her place to have it cleaned not long after I moved here. Let me tell you, she's off the charts."

"Off the charts?" Luigi asked.

"I happened to swing by there on my Harley. I was kind of low on cash. She started hinting about wanting a ride, so we made a deal. A cruise around town on my bike in exchange for a discount on cleaning my leather jacket."

"Awesome." Mercedes clapped her hands. "You two are friends."

"We have common interests. I mentioned Elvira and her businesses. As soon as we got back, she dragged me inside to show me around. The woman makes my sister look like an amateur at surveillance."

"Even better." Carlita gave her a thumbs up. "If anyone knows what happened over at Vinnie's property, it would be her."

"No doubt about it," Dernice said. "It's been a while since I've been by there. She might not remember me."

"It's worth a try."

"What kind of information are you looking for?"

"Anything she can remember about the property right around the time it was damaged. I'm also curious to know if she noticed Enzo and Costanza," Carlita said.

"I'll give it a shot." Dernice turned to go.

Carlita stopped her. "Hang on." She ran to the pawn shop, grabbed fifty bucks from the petty cash drawer, and ran back out. "You said she loves your Harley."

"Loves, loves, loves it. June is definitely a biker chick."

"Here's fifty bucks. Fill the tank, take her for another spin and get her to tell you everything she knows."

"Fifty bucks to fill my motorcycle's little old gas tank?" Dernice's eyes lit. "You have yourself a deal."

*****

"I hope we aren't wasting Dernice's time," Carlita said. "It was awfully nice of her to agree to help."

"Fifty bucks for her to spend time on her bike, and she's one happy camper," Luigi said. "In the meantime, I'm gonna head over to the Black Stallion and see what Pete Duce has to say about the cops asking questions."

"I need to leave for my next tour." Sam hesitated. "Would you…do you want to go with me, Mercedes?"

"Sorry, but I can't."

Sam's shoulders drooped. "Maybe next time."

Vinnie waited until he left. "You really are giving him the cold shoulder."

"I feel kinda bad, but I keep thinking about the whole trust issue."

"Sometimes these things take time," Carlita said. "It could be the relationship has fizzled. It happens. People change. Better now than later."

"Mercedes is still young," Tony said. "My guess is now that Ma moved out and she's living alone, she's realizing she likes her freedom."

Mercedes made a timeout. "Will you all stop analyzing my love life like I'm not here?"

Vinnie hugged her. "That's what big brothers are for. Sam's a good guy, but at the end of the day, it's your life. There's nothing wrong with slow and steady or even taking a step back."

"Everything happens for a reason," Carlita said. "Maybe Natalie showing up was a wake-up call, and you realized you're no longer in love."

"All I know is I'm busy with my author group, work, writing, hanging out with friends. Sam is always busy too. Nights, weekends, holidays. I don't want to sit around twiddling my thumbs."

"Then maybe taking a step back is the right thing to do," Tony said. "Either way, you know your family loves you. All we want is for you to be happy."

"Thanks." Mercedes planted a kiss on Tony's cheek and then Vinnie's. "I have some of the best brothers in the whole wide world. How about dinner at my place tonight?"

"It depends on what you're making," Tony teased. "I'm not sure I trust your cooking."

Mercedes playfully punched him in the arm. "Love and adoration one minute. Jibs and jabs the next."

"You know I'm messing with you."

"I figured I would make a batch of Ma's homemade spaghetti and meatballs."

"It's a deal. Wait until Violet finds out. It's one of her favorite dishes."

Mercedes tapped Luigi's arm. "You and Dernice are welcome to join us."

"We'll be there. Dernice can fill us in on what she found out," Luigi said.

"What a great idea. A free meal and a tank full of gas in exchange for helping us," Carlita said.

"How does seven-thirty sound? It will give me time to swing by Colby's for some of those fancy Italian ices he stocks."

"Seven-thirty is perfect." Carlita opened her purse. "I want to help."

Mercedes stopped her. "Not a chance. This is my treat."

Luigi took off. Mercedes, Tony, and Vinnie weren't far behind, leaving Carlita and Pete alone in the alley.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but the local Savannah expert I contacted is eager to come by and check out the tunnel."

"When?" Carlita asked.

"Now."

"Are you going to mention what you and I found?"

"I'm not sure. I'll know more once I meet the man."

"Good idea." Carlita made a zipping motion across her lips. "I won't say a word. Boy, wait until Elvira finds out."

"We beat her to the punch." Pete chuckled. "We'll be able to wrap it up and see what we have on our hands before Mercedes treats us to her Italian feast."