Chapter 21

Roar…Rooarrr.

Dernice expertly steered her custom chrome Harley into the parking spot directly in front of Spiffy Clean Dry-Cleaning and Laundromat and kicked the kickstand down. Unstrapping her helmet, she tucked it under her arm and sauntered toward the front entrance door.

Stepping inside, she noticed the smell of bleach mingled with laundry detergent hung heavy in the air. Looking right to left, Dernice searched for June Cleary, the owner. A man, in his twenties, if she had to guess, watched her make her way to the back.

A woman sat next to a dryer; her legs crossed and her nose stuck in a magazine. She barely gave Dernice a glance.

Near the corner, she found the dry-cleaning drop off. Seated at the small desk, magnifying glass in hand, sat June Cleary, working on a crossword puzzle.

Dernice cleared her throat.

June looked up. "Hello."

"Hello. June?"

"Yes." She set the magnifying glass down and pushed her chair back. "Can I help you?"

"I was in here some time ago. I'm not sure if you remember me."

June's eyes widened behind her wire-rimmed glasses. "Why yes. I remember you. You're the woman who owns the Harley. I gave you a discount on cleaning your leather jacket and you took me out for a spin on that sweet ride of yours. And you had the most unusual name."

"Dernice Cobb."

June made her way to the counter. "Dernice. Do you need your jacket cleaned again?"

"No. My jacket is fine. The leather satchel on my bike has some spots. I was wondering if you could take a look at them to see if you think they'll come out."

"Oh. Absolutely." Moving at a quick clip for a woman who wasn't a day under ninety, June followed Dernice out of the building and to her Harley parked out front.

"It's on this side. I think it's bug splat."

June pressed on the center of her glasses and examined the splotches. "I'll have to be honest. I'm not sure these will come out. Bug guts are tricky, especially if I don't know what kind of bug it was. If I were you, I would try wiping the spots with very warm water. Not too hard, mind you."

"Thank you. I will. You did such a great job on my jacket, I knew you would be able to help," Dernice said.

June ran her fingertips over the chrome handlebars. "This bike is such a beauty. Did I ever tell you about mine?"

The woman had. In fact, she'd enthusiastically shared several stories about being a biker chick, but Dernice didn't have the heart to tell her she'd heard all about it. What harm was there in letting her relive a few moments of her glory days?

"No. I don't believe you did."

"Well, there was this one season. I lived in Pennsylvania at the time, near the Pocono Mountains. My boyfriend, Ernest, had a 1972 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead." June made googly eyes. "He wasn't much to look at, but that motorcycle of his was a dream."

"You dated him because he had a sweet ride?"

"Well, for a little while. Until I met Charles, who eventually became my first husband." June flapped her hands. "Sorry. I'm getting sidetracked. Ernest and I rode all over that summer. Him on his Shovelhead and me on my girlie bike. It was similar to the Softail deluxe models on the market now."

Her expression grew faraway. "It was such a special summer."

"I bet you were a real gearhead," Dernice said.

"I most certainly was." June straightened her back. "Not to mention I was one smokin' hot mama. These days, I wouldn't trust myself. Besides, I sold my bike. None of my friends would ride with me. They were too afraid of breaking a bone or cracking a rib."

"It's a legitimate concern at your age," Dernice said.

"If you want a piece of advice, keep on riding for as long as you can." June patted the seat and reluctantly took a step back. "She sure is a beaut."

"Would you like to take her for another spin?"

"Now?"

Dernice nodded.

"I…I would love to. Unfortunately, I'm the only one working. I don't have anyone to cover for me."

"Bummer." Dernice tapped her foot. "Seeing how you can't take another ride, feel free to settle in for old times' sake."

"I don't want to smudge her up."

She waved dismissively. "It's fine. Go ahead."

June swung her leg over the side and settled in, a look of utter joy spreading across her face. She reached for the handlebars and closed her eyes. "It feels good. What a time we had back then."

She sat for several long moments before reluctantly climbing off. "Thank you, Dernice. You made my day. Maybe you can come back another time and we can take her out for a spin," she hinted.

"I'm sure I can arrange something." Dernice casually glanced at the property across the street, the one surrounded by police tape. "What's going on over there?"

"I call it the Morton Street monster," June said. "The property has been nothing but trouble for years."

"Targeted by vandals?"

"I'm sure it's been vandalized. Actually, the place is probably cursed, going all the way back to when a man by the name of Garlucci bought it."

Dernice perked up. "What happened?"

"Well, first of all, he had questionable ties and was from New York. You know what they have up in New York, don't you?"

"Expensive real estate?" Dernice joked.

"No. Mobsters," June said in a loud whisper. "I heard this Garlucci fellow had ties to the mob. Not long after he bought it…kaboom!"

"It blew up?"

"I think it was firebombed. Thank God no one was inside when it happened. It was some time ago. I heard the Garlucci guy died, probably murdered by his own people."

"Who owns it now?"

June shrugged. "I have no idea. I've seen a few street people sneaking in from time to time. Then, out of the blue a few days ago, I noticed a lot of activity."

"Maybe someone is going to buy it and fix it up," Dernice said.

"I kind of thought the same thing. Two women and a man showed up yesterday. They went inside but weren't in there for maybe ten or fifteen minutes before they left. Not long after, two men in suits showed up. They spent a good deal of time snooping around. Next thing I know, they were over here asking a bunch of questions."

"What sort of questions?"

"If I had seen other people hanging around. If the place was being used as a drug house. They wanted to know the name of the other business owners on the block. Questions along those lines."

"So maybe they were thinking about buying it."

"I asked them outright. They never did answer," June said. "The men were both very businesslike with an interesting accent, like they were from another country."

"Were they British?" Dernice mustered up her best British accent.

"No, more like Italian." June snapped her fingers. "Yeah. They had Italian accents. You know foreigners are coming here in droves, snatching up prime real estate. Not that this is prime property, but you know what I mean."

"So how come they put up police tape?"

"Well, this is where it gets interesting. One of the women who came by yesterday came back this morning with a different man. He was a younger guy and very good looking." June let out a flirty whistle. "If I was sixty years younger, I would've run right over there and introduced myself. They went inside. Next thing I know, a bunch of cops showed up."

"They must have found someone or something inside."

"A body." June's mouth formed a large "O," and she nodded. "Thank goodness I had my surveillance equipment keeping an eye out, something I need because…well, let's be honest…this isn't the best of neighborhoods. They bring out a body. I'm not sure, but I think it may have been one of the men who had an accent. The sheet they had covering him flipped up on his leg. I could see pinstripes, similar to the pinstripes the men who stopped by here were wearing."

"How awful." Dernice pressed her hand to her chest. "Have the police been over to question you about it?"

June nodded. "You betcha. I told them everything I knew, even going back to when the Garlucci man owned the place. If you ask me, they should bulldoze it and start over."

"You might be right."

"My neighbor on the other side, Barnie Ziffra, who owns a check cashing business, and I both think it would be better to tear it down. Looking back, I bet Barnie is glad he never bought the place."

"A local business owner tried to buy the property?"

"He thought about it. I told him it was a bad idea. Hopefully, those women who were over there didn't decide to purchase the place. Like I said, I think it's cursed."

"I'm sure the investigators will get it all sorted out," Dernice said.

"I can tell you one thing for certain…I'll be sleeping with one eye open tonight." June grabbed hold of Dernice's arm for balance and stepped onto the sidewalk. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"Thank you for the offer. I should be going. I need to run home and get ready for work."

June's shoulders drooped. "Perhaps some other time. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do?"

"I work for my sister's security services company. EC Security Services."

June repeated the name. "I think you mentioned it before. Yes, I'm sure you did. Thank you for coming by and letting me sit on your bike. It was like a mini trip down memory lane."

"You're welcome. Someday soon, when we're able to do a little better planning, I'll swing by and give you a ride."

"I would like that, Dernice Cobb. I would very much like to take you up on your generous offer." June ambled back to her door and made her way inside. She walked to the window, the smile never leaving her face as she waved goodbye.

Dernice waved back and gave her a peace out sign. Settling onto the bike, she slid her helmet on and secured the strap.

With a full tank of gas, Dernice cruised the perimeter of downtown Savannah. Discovering she had a few minutes to spare, she drove toward the main road leading to the highway.

Passing by the city limits sign, she put the pedal to the metal. With the sun shining down, Dernice cruised at a comfortable speed, wishing June was with her—a fellow rider who appreciated the freedom and pure magic of the Harley.

Something told her the woman had many more stories to share. A little sad yet philosophical. What stood out to Dernice was how June embraced life and lived it to the fullest.

She had little doubt June Cleary blazed her own path. Fearless to live in a sketchy side of town for all these years. Determined to run her business despite bombings, vandals, and now an unsolved murder. Would Dernice live to be her age with no regrets?

So far, she had plenty, not the least of which was her role in an armed robbery. Things hadn't always been easy for Dernice Cobb. In fact, if not for Elvira, she had no idea where she would be right now.

Probably in prison or dead, mixed up with the wrong people. Despite Elvira's laundry list of shortcomings, she was the best sister a person could ask for.

Dernice reached the highway and then circled around, heading back into town. During the ride, she mulled over her conversation with June. Clearly, nothing got by the woman, at least nothing that took place in her neighborhood.

She had the senior Vinnie's number from the very start. The women and man she'd seen must've been Carlita, Mercedes and Tony and then later, Carlita and Vinnie. Dernice would bet money the other two were Enzo and Costanza. They fit the description. The Italian accents, the line of questioning.

June confirmed what Carlita had already told her. Yet, a comment the laundromat owner made in passing hit Dernice's radar. It was a small thing which might turn out to be a big thing.