Chapter 23

Carlita ran downstairs and unlocked the apartment door. "Hello, Elvira."

"Hey, Carlita. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Vinnie, Pete and I were just upstairs chatting." She motioned to Snitch, hunched over inside her birdcage. "You brought your parrot with you."

"Remember when I said she wasn't eating very much?" Elvira didn't wait for her to answer. "She has barely eaten all day and I'm really getting worried. I called the vet. He said to hand feed her baby food."

"Did it work?"

Elvira tipped her hand back and forth. "A little. Have you ever tasted baby food?" She made a gagging sound. "Some of that stuff is gross. The peas were downright inedible. I might try some fruit next."

Carlita leaned in, studying the bird whose head was tucked down and her eyes closed. "Pete knows a lot more about parrots than I do. Let's take her upstairs."

The women made the quick climb up the steps and into the apartment. Heeding Carlita's suggestion, the parchment papers and timber were long gone.

"Hello, Elvira."

"Hey, Pete. I'm sorry to bother you guys. Snitch is refusing to eat. I was hoping you could help me figure out what's wrong." Elvira told the men what she'd already told Carlita. "You know a lot more about these birds than me. What do you think?"

Pete approached the cage. He unlatched the door and gently stroked the top of her head, talking in a soft, low voice.

Snitch opened her eyes and stared at him as he continued talking.

"She seems to be responding," he said. "As I mentioned before, she could be going through a period of adjustment. Moving to a new place, new surroundings and she's still trying to settle in."

"I was thinking maybe you could introduce her to Gunner. The two might bond," Elvira said.

"We can certainly see what happens." Pete went into their bedroom and returned with Gunner.

"Gunner is handsome," he squawked. "Gunner the pirate."

"Yes, you are." Carlita hurriedly moved his stand next to the counter.

Pete hooked his cage to the stand and turned him so that he faced Snitch.

Gunner's rambling sentences abruptly stopped. He skittered across the pole, his gaze laser focused on the other parrot. "Hello." He let out a flirty whistle.

Snitch slowly lifted her head, blinking rapidly and staring back at Gunner with equal interest. "Hello," she replied.

"Gunner is handsome."

She introduced herself. "Snitchy Snitch."

A rapid round of chirps and words ensued.

Snitch flapped her wings and pranced on her perch, whistling a merry little tune.

Gunner, not to be outdone, displayed his plumage and puffed out his chest. "Hot little mama," he sang. "Gunner, Gunner."

Back and forth, the parrots chatted, flirting and carrying on.

Elvira grabbed Pete's arm. "This was it. Snitch is lonely."

"It appears the two are quite taken with one another," Carlita said.

Long minutes passed. Finally, Pete suggested they try getting Snitch to eat something.

"I didn't bring any food with me," Elvira said.

"We have plenty." Pete grabbed a banana from the basket of fresh fruit. He peeled it back and held it out.

Snitch nibbled a small bite and then dug in with gusto.

"She's eating." Elvira clapped her hands. "Snitch needs a friend."

"And it appears Gunner is happy to oblige."

The parrots continued to banter. Meanwhile, the group gathered on the balcony while Vinnie smoked. "I've been thinkin' about what Dernice told us."

"About June Cleary?"

"And the other guy, the other business owner. It might not be a bad idea to see what's up with him."

"I was thinking the same thing," Carlita said. "It also wouldn't hurt for me to take a spin around town and chat with Reese. She knows almost everyone and everything that goes on in Savannah."

"But safely," Pete cautioned. "If you plan to visit this check cashing guy's place, don't go alone. I can rearrange my schedule."

"It's not necessary."

"I'll go with Ma," Vinnie offered. "I'm not leaving town until we figure out who killed this Enzo guy."

"I can hitch a ride on Reese's trolley first thing tomorrow morning. Afterwards, Vinnie and I will pay a visit to Mr. Ziffra."

"I can't help but think June Cleary might hold the key," Carlita said. "If what Dernice said is true, the woman doesn't miss a thing. She might know more than she's letting on."

"Meaning you might swing by to chat with her tomorrow, too?"

"Why not? Vinnie and I will be right there."

"And what about Costanza?"

An uneasy feeling settled over Carlita. "He's hanging around looking for something. It's possible Lombardo is having him keep a low profile. Or it's possible the investigators have already tracked him down and questioned him."

"Again…"

"I'll be careful," Carlita promised.

Elvira glanced at her watch. "Snitch and I need to get going. Do you mind if we swing back by for another visit?"

"Not at all," Pete said. "I think it's safe to say there's a budding romance in the works."

"I guess we all need someone," Carlita said. "Even Snitch and Gunner."

*****

Later that night, long after she and Pete had gone to bed, Carlita tossed and turned, trying to figure out who had murdered Enzo. Was it Lombardo? Costanza? Someone else? If so, why?

She woke up early the next morning. Pete wasn't far behind and Vinnie, who had spent another night in their spacious guest suite, joined them as soon as the coffee was ready.

Thinking a big breakfast for a busy day was in order, she whipped up a batch of scrambled eggs, fried some bacon, and cooked a pan full of potato wedges. Although not a breakfast person, she convinced her eldest son to have a bite to eat.

The trio gathered at the table, discussing their plans for the day. While Carlita caught the trolley for a spin around town, Vinnie would hang out at the apartment and catch up on some work. Meanwhile, Pete had meetings scheduled with his staff from both the restaurant and pirate ship.

After cleaning up, Pete left first. Carlita showered and ran down to the trolley stop, only steps from the restaurant's front entrance.

Ting…ting…ting-a-ling. Carlita heard the bell moments before the trolley rumbled around the corner. Her friend Reese sat behind the wheel, announcing the stop via the intercom system. As they cruised closer, she caught Carlita's eye and gave a friendly wave.

Carlita waited for the passengers to get off and then climbed aboard, swiping her ride card on her way to the empty seat directly behind Reese.

"Good morning, Carlita," she cheerily greeted her. "You're up and out early."

"I am. Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep last night. A few troubling issues are upsetting the Garlucci family applecart."

"Uh-oh." Reese sobered. "What kind of applecart upsets?"

"Finding out my first husband borrowed money from some sketchy people to purchase a dump over on Morton Street."

"Morton Street?" Reese wrinkled her nose. "That isn't a good area of town to invest in."

"Tell me about it," Carlita sighed. "Although Annie Dowton seems to think it wasn't a horrible investment. A man who came knocking on my door the other day to collect is now dead."

"No wonder you couldn't sleep. Hold your thought." Reese grabbed her microphone. She went into a brief history lesson as they passed through Reynolds Square before steering the trolley alongside the curb for their next stop. A rider exited. Two more passengers climbed on and they were once again on the road.

"Sorry. So, you found out you own another property. The lender shows up to collect and ends up dead."

"A man sent by the lender. It wasn't the guy who actually loaned the money. My oldest son, Vinnie, and I found his body inside the Morton Street property."

Reese made a choking sound. "You found him? How did he die?"

"Someone shot him. Judging by the way his body was sprawled out, they broke a few of his bones while they were at it. The bottom line is I'm on the police investigator's radar. The guy worked for a person I'm certain will collect his debt one way or another. If he didn't take him out, he probably thinks I did."

"You have a mess on your hands."

"There's more," Carlita said.

Reese's eyes grew round as saucers.

"Elvira's cameras caught the other guy who showed up, Costanza, snooping around my property the other night after his partner died."

"Why?"

"I wish I knew." Carlita told her how Dernice had chatted with June Cleary, the laundromat / dry-clean owner.

"I know June. She's been in business over on Morton Street for decades."

"And has a sharp eye. From what Dernice told us, the two men who were trying to collect were over at her place asking a bunch of questions."

"About you?"

"About the area. Was it a drug dealer hangout, questions about the neighbors. I'm not sure, but my name may have been brought up at some point."

They reached the next stop. Once again, Carlita waited for passengers to get off and new ones to board.

Checking for traffic, Reese pulled back onto the street. "Are you thinking maybe June is behind it?"

"I don't think so. Dernice told me she's up there in years."

"She is. You wouldn't know it, though, by how agile she is. June gets around pretty good. Was he a big guy?"

Carlita thought about it. "He was average. Average build, but the kind of person who could handle himself in a fight. I'm also certain he was armed at the time of his death." She told Reese the police had questioned her and Vinnie about having a gun.

"Based on what Dernice told you, did she think June sounded angry or irritated?"

"No. I don't get the impression she was upset with them. She strikes me as being an interesting person with a colorful history." Carlita mentioned her being a biker chick, which impressed Dernice.

"Oh, June has a colorful history, all right." Carlita nearly fell off the seat at what her friend said next.