Christmas Family Style in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Bo by Hope Callaghan (summer reading list txt) 📕

slammed shut. “What are we gonna do? Pete could be in danger.” She could hear the fear in her own voice. “We need to warn him.”

“And then what?”

“I don’t know.” Carlita sent a text to Pete, telling him they needed to speak as soon as possible.

Thankfully, he promptly replied, telling her he was working out of the Parrot House’s office.

Mercedes ran upstairs to let the women know they were heading out. She returned with the whole group trailing behind.

“We were just leaving,” Gina explained. “We decided to take my van. I have more room for the kids and anything we buy. We might be a while.”

“Take your time,” Carlita consulted her watch. “Mercedes and I have plenty to keep us busy while you’re gone.”

After they drove off, Mercedes and her mother swung by the pawn shop to let Tony know they were leaving and then headed down the alley in the opposite direction. It was a quick walk to the other end of Walton Square and Pete’s restaurant, which had just opened for business.

The hostess gave Carlita a quick wave as they passed through, making their way to the other side of the main dining room and down a dark hall until they reached the door marked, “Private.”

She gave the door a light knock and heard a muffled reply before easing it open.

Pete, who was seated behind his desk, waved them inside. “That was fast.”

“The women went shopping, and my sons are chatting with Jersey Joe.”

“Jersey Joe?” Pete lifted a brow.

“He’s the guy Vinnie’s father-in-law sent down to investigate Roxy’s death.”

“That’s right. You mentioned him earlier,” Pete motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” Carlita got right to the point, explaining Joe was already asking for a list of people who attended the party.

“The police asked for the same. Unfortunately, I believe I’m hitting the top of the suspect list,” Pete rubbed his brow.

“We can all vouch for you, Pete,” Mercedes said. “We saw how it all went down, how you were forced to contain Roxy because of her own actions.”

Carlita had a sudden thought. “You have holiday parties booked. What happens to The Flying Gunner?”

“I’ve spent my morning canceling them. The cops shut the ship down until they wrap up their investigation.”

“I…” Frustrated, Carlita could feel tears burn the back of her eyes. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“Ah, you can’t blame yourself.” Pete’s expression softened. “Besides, Christmas is right around the corner. I only had a couple more on the books.”

There was a small commotion in the corner. It was Gunner, strutting along his perch, attempting to get their attention. “You’ll keep your trap shut if you know what’s good for you.”

“What did he say?” Mercedes asked.

Pete repeated the phrase. “He’s said that several times this morning.”

“Do you think…do you think Gunner overheard someone say that last night?” Carlita asked.

“More than likely.” Pete pivoted in the chair and eyed the bird behind him. “He’s been known to pick up some interesting phrases. So…where should we start?”

“I was thinking maybe we should find out more about who found Roxy’s body. When did they find her? Where did they find her? Was she alive when they pulled her from the water?”

“I’m sure the police already have their answers to those questions,” Pete said. “And I can assure you they have no plans to share any information with us.”

“Right.” Carlita drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “I think there’s another way we can find out.”

Carlita was certain Vito and Jersey Joe had “connections,” insiders who could help them secure information that hadn’t been released to the public, which meant Joe might already have more information on Roxy’s death than they had.

“You think Elvira can help,” Mercedes said.

“I did think of her. The last time I checked, she didn’t know the official cause of death.” Carlita rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I was thinking more along the lines of Sam since he’s a former police officer and is still friends with some of the men on the force.”

“I can try asking him.” Mercedes wrinkled her nose. “Don’t hold your breath. Whenever I try to bring up cop stuff, he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“Unless he thinks you may become a suspect in the case.” Carlita reminded her of the incident with Roxy.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Mercedes wandered out of the office to make the call, leaving Pete and Carlita staring at each other.

“I also sent an email to all of the people who were on board The Flying Gunner, to let them know what happened.”

“What did the investigators say when you told them you locked Roxy in the bathroom and found her missing after we went back to get her?”

“Not much. What could they say? They asked if there were any other people on the ship who had a run-in with her. I had to tell them about Luigi, Ricco, Dernice, Elvira…and Mercedes.”

“You did the right thing, Pete. If not, they would’ve found out, and then it would look bad for you.”

“That’s what Vinnie told me. He suggested I be as honest and as forthcoming as possible with the cops since there was a boatload of witnesses.”

“Literally.”

Mercedes slipped back into the room. “Sam told me the coroner’s office released the official cause of death.”

Chapter 11

“Roxy died from the stab wound,” Carlita guessed.

“Nope. That was a superficial wound. She drowned. Just between us, Sam said they think Roxy hit her head on the way down, knocking her unconscious and then she drowned.”

“What a terrible way to die.”

“There’s one more thing,” Mercedes said. “Actually…two. The first is that they found a knife sheath in Roxy’s boot.”

“Roxy was carrying a knife?” Pete’s jaw dropped.