Swiped in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 12) by Hope Callaghan (pocket ebook reader .txt) 📕

“That won’t be necessary. She’ll be fine in a few minutes. I zapped her with one of your stun guns.” Carlita held up the weapon.

“Elvira gave you one of our guns?”

“No. She gave it to Astrid, who pulled it on me while I was walking home a few minutes ago. She’s out back with Tony who is holding the real deal. Someone has some explaining to do.”

Carlita could see Dernice was torn between comforting Elvira and addressing the situation. She leaned over her sister and patted her shoulder. “Don’t move…I’ll be right back.”

“I don’t think she’s going anywhere.”

Dernice sprang to her feet and stepped over her sister’s twitching body. “Did Tony shoot Astrid?”

“Not yet. At least he hadn’t when I left.”

Not willing to hand over the stun gun, Carlita shifted it to her other hand before motioning for Dernice to follow her.

They strode out of the building, to the other end of the alley.

Tony and Astrid stood under the lamplight. Tony’s gun was still poised, ready to shoot while Astrid stood stock still, her back pressed flat against the brick wall.

“What happened?” Dernice asked.

“As I told Elvira, I was on my way home. I heard a noise and headed over here to investigate. Astrid pulled a weapon on me. I started screaming. Thankfully, Tony heard me. He ran down here. Astrid dropped the gun, and that’s when she told us Elvira invited her to camp out.”

“Yes, Elvira did,” Dernice said.

“Someone should’ve told me,” Carlita said. “I could’ve been hurt, and Astrid almost got shot.”

“Elvira did tell you she invited Astrid to stay.”

“When you said ‘stay,’ I thought you meant as a guest - inside your residence.”

“I’m claustrophobic. Walls are too confining,” Astrid said.

“I can’t imagine a small tent is much better. Like I said, this was almost a tragic accident.”

Tony lowered his weapon. “Astrid almost shot Ma.”

“With a stun gun,” Carlita said. “Elvira gave Astrid a stun gun to use when working security detail. It works quite well. I’m sure Elvira is starting to come around by now.”

Tony’s upper lip twitched. “You stunned Elvira with one of her own guns?”

“Yes. I was so ticked off; I reacted and gave her a dose of her own medicine.” Carlita handed the stun gun to Dernice. “If I ever find out you injured one of my children, my family, I’ll make sure the next weapon I use is the real deal.”

Dernice’s jaw dropped. “You would shoot us?”

“Either that or carve your heart out and toss you in the Savannah River.”

Dernice and Astrid exchanged a terrified glance.

“I…I’m sorry, Carlita. This was all a big misunderstanding. I better go check on Elvira.” Dernice took a quick step back before hurrying down the alley. Astrid ran after her.

Tony waited until the women were out of sight. “You got ‘em going now.”

“There’s no sense in this.” Carlita briefly closed her eyes. “Someone could have been seriously injured. Elvira needs to think first before doing whatever she darn well pleases.”

“She might think twice now.” Tony chuckled. “Man, I would’ve loved to see you nail her with the stun gun.”

A small smile crept across Carlita’s face. “I shouldn’t have done it. It was the last straw. I finally got fed up with that woman. She’s been a thorn in my side from day one, from the moment she moved in, to the time she set her apartment on fire to today when a cop showed up on my doorstep accusing me of being involved in the theft at the museum.”

“Theft at the museum?” Tony asked.

“It’s a long story.” Carlita patted her son’s arm. “Thanks for rescuing me.”

“You’re welcome.” Tony tucked the gun in the waistband of his pants. “Let’s check out the tent.”

“Let me find my leftover pizza first.” Carlita tracked down the pizza that had gone flying when Astrid surprised her. She did a quick inspection of the container to make sure it was still intact before joining her son.

The small domed tent was tucked next to the back of Elvira’s building. In front of the entrance was a worn welcome mat.

Carlita’s anger quickly faded as she gazed at the meager belongings inside…a backpack, sleeping bag and flashlight. “This is sad. Poor thing, living on the streets.”

There was a small noise behind them, and Carlita turned. She watched as Astrid tentatively made her way over. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Garlucci.”

“It’s okay, Astrid. You need to be more cautious of coming after someone with a weapon. You might not be as lucky next time.”

“I…I-you’re right. Thanks for not gunning me down.”

“We mafia-types only do that in the movies,” Tony joked.

Astrid pointed to the door of the tent. “I don’t plan on hanging around long. As soon as I make enough cash to buy my one-way ticket to Paris, I’m out of here.”

“You’re traveling light,” Carlita attempted to lighten the moment.

 “Yeah. I’m kinda used to roughing it. Life has been a little tough these past few months, but things are looking up. This is a temporary situation. Like I said, now that Elvira is giving me a place to hang my hat, I can focus on saving money and be on my way.”

“And what about showering or meals?” A motherly concern filled Carlita. This young woman was homeless. “There’s a women’s shelter not far from here. I’m sure you would be much more comfortable at a shelter.”

Astrid cut her off. “It’s full. They don’t have a spot for me right now. Elvira is letting me use her bathroom and shower. I know how to find food for free.”

Carlita remembered Elvira’s comment about how she found Astrid digging through a dumpster. “I own the restaurant across the alley. We’ll be happy to share some leftovers with you.”

“I…” Astrid