The Family Affair: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9) by Hope Callaghan (great books of all time .txt) 📕

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Carlita said.  “Maybe we should’ve picked a table by the door instead.”

“Bad idea,” Elvira said.  “There’s a rear exit. I noticed it when we came in.  From this vantage point, I can see the front exit and the rear exit. We’ll have to hustle once we see him flying the coop, so you better chow down. I don’t want to leave good food behind.”

The server stopped at the table next door and Elvira waited until she finished taking their order.  “Hey, blondie!” she hollered.

The server approached the table.  “My name is Holly. What do you need?”

“She needs the check for the food and drinks.” Elvira pointed to Carlita.

“Sure.” Holly opened her notepad, ripped off a ticket and set it on the table. “I can take it up whenever you’re ready.”

Carlita picked up the bill and studied the charges.  “Thirteen dollars for thirteen chicken wings? Good grief.” She fumbled in her purse, pulled out her wallet and placed her debit card on top of the bill.

“That’s only a buck a wing, not a bad price for a downtown joint.” Elvira reached for another wing. “I hate to admit it, but they’re not half bad.”  She dipped her wing in the dressing again. The wing was halfway to her mouth, and she paused mid-air.  “Looks like our guy has company.”

The women turned their attention to the bar and watched as another man approached the bar and squeezed in next to their target.  He rapped his knuckles on the bar top and the bartender wandered over.

The new arrival nodded and shook hands with the bartender before the man reached under the bar and set a cold one on top.

“Great,” Elvira groaned. “Now I am confused.”

“That’s a first,” Mercedes joked.

Elvira shot her a dirty look and ignored the comment. “Check it out. The other guy looks a lot like Towns.”

Carlita studied the backs of the men standing at the bar. They were the same height, build and had the same hair color. From their vantage point, it was hard to tell which one was Quinton Towns.

“This meeting was no coincidence,” Elvira commented.

“How do you figure?” Annie asked.

“Body language. You gotta study the body language.” Elvira pointed at two empty barstools toward the center of the bar.  “Why didn’t the guy take one of those seats? He walked to the other end for a reason.” She reached for a chip, scooped some salsa on it and shoved it into her mouth.

The newcomer turned to study the bar crowd. “There’s something about the man…the second man. He looks familiar,” Elvira said through her mouthful of food. “I know I’ve seen him before.”

“I was going to say the same thing.” Annie nibbled on the side of her chicken wing.  “It could be I’ve seen him on television.”

“No.” Elvira shook her head. “I mean, maybe he’s been on television. I’ve seen him somewhere else. I never forget a face.”

“Oh. I know who he is.” Annie scooched forward.  “He’s one of the Savannah city commissioners. I think his name is Pridgen something.”

“That’s it,” Elvira hissed.  “His name is Emmett Pridgen. He’s been on the news lately, spearheading a large project near the riverfront. They’re trying to convert one of the old shipping yards into some sort of entertainment complex.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Annie said.  “I’ve been keeping up on the story since this project could be huge for the Savannah area. There’s talk of polling county residents to see if they’re interested in introducing gaming lounges.”

“G…gaming lounges?” Carlita stuttered.

“Riverboat casinos, like they do in some of the other states. Gambling would be big business for the Savannah area. From what I’ve heard, some of the city officials are against it, claiming it would attract an unsavory crowd.”

Carlita’s head began to spin and the pieces began to fall into place.  Vito Castellini’s comment to Vinnie, asking if he’d taken care of business.  Vinnie taking over the casino in Atlantic City.  Castellini just so happened to be in town to take care of other business.

This was exactly what Carlita was looking for…the link between bookie Robert, the wads of cash in the backpack, the Harner Street property, how Tony mentioned he thought the tunnel beneath the property Robert owned led to the river.

Was it a coincidence Robert died around the same time Vinnie and Castellini breezed into town? Elvira swore she saw Vinnie in front of the Black Stallion talking to someone. Was it Robert? Did her son meet with Robert and then kill him?

Mercedes squeezed her mother’s arm under the table.  Casinos meant mafia, at least it did up north.  “We need to take a picture of these men.”

“Make it look natural,” Annie sprang from the chair and grabbed Carlita’s elbow. “Where should we stand?”

Mercedes shifted to the right. “A little more that way and…perfect. Let me get one more shot.” She snapped another photo with her cell phone and slipped it back into her purse. “Not sure who the dude is behind the counter, but he and the other two are on the move.”

“They’re heading to the john.” Elvira shoved her chair back and scrambled around the table.

“Where are you going?” Mercedes asked.

“To the men’s restroom.”

“You can’t go in there,” Carlita gasped.

“Why not? I bet I can walk right in there and no one is going to stop me.”

“Unless some guy decides he doesn’t want a female standing next to him at the urinal and pops you,” Annie said.

“It’s a possibility,” Elvira shrugged.

“Not to mention, if you make a scene the bouncers are going to throw us out,” Carlita pointed out.

“Don’t do it,” Mercedes warned.

“All right.” Elvira rolled her eyes.  “Chillax. I’ll go hang out in the hall. Watch