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

“This is a good hiding spot.” Carlita squinted her eyes. “Maybe a little too good. I can’t see LaFitte Square.”

“I got it covered. I figured we might need a few supplies.” Mercedes shrugged off her backpack and set it on the ground. She unzipped the main compartment, reached inside and pulled out a pair of binoculars.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Carlita asked.

“Because I did.” Mercedes handed them to her mother.

“What else do you have in there?”

“A flashlight, a multi-tool and this.” Mercedes brandished her handgun.

“Mercedes. Put that thing away!” Carlita’s eyes darted around the square.

“You asked.”

“Why on earth did you bring a gun?”

“I always carry it. That’s why I got a WCL - a weapon carry license. I think you oughta get one, too.”

“I don’t want to carry a gun around.” Carlita held the binoculars to her eyes and adjusted the focus wheel. “The trucks are gone.” She shifted the binoculars and scanned the square. “There…I see Astrid.”

Mercedes consulted her watch. “It’s six-twenty. She’ll be heading out soon.”

“Your turn.” Carlita handed her daughter the binoculars and eased onto the bench. Several pedestrians strolled past. A couple slowed, giving Carlita and her daughter a strange look.

“We’re birdwatching,” Carlita joked.

“Huh.” The couple kept going. The woman turned back once before whispering something in the man’s ear.

“I have a visual. Astrid is on the move.” Mercedes shoved the binoculars in the backpack, zipped it shut and slung it over her shoulder. “Stay low. She’s heading this way.” She sank down onto the bench and shrank back as Astrid passed by. She was moving at a fast clip.

“We gotta go.” The women hopped off the bench and jogged across the square. They stepped onto the sidewalk and began following Astrid. “You know where she’s going,” Carlita said breathlessly.

“The museum?”

“Yes, at least that’s the direction she’s headed.” Carlita was certain Astrid was returning to the museum until she changed directions and began heading toward Walton Square.

“She’s going back toward the apartment,” Mercedes said.

“Yes.” Carlita held out her hand. “I think you’re right. She’s heading home. We might as well take our time.”

The women slowed their pace, and Astrid quickly disappeared from sight.

“This surveillance operation was a bust.” Mercedes shifted her gaze. “The museum is right around the corner. We might as well go check it out since we walked all the way over here. Maybe something will stand out as a clue.”

“I suppose.”

The women circled the block and approached the front entrance to Darbylane Museum. “It’s closed.” Mercedes pointed to the sign affixed to the front of the locked entrance gate. “They close at six.”

“We just missed it.”

They walked around the side to the corner where the storage sheds were located. “This is where I think Astrid was staying until Elvira offered to let her camp out in her yard,” Carlita said.

“And the caretaker’s cottage is back here?” Mercedes asked. “Sam and I ran into Violet and Shelby during our walk. Violet told me all about the magical cottage, the flowers and the fairies who come out at night. The caretaker has convinced Violet that she’s a princess.”

“I heard.” Carlita grinned, and then changed the subject. “According to the map Tony gave me, the cottage is in the opposite corner, over here.”

The women wandered to the other end of the property. Through the bars, Carlita spotted a section of white picket fence. Brightly colored flowers lined the cobblestone walkway.

“I see a porch.” Mercedes pointed through the bars. “It does look enchanting, almost magical.”

“It’s lovely, just what a magical cottage should be.”

The women were still admiring the cottage when the front door opened. An elderly man crept onto the porch. A woman, the same one who noticed them near the dumpster the previous night, joined him.

Mercedes pressed a finger to her lips, as they inched off to the side.

“She’s not going to show,” the woman said. “I told you we never should’ve trusted her.”

“Relax Mabel. She’ll be here. She said she would and she will.”

“She had better.”

There was a moment of silence. “You don’t think that stupid woman from the security company got her hands on it first, do you?”

“Elvira Cobb?” The old man cackled. “She’s not bright enough to put two and two together.”

“Don’t be so sure. What time is it?”

The man looked at his watch. “It’s almost seven. She said she would be here at seven.”

Carlita glanced around. They needed to hide, to see who showed up.

Mercedes was a step ahead of her mother. She grabbed her hand and dragged her behind a row of metal trashcans.

Carlita hit her knees, and a sharp pain shot down her leg. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out.

The duo remained motionless for several minutes, until Carlita’s foot went numb. She shifted slightly, to relieve the numbness when Mercedes stopped her. She jabbed a finger in the direction of the museum.

Carlita’s heart skipped a beat as a familiar figure approached.

Chapter 21

Astrid strolled to the back of the property and called out.

Carlita and Mercedes watched as the elderly man approached the wrought iron gate. He said something to Astrid before opening the gate and motioning for her to step inside. Moments later, they disappeared from sight.

Mercedes bolted from their hiding spot and hurried to the corner of the property.

Carlita wiggled her toes until the numbness subsided and then limped across the alley to join her daughter. She could hear voices coming from the direction of the cottage’s porch but couldn’t make out what was being said.

“Look.” Mercedes nudged her mother. “She has the backpack.”

Sure enough, Astrid was carrying her backpack. She eased it off her shoulder and unzipped it before reaching inside. She pulled out the wrapped package Carlita