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

“Oui.”

Carlita picked up the pace as Elvira propelled her along the sidewalk to the back of the building. “Astrid is new. Business must be good. You’re hiring more employees.”

“Astrid was living on the streets. I found her digging through a dumpster and offered her a job. It’s strictly under the table work so she could pick up some quick cash.”

“No kidding. I think that’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Eh,” Elvira shrugged. “Just don’t go telling anyone because you’ll force me to have to deny it.”

“You don’t want people to think you’re capable of being nice?”

“No. It will ruin my reputation. Anyhoo, it’s only temporary until she can save up enough cash to buy a plane ticket out of here.”

“She wants to move to France,” Carlita guessed.

“Yep. Astrid is an old soul in a young body, a modern day hippie.” Elvira stopped when they reached the rear entrance. “She reminds me of myself in my younger years.”

The women climbed a narrow set of steps before entering a long hallway. Their shoes echoed loudly on the gleaming marble floor as they hurried to the other end.

“Where are we going?” Carlita whispered.

“To see the Cotswold Georgian Exhibit. I can’t make heads or tails of some of the pieces.” Elvira abruptly stopped in front of a marble column. “The exhibit pieces are in here.”

As they stepped through the arched doorway, a rush of cool air blasted them, and Carlita shivered. “It’s like the inside of a freezer in here.”

“The exhibit floors are temperature controlled. Good for the art. Bad for the warm-blooded visitors. I’ll show you the piece de resistance.” Elvira stepped over to the wall and pointed to a small painting. “That’s it…the one that looks like something threw up in a rainbow of colors.”

Carlita stepped closer to the Plexiglas display case, her eyes narrowing as she studied the splashes of color. A Piece of Renaissance. She repeated the name. “It’s…interesting.”

“The museum’s curator told me this painting is worth a small fortune.” Elvira chuckled. “My artwork is ten times better than this. In fact, I could probably slip this baby under my jacket, stick one of my own paintings in its place and no one would be the wiser.”

“I wouldn’t try that.”

“I wasn’t serious. Of course, I wouldn’t be dumb enough to take this ugly painting.”

Carlita took a step back. “I must agree it appears to be a bunch of colors flung onto a canvas.”

“You can have a quick look around if you want.” Elvira followed Carlita around the room.

They stopped briefly to admire another piece of artwork before returning to the doorway.

“Thank you for the tour,” Carlita said.

“You’re welcome. Now for the best part.” Elvira motioned Carlita to follow her. The women retraced their steps, returning to the back of the museum.

“In here.” Elvira eased a swinging door open. The women stepped into a butler’s pantry. An array of silver platters covered the counter.

Beyond the pantry, Carlita could hear the loud clanging of pots and pans, and she spied several kitchen workers darting back and forth.

“They got some good grub in the works.” Elvira lifted the lid of one of the silver serving trays and plucked out a pastry. “These puffed pastries are delish. If these VIPs don’t hurry up, all of these treats are gonna go to waste. Here have one.” Elvira attempted to hand Carlita a tart.

“No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” Elvira popped a lemon tart in her mouth before grabbing two more. She carefully wrapped them in a cocktail napkin and shoved them in the front pocket of her jacket. “We better get back to the festivities. His lordship or whatever he is should be here soon.”

The women stepped out of the building and returned to the front of the museum. Astrid was standing in the same spot. “It looks like the guest of honor has finally arrived.”

“I’ll let you get back to work.” Carlita thanked Elvira for the tour and skirted the edge of the large crowd, searching for her friend, Glenda.

She finally gave up and crossed to the other side of the street before backtracking to Reese’s trolley stop where a long line of passengers stood waiting.

Reese and her trolley arrived right on time. Carlita let the others board before following them up the steps. A reserved sign blocked her usual spot.

“This trolley is almost full.” Carlita peered anxiously down the aisle in an attempt to locate an empty seat.

“That’s why I saved your spot.” Reese plucked the sign from the seat.

“You saved the seat for me?”

“Of course. Gotta save the best seat in the house for one of my best buds.”

“Reese, you’re a doll.” Carlita plopped down. The arches of her feet ached, and she wiggled her toes. “What a zoo.”

“Told ya.” Reese pulled the door shut and consulted her rearview mirror before steering the trolley onto the street. “I bet the museum is a madhouse…wall-to-wall people.”

“I just left there. You were right - the city officials were waiting on a guest of honor, a duke or some such thing. Elvira and her gang were on hand.”

“Better you than me,” Reese quipped. “Elvira’s security company is managing the event?”

“Yes.”

“Business must be booming. I see her people all over town these days.”

“She’s building a name for herself. Whether she’s above board in getting the business is another story.” Carlita thought about Elvira’s company van blocking the alley. “She purchased a new van.”

 “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Now I won’t have to worry about her trying to weasel free rides from me.” Reese and Elvira had been at odds ever since the time Elvira attempted to interrogate a couple of Reese’s riders.

Reese warned her to knock it off; Elvira became angry and