Family Feud in Savannah: A Garlucci Family Saga (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 16) by Hope Callaghan (best books to read for beginners .TXT) 📕

“I’m sure you are. I’ll get you something to eat.”

“Eggs, bacon, bagel.”

Carlita consulted the instructions Pete had given her. “You can have some scrambled eggs or shredded wheat.”

Gunner repeated his breakfast order.

“Shredded wheat it is.” Carlita crumbled the wheat before placing it on a small plate and setting it inside his cage. “Bon appétit.”

She fixed her own breakfast, consisting of the bagel Gunner insisted he wanted. She slathered a thick layer of cream cheese on both sides and carried that, along with a cup of coffee, to the balcony.

As soon as Gunner finished his food, he began a long litany of phrases, some Carlita had heard before and even a few new ones. “Sandy Sue sucks.”

“Gunner,” Carlita chided. “Now, where on earth did you hear that?”

“Gunner is handsome.”

She finished her breakfast and then poured another cup of coffee before resuming her spot. Early mornings were her favorite. She loved the quiet peacefulness of the day before the hustle and bustle of the busy city sprang to life.

Her eyes drifted to the dumpster, and she wondered if the crew across the street had been brazen enough to dump more stuff. She downed the rest of her coffee, determined to find out for herself.

Thankfully, there was no sign of construction debris. The items she and Mercedes had removed were still piled up nearby.

On her way back to the apartment, she caught a glimpse of a car turning into the alley. Not giving it a second thought, she made her way back inside the building. Carlita was halfway up the steps when the doorbell rang.

Returning to the door, she checked the peephole. Her breath caught in her throat when she discovered who was standing on the other side.

Chapter 5

Carlita’s first thought when she saw the vaguely familiar uniformed police officer standing on her stoop, was that something terrible had happened to Tony or Shelby. “Hello.”

“Good morning. Mrs. Garlucci?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure if you remember me.”

Carlita glanced at his nametag. “Officer Thryce. Actually, I do…vaguely.”

The officer reached into his pocket and removed a notepad. “Are you the owner of Ravello’s Italian Eatery?”

“I am.”

“The owner of the barbecue restaurant across the street was robbed at gunpoint last night.”

Carlita’s eyes widened. “It was?”

“Yes, ma’am. Mrs. Jarvis claims you were involved in an altercation yesterday, only hours before the robbery.”

“I wouldn’t call it an altercation. Her construction crew dumped some of their construction debris into my dumpster. I went over to her restaurant to ask them to stop.”

“Is that all?”

“No. She also blocked our street without getting approval from the city, so my son and I called you fine folks to force her and her husband to remove the blockades.”

“Were you on her property last night after nine?”

“You can’t possibly think I’m responsible for robbing Sandy Sue Jarvis.”

“I’ll repeat my question. Were you on her property last evening?”

“Of course not,” Carlita snapped. “And I don’t appreciate the woman insinuating I had anything to do with what happened to her. Why would I do such a thing?”

“She’s a competitor. You two have restaurants only a stone’s throw from one another.” Thryce tapped the tip of his pen on the notepad. “Regarding this neighborhood, have you noticed any recent odd occurrences, anything that sticks out in your mind?”

“No. You may remember that I also own the pawn shop next door. The only recent occurrences involve Mrs. Jarvis and her construction crew.”

“I see that you have surveillance cameras on the outside of your buildings. Do you mind if I take a look at last night’s recordings?”

“Of course not.” Carlita led Officer Thryce up the stairs and into her apartment.

Gunner, whose cage was near the balcony doors, eyed the newcomer with interest. “Cops. Hide the body.”

Carlita’s eyes darted from the officer to the parrot. “This is Gunner. He belongs to a friend. I’m parrot-sitting. He…uh. He’s a comedian.”

“You don’t say.” Thryce crossed the room. “Hello, Gunner.”

Gunner strutted along the perch as he eyed the officer.

“Where’s the body?” the cop asked.

“Gunner is handsome.”

The cop and bird bantered back and forth for several moments. Finally, Thryce shrugged and joined Carlita. “He has an interesting vocabulary.”

“Not to mention his timing is impeccable.” Carlita turned her attention to her computer and clicked on the camera icon. She offered the officer her chair and quietly watched while he reviewed the surveillance footage. Several vehicles traveled up and down the alley. Most were Elvira’s work vehicles.

Luigi returned home around eight o’clock. The cop hit the pause button. “Who is that?”

“My tenant, Luigi Baruzzo. He works for EC Security Services, my neighbor’s security services company.”

Carlita emerged from the back of the building. Tony and Rambo joined her moments later. They strolled out of the camera’s range, reappearing shortly after nine. Once again, the officer hit pause. “Is this you?”

“Yes. It’s me, my son and my dog, Rambo.” Carlita explained her son ran the pawn shop. “We strolled around the neighborhood after closing.”

“So, you were in close proximity to Ms. Jarvis’ restaurant around the time of the robbery.”

“I live across the street. My businesses are across the street. I’ll repeat that I did not rob Sandy Sue Jarvis.”

Officer Thryce jotted several notes in his notepad and abruptly stood. “Thank you for your time.”

Carlita followed him down the steps and into the alley. “I would appreciate a follow up, particularly if someone in the neighborhood is targeting local businesses.” She motioned toward Elvira’s building. “You may want to check with my neighbor. She has more operational cameras than Fort Knox.”

“I was heading there next.” The officer tipped his hat and then walked off, around the side of the building and presumably to Elvira’s front entrance.

Back home, Carlita logged onto