The Family Affair: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9) Hope Callaghan (read novels website TXT) 📖

her ex mentioned making fast cash and that he was working on some sort of big deal.  Did he owe the mob money?  Was it Vito Castellini?

Carlita was certain Vito and his men were capable of murder, but not her son, Vinnie. Her heart told her that Vinnie was not a murderer. Her mind, on the other hand, wasn’t convinced.

She knew enough about the family to know loyalty was of utmost importance. If Vinnie’s new father-in-law wanted him to “take care of business,” Vinnie would have no choice but to do exactly that, no matter what the “business” entailed.

She trudged up the steps, mulling over the events of the past couple of days.  Carlita’s world had turned upside down.  Shelby and Tony were on the outs, she’d gained a new daughter-in-law, her son was in over his head with the “family” and now she had to wonder if he was a murderer.

Thankfully, the apartment was quiet when she stepped inside. Carlita needed time to come up with a plan on how to approach her son, to ask him if he was involved in Robert Towns’ death.

Rambo trotted across the room and nuzzled Carlita’s hand.  “Let’s go for a walk, Rambo.  It will help clear my head.”

Mercedes’ bedroom door was shut and she could hear soft music coming from inside.  “Hey, Mercedes. I’m gonna take Rambo to Morrell Park,” Carlita hollered through the door.

She heard a muffled reply and taking it for an okay; she let Rambo lead the way to the alley. He tugged on the leash to hurry them along. They rounded the corner and nearly collided with Shelby, who was coming toward them from the opposite direction.

Both of them took a quick step back.

“Whoops. I need to watch where I’m going.”

“It’s okay, Shelby.” Carlita shifted Rambo’s leash to her other hand.  “Are you all right? Your face is red.”

“No. I’m so stressed out right now.”

Carlita glanced around.  “Where’s Violet?”

“My aunt and uncle took her back to their house.  We’ve decided to stay with them after all.  I needed to take care of a few things here at the apartment.”

“Does one of those things involve trying to talk to my hard-headed son?” Carlita asked softly.

Tears filled Shelby’s eyes and she nodded.  “Yes. I was hoping I could speak with him alone.”

“Tell you what; you take a walk with Rambo and me. I think we both could use the fresh air, and when we come back I’ll cover the pawnshop and give Tony a break so you and he can talk.”

“You will?” Shelby brightened. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course I will.” Carlita squeezed Shelby’s hand.  “Rambo and I are on our way to Morrell Park.”

The women fell into step.  “I was thinking about your situation. You mentioned your ex, Robert, was working on some big deal.”

“Yes,” Shelby nodded.  “It had something to do with Savannah because Robert planned to move back to the area.”

“Where exactly did you plan to meet Robert, where you found his body?”

“It was in a small park and not far from…” Shelby’s voice trailed off.

“Not far from?” Carlita prompted.

“The Black Stallion Club, now that I think about it.”

Carlita checked for traffic and tugged on Rambo’s leash as they crossed the street.  “I’m no private investigator, but I suspect there’s a link between you finding Robert’s body in the park and the fact he was involved in a business transaction in the same area.”

“I thought the same thing myself.  Looking back, I wish I would’ve pressed Robert for more details on the deal he kept talking about. I figured the less I knew the better off I was.” Shelby sighed heavily.  “Now look at the mess I’m in. I still don’t dare tell my aunt and uncle all of the details.”

The women finished making their way to the park, past the Waving Girl, along the riverfront and to the ferryboat landing.  The passengers finished boarding the ferry and they watched as the ferry drifted away from the dock.

“I wonder…” Carlita’s voice trailed off.

“Wonder what?”

“How much time do you have?”

“Before I’m arrested?”

“No, I mean today.  I was thinking we could head over to where you found Robert and have a look around.” The women began retracing their steps.

“It’s awful.” Shelby rubbed the sides of her arms. “I still see Robert’s body every time I close my eyes.”

“I’m sure you do.  When we get there, point me in the right direction and you can stay with Rambo while I take a closer look.”

The women headed up the incline to the main thoroughfare and walked along the busy road, to the other end where the touristy part of the riverfront district began.

“I don’t think I could live this close to the riverfront district. There are too many people.”

Shelby nodded.  “I love Walton Square and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Me too,” Carlita agreed.  Rambo led the way as they circled the block.  “We’re running out of real estate.”

“We’re getting close. There’s the Black Stallion Club.” Shelby pointed to a brick building with a black awning.

The women continued walking and Shelby stopped abruptly in front of a sidewalk that led to a small park. “This is it. I found him over by those bushes.” She pointed to a row of sprawling boxwoods. “At first, I didn’t think Robert was here. When I got closer, that’s when I saw him sprawled out and face down.”

A tear trickled down Shelby’s cheek. “It was awful. I never wanted Robert dead.”

“I know, Shelby. I’m so sorry.” Carlita squeezed her hand. “Did the authorities find the murder weapon?”

“No.” She shook her head. “One of the investigators said the killer could’ve easily walked to the river and tossed it in. They tested my hands for gunshot residue. They won’t find any because I didn’t