Matrimony & Mayhem: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 11) Hope Callaghan (small books to read .TXT) 📖

“They took off for the bus station?” Vinnie asked. “Why not go into hiding until the heat is off?”

“How you gonna hide from the family?” Carlita asked. “They bought a coupla bus tickets. Before they could get out, Monica, the female server, was murdered. The man, Blake or Duane, we’re still not sure which is his real name, he took off, and we think he’s on the run. He could be dead, too, and his body hasn’t turned up yet.”

“Unless this Blake or Duane, the accomplice, killed her and took off,” Vinnie said.

“It could be,” Carlita admitted. “But I’m leaning more toward it being Louie’s henchman. It was a botched assassination attempt with you and Brittney as the targets. When it didn’t work, the plants realized they needed to get out of town before Louie found out.”

Mercedes chimed in. “Vito wouldn’t send his guys all the way to Savannah if he didn’t think there was a credible threat.”

“True. I’m gonna give Vito a call, see what he knows. I’ll get back with you.”

“In the meantime, be careful,” Carlita said. “If Louie finds out you’re still alive, he might try again.”

“There’s plenty of security here at the casino. It’s like Fort Knox, but we’ll be careful.”

“That makes me feel a little better.” She told her son she loved him and then disconnected the line. “I’m getting a bad feeling. Something isn’t sitting right.”

The doorbell rang. “I bet Paulie and Gina are stopping by.” Carlita hurried down the steps and to the back door. She swung it open and found a solemn faced Officer Clousen.

There was another man with him, Carlita recognized from previous investigations handled by the local law enforcement. It was Detective Polivich.

“Hello, Officer Clousen, Detective Polivich. You got my message?”

“Yes. I got your message. We also received an anonymous tip from our crime hotline. The caller claimed to be an employee of yours. He stated you intentionally poisoned Ms. Burelli before killing one of your restaurant employees and dumping her body behind the bus station.”

Chapter 22

“We’d like for you to accompany us to the police station for more questioning.”

Carlita stared at the officer in disbelief. “That’s crazy. What possible reason would I have for poisoning one of the guests at my son’s wedding?”

Mercedes, hearing the commotion downstairs, joined her mother. “What’s going on?”

“An anonymous tipster called the local crime hotline, claiming I poisoned Megan Burelli. I then killed one of my restaurant employees and dumped her body behind the bus station. They want me to go to the police station with them to answer some questions.”

“They think you killed Monica Clay?”

Detective Polivich lifted a brow. “You know the deceased woman’s name? Her name hasn’t yet been released.”

“I…uh. We have a friend who works at the bus station. She told us,” Mercedes sputtered. “Besides, we weren’t hiding anything. In fact, we tried calling you.”

“Maybe you both should come in for questioning,” Polivich replied.

Faced with the seriousness of the situation, the warning bells went off in Carlita’s head. Megan Burelli - poisoned at her son’s wedding. Monica Clay, an employee, murdered and her body dumped behind the bus station. “Before we do that, I think we need to have an attorney present.”

“We can’t force you to go with us.” Polivich switched strategies. “What information did you have for Officer Clousen?”

“We were actually going to show him video footage. We believe Duane Sorensen, who also goes by the name of Blake Tanner, we’re not sure which is his real name, was with Ms. Clay. We think Monica Clay served Megan Burelli poisoned food or drink,” Carlita said.

“Tanner aka Sorensen, also purchased a bus ticket. He was a new employee of ours, and if my theory is correct, he was one of the last people to see Monica Clay alive,” Mercedes said. “Why don’t you question him?”

“We will as soon as we find him,” Polivich said. “Where’s the video footage?”

“On my phone.” Mercedes whipped her cell phone out of her back pocket. She pulled up Elvira’s surveillance camera recording and handed the phone to the detective. “This man, we now believe is Duane Sorensen or Blake Tanner, also an employee of Ravello’s, left an unmarked box on our back step right where we’re standing, either to scare us or as a threat. We’re not sure of the reason.”

Detective Polivich viewed the brief footage before passing the phone to Officer Clousen. “What was in the box?”

“It was a wedding cake topper, and the groom’s head was missing. One of the wedding guests, Pirate Pete Taylor, spotted Sorensen/Taylor and Monica Clay in this alley, near the dumpster during the wedding reception. The woman appeared visibly upset, and according to Pete, she was crying.”

Carlita briefly told them they were able to trace the couple’s steps, how they rode the trolley across town and got off at the bus station. “The regular trolley route driver, also a family friend, is Claryce Magillicuddy. She didn’t witness the couple boarding the trolley. Her fill-in, Jim someone, did.”

“What if the anonymous caller was Blake Tanner? What if he murdered Monica Clay and is trying to make it look like we killed her, along with Megan Burelli?” Mercedes asked.

Polivich and Clousen exchanged a quick look, and Carlita suspected they were already investigating that angle. “Tell you what, we’ll contact our attorney and get back with you on when we’ll be available to come down for questioning. In the meantime, I would take a closer look at Duane Sorensen/Blake Tanner instead of harassing an innocent business owner.”

“We’re only doing our job,” the detective said. “You were named specifically, and it’s our job to follow up on every lead.”

“And I’m sure you’re investigating Megan Burelli’s death as suspicious,” Carlita said.

“Yes.”

Mercedes took her phone