Exes and Woes: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 14) Hope Callaghan (the dot read aloud .txt) 📖

“Guy for the job. Watch your booty,” Gunner squawked. “It’s a big job.”

Luigi’s head shot up as he eyed the parrot in the corner cage. “Who’s this character?”

“Character is right,” Carlita chuckled. “This is Gunner, Pete’s parrot, and the namesake for this pirate ship.”

Gunner strolled along his perch. “Gunner, the pirate.”

“Gunner,” Luigi snorted. “Like guns – gunner?”

“Rat-a-tat-tat,” Gunner sang. “Don’t let anyone steal your booty.”

“Ain’t nobody stealing Luigi’s booty.” Luigi leaned in.

Gunner lunged forward, clamping onto the tip of Luigi’s fedora as he plucked it from his head. It dangled from the bird’s beak for a second before he lost his grip, and it fell to the floor.

“Hey.” Luigi grabbed it. “Don’t be messin’ with my fedora.”

“Mess with the fedora,” Gunner repeated. “Gunner is a pirate.”

“You gotta watch him,” Pete warned. “Gunner can move fast when he sees something he likes.”

“Gunner wants a fedora.”

Luigi shot the bird a look of irritation as he tightened his grip on the hat. “A fedora frocked nuisance.”

“Let’s have a seat.” Pete motioned for Carlita and Luigi to join him. “I’m not sure if Carlita explained my situation. I’m hosting a lively – and by lively, I mean rowdy group of insurance salesmen for a private event on board The Flying Gunner Sunday evening. I have a few employees who will be helping with the security but could use someone with your level of expertise.”

Luigi puffed up his chest. “I can handle whatever you got, even a bunch of suits.”

“Don’t let their profession fool you. It’s a wild party crowd.” Pete threw out a generous sum for the evening assignment, and Luigi quickly accepted before the conversation shifted to the upcoming holiday.

Luigi, bored with the conversation, began drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair.

Carlita stood. “We should get going.”

“Yeah. I gotta get outta here. This room is a little too cramped for my liking.” Luigi made his way to the door.

“Luigi!” Gunner yelled. “My fedora!”

Carlita burst out laughing as she approached Gunner’s cage. “Do you want Carlita to buy you a fedora?”

“Pretty lady,” Gunner said. “Gunner’s fedora.”

“I’m gonna step outside to have a smoke.” Luigi tromped out of the office.

Carlita started to follow, but Pete reached out to stop her. “Thanks for stopping by, lass,” he said softly.

Carlita could feel a warm flush fill her body. “You’re welcome. Thank you for giving Luigi a chance.”

He looked as if he was going to say something else.

“What?”

“Nothing. Luigi seems like a good guy.” Pete released his grip. “I best let you get going.”

The couple joined Luigi, who was talking to the deckhands.

She turned to Pete. Their eyes met, his dark and unreadable. Her heart did a little flip, and she quickly looked away.

Luigi shifted his attention to them, unaware of the exchange. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She gave Pete a shy smile. “Thanks again for offering Luigi a job.”

“My pleasure.”

Carlita could feel Pete’s eyes on her as she and Luigi exited the docking area. They crested the incline and stepped onto the sidewalk.

“While we’re pounding the pavement, I thought now might be a good time to talk about Dernice. She and I are taking a drive over to Tybee Island to check out a property her sister purchased.”

“Tybee, huh?” Luigi shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “Castellini was lookin’ at an investment property over there. Some big bucks investors were plannin’ on settin’ up shop there, and he was lookin’ to get in on the action. I’m up for a ride. I gotta get something cookin’. I can’t keep depending on you for help.”

“You’re helping us, too,” Carlita pointed out. “But I can see you want to make it on your own. I think you’ll like working with Dernice.”

Luigi was silent as they trudged back to Walton Square, passing by Annie Dowton’s real estate office and the pawn shop. They circled the block and began making their way to Elvira’s building.

Carlita had just stepped off the curb when she felt a tiny tremble, seconds before there was a loud explosion.

Chapter 3

There was a split second of eerie silence followed by the wail of an alarm.

“You stay here. I’m gonna check it out.” Luigi rushed around the corner and out of sight.

The apartment building’s back door flew open. Tony and Mercedes ran into the alley.

Tony was the first to spot his mother. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I don’t know.” Carlita pressed a trembling hand to her chest. “Luigi and I were heading next door to talk to Dernice when all of a sudden, there was this explosion.”

“It sounded like a bomb going off,” Mercedes said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Carlita sucked in a shaky breath. “It scared the daylights outta me. Luigi went to find out what happened.”

Off in the distance, there was the faint echo of sirens. The sirens grew louder as a firetruck and two police cars raced past the alley entrance.

“Luigi ain’t coming back. Let’s go check it out.” Tony led the way around the building. Several firefighters stood near Elvira’s front entrance…or what was left of it. The bottom of the door was splintered, and the sidewalk was covered with shards of broken glass. “He’s over there.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Carlita caught a glimpse of an EC Security Services’ van racing toward them. The van came to a screeching halt behind the fire truck. Dernice flew out of the vehicle, a look of panic on her face.

Carlita and her children sidestepped the firefighters and joined Luigi. “What happened?”

“From what I can tell, it was a gas explosion,” Luigi said.

“Step back, folks.” A firefighter waited for them to move away while a police officer