Swiped in Savannah: A Made in Savannah Cozy Mystery (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 12) by Hope Callaghan (ereader android .TXT) 📗

cash, perhaps she had been key in securing the painting in exchange for a large sum of money…enough to buy her plane ticket to Paris.

There was something to the backpack. Perhaps Carlita should alert the authorities to her suspicions, and then they could search Astrid’s belongings, but even a simple search would require a warrant.

There was another conundrum…what would she tell the authorities? She was following the woman around, found her digging in the dumpster behind the museum and saw a man hand her something?

They would wonder why Carlita was following her. She was already a suspect. She tossed and turned, torn between contacting Detective Wilson and Detective Polivich and running the risk of heaping even more suspicion on her head - or hold off until she had a better idea if Elvira’s employee was involved.

She finally decided to wait until Tony, Shelby and Violet finished their tour of the museum and gardens before making a decision.

Perhaps then, she would have a better idea of how someone could’ve pulled off the theft, giving her a clearer picture of what may have happened.

With a decision made, Carlita finally drifted off to sleep…now all she had to do was convince Tony to go along with her plan.

*****

“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Tony shook his head. “The cops are hot on the case. Polivich and his men were in here the other day tearing this place apart. If we show up at the museum, they’re going to think something is up.”

“I disagree. Besides, it’s not against the law to visit a museum,” Carlita said.

“What’s wrong with a cozy little family outing?” Mercedes chimed in. “The gardens look lovely.”

“I would like to go, Tony. Your mother is right. We’re not committing a crime by visiting the museum,” Shelby said.

“They even have a café on the grounds. You could visit the museum, the gardens and have lunch,” Carlita enticed.

“I want to go.” Violet hopped up and down on one foot as she tugged on Tony’s hand.

He chuckled. “You want to look at a bunch of boring old paintings?”

“And pretty flowers,” Shelby added.

The couples’ eyes met, which was all it took for Tony to cave. “Fine. We’ll go, but don’t ask me to sneak into backrooms and stuff.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. We need someone to take a closer look at the grounds,” Carlita beamed. “Reese and the trolley will be along shortly. If you leave now, you’ll have enough time to grab your things and head out.”

She followed her son and his family to the door. “Don’t worry about us. It’s good for Mercedes and me to handle business around here and give you a break.”

“Are you sure?” Tony’s steps slowed.

“I promise.” Carlita nudged him toward the door. “We’ll be fine.” She waited until they were gone and the door was shut. “That was harder than I thought it would be.”

“Tony doesn’t like to leave the pawnshop,” Mercedes said. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to convince Shelby to move into his bachelor pad so he could stay close to this place.”

“Speaking of bachelor pad, any news on the potential writer tenant?”

“Her agent is stopping by today to tour the unit.”

A customer walked in interrupting the conversation. The morning passed by quickly while Carlita kept a keen eye on the clock. The museum wasn’t large and the gardens, although sprawling, wouldn’t take long to tour.

Mercedes joined her mother near the back of the store. “You’re wondering what happened to them.”

“Yeah. I figured the visit would take a coupla hours, tops.”

“They were also going to have lunch,” Mercedes pointed out.

“True. As long as they’re enjoying themselves, I guess I shouldn’t worry.”

A young man stepped into the pawnshop and approached the counter. “Hello. I’m here to meet with someone to tour an efficiency apartment.”

“That’s me.” Mercedes turned to her mother. “Will you be okay by yourself if I show him around the unit?”

“Yes. Go on ahead.”

They left, and Carlita wandered to the front, peering anxiously out the window as she watched for the trolley and her family.

Had she inadvertently placed them in harm’s way? She immediately dismissed the thought. The museum was open to the public. No one would suspect the nice little family. Not that she had asked them to do anything other than have a look around the museum and grounds and maybe even snap a few pictures.

She glanced at the wall clock for the umpteenth time. They had been gone a long time now, and Carlita had a bad feeling something had gone awry.

Chapter 18

Violet broke away from Shelby’s grasp to admire a flowering bush. Her mother gently guided her back onto the sidewalk. “We’ll visit the gardens in a little while.”

“Can I pick a flower for Nana?”

“No. We mustn’t pick the flowers.” Shelby held her daughter’s hand tightly as they climbed the steps and followed Tony onto Darbylane Museum’s front porch.

The doorbell chimed, announcing their arrival.

Tony led his family to the counter. “Hello. We would like three tickets for a tour of the museum and gardens.”

“Children twelve and under are free. Adults are ten dollars each.”

He handed the employee a twenty. She held out three tickets. “This covers the cost of touring both the exhibits and grounds. Would you like a map?”

“No,” Tony shook his head.

“Yes,” Shelby said.

“I guess we would,” Tony smiled.

The woman handed Shelby a map and Tony the tickets.

“Thank you.” He waited until they entered the first exhibit area. “You need a map for us to find our way around? This place is small.”

“Your mother will want to see the map,” Shelby said.

“I’m surprised she didn’t grab one the last time she was here.”

“Probably because she told them she didn’t need one,” Shelby joked.

Violet