Exes and Woes: A Garlucci Family Saga Novel (Made in Savannah Mystery Series Book 14) by Hope Callaghan (good summer reads .TXT) 📗

“Am I? This is all beginning to make sense. You want the Tybee Island project to move forward. Unfortunately, your ex is standing in your way. As luck would have it, Zu offers to come down here to Savannah to help me, but she ends up helping you instead. You talk her into tracking my moves and Dernice’s moves. I’m temporarily out of the picture, so you go after Dernice. Maybe my sister was figuring it out too.”

“I’m calling the cops.” Gremlin reached for his cell phone.

“Go ahead and call them. I’m sure they’ll be interested in discovering the truth about what has been going on, maybe even dig a little deeper into your relationship with Kim Turbell.”

“You’ve gone too far.” Gremlin made a move for his desk. Luigi, despite his size, moved fast. He charged the man, knocking him off balance and sending him flying across the room.

Meanwhile, Elvira darted to the desk. She reached inside and pulled out a gun. “I think he was going for this.”

Carlita, stunned by the turn of events, quickly recovered. She fumbled inside her purse for her cell phone and dialed 911. “Yes. This is Carlita Garlucci. We need the police at twenty-nine Magnolia Street as soon as possible.”

She wasn’t sure how Luigi managed to do it, but by the time she hung up, he had pinned Gremlin against the wall. “He ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

It didn’t take long for the police to arrive. All of them began talking at once with Elvira pointing fingers at Gremlin while Gremlin and Zulilly blamed Elvira.

The officers escorted Elvira, Luigi and Carlita outdoors. Gremlin and Zulilly remained inside while the police began searching.

A short time later, the officers led Gremlin and his daughter outside. “We’ll let you inside after we finish searching the rest of the premises.”

Gremlin’s face grew deathly pale as he watched them through the window. “They don’t have a search warrant. I want my attorney.”

The officer, who was standing next to him, ignored the comment.

While Gremlin anxiously watched them search, Zulilly slumped against the wall and began muttering under her breath.

It seemed like forever before the officers finished and joined them. One was holding a manilla file folder. He reached inside the file folder and pulled out a greeting card. “Does this look familiar?”

Gremlin’s face grew even paler as he stared at the card. He opened his mouth and then closed it

“This is a card addressed to you from ‘Kim.’”

“Dreaming of our forever.” The officer flipped the card open. “Wishing each moment was spent with you. It’s signed, I love you forever, Kim.”

Gremlin’s eyes grew wide. “I…you have it all wrong. That’s not from Kim Turbell. It’s from another Kim.”

“Kim who?” the officer asked.

“I want my lawyer,” Gremlin finally said.

“You’re under arrest for the death of Kim Turbell.” The officer handed the envelope to his partner and began reading Gremlin his rights.

Zulilly sprang to her feet. “No. No! He didn’t do it. I did it.”

Gremlin grunted loudly, watching in horror as his daughter tried to tackle the officer.

The other officers sprang into action and quickly subdued her.

“Zu,” Gremlin said. “Stop with the crazy talk. Neither of us killed Kim Turbell. Your mother or aunt are responsible.”

Zulilly fought to break free. She flung herself to the side, so that she faced Elvira. Her eyes were dripping with hatred. “This is your fault,” she spat out. “Yours and that stupid witch, Kim. She hated me. She tried to keep me from Dad. You don’t deserve your businesses. Dad and I do.”

“What are you saying?” Elvira whispered.

“You abandoned Dad and me years ago. You bought that property to spite him. If you had stayed out of it, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Kim,” Gremlin interrupted. “You killed Kim?”

Zulilly turned to her dad, her eyes half-crazed. “She didn’t deserve you, so I lured her to Mom’s place. She never even saw me until it was too late.”

Zulilly calmly stated how she confronted Turbell at the real estate office where Turbell taunted her, claiming Gremlin would choose her over his daughter. “She was an evil woman. I did you a favor.”

Shocked, Carlita struggled to put the pieces together. “The car. You tried to run your aunt, Luigi and me off the road.”

“And I would’ve taken you out if not for this goon.” Zulilly curled her lip and glared at Luigi.

“You borrowed my car and ran your aunt off the road?” Gremlin asked. “I thought you backed into a mailbox.”

Carlita could see Gremlin was slowly realizing his daughter was not who he thought she was. “Don’t say anything else, Zu. I’ll get you a good lawyer.”

The police finished reading the woman her rights and placed her in the back of the patrol car. As they drove off, Zulilly glared at them through the back window. Her lips were moving, and she stared her mother down.

“I…I’m sorry, Elvira. I had no idea,” Gremlin said. “I had no idea Zulilly killed Kim. I thought you did it.”

“And I thought you did it.” Elvira’s shoulder’s sagged, and Carlita thought she was going to burst into tears. “My daughter has been taken from me all over again.” She gave her ex a defeated look and began shuffling away.

Gremlin wasn’t off the hook, either. The police escorted him to the back of another vehicle and placed him inside.

Carlita caught up with Elvira by her van. “I’m sorry, Elvira.”

“I had no idea.” Elvira clutched her gut, a pained expression on her face. “I feel like I lost my daughter all over again.”

 Concerned over Elvira’s state of mind, Carlita drove them home with Luigi following behind in his car. When they reached the apartment, Carlita offered to run down to the police station to check on Dernice.

A subdued Elvira thanked her and trudged