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Pete raced across the parking lot to their private patio in the back. Carlita caught up with him, coming to an abrupt halt at what they found.

Elvira, with legs straight up in the air, splashed around inside their old hot tub, full of moldy black water. Visible above the water line was a snorkel tube.

Droplets of the hot tub’s slimy contents pelted Carlita’s face. “Her foot is tangled in the trellis.”

“How did she get tangled up in the trellis?” Pete stepped onto the tub’s wooden deck. Grabbing hold of Elvira’s arm, he lifted her up and out of the water.

“I’m stuck,” she gasped.

“You got hung up on the trellis.” On closer inspection, Carlita noticed her flip-flop was caught on a section of lattice.

“Hold still,” Pete ordered.

The troublesome woman promptly stopped moving. “Hurry up. This water stinks. My gag reflex is kicking in and I’m feeling faint.”

“We can only hope something shuts you up.”

“And teaches you a lesson,” Carlita added.

While Pete held Elvira’s leg steady, Carlita snapped the rotting piece of wood in two and removed it from her ankle. “Your foot is free. Do you need a hand?”

“I wish I had a hand,” Elvira panted. “I’m caught on something else.”

Using his cell phone’s flashlight, Pete shined it into the murky water. “I must say, you got yourself into a bind this time.”

“Literally.”

“What is it?” Carlita leaned over the edge, struggling to see.

“From what I can tell, her sleeve is caught on a broken jet. I’m going to have to climb in.” Pete waded into the water.

“Can you hurry?” Elvira’s voice grew faint. “Wooziness is settling in.”

“I have half a mind to leave you here,” Pete said.

“Only Elvira can get trapped in a hot tub.”

Using both hands, Pete yanked on her sleeve.

Rip.

“You’re free.”

Elvira scrambled over the side. “This hot tub is a deathtrap.”

“It was secured and covered last I checked. You should save your snorkeling endeavors for daylight hours,” Carlita lectured. “If Pete and I hadn’t come out here and found you, who knows how long you would have been stuck.”

Elvira scraped a splotch of slimy mold from her chin. “Gross.”

“Why were you in the hot tub?” Carlita folded her arms, pinning her former neighbor with a hard stare. “We told you there was nothing here.”

“I know. Unfortunately, as I was crossing the parking lot, it caught my eye. I figured I would take a quick look inside. I tripped on the broken lattice. Next thing I know…” Elvira made a diving motion with her hand. “Bam! I’m in the water and upside down. It’s a good thing I had the snorkel.”

“I should’ve let you percolate in your predicament and called the police to report a trespasser,” Pete said.

Elvira’s jaw dropped. “You would not.”

“If you ever pull that stunt again, I will.”

Elvira mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘thank you very much.’ Ciao.” Elvira power-walked across the parking lot, leaving a trail of water in her wake.

“Never a dull moment with her.” Pete shook his head.

“Never.” Carlita doubled over, bursting into fits of laughter. “It is kind of our fault. In her defense, it’s not in her DNA to not look for treasure. The tub was too much of a temptation.”

“I hope she learned her lesson.”

Carlita popped onto the tips of her toes and kissed Pete’s cheek. “Thank you for rescuing Elvira. I’m sure she’ll think twice before she goes hot tub snorkeling after dark again.”

*****

Carlita woke early the next morning. It had been a restless night spent tossing and turning, worrying about Cool Bones, and trying to figure out how they were going to prove his innocence.

A small niggling voice in the back of her mind wondered if he had committed the crime and murdered his competitor. Perhaps he’d done so in a moment of rage. She knew Cool Bones, but how well did she really know him?

She pushed the thought aside. He’d been nothing but an ideal tenant, a true friend. Calm and steady. Always on an even keel. In fact, Carlita couldn’t remember ever seeing him lose his temper.

On the other hand, you never knew a person unless you lived under the same roof. Maybe not even then. Serial killers were an excellent example. She’d read stories about how family members had no idea their loved ones were killers.

There was still the big question mark about the mystery man. “Cray.” If Carlita could find Cray, or at the very least figure out who he was, she might be on the trail to piecing together what happened that day at 2012 Gleason Street.

Carlita rolled over and found Pete was already out of bed. She caught him as he was heading out the door, on his way to the Flying Gunner to meet with his staff.

After he left, she poured herself a cup of coffee, grabbed a pen and began jotting notes:

- Who were the other tenants living in McCoy’s building at the time of his death? (Culpepper)

- Names of other bookies Cool Bones might remember. Question him about the mysterious “Cray.”

Logging onto the computer, she typed McCoy’s name in the search bar, her heart plummeting when she found a story released the previous day about the cold case investigation. The author told readers Charles Benson, aka Cool Bones, a prominent local musician, had been charged with the murder.

Scrolling to the comment section, she was glad to discover the replies were all supportive of Cool Bones, some who even knew him personally.

She finished scrolling and read several older stories, but couldn’t find anything that might be a clue.

Although it was still early, she grabbed her purse and made her way to Walton Square. With time to kill, she swung by the pawn shop.

Tony was in the back and seated at the desk. “Hey, Ma.”

“Hey, Son.” Carlita hugged him. “How’s business?”

“A little slow. We’ve officially entered the summer slump.”

“I’m sure things will pick up soon.”

“I’m thinking about running an ad in the local paper.” Tony handed her his iPad.

Carlita slid her reading glasses on and studied the screen. Front and center, in big bold letters, was the slogan, Swap and Shop in Savannah . The backdrop was a quaint, cozy store with a brick walkway. A pink and blue striped awning ran the length of the building. A tabby cat was curled up in the picture window.

“Catchy, huh?”

“I like it. I like the image. It evokes thoughts of small town coziness.”

“Thanks. Shelby helped me find the picture. I figured it was worth a try to drum up some business.”

“Good luck. I hope it works.”

“Me too.” Tony stood. “You heading to Ravello’s?”

“Shades of Ink.” Carlita told him about Mrs. Culpepper’s tattoo appointment and her plan to eavesdrop. “Steve’s gonna try to help.”

“Duke was in here yesterday,” Tony said. “He told me Cool Bones is down in the dumps.”

“I made an appointment to go visit him at the jail after listening in on what Culpepper has to say.” Carlita shifted her purse to her other arm. “I was wondering if I should call Shelby to see if she needs any help in getting ready for the baby’s arrival.”

“She’s all set. The only thing we need now is more room. You oughta see the apartment.”

“I saw it the other day when Mercedes and I took the baby gifts over after the shower. It’s packed.”

“Packed, cramped, stuffed. We’re packed in like sardines. I never realized babies needed so much stuff.”

“For such tiny humans, they require a lot of equipment,” she joked. “I haven’t given you and Shelby my gift for the baby.”

“You don’t have to Ma. You and Mercedes hosting the shower was enough.”

“But there is something else. Is Shelby around?”

“Yeah. She and Violet are hanging out at home today.”

Carlita twined her fingers. “This might work out perfectly. Can you see if she has time to meet us in the alley?”

“Sure.” Tony made the quick call, relaying the message and asking his wife to meet him and his mother. “She and Violet are on the way.”

With a quick word to his employee, he caught up with Carlita on the front sidewalk. Circling around, they joined Shelby and Violet, who stood waiting for them in the alley.

“I had hoped to have Pete and Mercedes here when I gave you your gift, but getting everyone together is next to impossible.”

Using her key, Carlita opened the storage room door, a room she’d cleared out and cleaned out months earlier in anticipation of the new project. She flipped the lights on and stepped aside. “Welcome home.”

Shelby stared in disbelief. “What is this?”

“More space,” Carlita said. “For you.”

Tony blinked rapidly, struggling to take it all in. “It looks like a brand new apartment.”

“Almost.” Carlita beamed, proud of what she and Bob Lowman had accomplished in a short amount of time. Working almost around the clock, he and his construction crew had transformed the space, creating three bedrooms and two full bathrooms with flex space to boot.

Some minor finishes were still needed—adding trim boards and installing ceiling fans and bathroom mirrors. The last step was connecting the new interior staircase to the upper level, a project Bob assured Carlita could be done with minimal disruption to the family.

“Nana has a new house,” Violet announced.

“ You have a new house,” Carlita corrected. “At least a partial addition. Go ahead. Look around.”

With tears in her eyes, Shelby grasped Violet’s hand. While the small family explored, Carlita stood near the door, watching them make their way from room to room.

Tony followed his wife and daughter back to the entrance. “How did you get this done so fast?”

“With a lot of careful planning, making sure I scheduled the construction well in advance.”

“No wonder you were pushing so hard for us to take a long vacation away from home.” Tony wagged his finger at his mother. “You had this planned all along.”

“Guilty as charged.” Carlita pointed to the stairs. “As you can see, the stairs are ready to go. As soon as the interior stairwell is connected, Bob will remove the alley stairs, making it a seamless transition.”

“We can fill this up, no problem,” Tony said.

“He had a good idea, if you’re interested.” She shared his suggestion, to tear out the wall between the existing living room and main bedroom, giving them additional family space on the upper level. “He already has it in his schedule and can complete it within a day or so.”

“Tomorrow?” Shelby asked. “Would tomorrow be too soon?”

“As soon as you’re ready.”

Violet flung her arms around Carlita. “This is the best baby present ever.”

“It’s a family gift for all of you…from Pete, me and Mercedes.”

“This must’ve cost an arm and a leg,” Tony said. “We have some cash set aside. Shelby and I can reimburse you for the cost.”

Carlita shook her head. “I still had our cut of the Marshland Isles’ diamond money and figured this was the perfect way to put the money to good use.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I can’t think of a single solitary thing I would rather spend it on.”

Tony, with tears in his eyes, hugged his mother. “Have I ever told you that you’re the best mother a son could ask for?”

A slow smile spread across Carlita’s face. “And I have the best bunch of kids and daughters-in-law on the planet, not to mention grandkids.”

“I better get back to work.”

Shelby hugged Carlita. “Thank you,” she whispered. “This is the best gift ever.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you live here for many years, making forever memories.”

“We will. I can promise you we will.”

Carlita watched her son and his family make their way to the alley. Tony’s steps were lighter and his back straighter, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. God had blessed her growing family beyond measure.

She trailed behind her family, heading to the Shades of Ink tattoo shop. It was time to find out if Eunice Culpepper could help. Leads were drying up and Carlita was growing concerned.