Page 24

“I would love to tell you the answer is yes,” Arvid said. “Unfortunately, despite our extensive excavation and precise examination of what was found, we believe and have confirmed there is nothing else—no buried treasure, no buckets of doubloons to make you rich and famous.”

“Which is a roundabout way of telling us there’s nothing here,” Carlita bluntly replied.

“In a nutshell.”

“Having kicked around the site while your team was searching, I have to admit I’m not surprised,” Pete said. “Elvira won’t be happy.”

“To put it mildly,” Carlita said.

Arvid handed Pete a brown envelope. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t what we had hoped. Janet and I would like to thank you for your hospitality, for allowing us the opportunity to search the site and working with us to reach this disappointing conclusion.”

Pete glanced at the contents. “I have a question. Although there weren’t any significant findings, we noticed drag marks when we first blew the wall out, meaning at some point there was a smaller vessel right here, in this exact spot.”

“Without a doubt,” Janet nodded.

Pete shifted his gaze. “There could be more items, artifacts, pieces of history beyond these walls waiting to be recovered.”

“It’s possible,” Arvid agreed. “Would you like us to do some preliminary groundwork and determine the next step in excavating additional property?”

Carlita was tempted to add her two cents but kept quiet. It needed to be Pete’s decision…one she hoped he would realize wasn’t in their best interest, mainly because it would mean tearing up the restaurant’s parking lot, the courtyard, basically all the outdoor space for who knew how long.

It would be disruptive to his business, to his customers, and to them. Yet, it was a choice he might regret down the road. And Carlita didn’t want to be the one to talk him out of it if he wanted to continue searching.

She knew what Elvira would say. In fact, if Elvira was there, she would have already asked the question. Carlita was glad she wasn’t.

He cast his wife a questioning look.

“It’s up to you, Pete.” She rattled off the negatives. “On the flip side, you might always wonder if there was something on the property, some long-lost treasure or family history waiting to be discovered.”

“The decision is yours,” Arvid said. “Would our team be on board to keep going? The answer is a resounding yes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still thrilled about what they have found. But Carlita is right. It would be a major undertaking. We would have to restrict access to this entire property, affecting your business and livelihood.”

Pete rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll give it some thought,” he finally said. “For now, I thank you and your team for all the hard work. If I decide to pursue that avenue, I’ll let you know.”

Carlita hung around while her husband escorted Arvid and Janet upstairs. He joined her a short time later, a thoughtful expression on his face. She could tell he was torn. “It’s a big decision.”

“I’m thinking about how long it took them to work in this small area.” Pete shoved his hands in his pockets and spun in a slow circle. “Imagine the time, not to mention the level of disruption involved in excavating an area the size of our parking lot.”

“And beyond.”

Pete tapped the top of the envelope. “I say we hold off on telling anyone what we found out until after Elvira returns and we can give her the results in person.”

Carlita made a zipping motion across her lips. “My lips are sealed.”

He knelt on the ground, scooped up a handful of loose dirt and sifted it through his fingers. “It’s a relief to have it over. I suppose I should change the locks before Elvira gets home.”

“Because we both know she won’t accept the results and will want to do some digging herself.”

Pete slowly stood. “At least we have a few days of a reprieve. The calm before the storm.”

“Before the storm returns to Savannah.” Carlita slipped her arm through his. “I’ve been wondering, are you going to give me a hint about our special outing?”

“No. All you need to know is to dress comfortably, wear good walking shoes and maybe bring a jacket in case it gets chilly.”

“Will we be outdoors?”

Pete mulled over her question. “Yes, and no. Both indoors and outdoors.”

“Will it be something where I’ll want to take pictures?”

“Absolutely. It’s not often we get most of the family in the same place at the same time. In fact, I volunteer to be the official photographer.”

Carlita playfully punched him in the arm. “You’re not giving me good clues.”

“That inquisitive mind of yours never rests.” Pete kissed the top of her head. “It’s getting late. Time to get ready to head over to the meeting spot so you can find out what your surprise is.”

It didn’t take Carlita long to slip into a pair of comfortable stretch pants, a festive fall top, and casual walking shoes. Pete had a minor emergency he needed to handle downstairs in the restaurant and took off, promising he wouldn’t be long.

After he left, Carlita thought about the compact with Lindsay’s fingerprints and wondered how Dernice’s contact was doing on verifying a match. Hopefully, she would have good news when she caught up with them for the outing.

While she waited, she pulled up the surveillance videos from the pawn shop’s break-in. Carlita zoomed in on the person scaling the wall. They disappeared before reappearing, nimbly balancing both feet on the brick exterior. All the while, they kept a tight grip on the rope and drainpipe, traveling down until they lost their grip and fell the rest of the way.

She hit the pause button when their accomplice, also clad in dark clothes, approached the side of the building.

Carlita hit the play button again. The bulkier of the two shoved the rope into their backpack. Although the burglar who fell had a noticeable limp, they moved at a quick clip, disappearing into the dark night, heading toward Elvira’s place.

“Sorry it took so long.” Pete strode down the hall and stepped in behind his wife.

Carlita’s pulse ticked up a notch when he got closer, breathing in his cologne—her favorite—a woodsy masculine scent with a hint of citrus. “You smell nice,” she murmured.

“Thank you.” He nuzzled her neck. “You smell nice too.”

“I spritzed on your favorite perfume.” Carlita shifted, wrapping her arms around him. Their eyes met. “I love you, Pete Taylor, more than you’ll ever know.”

“I love you, Carlita.” He lifted her hand and kissed the top. “You compliment me in every way. You don’t know how many times I’ve thanked God he convinced you to give a salty old pirate a chance.”

“And you gave a mobster’s wife a chance, even after finding out about the skeletons in my closet, knowing more could pop up at any time.”

“It keeps our life interesting, doesn’t it?” Pete teased. “The pirate’s life for a former mobster’s wife.”

“Exciting in spades.” Carlita turned the computer off and reached for her jacket. “We had better get going. It’s almost three.”

“Almost time for an exciting afternoon with the whole gang…and maybe more.”

“Maybe more what?”

Pete pressed a finger to his wife’s lips. “If I told you now, it would ruin the surprise.”

On the way out, Carlita turned the table lamp on. Because it was such a nice day and they didn’t have far to go, the couple walked the short distance to Ravello’s. During the stroll, they talked about the fundraiser and how thrilled they were for Steve and Paisley.

At the intersection, Pete and Carlita crossed the street, passing by Annie Dowton’s real estate office. After checking for traffic, they crossed again.

Up ahead, Carlita could see her sons and their families, along with Mercedes, Sam, Luigi, and Dernice, standing there.

As they drew closer, she noticed several others. She abruptly stopped in her tracks. “Is that who I think it is?”

“Yep,” Pete beamed. “Believe it or not, I almost didn’t pull this off.”