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“It’s a raffle ticket.” Carlita took the ticket from her husband. “A hundred bucks says this is from our fundraiser.”

“Hey.” Dernice and the cops appeared at the top of the stairs. “We thought we lost you.”

“We noticed this wedged under a shingle.” Carlita held it up.

“I’m by no means an expert on criminals, although admittedly I’ve been around more than my share,” Dernice said. “I have to say, this has to be one of the most bungled burglaries I’ve ever seen. The perps are leaving clues all over the place.”

“It’s beginning to look that way,” Carlita said. “They break into the pawn shop through a window to nowhere. They come over here, get caught on the vent duct and then leave a ticket on the roof.”

“Does Elvira have a safe downstairs?” Pete asked.

“Yeah.” Dernice told them she and the cops had already checked it out. “It probably wouldn’t hurt to take another look around. For all we know, these clowns may have left more clues behind.”

Officer Jonkers removed a tissue from her pocket and held it out. “I’ll need to hang onto the raffle ticket. It could be potential evidence.”

Carlita hesitated. “Before you confiscate it, I want to snap a photo to see if I can confirm this is from Steve’s fundraiser.” Using her cell phone, she took a picture of the front and back.

Officer Thryce, who had left to take a look around, reappeared. “From what I can tell, it doesn’t look like the burglars bothered with the other rooms up here. What else is in this building besides offices?”

“Our home. My sister and I live here.”

The group returned to the first floor. “I’ll show you our apartment.” Dernice and the officers strolled out of the office area and into the back.

Pete glanced at the open laptop sitting on Elvira’s desk. “While we wait, let’s take another look at the surveillance recording.”

Carlita peered over his shoulder, watching the burglars check out the front of Elvira’s building. “Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but don’t you think it’s odd how instead of busting out a window on the ground level, the burglars kept going up to the second floor?”

“It does seem unusual,” Pete agreed. “They appear to be in good physical condition, at least the one who scaled the wall is.”

“Almost athletic,” Carlita murmured. “Clearly, they noticed the cameras. One of them looked directly at it.”

“Noticed, but didn’t care.”

“Because they knew no one was around.”

Muffled voices grew louder. Dernice and the cops reappeared. “The place is clean. Whoever got in either didn’t want to bother spending the time tearing the place apart or got spooked and left in a hurry.”

“Or couldn’t find anything worth stealing.” Jonkers glanced at her watch. “My partner and I need to finish writing our reports. We’ll be back to wrap things up.”

Dernice escorted them out. She caught up with Pete and Carlita, who were still standing near Elvira’s desk. “I gotta admit, this has me scratching my head. I mean, they didn’t steal any electronics or computers. They didn’t touch the petty cash drawer.”

“They didn’t get anything from the pawn shop either,” Carlita said. “Although if they had actually broken into the store, they would have found some goods worth stealing.”

The officers reappeared. They gave Dernice a copy of their preliminary report and asked her to let them know if she found anything else missing, disturbed, or if other potential clues surfaced before leaving.

Carlita stifled a yawn. “It’s way past my bedtime. I say we call it a day.”

Dernice trailed behind and followed them out onto the sidewalk. “I texted Luigi while we were waiting. He’s gonna come over and hang out tonight in case the burglars decide to come back.”

“It’s always best to be cautious, especially knowing they’re still out there somewhere,” Carlita said. “I’m going to drop by Ken’s store tomorrow. I’ll let you know if I find anything out.”

“What about the ticket?” Dernice asked.

She patted her pocket. “I have a photo. I’ll run by Shades of Ink while I’m at it to see if there’s a match.”

“I’m sure Jonkers or Thryce will do the same,” Pete said. “I would suggest leaving the investigation to the police, but I might as well save my breath.”

“It bothers me to think someone from the fundraiser had the nerve to bust into Walton Square businesses while we were helping Steve and Paisley.”

“It’s definitely a scummy move.” Dernice let them out the front door and locked it behind them.

During their walk home, Carlita mulled over the clues. By all accounts, the burglars were not professionals. Not by a longshot. She could understand why the pawn shop was targeted, possibly even the grocery store, but why Elvira’s place?

“Do you think…” Her voice trailed off.

“Think what?” Pete prompted.

“Nothing. I’m thinking out loud. It’s so far out there, I don’t even know if it makes sense.”

“About the burglaries?”

“Yeah. I’m trying to figure out why they targeted Elvira’s place.”

“Because it was only a stone’s throw away from the pawn shop and they thought—what the heck…we’re already here, we might as well try breaking in there too,” Pete said. “What’s your theory?”

“You know how obsessed Elvira is with finding treasure. Maybe she’s been bragging about it to the wrong people. They broke in to see if they could find anything,” Carlita said.

“It’s a thought. Definitely a possibility,” Pete said. “We know why the pawn shop was hit.”

“And maybe even Colby’s if they were looking for quick cash, booze, cigarettes, or lottery tickets, like Officer Jonkers pointed out.”

The couple reached the Parrot House Restaurant, which had long since closed for the day.

“I’m going to take a quick look around outside, just to be sure we weren’t targeted too.”

“I’ll wait here,” Carlita said.

“Actually.” Pete unlocked the door. “I would feel better if you waited inside.”

Touched by her husband’s concern, Carlita bounced on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “Have I told you lately how much I love you, Pete Taylor?”

“I believe so. But I never get tired of hearing it.” He gave her a playful pat on the back. “I’m sure Rambo is itching to stretch his legs. I’ll give a holler as soon as I’m finished. We’ll walk him together.”

“Be careful.” Carlita reached the top of the stairs and found her pup waiting near the door. “I know you’re raring to go out, but we gotta wait for Pete.”

Heavy footsteps echoed. Her husband appeared. “I’m ready.”

“Well?” Carlita and Rambo followed him down the steps and into the yard.

“All is well on the home and restaurant front,” Pete reported. “Hopefully, the burglars didn’t target anyone else at the fundraiser.”

“I’ll check around in the morning.” Carlita’s eyelids drooped. “I’m whupped.”

“Me too. Let’s call it a day.”

Back inside, the couple took turns getting ready for bed. Pete finished first. Carlita wasn’t far behind. She tiptoed into the bedroom and found him stretched out in their bed, his eyes closed and sound asleep.

As quietly as possible, she turned his bedside lamp off, crept over to her side, and slid under the covers.

Despite being exhausted, her thoughts were racing, hopscotching from the fundraiser to the break-in at the pawn shop to Dernice getting stuck in the air vent.

She thought about Elvira and wondered if the burglars broke into her place looking for treasure. One thing was certain, whoever they were, they knew, or at least suspected, no one was around, leaving the businesses wide open and easy marks. Except for the surveillance cameras. Elvira had more surveillance equipment than Fort Knox. Savannah Swag had almost as much, yet it hadn’t deterred the burglars.

There was something about the break-ins that wasn’t sitting right with Carlita, although she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

Perhaps tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep and a little investigation, she could glean additional clues. First on the list was figuring out if the raffle ticket was from the fundraiser. If so, they might be able to nail the burglars before they struck again.