Chapter 9
Carlita’s phone started blowing up with text messages from both Tony and Arnie before she finished her first cup of coffee the following morning.
She phoned Arnie first, figuring it was too early to have an issue with a customer considering the restaurant wouldn’t be open for a couple more hours. He picked up almost immediately. “Hey, Carlita. I’m sorry to bother you this early.”
“It’s okay, Arnie. What’s going on?”
“The cops just left. They were asking a bunch of questions about what happened at Luigi and Dernice’s party.
While they were here, they took samples of the food we served.
” Arnie told her they also asked to speak with the owner.
“I told ‘em you would be in later. The cops were pretty tight-lipped. Is it true? Did the guy who went to the hospital die?”
“He did. Elvira and I visited him last night. He seemed to be doing better, but while we were there, he took a turn for the worse and went into cardiac arrest.”
“No kidding.” Arnie’s voice grew muffled. “I have more bad news. A bunch of reporters are standing on the sidewalk out front.”
“News reporters are in front of Ravello’s right now?”
“Yeah. I left the lights off and plan to keep a low profile until you tell me what you want me to do.”
“Tony sent a text. He must’ve noticed them too.”
“I’m sure he has. Their vans are parked all along the front of the building. Judging by how they’re settling in, I’m guessing they were tipped off and aren’t going anywhere until they get a story.”
“Crud. Stay low for now. I need to make a few phone calls.”
“Will do. As long as they don’t block the alley out back, we shouldn’t have a problem with the kitchen staff getting to work.”
“If they block the alley, call the cops and report them for trespassing.”
“You want me to do it now?”
“As much as I would like nothing more than to get rid of them, the sidewalks are public property.” Carlita promised to keep him in the loop.
Her next call was to her son. “Hey, Tony. I just got off the phone with Arnie. He said there are a bunch of news crews parked out front.”
“I told ‘em to move along and threatened to call the cops. They’re not budging. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot we can do unless they trespass.”
“Arnie and I had a similar conversation.” Carlita filled him in on what had taken place at the hospital ending with Sonny’s unexpected demise.
“Wow. He’s dead.”
“Elvira’s employee is also hinting at suing me.”
“When it rains, it pours.”
“No kidding,” Carlita said. “I’ll get dressed and head your way. Let me call Mercedes to give her a heads-up. I’ll also touch base with Elvira to see if she’s heard anything else.”
“Let me know if I can help.”
Carlita promised she would and started to dial her daughter’s number but changed her mind. Mercedes wasn’t an early bird but more of a late riser, which meant she was probably still asleep.
She dialed EC Security Services’ number instead.
“EC Security. Dernice speaking.”
“Good morning, Dernice. It’s Carlita. Some local news crews are parked out in front of the pawn shop and Ravello’s. I was wondering if you or Elvira had an update on Sonny’s death.”
“Elvira tried calling the hospital earlier. They refused to give her any information because she’s not family.”
“I suppose they wouldn’t.” Carlita shifted the phone to her other ear. “I wonder who tipped off the local news stations.”
“Elvira told me what Yvonne said, how she was feeling better but hinting she might turn what happened to her into a major issue.”
“By suing Ravello’s.”
“Yep. I don’t know her very well, but I can see her hiring an attorney and calling the local news.”
“Great,” Carlita moaned. “Could be she thinks contacting the local news channels and turning it into a story will help her legal case.”
“I’m sorry this happened. To be honest, something isn’t adding up. If Sonny had food poisoning and was starting to get better, why did he suddenly have a heart attack?”
“That’s an excellent question. I wish I knew the answer, although we don’t know for sure it was a heart attack. The hospital employee mentioned it, but this wasn’t a confirmed cause of death.”
“You want me to have Elvira call you?”
“Only if she has an update. I need to handle the reporters ASAP. Having them parked in front of the restaurant is bad for business.” Carlita thanked her and hustled to the bathroom to get ready.
Hitting the shower first, she lathered up, wondering how the man had died.
Maybe he suffered from a severe allergic reaction.
They misdiagnosed it as food poisoning, and it somehow affected his heart.
It was possible…anything was possible at this point.
Making quick work of dressing and fixing her hair, Carlita was down the steps and out the door in record time. Taking a shortcut through the back alley, she showed up at the restaurant’s rear entrance along with the employees who were arriving for their shift.
Arnie must’ve been watching for her because as soon as she stepped into the kitchen, he rushed over. “They’re still out front.”
Carlita cast a wary gaze in that direction. “At least they’re not blocking the alley.”
“I saw one of the reporters, a guy who does the evening news, stroll past a few minutes ago. He kept going. Any news on Mr. Skidz’s death?”
“No. I talked to Dernice, who was going to track Elvira down. She promised to call if she had an update. I haven’t heard, so I guess not.” Carlita told him Elvira had contacted the hospital. “They refused to give her any information because she’s not family.”
Arnie tapped the top of his watch. “We don’t have long before we open for lunch.”
“I would like the news crews to be long gone before customers arrive.” Carlita squared her shoulders. “I might as well deal with them sooner rather than later.”
“You want me to go with you?”
“I appreciate the offer. I’ll handle it.” With her head held high, she strolled out of the kitchen, through the dining room and to the front entrance. Sucking in a breath, Carlita unlocked the door and stepped onto the sidewalk.
Almost instantly she was surrounded by reporters, shoving microphones in her face and camera crews moving in for a close-up. “Can I help you?”
“We’re looking for Carlita Taylor, the owner of this restaurant.”
“I’m Carlita Taylor.”
“My colleagues and I found out Savannah city employee, Sonny Skidz, attended a party here yesterday. He became ill and was rushed to the hospital where he later died.”
Carlita’s mind went blank. “M-Mr. Skidz worked for the city?” she stammered.
“In the tax collector’s office.”
“He attended a party, became ill and went to the hospital, but he was recovering from his illness,” she said. “What he consumed here at my restaurant did not cause his death.”
The reporter standing closest to her pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. “Another attendee, I believe her name was Yvonne Grasslyn, also became violently ill.”
“And has recovered.”
“I have a printout of a recent GCHD, Georgia Coastal Health Department, inspection report. Ravello’s was issued several violations.”
Carlita could feel the tips of her ears burn. “Ravello’s received recommendations for minor issues.”
The reporter slipped his glasses on. “Packaged and unpackaged food separation, specifically margarine stored on an uncovered shelf.”
“Because my kitchen crew was using it,” Carlita said.
“Raw meat uncovered.”
“Also in the process of being prepped for lunch.”
“Regardless, your last restaurant score was in the low 90s, not exactly a stellar inspection report.” The reporter began firing off questions so fast that Carlita struggled to keep up.
It quickly became clear that the reporters were on the hunt for a scandalous breaking news story.
Regardless of the circumstances, Ravello’s and Carlita would be painted in the worst possible light.
“I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“This is public property.”
“And you are borderline harassing me,” she snapped. “Leave or I’m calling the police.”
The news crews reluctantly packed up their equipment and left. Carlita returned inside and walked straight into the kitchen.
The staff glanced in her direction, talking in hushed voices. Arnie motioned for her to join him in the back office. “I take it from the look on your face it didn’t go well.”
“The guy who died, Sonny Skidz, worked for the city.”
Arnie’s eyes grew round as saucers. “No kidding. Did you know that?”
“Not until about ten minutes ago.” Carlita placed her hand on her forehead. “I’m not sure how much worse this could get. The reporter had a copy of a recent restaurant inspection and mentioned several violations.”
“All minor issues which were easily addressed.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t believe the local channels will paint Ravello’s in a positive light. Scandal sells. We have a dead city worker and Elvira’s employee who is hinting at hiring a lawyer.”
“I’m sorry this has all come down on you,” Arnie apologized. “You’re a wonderful person, Carlita, and it was a thoughtful gesture for you to throw a party for Dernice and Luigi.”
“It sure backfired, didn’t it?”
“This too shall pass.”
“Is the food from the party still on the shelves?”
“It is. Like I mentioned earlier, the cops took samples. After they left, I made sure to put the storage containers back in the same spot.” A dull thud echoed. “I better get back in the kitchen.”
Carlita settled in at the desk to go over payroll and run a profit-and-loss statement. Sales were up, and an employee bonus was in the works. Her gut told her as soon as the story hit the local news, business would tank.
There was also the troubling thought that Elvira’s employee might follow through on her threat and hire an attorney.
After finishing, she tracked down the photos she’d taken during the party, everyone laughing and having fun. Luigi and Dernice looked so happy.
Despite not having met each of the guests, she could easily pick out which ones were part of the Thursday Riding Club. They all wore a patch on their leather jackets—a chrome chopper bike with a skeleton rider.
She paused when she found a photo of Creed, the man who had been injured during a recent group ride. Carlita thought about the story she’d heard, how Creed accused Sonny’s brother of causing his accident.
Were there still hard feelings and bad blood? Creed could’ve died because of the crash, a crash he blamed on Sonny’s brother. What if Creed was angry enough to poison Sonny because of his accident?
Carlita finished flipping through the photos. She made her way to the walk-in refrigerator to track down the pan of Alfredo. Placing it on the counter, she lifted the lid and leaned in for a tentative sniff. The faint aroma of almonds lingered.
Using an empty glass jar, she scooped up a large spoonful of the food and placed it inside the jar before screwing the lid on.
Quick steps echoed. Mercedes appeared. “Hey, Ma. Tony told me about the reporters showing up. How did it go?”
Carlita gave her a brief rundown of the confrontation. “While they were interviewing me, one of them mentioned Sonny Skidz worked for the city, in the tax collector’s office.”
“So we’ll for sure make the evening news.”
“Without a doubt.” Carlita unscrewed the lid and held the jar out. “Does this fettuccine Alfredo smell funny to you?”
Mercedes sniffed it. “It smells like almonds.”
“That’s what I was thinking. I didn’t put almonds in the fettuccine.”
An odd look crossed her daughter’s face. “I do a lot of criminal research for my mafia books, including researching poisons. Cyanide can smell like bitter almonds.”