Chapter 31
After several stops in downtown Savannah, the group hit the open road, crossing Lazaretto Creek Bridge on their way to Tybee Island. Cruising on the back of Luigi’s motorcycle, Carlita closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air.
While she rode, she ran through the list of women who were part of the biker group.
Reyna ticked off all the boxes, similar in size to the person they’d caught on camera at the hospital.
What she needed now was to get a visual on the woman’s wrists and confirm whether she had a tattoo with wings and a heart.
So far, she’d kept them covered beneath her leather jacket and gloves. To be fair, so had the rest of the riders.
Crossing over the bridge, Carlita glimpsed the outskirts of the island. Clustered together were touristy gift shops and boutique stores.
They reached the Tybee Island Tourist Center and pulled into the parking lot, where Creed went inside to collect a donation check.
Paul waited for him to return. “It’s almost time for brunch. I say we stop at our usual hangout, Breakers Biker Bar.”
Elvira slid her sunglasses onto the top of her head. “I would love to loop the island, taking in the views along the shoreline.”
“Our riding group has done this tour dozens of times,” Luigi said. “There’s no perfect spot to stop.”
“Eighty and Chatham Avenue is about as close as we’ll get,” Dernice said.
“I didn’t pay big bucks to rent this chopper just to ride the highway. Where are we stopping for lunch?”
Paul repeated the name of the biker joint.
“I’ll meet you there.” Elvira fired up the engine and cruised out of the parking lot.
“We had better go with her,” Dernice said. “We’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”
Trailing behind Elvira, they hit the main road, driving all the way to the parking lot that offered limited beach access.
By the time they parked, Elvira was already standing at the water’s edge, snapping a selfie with her phone. She returned to where they sat waiting. “I learned a new trick with the chopper.”
“What?”
“I’ll show you.” She slid her helmet on and swung her leg over the side. “Watch and learn.”
She hit the gas and took off, stopping a few feet away. With a glance over her shoulder to make sure they were watching, Elvira gave it a burst of torque. The chopper’s front tire lifted off the pavement.
Vroom. It touched back down…a little too hard. The handlebars shook.
“Yikes!” Elvira yelped, struggling to maintain control.
Carlita watched in horror as the front tire wobbled. The chopper fell on its side. Elvira tumbled in the opposite direction, landing hard on the pavement.
Dernice scrambled off her bike and ran toward her. “Elvira!”
Hot on her heels, Carlita dropped to her knees. “Are you okay?”
“Got the wind knocked out of me.” Elvira leaned forward, propping up on one elbow. “The wheelie didn’t work out as planned.”
“Loose gravel,” Luigi said. “You never want to do a wheelie on loose gravel.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?” Elvira, with a hand up from her sister, slowly stood.
“Maybe because I didn’t know you were going to pull a dumb stunt like a wheelie, especially on a chopper.”
Wide-eyed panic replaced her grimace of pain. “The chopper. Did I scratch it?”
Luigi lifted it upright. “Looks okay to me.”
“Thank goodness. The rental shop charges an arm and a leg for damage.”
“You should save the chopper stunts until you have your own motorcycle,” Mercedes said.
“Believe me, I learned my lesson and won’t try it again.” Elvira swiped at her backside. “While we’re here, has anyone noticed the wings and heart tattoo on any of the women?”
“Nope, but I have an idea.” Carlita shared her plan.
“I’ll do it,” Mercedes volunteered. “How far are we from Breakers Biker Bar?”
“Not far.” Dernice tapped her sister’s shoulder. “No more showing off.”
“You won’t see me doing anymore wheelies. That chopper is a death trap.”
“Which is why you should know your limitations.”
Elvira cut her off. “Save the lecture.”
Mercedes made a timeout with her hands. “You two can snip and snipe at each other later. For now, we need to focus on figuring out who has a tattoo. My money is on Reyna. She fits the bill.”
“Mine too,” Carlita said. “The others are probably wondering what happened to us.”
Elvira, at a much slower cruising speed, took the lead. Thankfully, the bar was only a few blocks away. They arrived to find that the others had gone inside and were seated at a long table in the center of the bar.
A server with purple hair, a nose ring, and a neck full of tattoos hurried over and placed menus in front of them. “Hey, Luigi, Dernice.”
“Hey, Ellie.” Dernice greeted her. “How’s it going?”
“I kicked my old man out again.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s all good. Got a new roommate.” Ellie shared a few more tidbits, personal information Carlita would never in a million years share with others. “What can I get you?”
“I’ll have the triple chocolate milkshake,” Mercedes said. “Along with a BLT and French fries.”
“Gotcha.” Ellie winked. “A downright healthy meal, if I ever heard of one.”
She took the rest of the orders and sauntered off.
Carlita waited until she was gone. “To think I thought I had problems.”
“Ellie is a sweet soul, but to be honest, she makes some poor decisions.” Dernice shot her sister a sly side glance. “Not unlike someone else I know.”
“I make good decisions. Starting my own businesses, investing in real estate.”
“Your endless quest for riches, wasting time digging up parking lots,” Carlita chimed in.
Mercedes leaned to the side. “Which one is Reyna?” she whispered. “I want to make sure I target the right person, seeing how I won’t get a second chance.”
“At the end of the table, on the left. The skinny one with short hair,” Dernice whispered back.
The milkshakes and other drinks arrived first. Ellie carefully placed the chocolate shake in front of Mercedes. “Made this one myself.”
“Thank you, Ellie.” Mercedes twirled the straw around and slurped loudly. “It's perfect, nice and creamy.”
“The triple chocolate is my fave. Enjoy.” She finished emptying her tray, assuring them that the food would be out shortly.
Mercedes took another sip, casually eyeing the bikers at the other end of the long table. “I suppose I had better get to work.”
“Break a leg,” Elvira said.
“Dump a shake,” Carlita mumbled.
Mercedes shoved her chair back, grabbed her milkshake, and walked to the other end of the table. “My Ma and I wanted to thank you for letting us tag along.”
A seductive smile spread across Creed’s face. “You can ride with me anytime, babe.”
“Uh. Thank you, Creed.” Mercedes motioned to Reyna, who was sitting next to him. “I was admiring your leather jacket, thinking if I take up riding, I probably need to invest in one that offers better protection.”
“This is top of the line,” Reyna said. “Lucky Brand classic leather. See how it zips? It’s super soft. The downside is it’s dry clean only.”
“Do you mind?” Mercedes reached out with her free hand. “I have sensitive skin.”
“I bet you do,” Paul flirted.
Courtney kicked him under the table. “Watch it, clown. You’re treading on thin ice.”
“Your claws are showing, love.” Paul sneaked in a kiss.
Courtney’s frown softened. “I guess I deserved that.”
“After the Sonny mess,” he said. “God rest his soul.”
Mercedes ran a light hand across the lower sleeve. “This would be perfect. What brand is it again?”
“Lucky Brand.”
“We look like we’re about the same size,” Mercedes hinted.
“I would love to let you try it.” Reyna shivered. “But it’s cold in here.”
“No problem.” Mercedes had hoped to avoid the spill. Unfortunately, Reyna left her no choice. “Thanks for the tip.” She turned to go, clumsily bumping the corner of Creed’s chair. The milkshake slipped from her hand, spilling onto the sleeve of the woman’s leather jacket.
“What the…” Reyna sprang to her feet. It was too late; the damage was done. The cold, wet chocolate shake dripped down her sleeve and onto the floor. She cursed loudly. “You dumped the shake on purpose.”
“I-I’m so sorry,” Mercedes stammered. “Let me help you.” She grabbed a napkin off the table and dabbed at the sticky liquid, only making matters worse by spreading it.
“If you wipe it off with water, it should be okay.” Courtney started to stand.
Mercedes stopped her. “This is my fault. Let me help Reyna.”
Swearing under her breath, Reyna stomped off with Mercedes hurrying after her.
Carlita sprang from her chair. “Is everything all right?”
“I spilled my shake on Reyna’s leather jacket.”
Carlita scooted around the table and followed the women to the back.
Mother and daughter found Reyna standing at the sink attempting to remove the sweet, syrupy liquid.
“You’ll need to take the jacket off,” Carlita said. “I have a leather skirt at home. A dab of water and it will be as good as new.”
The woman reluctantly removed her jacket, revealing a heart tattoo with wings on each side, identical to the person who had sneaked in and out of Sonny Skidz's hospital room.
“What a pretty tattoo,” Mercedes said.
“Thanks, but don’t even think about touching it,” Reyna growled. “You’ve done enough.”
Carlita ignored the warning. “Hey, Mercedes. This one is similar to the tattoo you were thinkin’ about getting.”
“It is.” Mercedes removed her phone from her pocket. “Mind if I snap a picture?”
“As long as you don’t touch me.” Reyna, clearly aggravated by the mess Mercedes had created, barely flashed the tattoo and continued wiping chocolate off her sleeve. “I think I got it all.” She slipped the jacket back on. “Do me a favor.”
“What?”
“Stay away from me.” Reyna stormed out of the restroom, leaving Carlita and Mercedes behind.
“Well?” Mercedes asked. “Was that it?”
“I’m almost one hundred percent certain her tattoo is the same one, and in the same spot as the hooded figure who sneaked out of Sonny’s hospital room shortly before his death.”