“Brave or crazy,” Dernice hissed under her breath.
Elvira’s head whipped around. “What did you say?”
“Nothing. I’m talking to myself.”
“I know you've got this under control, but if you want, I can give you a few pointers,” Luigi said.
“I-uh. Yeah. Sure.” Elvira’s cocky confidence quickly faded.
“A chopper bike is built for a relaxed ride.” Luigi held imaginary handlebars and leaned back. “Remember…body leaning back but hands gripping forward.”
“Like this?” Elvira struck a pose.
“You got it. The gearing is a little different too.” He went into a lengthy explanation of the difference between a standard motorcycle and a custom chopper.
Finally, Elvira cut him off. “I got it. I get it. The only way I’m gonna figure this out is if I ride.”
“Fire ‘er up.” Dernice rubbed her palms together. “This, I gotta see.”
Elvira reached for the ignition switch. “Before I forget, Yvonne’s gone.”
“The woman who got sick at Ravello’s and hinted she might sue me no longer works for you?”
“Correct.” Elvira tipped her hand in a downward motion. “I fired her. Caught her sleeping on the job, literally. She won’t be suing you either.”
“How do you know?”
“Because we cut a deal. I told her I would pay her final check and not dock her for snoozing on the job if she stopped threatening to sue you.”
Carlita pressed her hands to her chest. “Do you think she’ll change her mind?”
“No way. I got some other dirt on her, too. She would be an idiot to pursue a lawsuit.”
“Thank you, Elvira.”
“No problem.” She tugged on her helmet’s strap. “That’s what besties are for. To help each other.”
“The good news is we’ve narrowed it down to a single goal…figuring out who the hooded figure was at the hospital,” Mercedes said.
Dernice tapped the top of her watch. “We have a little less than ten minutes before we need to leave if we want to get to the fairgrounds by nine.”
“I’ll take a couple of spins around the block, and then we can ride.” Flipping the ignition switch, Elvira fired up the engine. She twisted the handlebar grip, revving the motor.
With the kickstand up, she gave it a little gas. The chopper lurched forward. Elvira’s head snapped back so fast, Carlita was certain she’d given herself whiplash.
“Whoa.”
“Go easy on the throttle,” Luigi advised. “Like I said, the choppers are geared a little differently than the Harleys and other motorcycles.”
“You should’ve warned me,” she griped.
“I. Never mind.” Luigi shook his head. “All I can say is ease into the ride.”
“Here goes nothing.”
Carlita held her breath, watching as Elvira squeezed the throttle. Off she went at a decent clip all the way to the end of the alley. She tapped the brakes and checked for traffic before veering right and disappearing around the corner.
“She’s going a little fast for her first time,” Mercedes said.
