Page 25 of Family Ties and Alibis

Got a small situation down here. The text from Elvira popped up early the next morning.

Carlita snatched her cell phone from the stand and frowned at the screen.

“What is it?” Pete asked.

“Elvira.”

“I was just thinking that even though we’ve only been gone a couple of days, she’s been strangely quiet.”

“Me too.” Carlita poured another cup of coffee before dialing her number.

Elvira picked up right away. “Hey, Carlita. How’s the vacay? Did Vinnie ask about me?”

“The vacation has been…somewhat eventful, and yes, Vinnie wondered why you and Dernice couldn’t make it.”

“You told him I wanted to, but I didn’t have anyone to cover for me, right?”

“I told him you were disappointed. He said maybe next time.” She changed the subject. “You mentioned a situation.”

“It’s kind of a long story.”

“Great,” Carlita groaned. “What happened?”

“Remember how I mentioned ordering a concrete repair kit to fix the cracks in my basement wall?”

“Yes, and I told you that you should call a professional concrete repair company to make sure it’s done correctly.”

“The kit got here yesterday. I figured since I already paid for it, I might as well give it a shot.”

“It didn’t work out as planned.”

“No.” Elvira’s voice grew garbled, and Carlita couldn’t make out what she was trying to say. “You made it worse.”

“Unfortunately.” The woman went into a lengthy description of the events that had transpired. “I kept trying to chip away at the loose stuff. The YouTube professional I watched said to make sure all the loose cement was cleaned out before repairing the crack. The more I brushed it away, the worse it got.”

“Where was Rambo while all of this was taking place?”

“Right by my side. He’s sitting here with me now. He’s a good dog.”

“I had a dream last night I was walking him on the Boardwalk,” Carlita said.

“He’s doing fine with me,” Elvira said. “By the way, how is your foot?”

“Getting better. I’ve graduated to a knee scooter.”

“Cool. I think he still feels bad about what happened.”

“How do you know?”

“Every time I mention your name, his ears droop and he gets the saddest look on his furry little face. Carlita. He’s doing it right now.”

Carlita could hear another voice in the background. “Is that Dernice?”

“Yeah. She’s listening to our conversation. I have her on standby in case I need her to confirm that what I’m about to tell you is the honest to goodness truth.”

“So…back to your hairline crack repair job. You kept getting more concrete debris,” Carlita prompted.

“I figured I might as well mix the concrete, put it in the caulk gun and shoot it into the crack,” Elvira said. “I filled the gun and tried putting it in the crack, but the tip was too big, so I began wiggling it around, and that’s when it happened.”