Page 48 of Family Ties and Alibis

Carlita shook her head in amazement. “It sounds like a lucrative business model.”

“Without a doubt. Running all these Atlantic City casinos takes a ton of manpower and womanpower. Time is money.”

Young Vinnie started to fuss. “We had better head home,” Brittney said.

“I’m gonna check in with the manager on duty and call it a day.” Vinnie gazed at the others still seated at the table. “Thanks for offering to help.”

“That’s what family is for.” Tony flexed his muscles. “We’re in this together.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to figure out who killed Sal and attacked you,” Paulie promised.

Tears welled up in Carlita’s eyes. Family. This is what it was all about. Luigi was a part of the Garlucci clan and had their backs whenever needed, the same as they’d done for him.

Somehow, this felt a little different. Maybe because Carlita was in unfamiliar territory. Atlantic City was a far cry from home. Granted, they had their share of crimes and concerns, along with oodles of visitors who came to visit historic Savannah, not unlike here.

In her eyes, the difference was directly related to the type of visitor. Money and high stakes were the name of the game in Atlantic City, attracting not only those who were looking for a getaway but also a criminal element.

She knew beneath the glitz and glam lurked a sinister side. Perhaps Sal had tangled with the wrong people or person. Had he inadvertently made an enemy, maybe even passed counterfeit bills to someone who found out and sought revenge?

Who was the mysterious Ms. X, a woman claiming Carlita was the “Godmother?” Hopefully, Mercedes and Gina could figure out who Sal’s girlfriend was.

Despite being thrilled they had a plan, she had serious concerns, namely that her daughter and daughter-in-law were chasing after a killer. A final nagging thought kept returning. What if the person was right under Vinnie’s nose, pretending to be his friend? The bottom line was Carlita trusted Tommy Castellini as far as she could throw him.

Pete waited for the table to clear and wheeled her knee scooter over to her chair. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. Just thinking.”

“About tomorrow?”

“Mm. Hmm. On one hand, I hope Gina and Mercedes uncover clues about Sal’s girlfriend and who might be behind his death.”

“And on the other?”

“I’m almost afraid of what they’ll find.” Carlita slid her knee onto the padded seat. “It might make Vinnie’s situation even worse than it is.”

“You could be right. Either way, I have a hunch we’ll figure this out, Godmother Garlucci.”

Chapter 20

“Are you ready for this?” Gina nervously tugged on the collar of her blouse, peering at her reflection in Quick Cash Casino’s mirrored entrance door.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Waiting tables can’t be much different from running around serving complimentary drinks,” Mercedes said. “I remember you waiting tables back in the day, but how long ago was it?”

“Before the triplets were born, give or take a year.”

Mercedes patted her sister-in-law’s shoulder. “It’s like riding a bike. You’ll pick it back up in no time. All you gotta do is jot down their order, get the drink from the bar and drop it off.”

“After finding them if they hop from machine to machine,” Gina pointed out.

“True. I suppose this will be the most challenging part. Who did Alec from the temp service say we were looking for?”

“Jimmy somebody.”

Mercedes glanced at the slip of paper she’d used to jot down the man’s name. “Jimmy Grimaldi.” Taking the lead, she stepped inside the smoke-filled lobby. Making a sharp right, they strolled into the gaming area.

“Over there.” Gina motioned toward the rewards center counter. “Alec told us the offices were on the other side of the rewards center.”

Zigzagging past the tables and a bank of slot machines, the women circled around a long line of people waiting to be helped. They arrived at a double set of metal doors with a small “employees only” sign above them.