Chaos in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law Mystery/Romance Series) (13 page)

“I know. I just wish the ‘right thing’ wasn’t the exact opposite of what I want to be doing.” She gave Sabine a small smile before slipping out the back door.

Sabine locked the door behind Maryse and prepared two cups of tea, slipping in a little extra root for relaxation. She had a feeling both of them were going to need it.

Helena hadn’t moved since they’d left the room, which was almost disconcerting in itself. Normally, unless the ghost was eating, she didn’t sit still for very long. Sabine put the tea on the table beside her along with a container of sweetener and a spoon.

“I hope you like green tea,” Sabine said as she took a seat across from the ghost.

Helena nodded. “I didn’t figure I would because it’s supposed to be good for you, but I like the taste. There’s a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have liked when I was alive, but I never would give them a chance.”

“Does that bother you?” Sabine asked.

“Of course it bothers me. If you died and found out you’d wasted your life on bullshit that didn’t matter and being angry and bitter, wouldn’t it bother you?”

“I suppose I would have to take into account why I lived the way I did and make an honest assessment of how easily I could have changed things. Your life wasn’t an easy one, Helena. I know most people think because you had money that it was or should have been, but they didn’t live with your father. You had that one evil man feeding you garbage from the time you were a small child. Surely you don’t blame yourself for his abuse?”

Helena shook her head, a sad look on her face. “No. You can’t blame a child for their situation, but my father also died when I was a child. So what was my excuse then?”

“Well, for starters, no one got you the help you needed after his death, and someone should have.”

Helena shrugged. “No one knew how it was inside those walls.”

“The servants knew. Someone could have spoken up.”

“But they didn’t. After he died, the only thing people came to see me about was trying to get money.”

“Exactly,” Sabine said. “Which made you even more cynical and closed to relationships. Why wouldn’t you be? You had yet to encounter someone who was interested in you and not your money.”

Helena scrunched her brow. “I guess I hadn’t looked at it that way. I suppose it explains why I made the decisions I did, but it doesn’t excuse them.”

“I don’t think I’m trying to. You didn’t do anything illegal or ethically wrong.”

“Tell that to all the people I offended.”

“Offending someone is not automatically an ethics issue.”

“Even if I mean to?”

“Even if you mean to.” Sabine studied her for a moment, then asked the question she’d been longing to. “If your life here was so unfulfilling, then why did you come back?”

“I guess it doesn’t make much sense when you look at it that way, does it?” Helena sighed. “I know this is going to sound stupid, but I don’t think my life here really began until I died.”

“Why do you think that is?” Sabine had a good idea what the answer would be, but she wanted to hear Helena say it—to know that the ghost had processed that emotional information.

“Because I finally cared about someone other than myself. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I always looked out for Maryse because I promised her mother I would. Her mother was probably the only person I ever had a semblance of a real relationship with when I was alive. When I came back, things weren’t easy, especially with people coming after you, Maryse, and Raissa, but for the first time in my life, I formed relationships with people. Relationships that mattered.”

Helena shook her head and gave Sabine a sad look. “Except that it wasn’t really the first time in my life, was it? Because I was already dead.”

“Is that why you came back?”

“I guess so. I had this overwhelming feeling that I wasn’t done with this life. I know I mostly make everyone miserable, but I missed all of you. I thought if I returned, I could help make your lives better…you know, to try to make up for all the trouble I caused. But I just seem to create more trouble.”

Sabine raised an eyebrow. She didn’t doubt Helena’s sincerity at that moment, but the ghost had to know that a lot of her actions would cause trouble. Still, accusing her of being a troublemaker didn’t seem like the right course. Helena may be old and dead, but she seemed to have the emotional maturity of a child. Maybe it was as simple as her actions being either those of a bored, spoiled child or a cry for attention.

“I think the problem is an imbalance of assets,” Sabine said.

“What do you mean?”

“You came back but you can’t have a normal life with a job, or charitable work. Only a handful of people can see you, but we all have our own lives and can’t contribute to yours on a full-time basis. There’s a lot of weight on a handful of people to provide you with a life, and as they shy away more and more from the pressure of it, you get increasingly pushier.”

Helena opened her mouth, then shut it and frowned. Finally, she spoke. “I’m not going to agree with you, but let’s just say you were right. What can I do about it?”

“You could start with actually being helpful when people need help. I understand that sometimes the situations get out of control and you panic, but fiascoes like what happened at the beauty shop today could be avoided.”

Helena crossed her arms in front of her chest. “They were talking smack about Maryse.”

“I understand how that made you angry, but your actions caused problems for Jadyn and Colt. And you know as well as I do that Maryse and Jadyn couldn’t care less what those old biddies say.”

“That’s true. So are you saying I need a job?”

“Maybe not a job in the usual sense, but a purpose. Something to focus your energy and time on. The bottom line is that if you’re going to stay here, you’ve got to get a life—your own life, or you’re going to make yourself and everyone else crazy.”

“We’re all already crazy, but I get what you’re saying.”

“Good. So I want you to think about what you can do to make a difference. I know you have some unusual limitations, but you also have unusual abilities. Find a way to work around one and use the other.”

Helena narrowed her eyes at Sabine. “When did you get so smart?”

Sabine blushed. “I’ve been taking some long-distance courses in mental health. I thought it would be a good way for me to better understand my clientele.”

“Since your clientele is a bunch of crazy people, sounds like a solid plan.” Helena hesitated for a moment, then spoke once more. “Thanks.”
 

She looked down after saying it. No surprise there. Sabine knew how hard it was for Helena to admit her flaws, much less thank someone. She’d spent her whole life paying for what she wanted and expecting no blowback. This living-dead thing she had going now was the exact opposite of the way she’d been able to manipulate everything to her advantage before.

“Hey,” Helena said, “I don’t suppose you’ve got a snack to go with this tea?”

Sabine smiled.

And she’s back.

###

Jadyn was a mixture of emotions as she parked in front of the hotel. Professionally, she was tired, disappointed, and apprehensive. Personally, she was energized, excited, and apprehensive. It was an oddly euphoric and depressing feeling, all at the same time, and both caused by men. Clifton being the depressing one and Colt in charge of the euphoria.
 

He’d actually kissed her. Just like that. Like they were a regular couple at the end of a date. And he was worried about her. Granted, Colt would worry about anyone he thought was at risk, but she doubted he kissed everyone he thought was in danger. At least, she hoped he didn’t. So what did it mean? Or was it another one of his spur-of-the-moment actions that he’d pretend hadn’t happened the next time she saw him?

Stupid.
 

Worrying over romantic possibilities when she ought to be concentrating on her job or the situation with Helena—things she had more control over. Well, maybe Helena didn’t fall into that category.

She pushed open the front door to the hotel and saw Mildred sitting at the front desk.

“You working late?” Jadyn asked.

“Just a little. I had some interruptions today and got behind on the pay-per-view billings.” She picked up a sheet of paper and grimaced. “You don’t even want to know what half of those men are watching.”

“You’re the one selling it,” Jadyn pointed out.

“I buy the service from a provider, but yeah, I see your point. Maybe I’ll see if they can offer me a cleaner option. That whole deer steak situation bothers me a bit. I don’t want my hotel to get a reputation for being one of those seedy cheat-on-your-wife places.”

“I don’t think there’s any chance of that. It’s far too classy and right in the center of Main Street. Only an idiot would carry on here.”

“Lots of idiots around.”

Jadyn laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Mildred waved a hand. “Anyway, never mind my day. Did you find out anything about the boat?”

“Yeah, it appears so.” She told Mildred about Clifton, leaving out the part about someone taking a shot at her. That information needed to be kept confidential until she and Colt had a better handle on what was going on, and besides, it would cause Mildred unnecessary worry.

“That’s a shame,” Mildred said when she finished. “Sounds like he was a stand-up guy. How come a storm can’t take a drunk or wife-beater?”

“Maybe because despite being douche bags, the drunks and wife-beaters were smart enough not to go out in that storm.”

“I suppose you’re right. Still, it seems a waste. I wonder what possessed him to go against good advice and his own eyesight?”

Jadyn shook her head. “We may never know.”

“Probably money problems. People will do things they shouldn’t over money problems.”

“He seemed to live simply, but then so do a lot of people with addictive personalities. We may find out more once we officially declare him missing. People have a tendency to start gossiping then.”

Mildred nodded. “Are you putting together a search party for tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Eight o’clock at the sheriff’s department dock, and we’ll divvy up coverage.”

“I’ll make some phone calls to help spread the word around. I doubt you’ll have any shortage of help.”

“I appreciate it.”
 

Footsteps came pounding down the stairs and Jadyn looked over as Maryse jumped the last two steps and landed in the lobby. Mildred shook her head, looking every bit the tired parent she was.
 

“You working late too?” Jadyn asked.

Maryse rolled her eyes. “If you want to call it work. I haven’t had enough plants to work with for well over a week. Luc had to stay late and I figured he’d worry less if I stayed here than if I was home alone.”

“She did wonderful things with my almost-dead roses,” Mildred said.

“Those were the old ones on the porch?” Jadyn asked. “Wow. They look great. Hey, did Helena make it back here? I couldn’t keep her from leaving.”

“She made it, all right,” Maryse said and told Jadyn everything that had transpired with the disgruntled ghost.

“Seriously?” Jadyn said. “So she asked God for some unholy cosmic do-over and he agreed?”

“I know, right?” Maryse said. “It doesn’t seem very nice of him…not to the rest of us, anyway.”

“So Sabine played shrink,” Jadyn mused. “Do you think it helped?”

“It seemed to. At least Helena managed to get on some decent clothes after she got back to the hotel. And the turban and tennis racket are gone.”

“What about the boots?”

Before Maryse could answer, Jadyn heard a squeal of glee and a second later, Helena dropped through the ceiling and landed right on the front counter. The giant dragon boots stared Jadyn straight in the face.

“Never mind,” Jadyn said to Maryse.

Helena began to teeter on the platform boots and flapped her arms like she was going to fly. A second later, she lost the battle and pitched off the counter.

“Incoming!” she yelled before crashing into Mildred and sending them both sprawling onto the floor.

Mildred struggled back up and glared down at Helena. “What the hell are you thinking, disrespecting antiques that way? Those boots have sharp edges.”

Helena rolled her eyes and pushed herself up to a standing position, clutching the wall to keep her from falling. “And the boots don’t really exist in your world, so what can they hurt?”

“They don’t exist unless you get solid,” Mildred pointed out. “Which always seems to happen at the worst time and to everyone else’s detriment, like just now when you tackled me like an NFL lineman. My back will hurt for a week.”

“Whatever,” Helena said. “I’m in too good a mood. You’re not going to spoil it with all that worry over a butt-ugly countertop or your ancient back.”

“Why didn’t you change shoes?” Jadyn asked.

“I did,” Helena said. “But then I was thinking about how cool the boots were and they’re back again. I can’t walk for crap in them, though, which is why I came down through the ceiling. I would have never made it down the stairs without falling.”