Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law Mystery/Romance Series) (10 page)

“Why not?”

“I think I broke a hip.”

Jadyn blew out a breath. “That’s not possible. You’re dead.”

“Now you remember.”

Mildred climbed out of the car and looked across the hood. “What’s the holdup?”

“Helena thinks she broke a hip.”

Mildred put her hands on her hips and glared at the lump. “If you don’t get up off that hood, I swear to God I’m going to climb up there with you and strangle the afterlife out of you.”

Helena lifted her head up and glared at Jadyn. “You two are cruel.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Mildred said. “Look what you did to my car. Why can’t you just remain transparent?”

Helena rolled over and slid off the front of the hood. Jadyn had turned the headlights on before she climbed out of the car and now, they were like a spotlight on the ghost. It was like something out of a horror movie.

The Batgirl mask was torn on one side, leaving only one eye and bright red lips protruding. The spandex body suit, which had already been stretched beyond intended capacity, had given way in the tumble and now rolls of Helena spilled out of various rips and tears.
 

“What’s wrong?” Helena said when she realized they were staring. She whipped around, apparently thinking their looks of dismay were caused by something behind her.

And gave them a full view of the biggest bodysuit tear of all.

Mildred groaned and lifted her hand over her eyes. “It’s a full moon over Mudbug.”

Helena grabbed her butt. “I thought I felt a draft.”

Jadyn cringed as Helena fingered the tattered suit. “Why are you wearing that in the first place? Didn’t getting shot at by Maryse teach you anything about wardrobe selection?”

Helena let out an exasperated sigh. “This was my Batgirl suit. The other one was my scary cat burglar outfit.”

“I’ve got news for you,” Mildred said. “They’re all scary.”

“Can you change into something that covers everything that should be covered and get into the car?” Jadyn asked.

Helena turned around to face them and shrugged. “I suppose so. This suit is shot anyway.”

She waved her hands in the air, but nothing happened. “Uh-oh.”

“What do you mean, ‘uh-oh’?” Jadyn asked, already afraid she knew the answer.

“It’s not working,” Helena said. “It happens sometimes.”

“Hmmmph,” Mildred said. “It never seems to happen when you’re wearing jeans and a sensible shirt.”

“I think I’m stressed,” Helena said.

Mildred’s eyes widened and Jadyn was convinced if the hotel owner had a gun, she would have fired off a magazine into the ghost. “You’re stressed? Really? Do you want to take a look at my car and tell me what you’re stressed about? Because I have to either make up a believable story for the insurance company or pay for that out of pocket.”

Helena had the good sense to look a tiny bit contrite. “I’m just saying…oh, never mind.” She stalked past Jadyn and passed through the back door of the car into the backseat.

Mildred sighed. “
Now
she’s transparent.”

Chapter Six

It took more patience than God dispersed for Jadyn to listen to Helena whine all the way home about her sore hip and lost pie. The fact that she’d stolen the pie in the first place was completely lost on her and the damage she’d done to Mildred’s car had apparently fled her mind. To keep from launching over the seat, Mildred alternated between clenching the seat belt and rolling down the window to stick her head outside. Several times, Jadyn had started to pull over and order the ghost out of the car, but ultimately, it seemed more expedient to just get them all back to the hotel and into separate spaces.

Shortly into the ride back to the hotel, Jadyn tuned out Helena and tried to work what they’d learned at the diner into a logical scenario. Based on what Dee said, Raissa and Zach had been in good spirits while in the diner, and no one sketchy had been present. The bikers had indicated a flat tire where Luc had found Zach.
 

What made the most sense was that someone came upon them while Zach was changing the tire and stole the car. What didn’t make sense is why they took Raissa with them. If they’d only wanted to rob them and steal the car, they would have left them behind…or shot them on the spot, but that was a scenario Jadyn thanked God she didn’t have to dwell on.
 

Unfortunately, the reasons for taking Raissa were all things she needed to dwell on, and Jadyn couldn’t think of a single one that led to a tolerable outcome, much less a pleasant one. Statistics said if Raissa wasn’t already dead, she would be soon. And if it was a ransom heist, surely they would have been contacted already.

When they finally got back to the hotel, Helena disappeared upstairs, claiming she needed a long, hot bath while Mildred and Jadyn called Maryse and filled her in on what they’d found. Then Jadyn had poured Mildred a shot of whiskey and she’d trudged upstairs to get some rest.

Back in her room, Jadyn paced, too wound up to sit still, much less sleep. She glanced at the clock again and sighed when she saw that only five minutes had passed. The overwhelming feeling that she should be doing something nagged at her. But what? She and Colt would head into the swamps tomorrow morning and the diner end of things had been covered, so what else was there to do?

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she calmed down, she grabbed her room key and some money and headed across the street to Bill’s Bar. Maybe Bill would have some local gossip for her. Granted, Bill’s information usually consisted of speculation and exaggeration, but sometimes those things put you onto a new investigative track.

 
The bar was crowded for a weeknight, and Jadyn wondered how many were here to whisper their theories about Raissa and Zach. She made her way over to the bar and gave Bill a wave. He headed straight for her and before she could even ask, poured her a beer.

“On the house,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said. “It’s been a long day.”

He nodded. “Everyone’s been talking about it. Kinda hushed, if you know what I mean, but I hear most of what’s said.”

“What are people saying?”

“Everything from criminals they arrested got them to they were attacked by the Honey Island Swamp Monster.”

“Is he stealing cars now?”

Bill smiled. “In the bayou, everything is possible.” He glanced around, then leaned across the bar. “Some of the guys overheard those FBI agents talking in front of the hotel, and they said Zach emptied his weapon at the scene. You don’t have to tell me nothing that will get you into trouble…”

“It’s true.”

Bill frowned. “I was hoping they’d misunderstood.”

“Yeah. It does make things appear more dire.”

“It’s not just that.” He glanced around the bar again and frowned. “Some people are saying Raissa and Zach were dirty and whoever they were fronting for called his mark. Now, I am the first to say that’s total bullshit, but in these small towns where not much goes on, people sometimes flap their mouths a bit much.”

“Any reason why people would want to make up tales about Raissa and Zach?”

He shrugged. “Jealousy, boredom, too much HBO, just plain crazy. Take your pick. That last little bit of criminal activity you were involved in didn’t do much to curb people’s imagination. They’re dreaming up everything from the Mafia to international drug lords living in Mudbug.”

She nodded. “I’m sure it’s nothing. I can’t imagine Colt, Luc, Maryse, Mildred, and a host of others beings friends with Zach and Raissa and having no idea they were on the take.”
 

“Exactly. I haven’t heard anything of real merit so far, but I’ll keep my ear to the bar and if I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thanks, Bill.”

The door opened and Bill glanced over then looked back at Jadyn and grinned. “Your boyfriend’s here.”

Jadyn didn’t know why she expected to see Colt standing there, but she was wrong. Bart and his friend Tyler, a pair she’d met her first day on the job, strolled in. Bart scanned the bar and when he locked onto her, he headed straight for the empty stool to her left. Bill gave her a wink and reached for two beer mugs.

Jadyn shuffled uncomfortably on her stool. Bart had made his interest in her clear, and while he seemed like a nice guy and he definitely wasn’t hard on the eyes, for some reason, he hadn’t caught her attention.

You know the reason.

She held in a sigh and smiled at Bart, determined to put the aloof Colt Bertrand out of her mind.

“Hi,” Bart said and gave her a big smile. “How’s it going?”

“Tough day,” she said.

He sobered and nodded. “We heard about Zach and Raissa. That’s bad news. How is Mildred holding up?”

Her heart warmed a bit that he’d thought to ask about Mildred, and she chided herself for not giving Bart a chance. What’s the worst that could happen—she’d end up with a friend who was a guy? Life definitely held worse things.

“She’s doing okay, considering. Just feeling kinda helpless, like the rest of us.”

“Does the FBI have any idea what happened?” Bart asked.

Tyler snorted. “Like they’d tell anybody if they did.”

“Unfortunately,” Jadyn said, “Tyler’s right. If they have any thoughts on what happened and why, they’re not sharing them.”

“I guess they haven’t found the car, either?” Bart asked.

“Not that I’ve heard,” Jadyn said. She and Colt had already agreed to keep their dive discovery a secret. Once the FBI pulled the car out of the pond tomorrow, word would get around.

“That Caddy is older but it’s a sweet ride. It doesn’t surprise me that someone would want it.”

Bart looked over at his friend. “Really? You think someone stole the car and decided to take Raissa with them? What are you, stupid?”

Tyler’s jaw flexed and Jadyn could tell he wasn’t happy about being called stupid. “Maybe she ran off into the swamp when the shooting started, fell and hit her head or something. She wouldn’t be the first person lost in these swamps.”

“That’s true enough, but the FBI had their dogs out today,” Jadyn said. “They didn’t catch any scent of her. If she’s in the swamps, the entry point wasn’t where Zach was found.”

“Is Colt working the case?” Bart asked.

“No. It’s not his jurisdiction. The FBI is running the investigation.”

“That figures” Tyler interjected. “I bet the FBI think they’re too smart to get help from one of us small-town Joes.”

Bart shook his head. “If that’s the case, they’re stupid. I’m sure there’s plenty of people who’s got away with stuff the FBI never even caught wind of.”

“My guess is, you’re both right,” she said.

Tyler downed the rest of his beer and tossed some bills on the counter.

“You leaving already?” Bart asked.

“Some of us gotta work for a living.”

“I work,” Bart argued.

“Three days a week ain’t working,” Tyler said as he walked away. “That’s vacationing.”

Jadyn checked her watch and held in a yawn. Finally, the day had caught up with her. “I should get out of here, too. I’ve got to get an early start tomorrow.”

Bart didn’t bother to hide his disappointment. “You sure you can’t stay a bit longer?”

“I wish I could, but I’m beat and I have to get up early.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to take you to dinner to give you my undivided attention.”

She slid off her stool, trying to think of something diplomatic to say. Having a beer by chance in the bar was one thing, but dinner sounded way too much like a date with the underlying possibility of romance. Jadyn wasn’t sure she was ready to field that option.

You’d say yes if it were Colt.

“I’ll give that some thought,” she said, determined to break the frustrating cycle of being attracted to a man who’d made it clear he wasn’t interested in anything but a working relationship.

“Don’t think too hard or you’ll say no,” he said and winked.

She laughed, her discomfort easing. Maybe she should have dinner with Bart. A man who could make you laugh definitely had a lot of value.
 

“I won’t,” she said. “Have a good night.”

“You too.”

As she walked back to the hotel, she promised herself she’d give Bart’s dinner offer serious thought. She’d already given Colt plenty of time to make a move, and he’d chosen instead to distance himself. It was time to let thoughts of Colt Bertrand go.

###

Before dawn, Jadyn crept downstairs, hoping to put on a pot of coffee without disturbing any patrons or Mildred. She’d fallen asleep quickly, but her sleep hadn’t been restful. Instead, she’d tossed and turned, her mind racing with frantic dreams that disappeared from her memory the instant she awakened.
 

She knew the dreams came from the pressure she felt to find Raissa. The dreams had always come when something weighed heavily on her. And this was the worst situation she could recall being in. She and Colt had to make progress today. Time was running out.