Resurrection in Mudbug (22 page)

“Should I go outside and look?”

Jadyn deliberated sending the woman outside for a moment, but then Helena popped out of the building and started down the street back to the hotel. “No. That might not be safe. If neither of us can see him, he was probably just walking by. I apologize for bothering you, but given everything that’s happened and not knowing all the locals by sight, everything is starting to look suspicious to me.”

“I understand, and it’s no bother. I’m always telling Colt to err on the side of safety. He doesn’t listen, of course, but it’s nice to know that at least one law enforcement officer in this town sees how reasonable that is.”

“Absolutely. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. Thank you for humoring me.”

“Anytime, Ms. St. James.”

Jadyn slipped her cell phone back in her jeans pocket as Helena walked into the hotel wearing a broad smile.

“I don’t know what you told her,” Helena said, “but it worked like a charm. She stood right at that front window, staring across the street.”

“So the key is back in place?”

Helena nodded. “I dropped it into the second-to-last folder of the second drawer. That should be good, right?” 

Jadyn nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. As long as Colt believed he was distracted enough to drop the key into a folder instead of the bottom of the cabinet, as he actually had, they’d be in the clear. 

“If you’re all done with me for now,” Helena said, “I’m going to the bakery to smell the cinnamon rolls.”

Jadyn froze. “You’re not planning on stealing one, are you?”

“No, I’m not going to steal anything, Goody Two-shoes. I just like the smell of them baking. Maybe I’ll get Mildred to buy me one later.”

“Why don’t you just conjure one up? Wouldn’t that be easier?”

“Oh sure, like it’s that easy. If I could conjure stuff up, why would I be hanging around you guys?”

“But you conjure up different outfits all the time.”

“But that’s all I can do.” Helena shrugged. “I don’t know why.”

Jadyn suddenly realized that Helena was dressed in normal jeans and T-shirt. “Hey, what happened to the grocery store dress? Did you eat it all?”

“I got fruit flies in it running through the cemetery. I need to rethink the concept.”

Before Jadyn could formulate a response, Helena left through the wall. Jadyn looked out the window and watched as she crossed the street to the bakery. At least things were starting off good this morning. The key was back in place, and Colt had no reason to suspect it had ever been in her possession.

Now, she just had to figure out a way to get him to find the key, and she could put the crypt key nightmare behind her. In addition, she made a mental note that if Helena thought something was a good idea, it was likely to be far more trouble than it was worth. From now on, she listened to her own instincts and stopped letting emotion enter into her decision-making. 

That’s a first.

She frowned as the thought entered her mind. Searching her memory, she tried to think of a time when emotion had overridden good common sense during a job decision and she couldn’t think of a single time. So why now? 

Granted, there were any number of good reasons—a boatload of cash, the circumstances of Duke’s death, getting shot at, Helena’s appearance, her attraction to Colt.

Hold up!

Where had that last one come from? She wasn’t attracted to Colt.

Liar.

She slumped down in a chair in the lobby, a feeling of dismay coursing through her. Colt? She was attracted to white-knight-syndrome, I’m-the-boss Colt? She groaned, trying to understand how this could have happened.

Maybe it’s because he saved her life last night…or at least, tried to.

Yeah, that made sense. She’d go with that. It was a temporary state given her precarious position as a target. As soon as this case was solved and well behind her, the attraction she thought she had for Colt would fade away.

At least, that’s what she was going to tell herself.

###

Maryse peeked into the bathroom, making sure the coast was clear before Luc got out of bed. 

“You’re looking for Helena, aren’t you?” Luc’s voice sounded behind her, causing her to jump.

“What—no—I was just trying to remember where I left my watch.”

He tapped her arm. “On your wrist. But nice try.”

“Busted.”

Luc gathered her in his arms and kissed her. “You’re a horrible liar, but that’s probably a good thing. Still, we’ve got to address this Helena thing. The aggravation is going to interfere with your work, our lives…hell, everyone’s lives.”

Maryse sighed. “Don’t you think I know that? But what are we supposed to do about it? We can’t exactly talk to God and ask him to take her back.”

“Yes, you can. It’s called prayer, and I doubled mine right after I removed the handcuffs.”

“Do you really think that will work?”

“No, but I have another option.”

Maryse perked up. “What?”

“We can move.”

She shook her head and he held up a hand to stop the barrage he knew was coming.

“I’ve been with the agency long enough to request a transfer, and with my track record, most offices would be happy to take me. Anywhere in the US.”

“This is my home. This is your home. Can you honestly tell me you could up and move without a second thought?”

“I’d have second thoughts and probably thirds, but what I know for certain is that we can’t live with Helena Henry forever. God won’t have her. If he’s smart, Satan’s afraid of her. So that leaves her here with us.” 

He gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead before releasing her. “Can you handle it forever—not knowing if your life or the life of someone you love is in danger because Helena’s around?”

“Your life is in danger all the time,” Maryse pointed out.

“It’s my job to put my life in danger, and it’s a job I’m well-trained for, unlike you. And despite the fact that I’ve seen some pretty hairy things, I have to be honest with you—Helena scares me far more than any investigation I’ve ever been on. Drug runners are predictable compared to her.”

Maryse sighed. It was hard to find an argument when everything Luc said was accurate.

“We don’t have to make a decision now,” Luc reassured her, “but it’s something I think we should give some serious thought.”

She gave him a nod as he grabbed a towel from the rack and strolled into the bathroom. Maryse turned around and stared out the bedroom window into the swamp. Could she really leave Mudbug? It was the only home she’d ever known and despite what others perceived as shortcomings, she really loved it here. Well, she loved it here without Helena. 

When she’d been alive, Helena had been the bane of her existence. Who would have thought her death would make things so much worse?

But could she pick up everything and move? Luc’s idea had merit—she had to give him credit. Even though she had the ability, Helena was unlikely to follow them away from Mudbug. It was her home too, and where things felt familiar. 

She blew out a breath and headed out of the house to her truck. Sabine and Beau returned late last night from their cruise. She needed to get to them and explain the situation before Helena turned up. Luc’s proposal was something she’d think about later. But right now, with Jadyn in danger, Maryse couldn’t justify leaving. Maybe when things were settled, she’d think it over. 

It was only 7:00 a.m. when she pulled into Sabine’s driveway. She and Beau had occupied the cramped apartment above her shop in downtown Mudbug for a month before deciding they needed more space. It took another six months to find a contractor and get their cabin constructed, but it had been worth it. 

It was set back in the swamp, with a small area cleared for the cabin and a bayou running behind it. The cabin was log construction and blended so well with the surrounding foliage that it looked almost as if the swamp had grown it. It was so well done that it had almost convinced Maryse that she and Luc needed one themselves. Almost.

Despite Maryse’s previous home on an isolated island in the bayou, she’d grown fond of living close to downtown…especially as it meant she never had a problem with meals. In a matter of minutes, she had access to the handful of eating establishments in Mudbug as well as Mildred’s hotel for her coffee wake-up. A year ago, if someone had told her that she’d be living in town and perfectly happy, she would have had their mental state examined. But then a year ago, she hadn’t been with Luc. 

Despite the early hour, Maryse could see the light on in Sabine’s kitchen. She’d taken a chance that her friend would be restless and unable to sleep after all the traveling, and was happy she’d been correct. She’d been preparing for days for this conversation and didn’t want to delay it any longer than necessary.

As she stepped out of her truck and walked toward the cabin, Sabine, still wearing her pajamas, opened the front door and walked out on the porch to give her a hug. 

“You must have been reading my mind,” Sabine said as she released her. “I was just thinking about how I couldn’t wait to see you and catch up on everything. The coffee just finished brewing. Let’s pour some and sit on the back deck. It’s a beautiful morning.”

Sabine smiled and a wave of guilt washed over Maryse for what she was about to do. Their entire lives, Maryse had never seen her friend so happy, so settled. The last thing she wanted to do was bring news that would upset the balance, and that’s exactly what she was about to do. 

“Sounds great,” Maryse said and followed Sabine to the kitchen.

Beau was pouring a cup of coffee into a travel mug as she walked into the kitchen. He popped the top on the mug, then set it down long enough to give Maryse a hug and kiss on the cheek. 

“I’m sorry to greet and run,” he said, “but I got a call this morning from a long-term client in New Orleans. Her grandson is missing. I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do.”

“Oh, that’s awful,” Maryse said. “I hope you find him.”

“Me too.” He gave Sabine a lingering kiss that made Maryse smile then hurried out of the cabin, waving to Maryse as he went.

“He’s so wonderful,” Maryse said.

Sabine beamed. “He is. So is Luc.”

Maryse nodded. “We are the luckiest women in Mudbug.”

“I will agree with you as soon as we both have a cup of coffee and are sitting on that deck.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Maryse grabbed two mugs from Sabine’s cabinet and Sabine poured. After a quick dash of sweetener, they both headed outside on the deck and plopped into spacious lawn chairs with thick cushions.

Maryse drank her coffee in silence for several seconds, focusing on the beautiful view of the rising sun glistening on the water of the bayou.

“Now that you’ve had half a cup of coffee,” Sabine said, “are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

Maryse sighed. “How do you do that?”

“Know when something’s bothering you? Well, showing up at my doorstep with the chickens is a dead giveaway, but even if you’d arrived at noon, I still would have known from the sound of your voice. You did an excellent job attempting to sound fine, though. I don’t think Beau noticed a thing.”

“Like that’s a big accomplishment. Beau never notices anything when you’re in the room.” Maryse took a minute to collect her thoughts. Three days of mulling this over—you’d think she would already know what she was going to say, but she’d yet to come up with a good way of delivering the news. 

“Helena’s back,” she said, giving up on a better way to inform Sabine that her pleasant life was now over.

Sabine’s eyes widened and her hands started to shake. She placed her mug on the patio table and took a deep breath, then slowly blew it out. Maryse figured twenty years of yoga and meditation were still no match for Helena, but everyone had their own way of dealing with things. 

“So many questions,” Sabine said, “I guess the big one is ‘why?’”

“Yeah, and that’s a loaded one.”

Maryse recounted Helena’s sketchy and brief commentary about her trouble with God. Sabine’s eyes grew wider and she shook her head.

“That is so much bad karma,” Sabine said when Maryse finished. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“No doubt. Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it.”

“What can be worse than directly pissing off God?”

“My cousin, Jadyn, arrived this week to start the game warden job.”

Sabine nodded. “I remember you saying she was coming.”

“She can see Helena.”

Sabine’s hand flew up to cover her mouth. “Oh no,” she whispered. “Do you think…”

“That’s exactly where my thoughts went, and since someone tried to kill her yesterday, it looks like I was accurate.”

“I understand that you don’t know Jadyn well, but do you have any idea why someone would want to kill her?”

“Yeah,” Maryse said and told Sabine about the boat of money, Duke’s murder, and the host of other incredible things that had happened in Mudbug while Sabine had been gone.

“So you think the boat of money is the nexus?” Sabine frowned. “And Jadyn says the boat is connected to Duke’s death, which I have to say is the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard, and I’m sure you went out of your way to make it less horrid than it actually was. If you put all those thing together with Helena’s appearance—” 

“We got trouble.”

“Again.”

Maryse nodded, certain she looked as miserable as she felt.

“I don’t suppose I have to ask if Helena’s being as difficult as ever.”

“More than ever,” Maryse said. “Mildred and I convinced Jadyn to keep her around as much as possible, but that’s a lot to ask of anyone.”

“Have her skills improved any?”

“She’s more accurate with touching things, but still misses a lot, and even worse, she seems to be ‘going solid’ more often than before. I thought getting her a prepaid cell phone would be a good idea, because that way she could call for help, assuming she’s in cell range.”

Sabine’s eyes widened. “And you can hear her over a phone?”

“Loud and clear. Unfortunately, she lost the first one in a bar fight, the second to a boating mishap, and the third running through a cemetery.” She sighed. “I’m rethinking that plan.”