Resurrection in Mudbug (23 page)

Sabine placed her hand over Maryse’s and gave it a squeeze. “We’re going to figure this out. We did it before and we can do it again. The important thing is to protect Jadyn.”

Maryse’s heart warmed at Sabine’s words. Her friend was the most generous person she’d ever known. “Then I guess we better get to work.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

It took Colt forever to fall asleep, but once he did, he slept like the dead. Overslept like the dead was a more accurate description, so it was close to 8:00 a.m. before he left his house the next morning. He stopped by Junior’s house on the way to the sheriff’s department. Given the hour, it was possible the man was already shrimping or fishing, but at least his truck would be gone, and Colt would know that Junior was somewhere around Mudbug and could be tracked down later on that day.

As he pulled into the drive, he frowned when he saw Junior’s truck in the same place it was the evening before. He hurried up to the house and banged on the door, hoping the shrimper was sleeping off a monumental drunk, but the twinge of bad feeling he’d gotten the day before had now launched into overdrive.

He waited several seconds, listening for any sound of movement inside, but didn’t hear so much as a creak of flooring. Reaching out, he checked the door and found it locked, but he was beyond caring. If he was wrong about this, he’d apologize and buy Junior a new door, but if he was right, that apology would be too little too late.

He took a step back, then slammed into the door with his shoulder. Lucky for him, it wasn’t the best framing job and the jamb splintered easily, allowing the door to swing open. He scanned the front rooms but when he saw no sign of Junior, he started down the hall. The guest room was currently utilized as storage and showed no signs for alarm so he continued to the master bedroom. 

As he pushed the door open, he caught sight of Junior lying in his bed, eyes closed. He stepped next to the bed and put his fingers on Junior’s neck, but he knew the man was dead before he ever touched the cold skin. 

“Damn it, Junior. Were you involved or simply a liability?”

He pulled out his cell phone and called the coroner, then called Jadyn.

“We’ve got a problem at Junior’s house,” he said when she answered.

“He’s not…”

“I’m afraid so.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

She hung up before he could stop her. There wasn’t anything she could do. The coroner would take pictures and he’d be willing to bet he’d find no sign of forced entry. He started with the master bedroom, checking the windows, and worked his way down the hall back to the front of the house. By the time he reached the living room, Jadyn was pulling into the driveway.

“You find anything?” she asked and stopped to look at the front doorframe.

“That’s my handiwork,” he explained. “I had a bad feeling…”

“I get it. Any other sign of entry?”

“It’s all locked up like a drum.”

“Any possibility it’s natural causes?”

Colt frowned, realizing that thought hadn’t actually crossed his mind. “I didn’t see any marks on him, and his eyes are closed, but something tells me we’re not getting off that easy, especially since we know it was Junior’s boat carrying the money.”

“His dad’s boat,” Jadyn corrected. “Do you really think he wrecked the boat, then called everyone on the CB to scoop up the money?”

“No. I still think Duke was the boat captain. But I think it was Junior who put out the CB call about the money.”

“Junior had to have recognized the boat that day at the pond.”

Colt nodded. “Probably. The fact that he didn’t say anything makes me think he either lent Duke the boat or knew he’s the one who took it. I figure he put out the call on Marty’s channel hoping the men would collect all the money before I heard about it, and the boat would sink low enough in a day or two that no one would check it.”

“Why didn’t he say anything after Duke turned up dead?”

“Maybe he was going to. Until we have a time of death, we won’t know for sure how long he’s been dead. Air-conditioning is on. It could be they killed him before he could get to me.”

“Or he thought he could get something out of keeping that tidbit to himself.”

Colt sighed. “He was stupid enough to try it, that’s for sure.”

A crunch of tires on gravel echoed through the house and they stepped outside as James climbed out of his car. He grabbed his bag and walked up on the porch. 

“Is there anything I need to know?” he asked, hesitantly.

Colt knew exactly what he was referring to. “This one looks normal,” he said.

James blew out a breath and some of the blood rushed back into his face. “Thank God. I mean, not that I’m saying it’s good he’s dead, but…”

“I understand,” Colt said. “This way.”

James nodded to Jadyn then started down the hallway with Colt. 

As soon as they entered the bedroom, James pulled out his camera and snapped some shots of Junior. Colt saw Jadyn enter the room behind them, but she stayed just inside the doorway, leaned against the wall.

After taking pictures from every angle, James put the camera back in his bag, and started examining Junior’s body.

“How long has he been dead?” Colt asked.

“Without an autopsy, it’s hard to say for certain, but based on rigor, I’d say he died sometime yesterday around or after noon.”

“So while we were processing Duke’s house?”

James nodded. “That would be the earliest, but given that the air-conditioning was on, it could have been as late as yesterday evening.”

“Can you tell what killed him?”

James frowned. “You mean does it look like foul play? On the surface, I’d have to say no. There’s no bruising, no cuts or bullet holes. Nothing that clearly screams poison.”

“He’s young to die in his sleep, isn’t he?” Jadyn asked.

“Well, yes.” James sighed. “But Junior didn’t exactly lead a healthy lifestyle. He drank half his weight in booze every night and his daddy has heart problems. It’s highly likely Junior inherited them.”

The paramedics entered the bedroom and James motioned to them to load the body. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have something more concrete.”

“Thank you,” Colt said.

James gave him a nod and followed the paramedics out of the house.

“Natural causes?” Jadyn said. “Two days after his boat was used to commit a crime. That’s a hell of a coincidence.”

“Yep. A hell of a coincidence.”

“You don’t think it’s natural causes, do you?”

“Do you?”

Jadyn shook her head. “Who all knew that you were looking for Junior yesterday?”

Colt frowned. “Shirley, of course. Marty and Bill.”

“Marty’s had access to the boat from day one. He could have stripped anything out of it before we did our search.”

“Yeah, but Marty’s the one who noticed the name was painted over. Why would he point that out if he had something to do with it?”

“Because it was Junior’s boat and he knew Junior was already dead?”

He ran one hand through his hair. “Damn it. I suppose it’s possible.”

“What about the bar? Was anyone else in the bar when you told Bill you were looking for Junior?”

“Your buddies Bart and Tyler.”

“They’re not my buddies,” Jadyn protested. “But they do seem to be around a lot. Are you sure Marty or Bill couldn’t be involved?”

Colt threw his hands in the air. “I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

Jadyn sighed. “Me either.”

Colt’s cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his jeans pocket and answered. Several seconds later, he slipped it back in his pocket.

“That was Shirley,” he said. “She wants me back at the sheriff’s department as soon as possible.”

“She didn’t say why?” Jadyn said, starting to worry that the body count had risen again.

“No, but she sounded excited, not scared.”

“Well, that’s good. Right?”

He shrugged. “I think we better see.”

It took them ten minutes to nail Junior’s front door onto the frame and put police tape on the front of it. Then they both headed to the sheriff’s department. Shirley met them at the door, a huge grin on her face. 

“I’ve been meaning to sort out those old files forever,” she said. “I started with the top drawer, which took an hour, and then when I got to the second, look what I found.” She held up the iron key.

Jadyn struggled to contain her glee. Shirley had just eliminated one huge problem from her day. 

“Wow!” Jadyn said.

Colt’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me! It was in there the whole time?”

She nodded. “You must have accidentally dropped it inside a folder instead of in the bottom like you thought, which means the killer wasn’t in here stealing it in broad daylight.”

“It also means your car seriously needs a service,” Colt said.

Shirley frowned. “Yes, I suppose it does. I also got a call from the hospital, and that news is not nearly as good.”

“Did something happen to Leroy?” Colt asked.

“He skipped. Walked out sometime early this morning.”

“Didn’t you have a guard on him?” Jadyn asked.

“Apparently,” Shirley said, “he waited until the officer went into the restroom, then made his getaway.”

Colt cursed. “I hope he’s not as stupid as I suspect he is.”

Jadyn blew out a breath. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now, except hope that the people who got to Duke aren’t looking for him.”

“It can’t come as much of a surprise, really,” Shirley said. “The man’s entire life has been one bad decision after another. Well, I best get back to my filing.” She lifted a stack of files out of the cabinet and headed to her desk.

Colt stared out the window, frowning.

“Are you worried about Leroy?” Jadyn asked.

“I’m worried there’s something he didn’t tell me, and even more worried that I didn’t catch on to that. I’m usually pretty good at judging when someone’s hedging an interview.”

Jadyn nodded. “Then let’s just hope he’s smart enough to hide somewhere that he can’t be easily found.”

“Yep. Well, enough about Leroy—let’s talk about the key. I intended to visit Earl again this morning but got sidetracked with Junior. Let’s go now.”

“Actually,” Jadyn said, “I talked to Mildred last night and I think I have a better idea. I don’t think anyone would risk hiding merchandise in Mudbug cemetery. It would be too hard to get in and out without being seen, especially given that the only entrance is right off the main street.”

Colt frowned. “What did Mildred think?”

“She said that Helena Henry’s family had a private cemetery in the swamp.” Jadyn reached in her jeans pocket and unfolded a sheet of paper. “She drew me a map—of sorts. It’s been years since she’s been to the place, but she thought it was in this vicinity.”

Colt studied the map. “It’s northeast of town and definitely isolated—no homes within ten miles that I’m aware of. She may be onto something. We should check it out.”

“Yeah, there’s only one problem.”

“What?”

“Mildred remembered the cemetery having a huge iron fence with spikes on it. If that key opens a crypt and not the gate, then it sounds like we’re not getting in there without the gate key.”

Colt blew out a breath. “Who would have the key?”

“Mildred’s guess was the estate attorney in New Orleans.”

“Which means Hank Henry is likely the only person who could get the key.”

Jadyn nodded. “That’s what Mildred thought, so she called him first thing this morning and asked him to check into it. Let me call and see if she’s heard anything.”

She pulled out her phone and called Mildred, who gave her an update. Smiling, she slipped the phone back in her pocket. “The attorney had the key and Hank picked it up an hour ago. He should be here soon.”

“Great.” Colt grabbed a key from Shirley’s desk and motioned her into his office.

“I don’t want Shirley worrying about us any more than she already is,” he said as he closed the door behind them. “I didn’t tell her about last night. Have you told anyone?”

“No one but Mildred, but she’s not going to say anything.”

He nodded. “I think the fewer people who know what we’re up to the better. We also have to be far more prepared than we were last night. We got lucky. Really lucky. I’m not willing to risk my life and especially yours on luck again.”

He unlocked a cabinet on the back wall, pulled out two bulletproof vests, and handed her one. “Before we walk out of this building, I want you wearing that. And I want you to promise me you’ll keep it on unless you’re showering or sleeping, at least until this is over.”

Jadyn took the vest, the weight of it already giving her comfort. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

He pulled a shotgun and a small nine-millimeter out and handed those to her as well. “We’ll both take shotguns and our regular piece to the cemetery, but I want you to put that smaller nine on your leg for backup.” He reached back into the cabinet and pulled out an ankle strap and tossed it to her, then motioned for her to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

She sat down and strapped the pistol to her leg, making sure the strap was secure before pulling her jeans over it. Colt placed his vest and shotgun in the middle of the desk, then sat on the end of it, facing her.

“I owe you an apology,” he said.

She stared up at him, surprised. “For what?”

“For being condescending when you first arrived, for insinuating you’d be a burden to my investigation, and most importantly, for putting you at risk when it wasn’t necessary.”

“The risk is part of both our jobs. No apology is necessary.”

He smiled. “And the rest.”

“The rest is sketchy, but I can see how you might have felt things would be easier without me tagging along.”

He shook his head. “I’d love to agree with you and let it go, but then I’d be compounding bad behavior with a lie. The truth is, I didn’t want to work closely with you because you remind me of someone I don’t really want to remember.”

“Oh.” It was one of the very few times in her life that Jadyn didn’t have anything to say. 

“I don’t want to get into the dirty details, so I’ll just say this—she was a cop, we had a thing, then we didn’t any longer.”