Resurrection in Mudbug (8 page)

Bill shrugged. “I just know what I heard and that is that word came down the pipe from Marty.”

“I don’t understand,” Jadyn said.

“I don’t either,” Colt said. “But I don’t like it.”

###

Colt adjusted his rearview mirror and watched Jadyn cross the street to the hotel. It was a particularly great view, and if he hadn’t been so troubled, he would have enjoyed it a lot more. He waited until Jadyn’s truly impressive form disappeared into the hotel, then backed his truck up and headed for the sheriff’s department.

What Bill said didn’t make sense, but Colt had no reason to suspect Bill was being untruthful. Except for the time he served in the army, the bar owner had always lived in Mudbug and had never been trouble—at least, not anything outside of the ordinary Mudbug kind. If someone had told Colt they’d seen Bill poaching deer, he would have believed that wholeheartedly, but involved in whatever prompted tons of unmarked bills in Baggies…he just didn’t see it.

When his cousin Johnny had been killed the year before while attempting to murder Maryse, Bill had been quick to step to Maryse’s defense and disavow his cousin’s actions. He’d been the sole heir to Johnny’s estate, such as it was, and had inherited the bar. Out of respect for Maryse, he’d left it closed for almost six months, and changed the name and facade before reopening. 

The week before he reopened the bar, Bill sold his shrimp boat and all his equipment, claiming he and his bad knees were officially retiring from all that manual labor. And to the best of Colt’s knowledge, the man didn’t even fish. Colt always assumed he was burned out.

He pulled in front of the sheriff’s department and glanced back at Junior, who was snoring on his backseat. All that ruminating over Bill hadn’t gotten him one inch closer to a solution to the current problem.

Nor did it make you forget how Jadyn looked in that dress.

He gripped the steering wheel and blew out a breath. Sometimes one’s subconscious was a real son of a bitch—letting things out into the consciousness that were better off buried. 

He’d heard the ruckus before he ever opened the door to the bar and knew right then that the likelihood of sipping a beer in peace and quiet had just flown right out the window. What he hadn’t expected was to see Jadyn in the middle of a brawl, and certainly not looking hotter than any woman had the right to.

Sure, he’d noticed her looks and her body at the pond and again this morning, going through the boat, but when she enhanced all that natural beauty and stopped hiding her body in jeans and T-shirts, it was a sight to behold. Jadyn St. James was quite frankly the most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

And he’d bet a year’s salary that she knew it.

The hair and makeup…that dress…all carefully calculated to get the local population wagging tongues. And it probably would have worked quite well if Junior hadn’t gotten sideways.

Speaking of which.

Before his thoughts trailed off into places they never belonged, he jumped out of his truck and hauled Junior out of the backseat. The big man was still drunk and would be sporting a heck of a shiner the next day, but he didn’t protest as Colt led him inside and locked him up in the corner cell. 

“Problems at the bar?” Eugenia, the night dispatcher, asked as he walked back into the main office area.

“The male ego sort. When he sobers up, cut him loose. I’m not interested in doing the paperwork.”

“You got it, boss.”

He headed into his office at the back of the building and closed the door. 

As he sat down at his desk, Jadyn’s words came back to him.

“…or it’s someone who’s above reproach.”

He turned on his computer and sighed. Maybe it was time to dig a little deeper into Bill and Marty. 

Maybe it was time to dig a little deeper into everyone.

Chapter Nine

“You’ve got to get these off of me.”

As she hurried downstairs in her normal nighttime outfit of yoga pants and T-shirt, Jadyn heard Helena whine for at least the hundredth time.

“I’m trying.” A clearly frustrated Maryse poked at the hole in the cuffs with a bent paper clip. “I’m not a criminal, Helena. This isn’t in my skill set.”

Maryse looked up at Jadyn as she stepped into the lobby. “I don’t suppose you have any at your office?” Maryse asked, sounding a little desperate.

“No, sorry,” Jadyn said. “If I’d known the state wasn’t going to have my equipment here when I arrived, I would have bought some supplies of my own and brought them with me.”

“Cut it off,” Helena said.

Maryse sighed. “I’m not even sure what kind of saw it would take to cut that cuff off, but I’m certain I don’t have one. Give me a minute.”

Maryse pulled out her cell phone and tried again to reach Luc. She’d made several attempts before Jadyn had gone upstairs to change, but they’d all gone straight to voice mail. Jadyn was surprised when Maryse actually started talking.

“Do you have your handcuff key on you?” Maryse asked.

There was a slight pause, then Maryse blushed a bit. “No, it’s not that kind of night. Actually, I need you to stop by the hotel on your way home. I’ll explain when you get here.”

Maryse slipped her cell phone back into her jeans pocket.

“He should be here in a couple of minutes,” Maryse said. 

 Jadyn looked from Helena to Maryse and bit her lip. “What are you going to tell him…I mean to get the key without showing him what’s going on?”

“Hiding all this mess isn’t necessary,” Mildred said as she walked into the lobby with a tray of coffee. “Luc knows all about Helena.”

Jadyn’s stared. “Seriously?”

Maryse nodded. “Luc’s Native American. When we first met, he shocked me by admitting he could see her, then for a couple of weeks, he saw more than he ever wanted to. After he shot Johnny, she disappeared…to him anyway. When she ascended last year, Luc hoped it was permanent. Although he hasn’t had the pleasure of sharing the same space with her again, he’s not happy she’s back.”

“So you think he’s going to be pissed about the handcuffs?” Jadyn asked as Maryse paced the hotel lobby.

“He’s not going to be pleased,” Maryse said. 

Jadyn sighed, wishing her cousin wasn’t in this situation. “I wouldn’t be, either.”

“That’s rude,” Helena complained, “since I’m wearing these cuffs because I was protecting you.”

Jadyn shook her head. “That idiot Junior would never have touched me. The only thing you accomplished was assaulting the sheriff and stealing his handcuffs. I hope Junior was the only one who saw them floating. At least Colt will dismiss that as a drunken hallucination.”

Helena crossed her arms and huffed. “See if I try helping again.”

“Why didn’t you call, Helena?” Maryse asked. “That was the whole point of the cell phone. Not only did you forget all about the phone, you went running off down the street, leaving Mildred and me with no idea what we were walking into.”

“I guess you think a floating cell phone wouldn’t have looked out of place.”

Maryse threw her arms in the air. “Then go into the storeroom or a bathroom stall or step outside behind the bar. You’ve got more options for avoiding detection than a human ever could, but you refuse to take them into consideration when making these half-assed decisions.”

Helena clammed shut and went into pout mode, which meant she knew Maryse was right but wasn’t about to admit it. Apparently, over a year of being a ghost still hadn’t seeped into Helena’s decision-making process. 

Maryse’s narrowed her eyes at Helena. “Do you even still have the phone?”

Helena looked at the floor. “It might have fallen out of my cleavage at some point.”

A red flush started on Maryse’s neck, but when she started to respond, headlights flashed across the front of the hotel. Maryse shot Mildred a worried look before she hurried to the front door. “He’s here,” Maryse said. 

Jadyn inched over to stand beside Mildred, a little antsy about meeting Maryse’s mysterious husband. She’d hoped for happier and more casual circumstances, but very little about her life in Mudbug had been happy or casual since the moment she’d set foot in the town. 

Maryse opened the door and kissed a man before standing aside and allowing him to enter. Jadyn had to admit, her cousin had chosen well. Luc LeJeune had perfectly chiseled features, long black hair drawn back into a ponytail, and dark skin. But even more attractive was the smile he wore as he looked at his wife. 

Then he looked over at Jadyn and Mildred and the smile slipped away, replaced with a look of horror and disgust. For a split second, Jadyn was confused, thinking he was looking at her, then Maryse sucked in a breath and it all made sense.

“Holy Mother of God,” Luc said.

“You can see her,” Maryse whispered.

“Hell yeah, I can see her. Astronauts on the moon can probably see her glowing right through the roof of the hotel.”

“Good to see you too, Luc,” Helena huffed.

Luc crossed the lobby and stood in front of the ghost. “The feeling is decidedly not mutual. Maryse told me about your falling out with God, and I’m not amused. I don’t care how bad you hate it, you need to apologize and get back to the afterlife where you belong.”

“You’re not nearly as good-looking as I remember,” Helena said. “I don’t know why I tried to see you naked.”

Maryse groaned as Luc took one step closer to Helena and put his finger directly in her face. “Understand this, I catch you anywhere near me when I’m missing so much as a shoe, and I’ll have you banished into a mason jar.”

“You can’t do that.” Helena sounded anything but certain.

“I can’t, but my tribal elders can.”

Jadyn saw the fear pass over Helena’s expression as she waved one hand in the air. “Fine. I never would have found you attractive in the first place if I’d know you were this uptight. Maryse must be rubbing off on you.”

“Unbelievable.” Luc shook his head. “You’re insulting the only two people who can free you from those handcuffs.” Luc looked over at Maryse. “Do I even want to know how this happened?”

“Probably not,” Maryse said, “but I’ll tell you on the way home, anyway. Let’s just say that Helena was trying to help Jadyn and things didn’t go quite as planned.”

“How was I supposed to know I’d get solid?” Helena asked. “You people act like I intended to assault the sheriff.”

Luc closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “Like that time at the hospital?” he asked Maryse.

Maryse nodded, then looked over at Jadyn. “The night Helena and I broke into the hospital, she had a solid moment and ran over a nurse.”

Jadyn inwardly cringed, wondering just how much more there was to learn about Helena, the invisible-but-not-always-ethereal disaster. Based on Luc’s expression, she’d guess a lot, but figured now wasn’t the time to ask.

Luc pulled a handcuff key from his pocket and unlocked Helena. Then he handed the handcuffs to Mildred, mumbling something about “the responsible one” and turned his attention to Jadyn.

“You must be Maryse’s cousin,” he said and extended his hand.

“Yes, I’m Jadyn,” she said and shook his hand.

He glanced back then gave her a smile. “I’m sorry we didn’t meet under better circumstances, and I’m more sorry than you’ll ever know that you’ve been cast into this drama. If you run into any problems—with anything—let me know.”

He pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to her. “I’m not always the easiest person to get a hold of, but if you’re in a pinch, it never hurts to try.”

“Thanks.” Jadyn stuck the card in her pocket. “I really appreciate everything you, Maryse, and Mildred are doing for me.”

He nodded. “If only we didn’t have to.” He looked over at Maryse. “Are you ready? I can drop you off at the café in the morning if you want to leave your truck here.”

Maryse grabbed her purse off the counter. “Sounds good to me. Jadyn, we’ll catch up tomorrow.”

Luc headed toward the front door as Maryse gave Mildred a hug, then dashed behind him. Jadyn watched as he walked out of the hotel and looked over at Helena. 

“For the record,” she said, “I can’t really blame you for wanting to see him naked.”

Maryse poked her head back inside and winked before shutting the door behind her.

Jadyn and Mildred both laughed. Helena, who was apparently over her crush on Luc, didn’t even crack a smile. 

“If you’re all done complaining about me,” Helena said, “I’m going to bed.”

Jadyn watched as the ghost stomped up the stairs, then turned to Mildred. “What do you think it means…that Luc can see her again?”

Mildred frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t even have a guess. It’s not something I expected at all. First thing in the morning, we need to sit down with Maryse and try to make some sense of this.”

“Speaking of which, do ghosts sleep?”

“With Helena, Lord only knows.” Mildred patted Jadyn on the arm. “You should try to get some rest. It’s been an eventful night, and morning will be here sooner than you think.”

Jadyn started toward the stairs, then paused and looked back at Mildred. “They look good together—Luc and Maryse.”

Mildred smiled. “Yes, they do. They fit in a way that’s rare to see.”

Jadyn nodded. “I’ve only seen it a time or two, and never even come close to experiencing it.”

“You’ve got time. And who knows, your perfect match could be right here in Mudbug.” She gave Jadyn a sly look. “You and the sheriff looked pretty good standing there together in Bill’s Bar.”

“Oh no.” Jadyn shook her head. “Colt seems nice enough on the surface, but I get the impression he thinks I’m incapable of handling my job and has every intention of taking it over.”

“He’s always had a bit of the white-knight complex, but he’s no fool. He’ll figure it out.”

“Not my problem,” Jadyn said and gave Mildred a wave before hurrying upstairs. 

Jadyn was no fool, either. She hadn’t missed how Colt had looked at her in the bar. She’d seen that appreciative look on the face of plenty of men looking at her and even more looking at her mother. Then she’d gotten old enough to buck her mother’s rules and advice on appearance, and the looks had lessened, but not disappeared.