Mischief in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #2)(24)

“Hi,” she said. “Are you here for the sales convention?”

For a fleeting moment, Beau considered lying, but quickly changed his mind. The town was simply too small and once his cover was blown he’d have an even harder time convincing Sabine to trust him than before. “No. I’m here doing a little work and need a room.”

“Welcome. My name’s Mildred and this is my hotel. ’Bout how many nights you need to stay?”

Beau considered this for a minute. “I’m not really sure. Are you full, or can I negotiate something for a day at a time?”

Mildred shrugged. “Fine by me. But the hotel’s completely booked a week from now. Think you’ll be done with your work by then?”

Beau nodded. “I hope to be.” He pulled his license and a credit card from his wallet and handed them to Mildred. It was only Tuesday and with any luck, he would either figure out what was going on or reassure himself that it was an isolated incident and be satisfied Sabine was safe.

Mildred ran his credit card and pushed the receipt across the counter along with a pen. “What kind of work do you do, Mr. Villeneuve?” she asked as she glanced down at his license.

“Research, mostly.”

“Sounds fascinating. Medical?”

“No.” Beau pushed the completed registration card back across the counter. “Family history stuff mostly. Is there a room available in the front of the hotel?”

Mildred pulled a key from the pegboard behind her and handed it to Beau. “Third floor.” She studied him for a moment. “Anyone I might know?”

“It really wouldn’t be appropriate for me to say without permission.”

Mildred gave him a shrewd look. “Not for nothing, Mr. Villeneuve, but I’ve most often found that opening up family business long since dead is like stepping on a land mine.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Beau took the key and started toward the stairwell.



Sabine shoved the copies she’d made from the library microfiche into her shoulder bag and waved at old Mrs. Hebert, the librarian, as she exited the building. Three possibilities to fill two possible slots—Amelia Watson, Sandra Franks, and Ruth Moore, all living in nearby bayou towns. No cause of death was listed, or surviving family. But at least she had a starting point.

She’d gone through the microfiche index for ten years preceding their deaths but had found no mention of any of the women. She’d ask Mildred and Helena if they knew any of the names, even though both would have been teenagers at the time of the women’s deaths. Beyond that, Sabine felt she’d spent enough time chasing a “bad feeling.” If Mildred or Helena had never heard of the women, then Sabine had already decided she would let it go without regret. Well, with almost no regret. Who was she kidding? She’d probably feel like crap but what other choice did she have? Maybe when things were more settled in her own life she’d pick it up again.

She glanced at her watch and realized it was getting toward suppertime and she still hadn’t eaten lunch. No wonder she was starving. She briefly considered the limited options in her apartment. She really had to get to the grocery store. And since Maryse had known good and well that Sabine had been joking about the bungee jumping and Luc had left that afternoon for his undercover assignment, Sabine knew her friend would remain at the lab in New Orleans until all hours of the night. Which put her out of the running as a dinner date.

Sabine looked over at the hotel. There was always Mildred. Sabine hated the thought of sitting across a table from Mildred knowing that she was hiding her cancer from her, but if she didn’t see her soon, Mildred would wonder and besides, she could go ahead and ask her about the three women and get that out of the way. The hotel owner had raised Maryse after her mother died, and ran herd over Maryse and Sabine from childhood to their early twenties, doing her best to keep them from doing something foolish. She was moderately successful except for their teenage years and Maryse’s disastrous marriage to Hank.

Mind made up, Sabine started across the street for the hotel. She found Mildred behind the counter, wrapping up her daily accounting. The hotel owner looked up and smiled as Sabine entered the lobby.

“I haven’t seen you in days.” She gave Sabine a critical look. “How are you?”

Sabine took one look at Mildred and sighed. “Maryse told you.”

Mildred walked around the counter and gave Sabine a hug. “Oh, honey,” she said as she pulled back. “You know Maryse never could tell me a lie—not that I didn’t know about, anyway. And not telling me something like this is the same as lying in my book. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me yourself.”

“It wasn’t that I was trying to keep it from you, exactly. It’s just that…well…I didn’t want you worrying about me. We haven’t even really gotten past everything that happened to Maryse, and I didn’t want to throw something else on you this soon. And I know how you feel about my looking for my family. I knew you wouldn’t be happy with me starting it up all over again, much less in full force.”

Mildred sighed. “I guess I figure little good ever comes from digging up the past. I don’t want you hurt, Sabine, and it just might be that finding them hurts more than never knowing them. I’ve always believed family is about sharing your life, not your blood, but I understand why this is different. I just wish there was another way.”