Mischief in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #2)(42)

“I’m only going as far as the hospital, as soon as someone tells me where it is exactly,” Beau assured the man, who gave him a brief nod and left.

“Good,” Mildred said, giving Beau a shrewd look. “I’ll give you directions and you can give me a ride. And since I’m ‘vouching’ for you, you can explain on the way why you’re staying in my hotel and requested a room that faced Sabine’s store. Sabine told me her family was located days ago, so why all this bull about having business with her now?”

Beau sighed and motioned Mildred down the stairs. “I’ll tell you, but you’re probably not going to believe me.”

“Try me,” Mildred said and headed down the stairs and out the door.

Beau made the fifteen-mile drive to Mudbug General in ten minutes flat, hoping like hell that the policeman was back at the station checking on his story or looking at some of that internet porn Mildred had mentioned and not pulling over speeders headed out of town. Mildred had left a message for someone, probably Maryse, as soon as they got in the truck, then demanded he give her the details of his surveillance. He filled her in on the basic points of the situation and had just wrapped up when they reached the hospital. He tore into the parking lot and screeched to a halt in the closest parking space he could find to the emergency room. He jumped out of his truck and ran to the hospital. Mildred was hot on his heels, surprising him by how fast the large woman could move.

A nurse at the front desk gave them a dirty look when they burst into the lobby, but her expression shifted to concern when they asked for Sabine. “The doctors are working on her, but she’s stabilized,” the woman said. “I haven’t heard any details yet, but Dr. Mitchell will be out as soon as there’s something to tell.” She gave Mildred a sympathetic look. “I’m sure we’ll know more about your daughter soon. Is there anything I can get you while you wait?”

“No, thank you,” Mildred said, “we’ll just wait over here if that’s okay.” She pointed to a couple of chairs in the corner of the room with a clear view of the hallway to the emergency room.

“That’s fine,” the nurse said.

“Guess there’s nothing left but the waiting.” Mildred sat on the edge of one of the chairs, her hands clenched together in her lap.

Beau studied her for a moment. “You didn’t correct the nurse when she assumed you were Sabine’s mother.”

“No cause to correct the facts, is there?”

“I thought her aunt raised her.”

Mildred nodded. “She did, as best she could anyway. Margaret was no spring chicken when the state gave her custody of Sabine, and she didn’t get any younger. Then Sabine met Maryse in elementary school and they were tied at the hip ever since. So you might say I got a double blessing.”

Beau stared at Mildred in surprise. “You’re Maryse’s mother? I thought Sabine told me her parents were dead.”

“They are. Her mother died shortly after Maryse’s birth and her father a couple of years ago. I helped with the baby after her mother died, and eventually her father and I started seeing each other on a personal basis. Did right up until the day he died.”

Beau nodded in understanding. “So you are their mother. In all the ways that count anyway.”

Mildred sniffed and looked down at the floor. “I like to think so. Those girls mean the world to me. All that business with Maryse last month damned near gave me a heart attack, and now this. You told me on the way over here that you stayed in the hotel to look out for Sabine because you had a bad feeling but no evidence. What is going on with my girls, Beau? You gave me the facts, but that doesn’t tell me anything. Tell me what you think—I don’t care if you can prove it or not.”

Beau took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. “I didn’t know anything about Maryse’s situation until Sabine mentioned it. Then I read up on it and I think it might have damned near given me a heart attack, too. She’s very lucky to be alive. But the man who was after her is dead, right? Probate is over and the father-in-law is setting up residence in a New Orleans jail awaiting trial.” He shook his head. “I can’t see where that has anything to do with whatever is going on with Sabine.”

“Just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

“You’re right, of course. I’m just a little surprised to hear someone else try to make two and two equal five like I do.”

Mildred waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh heck, I’ve been doing the hotel accounting long enough to know that two and two equals whatever you want it to be. It’s simply a matter of perception and misdirection.”

Beau smiled. “Okay. So let’s say there’s a common factor, but we don’t know what it is. We also don’t know if the common factor is the cause of the problem or not. It could be something as simple as them being friends, or Maryse inheriting money, or it could be nothing at all.”

Mildred gave Beau a shrewd look. “Maryse isn’t the only one set to come into money now, right?”

“Yeah…I started worrying about that all of about two seconds after I found out who Sabine’s family was. Unless they’re putting up an awful good front, the Fortescues have more money than any family I’ve ever met.”

“I was gonna have breakfast with Sabine tomorrow morning and hear all about the meeting. Guess that might have to wait now. So did the Fortescues accept what you told them about her?”