Mischief in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #2)(43)

“They seemed to take it all in stride. I’m sure when it comes down to the details, someone, most likely the attorney, will insist on a DNA test.”

“But you have no doubts?”

Beau shook his head. “No. Sabine is the spitting image of her father, and the grandfather, for that matter. If you could have seen those pictures of when he was young…it was mighty convincing. By my estimate, Sabine is poised to inherit a fortune.”

“You really think they’ll just hand over a buttload of money to someone who is still essentially a stranger, DNA or no?”

Beau nodded. “Yeah, I do. Once word gets out that Adam had a daughter and she was found, the family will do everything they can to make up for lost time. Remember, appearances are the most important thing to the Fortescues. And what would people think if they didn’t bring Sabine into the fold and treat her as the grandchild she is?”

“And you think that might make someone unhappy?”

“Maybe. There’s only the aunt left in the house with the grandparents and they don’t associate with any extended family, but assuming no aunt and no Sabine, there’s any number of estranged cousins and such who would probably come into a tidy sum when the grandparents were gone. The aunt didn’t strike me as all that healthy looking, so she probably isn’t a huge concern. She seems emotionally unstable and it might be that she couldn’t even withstand her parents’ death.”

“Which leaves Sabine.”

“Exactly.”

Mildred sighed. “Does it strike you that all these problems seem to center on money, even though Maryse’s situation ultimately wasn’t about the money, per se?”

“Oh, yeah. If there’s one thing I learned in the FBI, it was that money is the greatest motivator of all. We had a saying there—’there’s three things you don’t mess with, a man’s money, his wife, or his children—in that order.’ ”

Mildred gave him a knowing look. “Some days, it just pays to be poor, single, and childless.”

[page]

Sabine awoke with a series of wires attached to various parts of her body. She blinked, trying to clear her blurry vision, then blinked again. Her eyes were still watery, but she could make out a small hospital room, like the equipment hadn’t given that away. No separate bathroom, so she must be in the emergency room. Helena must have been able to make the call. Thank God. The last thing she remembered was calling to the ghost for help.

“Sabine, can you hear me?”

Sabine looked across the room but didn’t see anyone. “Helena? Is that you?”

“Yeah. I’m standing next to your bed.”

Sabine turned to the side, expecting to find nothing but air, and sucked in a breath when she saw Helena, clear as day, standing next to her bed. “Holy shit! I really am dead this time.”

Helena peered down at her, her eyes hidden behind a pair of polarized sunglasses. “You can see me again?”

“Of course I can see you. For some god-awful reason, you’re dressed like John Lennon. Why wouldn’t I be able to see you? We’re both dead and apparently stuck here.”

“Uh, I hate to point out the obvious, but hospitals as a general rule do not attach heart monitors to dead people. And even if they did, I’m fairly certain dead people wouldn’t have a pulse.”

Sabine twisted around to get a good look at the monitor behind her and felt relief wash over her. Sure enough, her heart was beating. Albeit, it was probably beating a good bit faster now than it had before, but that was fixable. Dead wasn’t.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think you’ll have to wait long for an answer. In a minute, they’ll let Mildred and that hunky investigator in here.”

“Hunky investigator? What’s he still doing here?” She shook her head. “Never mind that. Have you been here the whole time? Have the doctors said anything?”

“Yeah, they’ve said plenty, but not a damn thing I understood. They’re moving you to a room, though, so I guess that’s good news. I’m really glad, Sabine. I know I am a real annoyance to you and Maryse, but I don’t want to see anything bad happen to either of you.” She sighed. “Sometimes, I wish—”

Before Helena could finish her sentence, the door burst open. Mildred went straight to Sabine’s side, walking through Helena, and clutched Sabine’s hand in her own. “My God, Sabine, you’ve scared the life right out of me.” Beau was right behind her.

Sabine squeezed Mildred’s hand and watched as Helena strolled through the hospital wall. “Looks like I came closer to scaring it out of myself. What happened? Have you talked to the doctor?”

Mildred shook her head. “They’re coming in a minute, but I insisted on seeing you now.”

Sabine smiled. “I bet you did. Maryse?”

“I got her voice mail, but I left a message.”

“I thought you’d be halfway back to New Orleans by now,” Sabine said to Beau.

“You didn’t tell her you were staying in the hotel?” Mildred asked.

“You’re staying at the hotel?” Sabine repeated. “Since when?”

Beau paused for a moment before answering. “I checked in three days ago.”