Mischief in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #2)(53)

Sabine opened Helena’s folder and started to read the autopsy report again. She hadn’t been mistaken—Helena definitely had cancer, and it was very advanced. In fact, Sabine doubted the woman would have had more than six months to live. She flipped past the autopsy report and through the other papers in Helena’s file. This file only contained the last ten years, but it was a revealing ten years. Helena had asthma and her blood pressure was borderline, but otherwise, she’d been deemed healthy at every checkup. If she’d been sick with colds or the flu or the occasional virus, she hadn’t been to the doctor for them.

And there was absolutely no other note about the cancer other than the autopsy.

Which made no sense. Helena should have had some symptoms—dizziness, lethargy, pain. If the cancer had been caught soon enough, she most likely would have been given a round of chemo, then progressed to the radiation treatments. If that didn’t work, she would have been a candidate for a marrow transplant, like Sabine. But apparently, no one had known.

Sabine closed the file and bit her lower lip. Could Helena really have ignored the symptoms that easily? Or even stranger—could she have really lived with cancer advanced to the stage it had and had no symptoms at all? Was that possible? She was just about to open Hank’s file when Maryse burst into the room.

“Are you all right? What did the doctor say? What did the police say? Where’s that investigator and what the hell is he doing about all this?”

“Whoa,” Sabine said and laughed. “One question at a time or my brain might explode.”

Maryse grimaced and sat down on the end of the bed. “I know the feeling. Start talking, woman.”

Sabine spent the next fifteen minutes filling Maryse in on everything that had transpired, including her newfound ability to see Helena and their break-in at the hospital. Maryse listened closely, occasionally interjecting an “oh no,” “good Lord,” or “shit.”

When Sabine was finished, Maryse blew out a breath and stared at her for a moment. “You’ve got some nerve, Sabine LeVeche, trying to one-up me on this. Wasn’t one attempted murder enough?”

Sabine smiled. “Raissa told me Mildred yelled at you.”

“Yelling would have been polite. That woman scalded my eardrum over the phone. I snuck in the back door of the hotel to come see you. I’m not sure I can take another round.”

Sabine laughed. “I think that was stress and temporary insanity on her part. Mildred knows you didn’t have anything to do with this. If I hadn’t insisted on finding my family, none of this would be happening. I should have let this go years ago.”

“A week ago, I would have agreed. But things are different now. We need to find a donor and your family is the best possibility. Besides, the break-in at your house and the hospital happened before you found your family. Maybe the two aren’t related.”

“Someone stole all of my family’s medical records and you think that’s not related?”

“Okay, so maybe it’s related. But you still have no idea who did it or why. You say the Fortescues seemed surprised…what if there was a third party trying to connect the dots? A reporter or something. It will be a huge story. ‘Missing daughter of heir to millions finally found.’ I can just see the headline already.”

“Maybe, but it’s a stretch.”

“I think you should ask Beau to check into it. He might have connections that can get information we can’t. We can’t even ask without admitting we know what was stolen.”

“You’re right. I should probably ask Beau.” Sabine stared out the hotel window for a moment and sighed.

Maryse narrowed her eyes at Sabine. “You make that sound like such a chore.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I do. I mean, I did before you protested, but now I’m dying to. C’mon, Sabine. Luc’s been gone for days. Please tell me that one of us is getting some action.”

“I am not getting any action. I’m surprised at you. You know I don’t play fast and loose, and with everything else going on, the last thing on my mind is getting some action.”

Maryse raised her eyebrows. “Methinks she doth protest too much. Granted you have a lot on your plate, but I still don’t think sex is the last thing on your mind. Remember, I’ve seen the guy, and I know from experience that even attempted murder does not squelch the desire for a hot man—especially if the hot man is interested in you.”

“You don’t know he’s interested in me.” Sabine struggled to direct the conversation away from her. “He’s just doing his job.”

Maryse laughed. “I saw the way he looked at you in the café, and I’ve seen that look before. Thank God, I stayed alive long enough to see that look on a regular basis.”

“He kissed me,” Sabine blurted.

Maryse stared. “And…”

“And what? That’s it. He kissed me and I asked him to leave.” Sabine felt a flush start to creep up her neck.

“Oh boy!” Maryse bounced up and down on the bed like a child. “I remember the first time Luc kissed me. My whole body was on fire and I thought my head was going to pop off my shoulders and into outer space. I went stomping out of the office, mad, flattered, sexually charged, and scared to death.”