Mischief in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #2)(80)

“You’re all crazy,” Catherine said.

“No, they’re not,” Adelaide said, breaking off prayer long enough to put in her ten cents. “And the police will believe them, because I’m going to tell everything. Like I should have done all those years ago.”

Beau motioned to Sabine. “I brought a backpack in from my truck and dropped it somewhere in the hall when I saw Frances with her shovel. There’s a set of handcuffs in the front pocket.”

It only took Sabine a minute to retrieve the pack and less than that for Beau to secure Catherine to the bedpost. Sabine looked down at her, still amazed and appalled all at the same time at all the evil stemming from one central source. All those people murdered, and for what—money…a title…a house? Sabine would never understand.

But Catherine had denied any attempt on Sabine’s life.

“The least you can do,” Sabine said to the murderess, “is tell me why you were trying to kill me. It’s all coming out anyway. I deserve to know.”

Catherine gave her a dirty look. “I already told you I couldn’t be bothered.”

“Then what about the peanut oil and syringe that were in Lloyd’s jacket pocket?” Beau said.

Catherine frowned. “The jacket in the hall closet?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be damned,” Catherine said, a thin smile on her face. “Lloyd’s jacket is in our bedroom. The jacket in the hall must belong to Mr. Alford.”

Sabine stared at Beau in horror.

“Damn it!” Beau cursed and ran from the room, his gun in the ready position. Sabine rushed out behind him.

At the end of the hall, Beau pushed open the bedroom door and stuck the lantern inside. An open briefcase sat on the bed and Sabine could see a glow coming from underneath the bathroom door. Beau eased the bathroom door open and peered inside as Sabine lifted a folder from the briefcase.

“No one’s there,” Beau said.

Sabine opened the folder and looked at the black-and-white photo on top. It wasn’t recent, if the woman’s hairstyle and clothes were any indication, but there was something about her face…She flipped the photo over and read the penciled words at the top corner. Mom, 1955. She flipped the photo back over and took a second look. Still nothing. She handed the photo to Beau for his inspection and looked at the next document. It was a death certificate for a Sandra Franks, identifying the cause of death as drowning. Sabine frowned.

Sandra Franks was one of the names she’d found when searching for the women from her aunt’s journals. But what in the world was Alford doing with her death certificate? Mom, 1955.

Sabine stretched her mind to recall the conversation they’d had at Alford’s office. He’d mentioned losing his parents at a young age. She flipped to the next sheet and found a copy of a journal page. Her pulse began to quicken:

I’m afraid for me and my children. I haven’t heard from William in over four months, and even with him in Vietnam, that’s a long time. He promised to put a stop to this charade his family is putting on about his engagement to Catherine. He swears I am the only one he will ever love, and I believe him. He’s told Catherine he will never marry her, but I think she has her mind set on being a Fortescue. I’m afraid for my babies. If his family finds out, I’m not sure what they will do. Even worse, I’m not sure what Catherine will do.

She claims to love William and want a life with him, but I see the way she looks at Lloyd in church and I know the way the wind blows. There have been noises outside of my house three nights in a row, and now the dog is missing. I’m afraid someone has found out William is the father of my children, and that has put us all in danger.

I pray daily that I will hear from my love, but there is a stone deep in my stomach that tells me it is already too late, and I will never see my William again.


[page]
Sabine’s heart pounded in her throat as she turned to the next page. A birth certificate.

Twins. A boy, Martin Samuel born at 10:10 a.m. and a girl, Mildred Grace born ten minutes before.

Sabine sucked in a breath as her whole world came crashing down around her. She yanked the photo from Beau, not wanting to see what she already knew was there, not wanting to believe that this was far from over. But it was right there staring her in the face. The curve of the smile, the wide-set eyes and upturned nose. Sandra Franks was Mildred’s mother. The woman who had raised Sabine was adopted, and Mildred had never said a word.

Or maybe she hadn’t known.

Panicked, Sabine shoved the folder at Beau. “It wasn’t me!” she cried. “It wasn’t me Alford was trying to kill.”

Beau stared at her, wide-eyed. “Sabine, what are you talking about? Of course he was trying to kill you.”

“No. Read the papers. Look at that picture. Catherine and Lloyd killed William’s girlfriend in order to pull off their plan. But Sandra already had William’s babies, so they gave them away. Twins. Martin and Mildred. My Mildred. She’s been the target this whole time.” Beau glanced down at the photo and his face instantly grew a shade lighter. “Holy shit! It was Alford who said the bridge was out.”

Sabine grabbed Beau’s arm. “We have to get to Mudbug! The phone lines are all down and the cells will never work, especially with the storm. We have to warn Mildred. He’s probably on his way. Or already there.”