Mischief in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #2)(84)

“Well, being as we were both right, I guess we need to call the police and get this process started before the nurse comes in to take your temperature and has a heart attack.”

Mildred pulled her legs out from under the covers and climbed out of bed. She stuck her hand out toward Raissa. “Give me your gun.”

Raissa stared at her. “What? Why?”

“Honey, I know what hiding looks like and you’ve been at it a long, long time. Are you going to tell me you want the police poking around into your background?”

Raissa’s eyes widened and Mildred placed one hand on her arm. “I don’t know what you’re running from, and I don’t care. I’ve known you for a long time, and you’re a good woman. I know you have good reasons. You and I both know the police won’t even think twice about my shooting a man who came here to kill me. It will all go away in a matter of weeks.”

“I don’t know…what if they guess…how are you going to explain…”

“I won’t explain much of anything. I’m in a hospital, worried for my life, and on drugs—as far as they know. Give me your gun, Raissa. I figure it’s not registered to you, right? I can always claim I got it from Maryse’s dad years ago. No one will think any different. Bayou men buy and sell this stuff all the time.”

Raissa glanced at Alford then back at Mildred, obviously torn. Finally, she placed her gun in Mildred’s hand. Mildred handed Raissa her own firearm. “I don’t want you without protection, and I figure me toting two guns around might raise some eyebrows. If you wouldn’t mind taking that with you.”

Raissa took the pistol and slipped it in her purse. “Thank you, Mildred. I’ll get this back to you as soon as I replace my old one.”

Mildred waved one hand in dismissal. “Keep it. Mine’s not registered either.” She gave Raissa a wink and the other woman smiled. Mildred lifted the phone, dialed 911, and gave a brief description of the problem. Somehow it didn’t surprise her to find out that Beau Villeneuve had already called the police and they were in route. She hung up the phone with a smile.

“What?” Raissa asked, and Mildred explained to her to Beau had already sent the police.

Raissa smiled and squeezed Mildred’s hand with her own. “The house of cards is crumbling.”

Mildred grinned. “We better get your prints off that gun, get mine on it, and call for the nurse. Tell her someone died in here and it damned sure wasn’t me.” Mildred reached for the phone as Maryse strolled into the room, wrestling with a cardboard coffee tray.

“Sorry it took so long,” Maryse said, still looking down at the tray. “There was an incredible line down there and—” She looked up and saw Mildred standing next to the bed, pistol still in her hand, and the dead man slumped over her hospital bed.

All the color washed out of Maryse’s face and the tray of coffee crashed to the floor, Maryse following closely behind. Mildred looked down at her and shook her head. “Sure, someone tries to kill her and she runs out of the hotel barefoot and not wearing underwear. Sometimes tries to kill me and she’s a shrinking violet.”

Raissa grinned. “Well, maybe we should get ‘Violet’ off the floor before the police get here.”


[page]
Sabine bit her lip as Beau tore into the hospital parking lot and screeched to a stop in front of the main entry. They both jumped out and ran past a startled nurse who yelled after them. It seemed by unspoken mutual decision they both decided the stairs were the best choice, because neither even slowed as they passed the elevator. Sabine skidded on the polished floor as they burst out of the stairwell and onto Mildred’s floor, but there was barely a pause before she picked up speed again and dashed down the hallway after Beau.

She saw him pull his gun from his waistband, and she pulled her own pistol from her purse and dropped the bag in the hallway. They rounded the last corner and burst into Mildred’s room, guns blazing and ready to do some serious damage.

“Good heavens!” Mildred looked at the doorway as they burst into the room.

It took less than a second for Sabine to take it all in—Martin, dead on Mildred’s bed, and Raissa standing over a white-faced Maryse, fanning her with a bedpan. She paused only long enough to click on the safety on her pistol, then rushed over to Mildred and wrapped her arms around the woman who had raised her and crushed her in a hug.

Mildred squeezed her back and rubbed her hands up and down Sabine’s back, just the way she used to do when Sabine was upset as a child. “It’s fine, honey. Everything’s going to be just fine.”

Sabine felt the tears surface and didn’t even bother to try holding them in as she released Mildred and looked her in the eyes. “This has been the single most horrifying and terrifying day of my entire life.”

“Tell me about it,” Maryse mumbled.

Sabine looked over at her best friend and smiled. “Should I even ask?”

Raissa shook her head. “No, but it’s worth a year of bribes later on.”

Mildred cocked her head to one side and studied Sabine for a moment. “When I called the police, they said you’d already dispatched them here. How did you know?”

Sabine blew out a breath. “I found a bunch of papers in Martin’s briefcase. They tied everything together. You were the one in danger all along, although I’m sure he would’ve come after me next. He was insane and obsessed with his quest.”