Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law #5)(13)

“Careful,” Colt said. “The edge of the bank is sandy and could easily give. Just inch along the side here until we get to where there’s more bank.”

She stepped lightly behind him until they reached hard-packed mud and weeds. A tall, thin man with silver hair stood next to the pond, checking his watch. Jadyn glanced upstream and saw a bass boat tied off to the bank just before the entrance to the pond. As they approached, the man stuck out his hand to Colt.

“Made good time, Sheriff,” he said, then looked at Jadyn.

“This is Jadyn St. James,” Colt said. “She’s the new game warden.”

The man looked her up and down, then shook his head. “Don’t know what the world is coming to. Wouldn’t you rather be home having babies or something?”

Colt closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, probably waiting for the explosion he thought was coming. He was wrong. Jadyn knew this man. He existed in every small town across the nation. And nothing he said could ruffle her feathers.

“Would you rather be home having babies?” Jadyn asked.

“’Course not!”

“Then why do you assume I would? I got news for you, old-timer, a set of ovaries does not automatically make a woman desire the sound of screaming infants.”

Burton looked over at Colt. “Got a mouth on her, doesn’t she?”

Colt glanced at her firearm. “That’s not all she has on her. You might want to check a calendar. Women have been making a go of it on their own for quite a while now.”

“Don’t care if it’s been a thousand years,” Burton said. “I still ain’t got to like it.”

“How about you show us the boat,” Colt said, clearly trying to navigate away from the current conversation.

“This way. Hell.”

Jadyn didn’t bother to hold in her smile as they followed Burton down the bank. She stopped next to Colt where a small channel fed into the pond. About ten feet from the edge of the water she could see the top of something large and black, a couple of inches below the surface. It didn’t look anything like the top of the boats that Jadyn had seen, but it looked exactly like the top of a car.

“Can’t be that deep if we can see the top.”

“No,” Colt agreed, “but the water’s murky, so might take some time to inspect. And it’s good he found it now because in a couple of hours, the top won’t be visible from the surface. Something that heavy will sink fast in the mud. Suit up and let’s take a closer look. Mr. Foster, would you mind waiting here while we dive?”

Burton gave him a derisive look. “You never leave a man in the field.”

“Of course not.” Colt reached into his duffel bag for two underwater flashlights and handed one to Jadyn. “I’ll check inside. You check the rear for a license plate number.”

She wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that she was perfectly capable of peering into that car even though it might mean finding Raissa inside. But she knew if she opened her mouth, he’d know she was lying. The truth was she was scared as hell about what might be inside that car. Scared as hell that she’d have to go back to the hotel and tell Mildred and Maryse that they’d never see their friend again. At least not alive.

“Okay,” she said and took the flashlight. She checked the pressure on her tank, and followed him to the edge of the pond where she drew up short. “What about alligators?”

He scanned the banks. “Always a possibility, but I don’t see any signs. They’re probably spooked out of the area for a while.”

She wanted to ask what the probability of “probably” was or the exact definition of “for a while” but knew it wouldn’t do any good. If Colt knew more, he would have said so and likely he would have insisted she wait on the bank. Not that she would have listened. Technically, the pond was her jurisdiction, and no way was she going to play the little woman and let the big, strong man handle her job. The state paid her to work and by God, that’s what she intended to do. Regardless of what the job entailed or how Burton Foster thought she ought to be spending her time.

She waded into the water with Colt as he felt down the side of the car.

“Looks like this is the back,” he said, pointing to the side closest to the bank.

“I’ll check the plate.” Jadyn placed the regulator in her mouth and took a test breath before sinking below the surface.

The water was so murky, it was impossible to see more than a foot in front of her even with the spotlight. She used the side of the car to guide her around the corner to the back, shining her light down the back bumper. When she got to the flat spot where the license plate should have been, only a black space stared back at her.

Damn.

She started to surface, but changed her mind. Maybe some form of identification existed inside the car. Colt was checking the car from the driver’s side so she swam around the back to the passenger’s side. As she approached the side windows, she could see the dim glow from Colt’s flashlight. She felt down the side of the car and realized the passenger side window was rolled down.

Her pulse ticked up a notch as she lifted the flashlight to shine it inside. The light illuminated the passenger seat and relief coursed through her when she saw it was empty. She slid through the window a bit to check the backseat and felt an uptick of hope when it was also clear.