Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law #5)(16)

“No sir, we are not,” Jadyn said. “You’re free to tell the sheriff anything you’d like, but you have no right to tell me I can’t do my job. And my job is these swamps…all of the swamps. If I’ve got cause to be in the area, you can bet I will be.”

Ross’s eyes widened and he glared at her. “If you insist on pushing, I can take this to the state.”

“Then I suggest you start now. As efficient as they are, you can expect a return call from my superiors in a week or so.”

“Fine. Is that all you have for me?” Ross asked, clearly done with the conversation.

Colt handed him a piece of paper. “That’s directions to the pond. You may be able to get a tow truck down the bank using some support planks.”

Ross snatched the paper from Colt’s hand and opened the door. Jadyn and Colt trailed out without so much as a good-bye. Ross slammed the door behind them.

“I thought you said he was okay,” Jadyn said as they headed down the hallway.

“He was before, but this was bound to happen sooner or later,” Colt said. “I’m sure his boss is coming down on him, especially since the dogs didn’t find anything today. Emotions are running high, and if Ross gets them answers, he’ll probably get a big promotion out of it.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

He shook his head. “He better be happy with the job he has now.”

“Are all the law enforcement agencies that brutal?”

“The ones I’m familiar with, it’s pretty standard.”

“I wonder how Luc handles it. He seems well adjusted.”

“According to the rumor mill, Luc is pretty much a legend in the DEA. He doesn’t ever talk about his work, but the conviction rate on his cases is double the agency average.”

“You think he’ll be running the DEA one day?”

“Doubt it. I think Luc likes what he does. Sitting behind a desk would be a slow death.”

“I get that,” Jadyn said as they stepped into the lobby.

Mildred was at the front desk and gave them a quick nod before hustling off down the hall. Jadyn briefly wondered what was that pressing at 9:00 p.m. but figured she’d find out soon enough.

“So what now?” she asked.

Colt ran one hand through his hair, looking incredibly frustrated. “Despite the edict from Ross, I think we should search the area.”

“You think someone’s holding her nearby?”

“She’s somewhere. Might as well start looking where we know they were. There’s any number of fishing camps—shacks mostly—that someone could hole up in if they were looking to.”

“What time?”

“Sun’s up at six. I want to be in the bayou before Ross gets there, so say five thirty.”

“I’ll meet you at the dock. Anything special I need to bring?”

“Binoculars, and plenty of extra ammo…just in case.”

Jadyn nodded. Just in case.

Colt exited the hotel and she watched him through the plate-glass front as he walked down the sidewalk. The maps of the bayous that she’d started on last week all rolled through her mind as she tried to place the location of the car in relation to the channels she’d already charted.

“You’re thinking awfully deep there,” Mildred’s voice sounded behind her.

She turned around to face the hotel owner and sighed. “I have a lot to think about.”

Mildred nodded. “We all do. I just put on a pot of coffee. Shirley called and told me about the car. You want to bring me up to speed on everything else?”

“Of course,” Jadyn said, immediately feeling guilty. She’d been so focused on the events of the day and the plans for tomorrow that she’d completely forgotten she hadn’t had a chance to fill Mildred and Maryse in on anything. They were probably both ready to explode.

“Can we call Maryse?” Jadyn asked as she trailed behind Mildred to her office.

“Ha,” Mildred said. “If we don’t she might shoot us. She’s probably been staring at her phone all day.”

Jadyn took a seat in Mildred’s office and the hotel owner returned a minute later with a coffeepot and a tray of cups and sweetener. Jadyn had just finished pouring two cups when Helena popped through the wall and took a seat next to Jadyn.

Mildred gave her a disapproving look. “Where have you been all day?”

“What do you care? Seemed you guys wanted me scarce this morning, so I got scarce.”

“No,” Mildred corrected, “we wanted you to stop stealing food, and that’s not the reason you fled. Later on, you and I are going to have a talk about the cat and Maryse’s daddy’s ashes.”

Helena’s eyes widened, probably putting together the gunfire and broken urn. “Uh-oh.”

“You got that right,” Mildred said. “A long, unpleasant talk. The only reason I haven’t been looking for you sooner is because we’ve got a bigger emergency than you.”

Helena sobered. “I heard about Zach and Raissa down at the beauty shop. I hitched a ride with a trucker and waited for the search team to return to their cars. I know they didn’t find anything. And I heard you guys talking to that Agent Ross. What an ass he is.”