Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law #5)(59)

“It sounds like Raissa gave him the bare minimum,” Mildred whispered.

“I don’t think she had much more to give. She doesn’t know who took her or why. She wouldn’t even know she’d been held at Bart’s camp if Jadyn and Colt hadn’t recognized it from her description.”

“I guess that’s true, but I’m still glad he had to wait for us before he could talk to her. I haven’t liked the man since he walked into my hotel and rented the rooms.”

“That’s because you have good taste.”

Mildred smiled. “I’m so happy Raissa is safe. Now, if Zach would wake up, everything could go back to normal.”

Maryse nodded. She was definitely thrilled about Raissa, but no matter how happy she got, Luc’s worries about her safety crept through the joy and reminded her that nothing would be normal for her until the man gunning for Luc was behind bars.

The door to the next room slammed shut and a second later, footsteps hurried past on the hallway and down the stairs. Helena popped back through the wall, her eyes wide.

“Ross was on the phone with his boss,” she said. “He said he’d inspected the car they pulled out of the pond, and it belonged to Raissa. They checked some number.”

“The VIN number,” Maryse said.

“Yeah, that’s it. Then Ross said he’d spoken to Raissa but she didn’t know her kidnappers. She’s going to look at some books—I guess with pictures of criminals—and work with a sketch artist. They’re sending him to the hospital.”

“That’s good,” Mildred said.

Helena nodded. “His boss screamed at him so loud that I could hear him like he was standing right next to me. He said that things were out of control and he better make them right. He said Ross’s future depended on it.”

“Good,” Maryse said. “Maybe he’ll be relegated to a desk from now on. God knows, he shouldn’t be allowed to work around the general public.”

“Maybe he needs a rabies shot,” Helena said and started laughing again. “Then Ross told his boss that if he did a better job choosing personnel he wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Seriously? He’s blaming his staff? What a douche bag.”

“Totally,” Helena agreed.

“So Ross sent his men to search Bart’s camp…what does he plan on doing?”

“He told his boss he was going to sit on Bart until he got what he wanted.”

“Poor Bart,” Mildred said. “He can’t be one of guys Ross is looking for. Raissa didn’t recognize any of them, and she knows Bart well enough.”

“I’m sure Bart will have no trouble handling Agent Ross,” Maryse said. “In fact, I kinda wish I could be there to see it.”

“Are you going to call Jadyn and tell her what Ross is up to?” Helena asked.

Maryse nodded. “I’ll call in a minute.”

Mildred checked her watch and rose from the bed. “We best get moving. Visiting time starts in an hour.”

“You promised I could go this time,” Helena said.

Mildred sighed. “Lord help me. I did.”

“Hey,” Helena said, “maybe we should pick up a blackberry cobbler to bring to Raissa. I could sit in the back and hold it…maybe with some dinnerware just in case she wants to share?”

[page]###

Gordon Pickett was a short man with a bald head and a red face. Colt put him in his midfifties, and his round belly left little question as to what precipitated his heart problem.

“I’m Sheriff Colt Bertrand from Mudbug,” Colt said when he answered the door. “I’m here about your car.”

Pickett’s eyes widened and he pulled open the door and waved them inside. “Mudbug? That’s an hour from here. Did you find it? Is it okay?”

“We did find it, but I’m afraid it’s a total loss.” He explained to Pickett the condition of the car and where it had been found.

Pickett’s face turned several shades darker and Colt wondered if he was going to have another heart attack. “What is wrong with people—stealing a man’s car while he’s in the hospital and then driving it into a bayou? I don’t know what our world is coming to with the way kids are behaving these days.”

“I don’t think it was kids,” Colt said. “The car had been dismantled.”

“Why in the world would someone dismantle my car?”

“I believe your car was stolen by someone running a chop shop.”

Pickett stared back and forth between them without saying a word. Finally, he found his voice again. “Well, I’ll be damned. You say it was completely stripped?”

Colt nodded. “Everything with a hinge, the wheels and tires, and the engine are gone.”

Pickett threw his hands in the air. “Well, what are you going to do? If you’ll give me an address for wherever you’re holding the car, I’ll send someone to tow it here for the insurance adjustor to see.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that right now. The car is evidence in an ongoing investigation.”

“You can’t just keep my car,” Pickett said, sounding agitated. “I’m the victim here. Insurance won’t give me a dime until they see that car.”