Showdown in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #3)(32)

Raissa smiled. “My lips are sealed. But I need to find her first.”

“She’ll probably be sitting on the dock at her house,” Maryse said. “She goes there when she needs to think.”

“And we’ve given her plenty to think about this morning.” Raissa frowned. “Speaking of which, if a stupid man in a well-pressed suit comes around here asking for me or Sabine, that’s Agent Fields. I half expected him to turn up last night, but he probably thought Mudbug would have dirt roads and it would mar the paint of his pristine car. He’ll be here today, though. He won’t have a choice.”

“He won’t get anything out of us,” Mildred said.

“Actually, I want you to tell him that Sabine is on her honeymoon. Likely he’ll leave as soon as he hears Sabine’s not home.”

“Then we’ll be sure he gets the message,” Mildred said. “In the meantime, I took the liberty of parking your car in the garage behind the hotel, and pulled mine up front. I figured it wouldn’t do for them to see your car parked here.”

Raissa nodded. “I figured as much when we raced in here last night and I didn’t see it out front. Thanks, Mildred. You’re getting good at this cloak-and-dagger stuff.”

Mildred sighed. “I’ll just be happy when I can get back to running my hotel and pestering Sabine and Maryse for grandchildren. I’m too old for this crap.”





Chapter Nine


Zach stood in the living room of a townhome that probably cost more than he made in ten years and looked from Susannah Franco to her husband, Peter. “So there were no issues with Melissa?”

“What kind of issues?” Peter Franco asked.

“The typical sort, like a fight, maybe?”

“Absolutely not,” Peter said. “I hope you’re not suggesting something foolish, like Melissa ran away. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the time you’re wasting here is time you could spend looking for my daughter.”

Susannah Franco placed her hand on her husband’s arm. “He’s just doing his job.” She looked at Zach. “My husband’s right. Melissa is a very happy child. I know all parents think their children are special, but Melissa truly is. She never has a harsh word to say and always finds the fun and joy in just about anything. She loves her life.”

Zach nodded. “What about illness? Sometimes if a child is sick, they behave differently, or if they’re running a fever, it can affect their memory.”

Peter shook his head. “She wasn’t sick. In fact, Melissa is never sick. She has allergies but a mild case at that. My wife is right. She is a very special child. Perfect, almost. Sometimes frighteningly so.”

“Why do you say that?” Zach asked.

“I don’t know,” Peter replied. “It took us so long to conceive and we’d just about given up hope. I guess I just always had this feeling that I got something I didn’t deserve with Melissa, and one day it would be taken from me.” He gave Zach a bleak look. “I guess I was right.”

“We’re going to find her,” Zach assured him. “When I called earlier I asked about the instructions for your security system. Were you able to locate those?”

“Oh, yes,” Peter said. “They were filed in my office. I’ll get them for you.” He exited the living room and hurried up the stairway. Zach allowed himself one second of relief that he’d managed to get Peter out of the room, but then he turned his best investigative techniques on Susannah. The townhome wasn’t that big, and Peter would be back any minute.

“Mrs. Franco,” he said in a low voice, “before your husband returns, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Susannah’s eyes widened. “Okay.”

“Two years ago, your father-in-law was a member of a panel on child abductions. The cases covered were identical to Melissa’s, but when questioned, he never volunteered that information. Can you think of any reason why your father-in-law would intentionally withhold information that could help find your daughter?”

Susannah gasped, the fear on her face plain as day. “No. I don’t believe it.”

“I saw transcripts of the panel and photos. If you know something about your father-in-law, you need to tell me.”

“Is he a suspect?”

“At this point, he’s a person of interest, but all of you are. That’s the way this sort of thing works. Your father-in-law knew how to disarm the alarm. Melissa would have gone with him without a struggle.”

“No,” Susannah shook her head. “I won’t believe it. I can’t. He’s overwrought and he forgot. There’s no way Martin would hurt his granddaughter or Peter.”

“Not even for a reelection win?”

Susannah’s mouth snapped shut and she stared at Zach for a couple of seconds. “I don’t know why he didn’t give you the information, but there must be a good reason.”

Zach looked her directly in the eyes. She met his gaze for one second, two, three—then she couldn’t hold it any longer and looked away. “Are you sure about that?”

“I have to be,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “The alternative is not an option.”