Showdown in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #3)(36)

“Yeah, but there’s no way that guy followed us after the exit. You would have seen him.”

“I know. Just wait. If nothing else happens in the next ten minutes, we’ll leave.”

Raissa leaned back against a cement wall and watched Helena savor her coffee. Five minutes later, she pushed herself off the wall and pointed. “Look.”

Helena looked down the street from the garage where a black car with dark-tinted windows had pulled to the side of the street. The car was parked with a clear view of the garage exit. Helena turned to Raissa, her eyes wide. “Is that the same car?”

“Same type, but it’s not the car that hit us earlier. There’s no bullet hole in the trunk of that Cadillac.”

“So how did they find you so fast?”

“I think there’s a GPS tracker on my car. See how they parked to have a clear view of the garage? They’re not sure where I went, so they parked where they can see the garage, for when I return.”

“I’ll be damned. So that’s how they found you.”

“That’s my bet.”

“Then that means they put something on your car before you ever came to Mudbug.”

“Yep.”

Helena’s eyes widened. “Which means that Sonny already knew how to find you, assuming it’s him, of course.”

“I think so. I’ve thought so since Hank paid me a visit.”

“Then why wait all that time and try to kill you now, when it’s harder? You got the FBI looking for you, a new buddy with the New Orleans Police Department shadowing you, and an assortment of crazy women in a hotel rigged with better security than the White House. Seems stupid to make a move now.”

“It’s very stupid. That’s what makes it so interesting. Sonny Hebert may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. He’s very deliberate, almost methodical, about everything. It’s why he’s made it this long without going to prison or being bumped off by another family member looking to take over.”

Helena frowned and looked back down at the black Cadillac. “So what the hell?” Helena asked for the second time in less than an hour.

Raissa looked down at the black car and shook her head. The question was just as pertinent now as before. And just as unanswerable.





Chapter Ten


Zach stood on the top level of a parking garage, staring at Raissa over the top of his unmarked police car. “I don’t like it.” His captain had given him the go-ahead to pull information about the other missing girls, but hadn’t thought there was anything there to warrant questioning them. Raissa, of course, thought different.

She shrugged. “There’s a tracking system on my car and someone tried to kill me earlier. I don’t like that.

“So are you going with me to this girl’s house, or do I need to get a new car and do this with my fake police ID?”

Zach groaned, the ten million things that could go wrong with Raissa’s plan racing through his mind. “I still think this is a horrible idea.”

“No, you don’t. You just don’t want to get caught doing it.” She gave him a critical look. “You know, with a laptop and a printer, I could make you a new police ID.”

Zach placed his hands over his ears. “I’m not hearing this.”

“C’mon. There’s only one girl in New Orleans. She lives with her aunt. It’s not like I’m asking you to round them all up for a lineup or the Spanish Inquisition.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say now.” He opened his car door. “Get in before I change my mind.”

Twenty minutes later, Zach pulled up in front of a neat townhome in a quiet area of town. “I will introduce myself. Follow my lead, but don’t say anything if it can be helped. Nice wig, by the way.”

Raissa patted down her long brown curls. “Thanks. I have a blue silk nightie that goes perfect with this. If you’re interested in seeing some of my other costumes.”

Zach turned away, trying to block the mental picture of Raissa in blue silk and those sexy brown curls. He walked up to the front door of the townhome and could practically feel Raissa smiling behind him. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. He waited a couple of seconds and was just about to ring the bell again when he heard footsteps inside.

A second later, the door opened and a pretty young blonde woman peered out the door, safety latch firmly in place. “Can I help you?”

Zach opened his badge and held it up to the crack in the door. “I’m Detective Blanchard with the New Orleans Police Department. Are you Jennifer Warner?” he asked, giving the girl’s new name.

The girl stared at him, a wary expression on her face. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to ask you a few questions. Do you mind? You can step outside if you’re not comfortable with us being inside, or you can answer them through the door. You can have my badge if you want to call in my number.” Zach held his breath that she wouldn’t take that last option. He wouldn’t even have time to clean out his desk, especially if Jennifer described the female partner that he didn’t exactly have.

She looked at the badge again, then up at Zach. Finally, she closed the door and Zach heard the lock sliding back. The door opened a second later and she waved them inside. “I was just making some coffee,” she said as she walked down a hallway into a kitchen. Zach and Raissa trailed behind.