Showdown in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #3)(67)

“Thank you. That’s really kind, but you don’t know my friend. She doesn’t exactly duck things well.”

Lila nodded. “If you hear anything that you can share, I’d really appreciate a call. That’s my cell number on the back of the card. Call anytime.”

“Of course,” Maryse said.

Lila rose and Maryse followed her to the front door of the shop and drew back the dead bolt. “It was nice to meet you,” Lila said. “I only wish it were under different circumstances.”

“Me, too,” Maryse said as Lila slipped out the door. At the last minute, Maryse tugged on her sleeve. “He’s doing a good thing for my friend. Hank, that is. I want you to know that. You’re not wrong in believing he’s changed. I believe it, too, and I’m definitely the last person to say something good about him unless it’s warranted.”

Lila smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad I haven’t been wrong.”

Maryse closed the door behind her and turned the lock in place. She was officially closed for the day. She pulled the pay-as-you-go cell phone Raissa had gotten her from her pocket and punched in Raissa’s number. Things were getting much, much worse.





Chapter Eighteen


It was noon before Raissa and Zach met up at a café in downtown New Orleans. Zach looked stressed, and Raissa couldn’t blame him. Ever since he’d told her Hank Henry was missing, she’d only thought the worst. She’d managed to reassure Maryse when she called hours before that Zach was in charge of the investigation and knew everything they did about Hank and the Heberts. Which was practically nothing. Both of them had already agreed to delay telling Helena until they knew something more concrete.

Raissa took a bite of her chicken sandwich, even though food was the last thing on her mind. “So did you get anything on Spencer?”

“Nothing good. Guy’s clean as a whistle when it comes to the police database. I figured as much.”

“I may have something.”

“Oh, yeah? What?”

“I had Helena do a search of Spencer’s office. She didn’t come back with much.”

“How does that help?”

“I mean she really didn’t come back with much. The place is almost empty.”

Zach’s eyes widened. “You think he’s getting ready to cut out?”

“If he hasn’t already. He knows you’re looking at him, since you questioned him the other day. He might figure it’s only a matter of time before someone connects the dots between him and the parents of the other kidnap victims.”

“Damn it. What good does the information do us if we can’t use it? I can hardly get a warrant from his home based on military personnel giving Maryse confidential information, and I have zero way of explaining how I know his office is cleared out.”

“Maybe we should question Dr. Spencer again. The police could have gotten a subpoena for information, for all he knows, and if he’s guilty of something—and it sure as hell looks like he is—the last thing he’d do is go running to the police to tell them about his suspicions that we broke into his office.”

“Maybe, but it’s a huge risk. If this whole case shakes loose over that information, how am I supposed to justify knowing what to ask him?”

Raissa frowned. He was right, and that frustrated her. Mainly because she hadn’t thought that far herself. She was so focused on finding Melissa that she’d forgotten anything that might happen afterward. And while she could probably get away with taking a hit for it, she didn’t want to ruin Zach’s career.

“I did find something I wanted to run by you,” Zach said.

“What’s that?”

“You know how the captain has me checking into the mayor’s family’s background? Well, an interesting thing happened when I tried to get information on Susannah Franco.”

“What?”

“She didn’t exist until she was eighteen. I find that a little strange, and way too familiar.”

Raissa’s mind raced with possibilities. “Could have been in witness protection with her parents and taken on another identity when she turned eighteen. Or she could have changed her name for any number of reasons.”

“Changing your name doesn’t get you a new Social Security number.”

“No. So what does her Social Security card say?”

“Susannah Forrester.”

“She never changed it after she married. I wonder why.”

“I think I can guess,” Zach said. “Because Susannah Forrester died thirty years ago.”

“Then who is Peter Franco married to?”

Zach shook his head. “I have no idea, and I wonder if Peter Franco does, either. They met in college, and all I can get from teachers and other acquaintances is that she was an only child and the rest of her family is deceased.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“The real Susannah Forrester lived in a bayou town on the outskirts of New Orleans. I figure Mrs. Franco had to know her to assume her identity. I’m going there as soon as we finish lunch to poke around. Do you want to ride along?”

Raissa bit her lip, trying to decide. Heck, yeah, she wanted to go, but she’d promised Maryse she’d head back to Mudbug after lunch to check for any Sonny recordings and fill Helena and Mildred in on the situation with Hank. Maryse had sounded panicked when Raissa talked with her earlier, so she knew her friend was hanging on by a thread. “I can’t. I’ve got to get back to Mudbug and handle the Hank issue with Maryse. And Mildred needs her car.”