Showdown in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #3)(73)

Dr. Breaux stared at him, then glanced at Raissa. “But that’s just crazy. You’re serious about this?”

“Yes, sir. I would never joke about a kidnapping.”

“Well…I guess I just don’t know what to say. I mean, I’ve heard of organ harvesting, of course, but it’s one of those things you never think you’re going to actually come in contact with. Especially among your living patients.”

“So you think that’s what was going on?” Zach asked.

Dr. Breaux frowned, obviously confused. “What else could it be? Why sterilize an area? Why chain a healthy man to a hospital bed? That puncture mark on his arm makes a lot more sense now if you assume someone kept him drugged or on an IV.”

“You’ve got a point,” Zach agreed. “Someone went to Hank’s job site prepared to abduct him without a fight, which means it was all planned. The question is, who planned it and why Hank Henry?”

“How did you happen to find him?” Dr. Breaux asked.

“An anonymous tip,” Zach said. “One of those things that rarely works out but this time turned out to be true.”

“But you have no way of tracing the source?” Dr. Breaux questioned. “Surely, the police have methods of identifying that sort of thing.”

“If it’s a phone call or e-mail, sometimes, although technology still allows for the high-tech person to work around the system. But this was a note delivered by a kid on the street. He couldn’t identify the man who gave it to him.”

Raissa’s eyes widened at Zach’s story, but she had to admire his ability to make up something believable on the fly. The less anyone knew about Sonny Hebert and Raissa, the better.

Dr. Breaux shook his head. “Well, I wish I could help more, but there’s simply nothing about Hank that can tell me what might have happened to him.”

“Is he conscious?”

“Yes, but he says he doesn’t remember anything.”

“Damn,” Zach said.

“You’ve got your work cut out. I understand.”

Zach nodded. “Can we talk to him?”

“Sure. I’m keeping him overnight for observation just because of the circumstances, but there’s not really anything wrong with him that I can find, except he’s a little woozy from whatever they gave him. Should have the tox screen back in a couple of hours.”

Zach pulled one of his business cards from his pocket and gave it to Dr. Breaux. “When you get the tox screen back, please give me a call.”

“Of course,” Dr. Breaux said, and slipped the card in the pocket of his hospital coat. “If that’s all you need, I have a couple more patients to check on.”

“Yes, thank you,” Zach said, and motioned Raissa toward Hank’s room.

Hank was propped up in bed when Zach and Raissa entered the room. Raissa was relieved to see the color was back in his face, and Hank looked equally relieved to see her.

Raissa walked over to the bed and sat on the side. “I’m glad to see you in one piece.”

Hank nodded. “Same goes for you.” Hank looked as if he wanted to say more, but he cast a nervous glance at Zach, then back at Raissa.

“Oh, sorry,” Raissa said and point to Zach. “This is Detective Blanchard. He’s a friend of mine. You can trust him.”

“Then I guess he’ll do.” Hank gave her a small smile. “Would you mind passing me a bit of water? I wasn’t in the mood to be waited on when the nurse was in earlier, but she says I need to take these.” He lifted a disposable cup with two pills in it.

“Sure,” Raissa said, and poured water from a pitcher into a paper cup. “Pain meds?” she asked as she passed the cup to Hank.

Hank tossed the pills in his mouth and drank the cup of water. “No. I don’t have any pain to speak of. Just kinda weak. They gave me a vitamin B shot and some iron pills. Said it should perk me back up in a bit.”

“That’s great news. I was really worried when I saw you unconscious. I had no way of knowing what they’d done to you.”

Hank nodded. “That makes two of us. When I came to, here in the hospital, I was afraid that the men who were looking for you had gotten to you. I haven’t told Sonny’s men anything, but they haven’t let up with the questions.”

“I know you haven’t said anything,” Raissa said, “and I honestly think Sonny has those men asking questions just to keep me on edge. They’ve known where to find me all along.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Sonny and I had a little chat in the alley behind the Mudbug Hotel.”

Hank’s eyes widened. “Holy shit! How are you still breathing?”

Raissa shook her head. “I think Sonny has a bigger problem than me, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out how it all ties together. He’s the one who told me where to find you.”

Hank sat up straight in bed. “No way!”

“Yeah, I thought it was crazy, too.” Raissa thought about the scene with Sonny outside of the shop and shook her head. “It was weird, Hank. He was alone, I’m sure of it, but he was jumpy, like he was afraid somebody was watching. I’ve never seen Sonny jumpy. Not even the possibility of the feds watching him made him flinch in the past.”