Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law, #1)(66)

“Good. Were you able to find out anything about Harold’s military service yesterday?”

Luc glanced at Helena again and frowned. “My sources seem to think we’re on the wrong track there. Regardless of what Harold bragged about in Johnny’s, they don’t think there’s any way the man had the skills for anything beyond cleaning toilets—and that’s a direct quote.”

“Got that shit right,” Helena said. “Not that he actually ever cleaned a toilet.”

Maryse shook her head and sighed, careful not to even glance in Helena’s direction. “I’m inclined to agree with your source. So we’ll leave that one alone for now unless more information comes to surface.”

“What can I do?” Sabine asked.

Maryse glanced around at the group, not knowing at all how her next statement would go over with them. Finally, she looked back at Sabine. “I need you to make a trip to New Orleans and talk to Raissa.”

Sabine gasped and her mouth formed a small o. But the reaction was only temporary. Apparently, her memory of Helena following Maryse around kicked in and the request no longer sounded strange.

Mildred cleared her throat and gave Maryse the ole lifted eyebrows look, and Maryse knew she wasn’t buying one word of it. Given that Mildred didn’t know about Helena, Maryse figured the hotel owner thought she was assigning Sabine something trivial to get her out of town and to safety, and she wasn’t entirely wrong. But there was also the flipside. Now that Maryse had been forced into believing in the “spirit world,” she figured she’d tap all sources. Raissa had made some interesting revelations in the past—all of which turned out to be true. Maybe she could do it again.

At this point, Maryse would take any edge she could get.

“What are you going to do?” Sabine asked.

“First, I’m going to check with the police and see if they have any information on my cabin exploding, and then I’ve got a couple of things to check at the office,” Maryse replied. “Luc can drive me, so you don’t have to worry about that.” She looked over at Luc for confirmation. “That okay by you?”

Luc nodded, casting a sideways glance at Helena. “Fine by me.”

“Okay, then, it’s settled, and everyone knows the plan.”

Mildred started to speak when the bells at the hotel entrance jangled. She jumped up from her desk and hustled out front to deal with her customers. Sabine waited until Mildred had closed the office door behind her before giving Maryse a shrewd look. “Helena’s here, isn’t she?”

“Oh, yeah. Sitting right next to you on the couch, as a matter of fact. How did you know?”

Sabine looked at the space on the couch next her, then back at Maryse. “You got that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“Well, for lack of a nicer description, a look like you had really bad gas. Then Luc almost spit up his coffee, and I knew he could see her, too.” She turned to look at Luc. “You can see her, can’t you?”

“Every bit of her,” Luc agreed, “which is sometimes very unfortunate.” He gave Maryse a grin.

“I don’t have to take this grief,” Helena said.

“Yes, you do,” Maryse said, and translated the conversation for Sabine.

Sabine shook her head in dismay. “This is so unfair. Why do you two get to see her and I can’t? All those séances and midnight cemetery ceremonies trying to call my parents, and nothing. I’ve spent my entire life studying the paranormal to get the answers I need about my family, and I’m the only one in the room who can’t see a ghost.”

Luc shrugged. “It’s not really all it’s cracked up to be, Sabine. And believe me, you should be grateful you can’t see and mostly hear Helena. She’s no Casper.”

Sabine tried to continue her pout but couldn’t stop the giggle that finally erupted from her. “I guess you’re right. Helena certainly isn’t my first choice of the dead person I’d like to speak to.”

Helena crossed her arms in front of her and glared. “You people should have more important things to do than rag on me. Why don’t you get on with them?”

Maryse narrowed her eyes at Helena and smiled. “Funny you should bring up everything that needs to be done, because something I need done involves you directly. I just couldn’t say anything in front of Mildred.”

Helena gave her a wary look. “Okay, so what am I supposed to do?”

“Find Hank.”

There was one beat of silence before everyone started in on her at once.

“I don’t like it,” Luc began.

Sabine jumped at the same time. “For Christ’s sake, Maryse, what if he’s the one trying to kill you?”

“Calm down, people. I didn’t say I was going to confront Hank. I just want to know what he’s up to. It’s the only way to figure out whether he is the one trying to kill me. Do you think I just want to wait around waiting for it?”

Helena pursed her lips. “All of this is irrelevant because I have absolutely no idea where Hank is. I checked that pad of paper at my house. It was a motel room on the outskirts of town, but he’s not there anymore. I checked.”

“If we play this right,” Maryse said, “we may be able to get him to come to us.”