Resurrection in Mudbug

by Jana DeLeon

  He rolled his neck around, trying to release some of the tension, but it was useless. Even though he’d been accurate with his assessment that the boat and everything that came along with it was a problem for the game warden, there was no way he was leaving an investigation to the wide-eyed doe.

  She was a top marksman, and she had completely surprised him—and Junior—with her martial arts ability, but no way was she qualified for a problem of this caliber. Problems like this one were often the precursor to a pileup of bodies. He’d seen it more than once working for the New Orleans Police Department. In fact, it was exactly this sort of problem that he’d been hoping to escape when he’d returned back home to Mudbug, a town with fewer people than New Orleans housed on a city block.

  He sighed. All that running and the same problem had landed right back in his lap, but without the resources or experience he’d had at his disposal in New Orleans. Jadyn St. James was a hell of a good shot and she was way easier on the eyes than the previous game warden, who was three hundred pounds if he was an ounce and who’d had a perpetual case of exposed butt crack.

  But she wasn’t even remotely qualified to handle this kind of criminal.

  The question was—was he prepared to do it? And the even bigger question—was he qualified to handle Jadyn St. James?

  One look at the fit, dark-headed beauty had sent his mind right back to Maria, and that was a place he never wanted to go. The truth was, he’d left New Orleans to get away from memories of Maria as much as he had the despicable criminals he’d been chasing. Every street, every building, every tourist...they all reminded him of her in some way. He’d thought returning to Mudbug would cause his childhood memories to return and eclipse his more recent ones. And so far it had worked pretty well.

  Until today.

  ###

  When Colt started his truck, Jadyn fought the overwhelming urge to scramble up the bank and run for her Jeep. The sun had already set, and it suddenly occurred to her that she might not be able to find her way back to town in the dark.

  She forced herself to maintain a fast walk, but pushed her Jeep quicker than comfortable down the bumpy dirt road until she saw Colt’s taillights rounding a corner about fifty feet in front of her. She slowed a bit and maintained that distance until they pulled onto the paved farm road that led back into Mudbug.

  Colt turned off onto another dirt road about a mile outside of Mudbug—presumably to his house—waving at her as she drove past.

  Jadyn gave a silent prayer of thanks that he lived off the main road and not buried somewhere back in the paths they’d just traversed. She didn’t even want to imagine the humiliation she would have experienced if she’d quite literally followed the man to his front door. Lord only knows what he and everyone else in town would have made of that.

  As she parked in front of the Mudbug Hotel, she felt some of the tension in her back and neck slip away. She’d call in a dinner order at Carolyn’s Cajun Kitchen, then she’d take the hottest shower possible while waiting on her food to arrive and try not to think about the hundreds of daunting decisions she needed to make the next day.

  Mildred, the hotel owner, was finishing up paperwork at the front desk when Jadyn walked in. The older woman looked up at her and gave her a sympathetic smile.

  “I heard you had a pretty hard first day,” Mildred said.

  “It definitely wasn’t what I expected.”

  Mildred shook her head. “It’s not something we should ever expect in Mudbug. I was pretty floored, and very little surprises me anymore. I don’t like to think that the kind of business that carries cash in Baggies is going on in my town.”

  “I don’t blame you, but don’t start worrying just yet. I’m hoping that storm yesterday blew the boat off-course. If that’s the case, then the problem still exists, but maybe not in Mudbug.”

  Mildred brightened a bit. “That would be great…I mean, not for the other town, of course, but we had our share of trouble a little over a year ago. Things have settled down since, and I’d prefer they not get stirred up again.”

  Jadyn nodded. “I read a bit about that in the papers. Sounded like a nightmare.”

  “Oh, the reporters can’t capture even the half of how horrible it was. I thought I was going to lose Maryse in that fray, then her friends. It was the worst months of my life.”

  “I’m sure this will turn out to be nothing,” she reassured Mildred. “I’m going to think positive.”

  “Then I will too. By the way, the dispatcher called to let me know you were on your way back in. I figured you’d be starving, so I ordered you fish and chips and cobbler. Hurry up for a shower, and I’ll bring the food up when it gets here.”

  Jadyn warmed at the older woman’s words. Her own mother had been more interested in maintaining her marriage to her wealthy husband than raising Jadyn. It was nice having someone take care of her, even in a small way.

  “I appreciate it. And yes, I’m starving. Thanks.”

  Jadyn hurried up the stairs to her room and turned the shower on full blast. She’d been a bit apprehensive about living in the hotel, but Mudbug had a limited supply of rental property and nothing would be available for another month. It was either stay at the hotel or pass on the job, and she wasn’t about to pass on the job. Game warden positions in Louisiana weren’t all that plentiful, and women had an even harder time getting the top nod.

  Jadyn was certain the fact that Maryse owned the preserve had a lot to do with her gaining the position, and she wasn’t about to let her cousin down, especially since Maryse had vouched for her without really knowing her. Given that Jadyn’s mother thought Maryse’s parents were beneath her social status, Jadyn had never really met her cousin until she came for the interview, but she’d taken an instant liking to her outdoorsy, down-to-earth manner and looked forward to getting to know her better.

  The hot shower did wonders for her back, neck, and overall attitude, and she toweled off, her mouth already primed for the food she knew was on its way. As Mildred was the only person who would see her, she simply pulled her long wet hair back into a ponytail and threw on shorts and a T-shirt. She didn’t even bother with shoes—a habit her mother loathed—but Jadyn was now her own woman with her own money and if she decided to go barefoot every day, by God she was going to enjoy every minute of it.

  As she headed for the lobby, she forced all thoughts of her mother out of her mind. The game warden position and Mudbug were her big chance at a new, normal life.

  And she was going to take it.

  ###

  Maryse pushed open the door to the Mudbug Hotel with one hand and gripped the bag of food with the other, giving Mildred a wave as she walked across the lobby. She’d intended to visit the hotel owner earlier in the day, but work and other obligations had interfered and this was the first opportunity she’d gotten to fill Mildred in on the Helena situation. Mildred had raised Maryse after her mother died and was going to be unhappy and worried about this turn of events.

  “Luc got a call in the middle of dinner and had to dash,” Maryse said. “Sally was about to bring this over for Jadyn, so I told her I’d take it. I needed to talk to you anyway.”

  “Another dinner interruption for Luc?” Mildred frowned. “That’s three nights in a row.”

  Maryse waved a hand in dismissal. “Occupational hazard. Apparently nothing interests the DEA until we’re sitting down to eat. He’ll be home late tonight and starving. I have the rest of his dinner in the truck.”

  “I don’t know how I’m ever supposed to get a grandchild out of this arrangement if the man’s never at home or exhausted from work when he is.”

  Maryse rolled her eyes. “Luc is never too exhausted for that, and bite your tongue—babies are not even on my radar right now. You’ll just have to live vicariously through Lila.”

  Mildred smiled. “Can you believe Hank Henry is sober, employed, married, and having a baby? If you’d told me that a year ago, I would have laughed so hard I peed m
yself.”

  Maryse laughed, the thought of her previously irresponsible ex-husband now a productive citizen and future father still somewhat unbelievable. “You and me both, but it looks like he’s really turned his life around. I’m glad. I really like Lila, and she’s good for him.”

  “Well, if you didn’t come to talk about my future as a grandmother, then what’s got you playing delivery service?”

  The smiled faded from Maryse’s face as quickly as it had appeared, and she struggled to get out the words she’d been planning to say all day. No matter what combination she’d come up with, she hadn’t found a good way to deliver the news to Mildred that Helena was back. She’d finally decided that blurting it out was probably the best way to go. After all, it wasn’t just knowing that Helena was present that was painful. It was all the terror she’d no doubt bring with her.

  “This morning—”

  Maryse broke off as Jadyn ran down the stairs and into the lobby, giving her a wave as she jumped over the last two steps.

  “I could smell hush puppies as soon as I opened my room door,” Jadyn said. “Thanks for bringing this over. I am officially starving.”

  “You’re welcome,” Maryse said, feeling relieved that the Helena conversation had been pushed back a bit. “I heard you had a momentous first day. I didn’t really expect the job to be this exciting when I recommended it. I hope you’re not going to hold it against me.”

  Jadyn pulled a hush puppy out of the bag and took a bite. “Not at all,” she said after she’d swallowed. “Sure, it’s not what I expected, especially on my first day, but it’s part of the job. The reality is, I could run into the same problem anywhere.”

  “All the same,” Mildred said, “I still wish it hadn’t happened here.”

  “It may not have,” Jadyn said. “Think positive, remember?”

  “What do you mean?” Maryse asked.

  “Jadyn thinks the storm might have blown the boat off-course,” Mildred explained, “and that it could have been bound for somewhere other than Mudbug.”

  “That would be great,” Maryse said. “Not that I wish the problem on any other town, but I’d sorta prefer it if Mudbug wasn’t the one-stop shop for trouble this year.”

  “Fingers crossed,” Jadyn said. “Hey, who was that woman you were arguing with outside of the café this morning?”

  Maryse clenched the counter with one hand as the blood drained from her face. “What woman?”

  No way. No way was this happening. Not again.

  “Sixties, overweight, wearing skinny jeans and shouldn’t have been. I ask because she looked familiar and you looked really pissed.”

  “She’s a relative,” Maryse said, struggling to sound normal. “A really distant relative who lives out-of-state.”

  Mildred scrunched her brow and stared at Maryse, knowing full well that Maryse had precious few blood relatives left and she knew all of them. Maryse prayed that Mildred wouldn’t chime in.

  “I hope she doesn’t visit often,” Jadyn said, “because you sure didn’t look happy to see her.”

  “She’s a trial,” Maryse said. “Fortunately, I don’t see her often.”

  “Well, I hate to be rude,” Jadyn said, “but if I don’t eat, I’m going to pass out. Thanks for bringing this over, Maryse.”

  “No problem,” Maryse managed as Jadyn grabbed the bag and headed upstairs. Maryse waited until she heard Jadyn’s room door slam shut before she turned to Mildred.

  “What’s wrong?” Mildred asked. “It’s all over your face. Something awful.”

  Maryse nodded. “Worse than awful.”

  Mildred clenched her hands together. “Spit it out. Then we can figure out what to do about it.”

  Maryse took a deep breath and steadied herself, knowing that even saying the words would make her weak.

  “Helena is back.”

  “Oh, God!” Mildred clutched the counter and lowered herself onto the stool behind her. “I knew. Before you even said it, I knew. There was something about your expression—something I haven’t seen since last year.”

  “It’s probably an overwhelming look of doom.”

  “Yeah, that about describes it.” Mildred ran one hand through her hair. “What did she say? Why is she back?”

  Maryse relayed her conversation with Helena. Mildred made the sign of the cross when she got to the part about Helena pissing off God.

  “That woman is going to bring the Revelation,” Mildred said. “She’s the rider on the pale horse.”

  Maryse nodded, unable to disagree.

  “So where is she now?” Mildred asked.

  “I don’t know. I took off from the café and headed into the swamp for work. I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Maybe she left again.” The hopeful sound in Mildred’s voice was clear.

  Maryse shook her head. “Somehow, I don’t think so.”

  “Have you told Sabine?”

  “No. She and Beau don’t get back from their cruise until next week. I figured it would be cruel to tell her they’re returning to Mudbug complete with Helena Henry.”

  Mildred nodded. “You’re right. Best wait. What about Raissa?”

  “All I can get from her handler is that Raissa and Zach are deep undercover and can’t be reached. I left a message for her to contact me, but that’s all I can do.”

  “And Hank?”

  “I left a message for him to call, but I haven’t heard back yet.”

  “What are we going to do?” Mildred asked. “We can’t have normal lives with Helena running around, especially now that she can stroll through locked doors.”

  “We’ve got an even bigger problem than the loss of sanity and privacy.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The woman Jadyn saw me arguing with outside of the café this morning—that was Helena.”

  Chapter Four

  Despite her overly long and eventful first day, Jadyn was up early and out the door. She grabbed a quick breakfast at the café, then headed to the garage where the boat was stored. She figured the good sheriff would be at the garage first thing and didn’t want to give him any ammunition to pull the case from her. It wasn’t what she’d hoped for her first day on the job, but she was determined to prove she could handle anything the swamp could dish out.

  She smiled when she saw the sheriff’s truck pulling up to the garage just ahead of her. Perfect timing. He stepped out of his truck and waited on Jadyn to exit her Jeep before motioning to the end bay on the huge metal building.

  “It’s in the last stall,” he sad. “I don’t suppose you thought to bring a camera, did you? I’m afraid ours met with a drunk and disorderly accident.”

  Jadyn held in a grin as she and lifted the camera bag from the backseat. Score number two. “Are you kidding? I’m not about to miss documenting this.”

  Colt nodded and started toward the stall. Jadyn fell into step behind him, her adrenaline starting to pump. At first, she’d been overwhelmed with the thought of such an investigation landing in her lap so soon. She had little knowledge of criminals beyond poachers, and aside from Maryse and Mildred, zero knowledge of Mudbug. It wasn’t the best set of credentials for this level of trouble.

  But if it happened that the problem was Mudbug’s, no way was she shirking her duty. In fact, the longer she’d thought about it, the more excited she became about the possibility of making a name for herself so soon. If she could solve this, she’d be golden. No more backhanded comments about women and quotas. No more sly up-and-down looks from men, making the insinuation that something besides her ability to do her job had gotten her the positions she’d gained.

  It was an opportunity to cease being Jadyn the hot woman in hiking boots and become Jadyn the game warden. Period. At least, that’s what she could hope for.

  Colt unlocked the padlock on the door and rolled it up. Jadyn stepped inside and pulled the camera out, wanting to get some shots of the boat intact—well, as intact as it came out of the wa
ter—before she and Colt started tearing it apart.

  “No name on the back,” she commented as she worked her way around.

  Colt, who was also doing a walk-around, nodded. “I’ll bet there’s no license, registration, or any other identifier. Whatever the owner was up to, it wasn’t shrimping.”

  Jadyn froze and lowered the camera, an awful thought crossing her mind. “You don’t think the owner is still…”

  “In the boat? No. With the summer humidity, the smell would have hit us as soon as we got it out of the water.”

  Jadyn relaxed a bit. It wasn’t the most pleasant of explanations, but he was right.

  “So what do you think happened to him?” she asked.

  Colt shook his head. “Could have bailed during the storm and swam for shore. Could have gotten pitched out during the storm and drowned. If it’s the latter, we’re unlikely to find a body.”

  “Not even this quickly? The boat couldn’t have been there more than twelve hours, right?”

  “Crabs alone will skin a body in a matter of a day or two. And they’re not the only scavengers in these waters.”

  Jadyn frowned, thinking about the crab dinner she’d had at Carolyn’s her first night in town. Maybe she’d cross crab off her list of acceptable dinner items.

  “Had the crab at Carolyn’s, didn’t you?” Colt asked and grinned.

  “Yes, but I don’t see why you find that amusing,” she said, irritated that he found her so transparent.

  “No one’s gone missing in the bayous here in years, so you don’t have to worry about becoming a cannibal. Lots of people stop eating crab after big hurricanes, though.”

  Okay. Ick.

  “You really know how to launch a great morning conversation, Bertrand.”

  He laughed. “You’ll get used to it. I know you think you’re a Louisiana native, but coming from north Louisiana, you may as well be a Yankee. Things are completely different in the bayous versus the piney woods.”