Resurrection in Mudbug

by Jana DeLeon

  “Seeing as I’ll probably never be able to afford a yard that rates a gardener, I doubt I’ll need a backup plan for that situation. But I get your point. So was it like the pirate movies—ten paces from the coconut tree, then five paces right—that sort of thing?”

  “Good Lord, no! Harold would have forgotten those sorts of instructions by the time grass grew over the hole. He just stuck a birdbath on top of it.”

  Jadyn scanned the weeds for a sign of something that would serve as a marker. “So if I were Duke, what would I mark the spot with that I’d be certain not to forget?”

  Helena laughed. “This one is so obvious it hurts.” She pointed to the stack of beer cans. “Look how faded the cans are. They’ve been out here a while.”

  “Having been inside the house, a mess outside hardly seems out of line.”

  “Fine then. I’ll look myself.” Helena stomped over to the stack of cans and reached down to pick one up, but her hands kept passing right through it. “Damn it!”

  Jadyn held in a sigh and removed the camera from her neck, placing it on the dilapidated cooler. As she bent over to push the beer cans out of the way, a bloodcurdling shriek followed by a loud thud boomed from inside the cabin. Helena barreled straight through the cans, scattering them everywhere and flattening Jadyn in the process.

  “Someone’s being killed!” Helena shouted as she ran across the weed-infested backyard for the swamp.

  Colt rushed out the back door and hurried over to Jadyn, extending his hand to help her up. “What happened? Did something attack you?” He whirled around to face the swamp, where Jadyn could hear Helena plowing through the brush. “I hear it. Stay here.”

  Before Jadyn could utter a word, Colt tore off into the swamp.

  “Help!” Helena’s voice boomed. “He’s going to shoot me!”

  Jadyn hesitated for a moment before running into the swamp after Colt. Apparently, Helena had “pulled a solid” and Colt was running after the sound. Helena, being a half-wit when under pressure, was making matters worse by continuing to thrash through the brush like a psychotic moose.

  Fortunately, Helena’s energy ran out in a matter of minutes and Jadyn slid to a stop beside Colt and he scanned the foliage, looking right past the glowing purple high-tops. Helena was doubled over and wheezing so hard Jadyn wondered if her chest would explode. If this was her better body in death, Jadyn did not want to know what the live one was like.

  “I thought I had it,” Colt said, clearly frustrated. “And then it just disappeared.”

  Because that’s sorta what had actually happened, Jadyn just nodded. “Did you see what it was?”

  “No.” Colt studied the ground and frowned. “The ground cover is too thick to leave prints, but it must have been something big, based on the size of the trail. Maybe a bear.”

  Helena rose up and glared at Colt. “Did he just call me fat as a bear?”

  Jadyn rubbed her nose to mask the tiny smile that crept out.

  Colt turned to look at her. “You didn’t see it? I thought you’d been attacked.”

  “No. I tripped over something in the yard and lost my balance,” she said. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had tripped or had been tripped by Helena.

  “That place is a tetanus shot waiting to happen.” He shoved his pistol back into his jeans and started walking back to the cabin. Jadyn gestured at Helena to stay put—the last thing they needed was a repeat—then dropped into step behind him.

  “Was that the coroner who screamed?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I tried to explain the situation before he entered the cabin, but he insisted he’d seen it all and didn’t need someone young enough to be his son trying to tell him how to do his job.”

  Jadyn shook her head. “I’d have been tempted to let him walk in there without a warning.”

  “That’s exactly what I did. Hence the scream right before he passed completely out.”

  Suddenly, the timing of everything hit Jadyn and she held in a smile. “So he’s still there crumpled on the floor?”

  “Unless he woke up or the paramedics got there, I suppose he is. I guess next time he’ll listen.”

  This time, Jadyn didn’t bother to hold in her smile. It wasn’t polite, but she would have wanted to do the same thing. The difference was, she probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. The fact that Colt had not only followed through but had no regrets about his decision scored a point in his favor and got the know-it-all coroner a deduction.

  As they stepped out of the swamp and into the makeshift backyard, Colt sighed. “I don’t hear the paramedics, so I guess I better go scrape him up off the floor. Try not to trip over anything else. We’ve only got one set of paramedics on call.”

  And with that comment, his point earned for the coroner episode faded away.

  Jadyn watched as he stepped back into the cabin and shook her head. Colt was just like every other man she’d ever known—convinced that she was incapable of making it through life unscathed without the support of a strong man. To hell with him and his archaic attitude.

  She walked back over to the cooler to collect her camera and get the hell out of there. She’d fulfilled her obligation and nothing more could be gained hanging around. In fact, hanging around with Helena in tow could cause more trouble than it was worth.

  “I can’t believe he called me a bear,” Helena groused as she barreled out of the swamp.

  “Stop stomping,” Jadyn whispered. “We don’t know if Colt can still hear you. And why in the world were you running? You’re already dead. What the hell could he possibly do to you?”

  Helena crossed her arms. “You’re just like Maryse—always pointing out that I’m already dead. Well, my mind hasn’t latched onto that yet, so when a man with a gun starts chasing me, I run.”

  “It’s been a year, Helena. How long should it take you to get a grip?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when it happens.”

  Jadyn shook her head. “That’s not good enough. You could have hurt me when you tore out like that. This entire place is one big germ. Even a cut could cause a problem. You have got to start considering your circumstances for more things than your wardrobe.”

  “Whatever.”

  Jadyn held in a sigh. It was no wonder Maryse resorted to threatening her with exorcism. The woman was exhausting and quite possibly even more self-centered than her mother, which Jadyn hadn’t thought possible.

  “We need to get out of here,” Jadyn said, “and you and I need to spend a little time apart.”

  “Fine by me, Your Rudeness.”

  As Jadyn started to turn, she glanced at the spot where the beer cans had rested before Helena had shoved her into them, and stopped in her tracks. The ground underneath was loose as if it had been recently turned, which was in direct opposition to the thought that the beer cans had been sitting there fading for weeks.

  She picked up a piece of rotted wood from the ground and started scraping the dirt to the side. On her fourth pass, something hard and black came out of the hole with the dirt.

  “Did you find something?” Helena asked.

  Jadyn picked up the object and looked up at Helena, who was leaning over her.

  “A key,” Helena said. “A really old key.”

  Jadyn nodded. The black iron key was heavy and larger than those used for contemporary locks. This one reminded Jadyn of the keys carried by spooky caretakers used to open huge wrought iron gates that kept haunted mansions secluded from prying eyes.

  “What’s it to?” Helena asked.

  “How the heck should I know?”

  “Hmmpff. You’re the investigator.”

  “Neither my university degree nor my on-the-job training included a course on identifying old keys.”

  “Whatever. I told you something was hidden under the beer cans. I should at least get credit for that. In fact, if I hadn’t shoved you into them, you may not have noticed the dirt.”

  Jadyn stared. Helena trul
y was a piece of work. “Fine, you get credit for the idea, but it still doesn’t outweigh you running me over or your hysterical dash into the swamp.”

  “If you’re going to hold grudges, I don’t know that I’m interested in protecting you.”

  “If you’re going to wear ridiculous clothes and do stupid things, I’m not sure I want to live.”

  “You doing all right out here?” Colt’s voice sounded from the back doorway.

  “Yeah, fine.”

  He glanced across the back yard and frowned. “I thought I heard you talking.”

  “I was—to myself. Occupational hazard from being alone so much, I guess,” she explained, hoping she didn’t sound completely ridiculous.

  He raised one eyebrow. “I see. What’s that you’re holding?”

  “A key. It was buried beneath the beer cans. I guess it’s a good thing I fell or I wouldn’t have noticed the freshly dug hole underneath.”

  She extended the key to Colt, who walked down the stairs to take it.

  “Do you have any idea what it might unlock?” she asked.

  “None whatsoever. But it must be important if Duke buried it under a stack of beer cans.”

  “Important enough for someone to kill him over?”

  Colt shook his head. “I guess that’s the question.” He slipped the key into a plastic Baggie and shoved it in his jeans pocket. “I’ll show it to a couple of people. See if I can figure out what it goes to.”

  Jadyn felt her back tighten at his presumptuous decision. “But I found it. This is my case, remember?”

  “Not anymore. Duke’s murder is my jurisdiction, and murder trumps a bunch of floating cash.”

  Jadyn felt a blush rush up her face. No way was she just handing him her first case. “You know they’re related.”

  “Probably so, and that’s why I’m going to let you keep investigating with me, but from here on out, I’m calling the shots.”

  “I’ve finished my work in here.” The coroner poked his head out the back door. “Is there anything else you need from me before I leave?”

  “No, thank you,” Colt said. “James Calvis—this is Jadyn St. James, our new game warden. James is the coroner.”

  James stepped outside and reached down to shake Jadyn’s hand. She noticed that his face was still pale and his hand shook a bit as he extended it. “It’s a pleasure, ma’am, although I would have preferred better circumstances.”

  “Me too,” Jadyn agreed.

  He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her. “That’s my information. I hope you don’t need my services anytime soon, but just in case.”

  “Thanks,” Jadyn said and stuck the card in her pocket as James ducked back inside the house.

  “If you’re done taking pictures,” Colt said, “I’m ready to seal this location.”

  “Yeah, I’m all done,” Jadyn said, trying not to dwell on the duplicity of her statement. Without so much as a good-bye, she slung her camera over her shoulder and headed around the corner of the house to the front. Helena, apparently sensing that now was not the time for conversation, climbed into the passenger seat and sat completely silent as she pulled away from Duke’s cabin.

  The silence lasted all of five minutes.

  “I take it you’re mad that Colt took over?” Helena asked.

  “What do you think?”

  “Definitely mad.” Helena stared at her for a couple of seconds, an uncertain look on her face. Finally, she spoke again. “Look, I’ve always been a control freak, and I get and totally support the whole feminist movement, so I can see why you’re offended. But do you really think you’re more qualified to handle a murder investigation than the sheriff?”

  Jadyn clenched the steering wheel and stared straight ahead, trying to control her frustration. Of course Colt was more qualified to conduct a murder investigation. She wasn’t even trying to argue the fact, but he didn’t have to take the key and then summarily dismiss her as if she had no value to the investigation. He wouldn’t even have the key if it hadn’t been for her.

  And Helena, although she’d never admit that to the ghost.

  “I don’t like being put on a shelf like a pretty little art object,” Jadyn said finally. “I may not be a cop, but I can help with the investigation.”

  Helena nodded. “I believe you. But I’m not the one you have to convince.”

  Jadyn blew out a breath and concentrated on the narrow, dirt road. She knew exactly whom she had to convince.

  She just didn’t know how.

  ###

  The man shook his head as she drove away. What was the world coming to when females were allowed to hold positions like game warden? From his vantage point, he’d seen her pilfering around behind the cabin, and wondered what in the world she could possibly hope to accomplish in what was essentially an overgrown dumping ground.

  The sheriff had talked to her for some time before she left, but he hadn’t been close enough to hear the conversation. Whatever was said, the woman didn’t look happy about it. As soon as he had an opportunity, he took a peek at the back yard.

  One look at the freshly dug hole next to the stairs and he immediately knew what it implied. That stupid son of a bitch was the one who’d stolen his key, and he’d hidden the access to half a million dollars’ worth of product in a three-inch deep hole. This is what he got for working with fools and amateurs. He should have done the job himself, instead of trusting it to a local.

  In her poking around, the woman must have found the key, and he was sure she understood the significance given the manner in which it was hidden. The question was how long would it take her to figure out what the key opened, and could he find the location before she did? The sheriff wasn’t cause for concern as the Mudbug native would never suspect him, but the woman was a problem. She wasn’t a local. To her, everyone would be suspect.

  That meant the woman had to go…soon.

  He had to make this right with his associates. No way was he going to end up like Duke.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jadyn had planned to head straight back to the hotel, dump Helena, then ask Mildred about the mysterious key, but as she drove into Mudbug, her cell phone rang.

  “Ms. St. James? This is the sheriff’s department dispatch.”

  Jadyn clenched her phone, praying that a second crime scene hadn’t been uncovered. “Yes, this is Jadyn.”

  “We got a call saying two men are poaching alligator in Johnson’s Bayou.”

  “Who was the call from?”

  “I don’t know. The reception wasn’t good and the call dropped altogether before I could ask any questions.”

  “Well, then I guess I better check it out.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Jadyn disconnected the call and looked over at Helena. “Do you know where Johnson’s Bayou is?”

  “Of course. It’s the big one that shoots off Mudbug Bayou, just west of town.”

  “I don’t suppose there’s a road that follows it.”

  Helena raised her eyebrows.

  “Never mind.” Jadyn swung her Jeep around and parked on Main Street. “I left my boat docked behind the sheriff’s department.”

  Helena climbed out of the Jeep and followed Jadyn around back to the dock. “Why are you going to Johnson’s Bayou?”

  “To catch some poachers.”

  “Is that really a priority?”

  “Given that I’m the game warden, I’m going to go with ‘Yes, it’s a priority.’”

  Helena shook her head as Jadyn untied the flat-bottom aluminum boat. “You and Maryse both have the same annoying addiction to doing your job.”

  “I have an addiction to eating and having a roof over my head. That’s why I do my job.” Jadyn tossed the rope into the boat and jumped in after it. “Are you coming or not?”

  “If I don’t, I’ll never hear the end of it from Mildred and Maryse. Those two could win an Olympic event in nagging.” She plopped down on the bench at the
front of the boat, then turned around as Jadyn pushed the boat away from the dock. “But for the record, you poor people and your jobs are exhausting.”

  Jadyn threw the accelerator down and the boat launched away from the dock, sending Helena tumbling backward into the bottom of the boat. Unfortunately, her plaid skirt was up around her neck and Jadyn could clearly see her giant white granny panties, so the joy she’d hoped to feel at her spiteful prank was considerably diminished.

  Helena flopped around like a fish for a bit before getting herself upright. She climbed back onto the bench, this time facing backward, and glared at Jadyn. “You did that on purpose.”

  Jadyn shook her head. “I’m not used to this boat yet. It’s got a sensitive throttle.”

  Helena didn’t look completely convinced. “Well, stop manhandling everything. You’re a woman, for Christ’s sake. Try a little finesse.” She hefted her large legs over the bench and whirled around to face the front.

  Jadyn held in a laugh. Finesse advice? From Helena Henry? Maryse and Mildred would get a huge laugh out of that one.

  “That way,” Helena said, pointing to a left fork in the bayou.

  Jadyn guided the boat to the left into the smaller channel and continued down it at a decent clip. At about fifty feet wide, the bayou was larger than most, but she could easily scan both sides for signs of the poachers without drastically reducing her speed.

  “How far out will a cell phone get reception in this channel?” she asked Helena.

  “How the hell should I know? Do I look like someone who fishes?”

  Since she looked like a hooker long past retirement, Jadyn elected to remain silent. Instead, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and checked service—two bars. Whoever called may have been farther out, assuming his service company was the same as or similar to Jadyn’s. But if he had worse service, he could have been standing on Main Street and still had bad reception.

  She slipped the phone back in her pocket and pushed on down the bayou. Cypress trees lined both sides, sometimes leaving a little space for a muddy bank, but most often creating walls of gnarled roots. Periodically, they passed a fisherman or two, but all of them had shallow boats and none of them were loaded down with alligators.