Chapter Five
Jadyn pulled Mildred’s sedan into the parking lot of Ted’s Diner next to three Harley-Davidson motorcycles and looked over at Mildred and Helena. “Does everyone understand the plan?”
Helena rolled her eyes. “You’ve been rattling about it ad nauseam the entire drive.”
Jadyn turned around and looked directly at her. “So you mean even the dead have heard me.”
“Low blow,” Helena said and stepped through the side of the car.
Jadyn and Mildred climbed out and made their way to the front door. “Scan the room first,” Jadyn reminded her, “and if you see anyone who knows you, switch to plan B. I’ll follow your lead.”
Mildred nodded. “I hope we find out something that helps.”
“Me, too.”
Jadyn pushed open the door and they walked inside. Where the café in Mudbug was bright and had a homey feel, the diner was dim and the furniture was run-down, giving the whole place a dingy look. Three beefy tattooed men—the only other patrons—looked up from a table toward the back when they walked inside but then went back to their conversation.
Jadyn was happy to see the bar counter at the front of the restaurant with the serving window directly behind it. It was something she’d hoped to find, as this way, the kitchen staff would be able to hear their conversation. If the kitchen staff started talking among themselves, Helena would be on point to listen in on the conversation.
A red-haired woman who looked fifty but probably wasn’t a day over forty walked up to them, a bored expression on her face. “Help you?” she asked.
“Yes, two coffees please,” Jadyn said, making a note of her name tag that said “Dee.”
As Dee reached for the coffeepot behind her, a head popped up in the food service window and Jadyn did a double take. The person was wearing what could only be construed as a Batgirl mask. Jadyn glanced over at Mildred, who was staring at the masked person, her jaw dropped slightly.
“Helena?” Mildred mouthed.
Given that Dee was inches away from the masked kitchen bandit and hadn’t even uttered a peep, Jadyn was certain it was Helena. Either that or Ted hired the oddest set of cooks she’d ever seen. Before Jadyn could reply, the masked bandit gave Jadyn a thumbs-up and a second later, a basket of butter disappeared from the window.
Definitely Helena.
Dee turned around and placed two cups of coffee in front of them. “I ain’t seen you before. You passing through?” she asked as she poured.
Mildred glanced at Jadyn, then looked back at the Dee. “Not exactly. We live in Mudbug but we were hoping you could help us with something.”
Dee’s expression shifted from bored to guarded. “You cops?”
Mildred laughed. “Not hardly.”
Dee didn’t look completely convinced. “We had enough cops around here today to last a lifetime. Rude, too.”
Jadyn laughed. “You and I probably talked to the same person.”
Dee narrowed her eyes at Jadyn. “You involved with that missing woman?”
“Not involved,” Jadyn said. “Related. She’s my cousin. Mildred here is our aunt.”
“Oh.” Dee’s expression softened a bit. “I’m sorry to hear that. You must be really worried.”
Mildred sniffed and rubbed her nose with a napkin. “Haven’t thought of anything else since I found out this morning. I just can’t help thinking what those people may be doing to her and I…”
Mildred’s voice broke and Jadyn put her arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “She’s going to be fine, Auntie. We have to stay positive.”
Dee’s face crumpled and Jadyn knew they had roped her in.
Mildred sniffed again and nodded. “I know, but it’s so hard when you have to just sit there when you feel like you ought to be doing something.”
“I know,” Jadyn said and looked back at Dee. “That’s why we’re here. The cops won’t tell us much, so we thought we’d try to get some answers ourselves. We couldn’t take sitting in that living room staring at each other any longer.”
“Of course not,” Dee said.
“A friend told us this diner was up the road from where they think my cousin was kidnapped, so we figured we’d ask if anyone had seen anything. I know it probably seems foolish, but we had to do something.”
Dee put her hand on Mildred’s. “It’s not stupid at all. If it was my family, I’d be raising heaven and hell to get them back.”
“Were you working last night?” Jadyn asked.
Dee nodded. “Five ’til one is my usual shift. I saw your cousin last night. Seen her a couple times before.”
Jadyn straightened on her stool and Mildred stared at Dee, her eyes wide. Despite her hopes, Jadyn hadn’t expected that Zach and Raissa had actually been in the diner.
“You’re sure it was her?” Mildred asked.
“Yeah,” Dee said. “The cops showed me a picture of them. She’s a looker and had polish you don’t usually see in here. It was her. They said they found the man but he was hurt.”
Mildred nodded. “He’s in a coma and it’s touch and go, so he’s not able to give us any information.”
“That sucks.”
“Was anyone else with them,” Mildred asked, “or did anyone else talk to them?”
Dee shook her head. “They was alone. Sat right here at the counter and had a cup of coffee and slice of pie. Said they were on their way home after working out of town for a bit and needed a little pick-me-up to make the last hour’s drive.”
“Did they look worried or anything?” Mildred asked.
“Can’t say as they did. We chatted a bit about the weather and how striped bass was biting. The guy said he planned on spending the next couple days fishing. She joked that he was gonna spend at least one painting the living room. Seemed normal…you know, a nice couple. What kind of work do they do?”
Because she couldn’t see any reason to lie, Jadyn decided the truth was probably easiest. “They’re both FBI agents,” Jadyn said.
Dee’s eyes widened. “No shit? Wow, I would never have figured them for feds. They wasn’t stiff or rude or anything like the others.”
“They are both very nice and not at all rude unless someone pushes them to it,” Mildred said. “Which is why we can’t figure out what happened.”
“Maybe some of the bad guys they was chasing came after them,” Dee said. “I see that sorta thing all the time in movies.”
“It’s a possibility,” Jadyn agreed, “although not a pleasant one.”
Dee shook her head. “Ain’t no pleasant possibility when a woman’s gone missing, unlessin’ she runned off herself.”
“True,” Jadyn agreed.
“So they left here and everything was normal?” Mildred asked. “I mean, I’m sorta glad they had a good moment before all the trouble, but at the same time…”
“You ain’t got no answers,” Dee said. “Kinda crappy, if you ask me.”
“What about other customers?” Jadyn asked. “Anyone been around lately that you didn’t know or that looked out of place?”
Dee shook her head. “I can’t recall anyone I didn’t know coming in for weeks. Last time I can think of was when a fishing tournament was going on. That was about a month ago, though.”
“Well then,” Mildred said, “I guess that’s that.”
Dee gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m really sorry I can’t help. Your niece was really nice and left a big tip. I sure hope they find her soon.”
“Damn it, Marty!” an angry male voice sounded from the kitchen. “I told you that ham sandwich was mine. I don’t get paid to fix your supper.”
“I didn’t touch your sandwich,” another man said. “I don’t even like ham.”
Jadyn glanced over at Mildred and held in a groan.
“Well, it didn’t disappear in thin air,” the first man continued, “and I know I didn’t eat it.”
“Maybe you forgot. Your mind has been going downhill ever since you turned fifty.”
Dee looked over the serving counter. “If you two are going to fight like five-year-olds, take it out back. No one else should have to listen to that mess.”
Dee turned back around. “Do you ladies want anything to eat? I’m kinda hoping not since I just sent the cooks out back, but we do have some incredible apple pie.”
Helena the Batgirl’s head popped over the counter. “I want pie.”
“No, thank you,” Mildred said. “We’re on a diet.”
Dee sighed. “It’s the state I live in.”
“Excuse me,” a man’s voice sounded behind them.
They turned around to find the three biker guys standing behind them. Instantly, Jadyn’s pulse clicked up a notch.
“We couldn’t help overhearing your conversation,” the guy said. “What kind of car was your cousin driving?”
“It was a black Cadillac DTS,” Jadyn replied.
The man looked back at his two buddies, who both nodded. “I think we saw that car on the side of the highway maybe thirty miles toward Mudbug.”
Jadyn’s pulse quickened. “What time?”
“About eleven. They had a flat and the man had the trunk open. I figure to change it. There was someone else in the car. We stopped and asked if they needed help, but he said he was good and thanked us, so we went on.”
Jadyn pulled a snapshot of Raissa and Zach from her pocket. “Was this the couple you saw?”
The man looked at the photo and nodded. “It was dark but I’m pretty sure that was the guy I saw. We were on our way to visit a buddy in Mudbug but didn’t head back until tonight, so I don’t know how long they were there.”
“Did you see any other vehicles on the highway?” Jadyn asked.
“No, sorry. That stretch of the highway usually isn’t busy that late at night. We didn’t see any other cars but your cousin’s. You said the woman’s missing?”
Jadyn nodded. “Someone ran over her husband, and we can only assume they kidnapped her.”
The man shook his head. “That’s bad news. We got a couple buddies in Mudbug and some other towns nearby. Not all of ’em are into the legal sort of business, if you know what I mean, but I’ll ask around and see if they’ve heard anything.”
“I would really appreciate that,” Jadyn said and pulled a card from her wallet. “Here’s my contact information. Please call any time and thank you.”
The man looked at the card, then back at Jadyn and grinned. “Game warden, huh? I knew you looked like a woman who could take care of business. You ever interested in company, look me up at Mike’s in Rabbit Creek.”
“Uh, yeah,” Jadyn said. “If I’m ever in the area, I’ll do that.”
“Liar,” Helena’s voice sounded behind her. “Dude looks like Grizzly Adams meets Prisoner Number One.”
Mildred coughed. “Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate your trying to help.”
“No problem,” the man said. “I hope they find her soon.”
He and his buddies gave them a nod and left the café.
Jadyn and Mildred turned back around to face Dee. “Well,” Jadyn said, “I guess that’s all we’re going to get, but it’s something. At least we know why Zach was found down the highway away from everything.”
Mildred nodded. “And I feel better now that we did something. I guess we best head home or neither of us will want to get up for work in the morning.”
Dee gave them both a sympathetic smile. “Would you ladies like some coffee for the road?”
“That would be great,” Jadyn said.
“And apple pie!” Helena yelled from the back.
“No way,” Mildred muttered under her breath.
Jadyn held in a grin. She agreed with the sentiment, but had a feeling they’d both pay for it on the way back to Mudbug. Helena’s mouth never ran out of gas.
They collected the coffee and Jadyn slipped a twenty and one of her business cards onto the counter. Dee’s eyes widened and she stuffed the money into her apron. “I’ll keep asking around. If I hear anything, I’ll call.”
“We appreciate it,” Jadyn said and they headed outside to the car.
As they climbed inside, Jadyn looked back toward the front of the café. “I wonder if the cooks said anything.”
“You mean besides arguing over that sandwich Helena stole?”
“Yeah. Besides that.”
Mildred shook her head. “We have got to figure out some way to get her under control.”
“Don’t look at me,” Jadyn said. “I’m new to all this, but if you couldn’t figure it out last time, I’m not holding out much hope. I mean, what punishment can you come up with for someone who’s already dead?
“And therein lies the crux of the matter. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but if she doesn’t want to cooperate…”
“We need to get creative. Think outside the box. That exorcism threat is only going to last so long before she calls our bluff. Where is she, anyway? Surely they’re not still trading secrets in there.”
A second later, Jadyn wished she hadn’t asked.
The two cooks walked around the side of the café from the back, smoking cigarettes and looking like they’d gotten past their earlier argument. Just as they rounded the corner to the front of the café, Helena burst through the wall, running for the car and clutching a pie.
Jadyn would have liked to say that the Batgirl mask looked better when the entire costume was in view, but that would have been the lie of the century. The black spandex bodysuit clung to every square inch of Helena’s body, identifying rolls in places Jadyn hadn’t even known it was possible to have them.
“I’m going to need therapy,” Mildred said as Helena changed direction and headed straight for the car.
Jadyn started the car, threw it in reverse, and squealed out of the parking space. The car hadn’t even stopped its backward motion before she shifted to drive and took off from the café. Helena ran about ten yards before giving up. Jadyn didn’t even want to imagine what the poor cooks were thinking, standing there watching a hovering pie.
“Should we leave her there?” Mildred asked.
“Yes.” Jadyn shook her head. “But I probably won’t. I need to give the cooks a chance to get back inside before we pick her up.”
“You think they’ll call the cops?”
“And say what—that an apple pie floated through the wall of the café and hurried down the highway?”
Jadyn slowed down and made a U-turn in the middle of the empty highway, then idled back toward the diner. When she was about a quarter of a mile away, she turned off the headlights. “Watch for cars.”
Mildred nodded. “How are we going to see her in the dark, especially with that getup she’s got on?”
“Heck if I know. Maybe we can—”
A loud thud sounded in front of them and a second later, something large and black crashed onto the hood and rolled up and over the top of the car. Mildred threw her hands up and screamed. Jadyn stomped on the brakes so hard she almost banged her head on the steering wheel. The two coffees exploded in the cup holder and sprayed all over both of them.
The abrupt stop sent the object on top of the car rolling back down and onto the hood where it came to a heaped stop. The apple pie running down the windshield gave away the black heap. Helena looked up at them, and Jadyn could see her guilty expression, even with the ridiculous mask.
A second later, the air bags deployed.
“Are you all right?” Jadyn asked.
“I just got an unplanned facial,” Mildred said, “and my neck may never be the same, but I don’t think I’ll die. I can’t say the same about others. How the hell do you get out of these things?”
“Hold on. I have a pocket knife.”
Jadyn pushed against the air bag, trying to move it enough to reach her back pocket. Four years of gymnastics training and two years of yoga were pushed to the very limit, but she finally managed to snag the tiny knife and release her and Mildred from their nylon prison.
Helena was still piled on the hood of the car, not moving, and for a minute, Jadyn worried if it was possible to die twice. Part of her hoped so.
She stepped out of the car and poked Helena with a finger. “You alive?”
“Of course I’m not alive!” Helena shouted. “I’ve been dead for over a year.”
“My bad. Then I need you to get off the hood and into the car so we can get out of here before someone calls the cops.”
“I can’t move.”
“Why not?”
“I think I broke a hip.”
Jadyn blew out a breath. “That’s not possible. You’re dead.”
“Now you remember.”
Mildred climbed out of the car and looked across the hood. “What’s the holdup?”
“Helena thinks she broke a hip.”
Mildred put her hands on her hips and glared at the lump. “If you don’t get up off that hood, I swear to God I’m going to climb up there with you and strangle the afterlife out of you.”
Helena lifted her head up and glared at Jadyn. “You two are cruel.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Mildred said. “Look what you did to my car. Why can’t you just remain transparent?”
Helena rolled over and slid off the front of the hood. Jadyn had turned the headlights on before she climbed out of the car and now, they were like a spotlight on the ghost. It was like something out of a horror movie.
The Batgirl mask was torn on one side, leaving only one eye and bright red lips protruding. The spandex body suit, which had already been stretched beyond intended capacity, had given way in the tumble and now rolls of Helena spilled out of various rips and tears.
“What’s wrong?” Helena said when she realized they were staring. She whipped around, apparently thinking their looks of dismay were caused by something behind her.
And gave them a full view of the biggest bodysuit tear of all.
Mildred groaned and lifted her hand over her eyes. “It’s a full moon over Mudbug.”
Helena grabbed her butt. “I thought I felt a draft.”
Jadyn cringed as Helena fingered the tattered suit. “Why are you wearing that in the first place? Didn’t getting shot at by Maryse teach you anything about wardrobe selection?”
Helena let out an exasperated sigh. “This was my Batgirl suit. The other one was my scary cat burglar outfit.”
“I’ve got news for you,” Mildred said. “They’re all scary.”
“Can you change into something that covers everything that should be covered and get into the car?” Jadyn asked.
Helena turned around to face them and shrugged. “I suppose so. This suit is shot anyway.”
She waved her hands in the air, but nothing happened. “Uh-oh.”
“What do you mean, ‘uh-oh’?” Jadyn asked, already afraid she knew the answer.
“It’s not working,” Helena said. “It happens sometimes.”
“Hmmmph,” Mildred said. “It never seems to happen when you’re wearing jeans and a sensible shirt.”
“I think I’m stressed,” Helena said.
Mildred’s eyes widened and Jadyn was convinced if the hotel owner had a gun, she would have fired off a magazine into the ghost. “You’re stressed? Really? Do you want to take a look at my car and tell me what you’re stressed about? Because I have to either make up a believable story for the insurance company or pay for that out of pocket.”
Helena had the good sense to look a tiny bit contrite. “I’m just saying…oh, never mind.” She stalked past Jadyn and passed through the back door of the car into the backseat.
Mildred sighed. “Now she’s transparent.”