Chapter Twenty
Mildred, Maryse, Luc, and Helena were waiting for Raissa and Zach at the Mudbug Hotel. Zach was introduced to Luc, and with the pleasantries out of the way, they all crowded into the kitchen in the back. Mildred passed around coffee, water, and anything stronger if someone wanted it. Zach chose stronger. It wasn’t as if he was driving afterward, and the things he’d seen that day warranted a stiff drink.
“Somebody say something,” Helena complained. “I want to know what happened to my son.”
“Helena’s getting restless,” Maryse said. “Can someone please give her the four-one-one on Hank?”
Zach started for a moment before he realized Maryse was talking about the ghost. He looked around at the group of people, but no one else seemed fazed. “Can all of you see her?” he asked, unable to help himself.
“Everyone but me,” Luc said. “At least, not anymore. I was able to see her for a week. That was enough.”
“I don’t understand a bit of this,” Zach said, “but my mind’s too full to absorb it all. Raissa, why don’t you fill them in.”
“For starters, as I said to Maryse when I called, Hank is fine. He’s a little weak, but he wasn’t hurt. The New Orleans police are grilling him now, but you should be able to see him in an hour or so.” Then Raissa went on to tell the crowd about Sonny’s tip and how she found Hank, the conversation with Dr. Breaux, and lastly, their conversation with Hank.
“Aliens?” Luc stared at Raissa. “What the hell have you and my wife been up to? I swear I can’t leave for a couple of days.”
Everyone laughed except Zach, who sorta knew how he felt. He couldn’t even leave Raissa alone for a couple of hours or things went sideways.
Raissa and Maryse took turns filling everyone in on the investigation and the alien connection. There were many gasps and dropped jaws, and a fair amount of cussing.
“It’s so outrageous,” Mildred finally said. “I just hope it all ends soon. I pray for normal every night when I go to bed.”
Maryse tugged at Luc’s sleeve and said, “Helena wants to go to the hospital and see Hank. Let’s take her now, then go home. I’m exhausted.”
Zach and Raissa made their way upstairs to Raissa’s room. “I was thinking of picking up a couple of shrimp sandwiches from the restaurant, okay?” Raissa asked as they walked into the room.
“That’s great. I’m starving.” Zach pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I need to call the captain and tell him about Susannah Franco.”
“You’re doing that to night?”
“Yeah. He’ll send someone into the office tonight to make the family tree add up first, but he’ll want to put the screws to her in the morning. He’ll just have to figure out an angle to use, as no one but you ever suspected Monk Marsella as the original kidnapper.”
“All he really has to say is that there were discrepancies in her background and they want answers.”
“True. I’ll suggest that. I told her they were all ‘persons of interest’ as far as the investigation went, and that it was standard protocol. She shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Probably not. I’m going to hop in the shower, then go get the sandwiches. I want to go over the girls’ files again after that. There’s something at the back of my mind, but it’s not clear.”
“Did Hank’s situation make you remember something?”
Raissa frowned. “No, but I just have this feeling that there’s something I should know, and it hasn’t clicked.”
Zach nodded. “Then we’ll go over the files until it does.”
“Two more days,” Raissa said, and sighed before heading into the bathroom.
Two more days to find Melissa Franco or the kidnapper would get away with it again.
Lila knocked softly on Hank’s hospital-room door, not wanting to disturb him if he was sleeping. There was no answer, but the door was ajar, so she pushed it open and peeked inside. The room was dim, with only a night-light shining at the side of the bed. She started to walk inside, then realized there was an older woman sitting at the side of the bed, her hand over Hank’s. Lila heard faint singing that sounded like a lullaby.
She stepped back, not wanting to interrupt, and almost collided with Maryse. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said.
“No problem. Are you here to see Hank?”
“Yes, but I didn’t want to disturb him. I peeked in, but he’s sleeping, and there’s another woman in there.”
Maryse frowned. “There’s no one else here that I know of.” Maryse stepped by her and pushed open the door. She looked back at Lila. “There’s no one here.”
Lila stepped into the room and looked around. Maryse was right—it was empty except for Hank. Lila sighed. “I must be losing it.”
“Trust me, I know the feeling. The lighting in here’s not all that great, either.”
“Is it all right to see him? I mean, I’m not interrupting anything…”
Maryse waved a hand in dismissal. “Not at all. My husband’s waiting for me in the car outside. I just checked in with the nurse and everything’s fine.” She smiled at Lila. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. I’ve got to run.” She walked down the hall with a wave over her shoulder.
Lila took a deep breath and stepped into the room. As she approached the bed, Hank stirred and opened his eyes. “I thought I heard something. Were you singing?”
Lila shook her head. “I just got here, but I heard singing, too.” She looked around the room but didn’t see anything that could have created the noise.
“Probably in another room or something,” Hank said.
“You’re probably right.” Lila stood at the side of his bed, fiddling with the bottom button on her blouse. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”
Hank reached up and took her hand in his and pulled her toward the bed. “Have a seat and relax.” He smiled at her. “It’s hard to see you so far away. Everything’s still a little fuzzy.”
She sat on the side of his bed and studied him as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. “How do you feel? Did they catch the guy who did this? Maryse called, but she didn’t have any details, other than that you were fine.”
Hank felt his heart leap into his throat at the concern in Lila’s face. He swallowed once and tried to keep his emotions from his voice. Lila was his client and used to be his therapist. Even though she’d agreed to go to dinner with him the last time he’d seen her, the fact that she was visiting him in a hospital after his kidnapping was a clear indication that he had no business involving someone like Lila in his sordid life. At least, not on a personal level.
Keep things professional. “I feel fine, just a little tired. I don’t think they’ve caught the guy. I don’t know how they could, as I have no earthly idea who did it.”
Lila gave him a worried look. “Chuck said a guy had been hanging around the site. He thought he saw him hassling you the night you disappeared, but said you passed it off as nothing. Based on his description, it sounded like someone from your past.”
Hank sighed. “It was someone from my past, but I don’t think that’s who took me. The guy who took me bypassed a locked door and managed to creep up behind me without me hearing. He stuck me with a needle. I got the impression that he was taller than me. The other guy is shorter and not sneaky at all.”
Lila bit her lip. “But he was hassling you? And he has friends, right?”
“Yeah, I guess he could have gotten someone else, but I’m not involved in anything. I swear.”
“I went to Mudbug and talked to Maryse. Chuck said you called her one day with his phone, and I guess we hoped she might know something that could help. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all. It’s nice that you and Chuck were trying to help. So what did you think about my ex?”
Lila laughed. “I think you were right saying you were crazy to let her get away. I think she’s great.”
Hank nodded. “She is, just not great for me. I see it now, but at the time, I guess I thought she could save me. I was wrong for using her that way. I’m still hoping she forgives me someday.”
“I think she already has. So do you think this was about her friend?”
“I don’t know. The guy Chuck saw had been trying to get information on Maryse’s friend, especially after she turned up missing from her apartment and business.”
“Why does he want her?”
“I honestly have no idea,” Hank said. “I warned her after the first visit, and she disappeared afterward. I called Maryse when Rico started coming around the job site. I borrowed Chuck’s phone for the call in case they were tracing mine. I never asked why they were after her, and I don’t want to know. It’s safer that way.”
Lila nodded but still looked worried. “That’s what Maryse said. But even though you didn’t know anything, the guy kept coming back. Why didn’t he just look somewhere else?”
“That’s not the way these guys work. They think if they put pressure on you, you’ll figure out a way to get them what they want, even if you don’t have it. They like shortcuts.”
“This woman is still in danger then. Is there any way I can help?”
Hank looked at Lila, unable to keep the smile from his face. “You’re really something, you know. You know the kind of guys I’m talking about, and here I was kidnapped right after a run-in with them, and you’re worried about the woman they’re after. You’re a wonderful person, Lila. Probably the most wonderful person I’ve ever known.”
Lila blushed and stared down at the floor. “I’m just trying to do the right thing. It’s no more than anyone else would do.”
Hank used one finger to lift her chin until he was looking her eye to eye. “It’s more than most people would do, especially for a stranger, and you know it.” He looked at her a moment longer and tried to command his racing heart to still. He knew what he was about to do was a horrible idea, but for whatever reason, his mind simply couldn’t convince his body to agree.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, fully expecting her to pull away. Instead she lifted one hand to his cheek and kissed him back, a soft lingering kiss that made him warm all over. He pulled back a bit and looked at her.
She sighed and smiled. “I thought you’d never kiss me.”
Hank stared at her. “You wanted me to kiss you?”
“Of course. I would have liked to have dinner with you, too, but it looks like you’re going to have to take a rain check, as I’m not really fond of hospital food.”
Hank stared at her in disbelief. “I just never figured…I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should be involved with me. Look at all the shit—stuff—that just happened, and I don’t even know why.” He shook his head. “No, that’s wrong. I know why. It’s because of who I was. If I’d never been that person, these things wouldn’t be happening to me now. It still all comes back to my bad choices. I’m not an innocent.”
“You can try to run me off, Hank Henry, but you’ll find I’m tougher than you think. What about the woman in danger? Does Maryse know if she’s safe?”
“She’s not only safe, she’s the one who rescued me.”
Lila gasped. “Then it did have something to do with her.”
Hank shook his head. “We don’t know. That’s the really weird part. This guy who’s been looking for her is the one who told her where to find me, but he was all secretive, like he didn’t want anyone to know.”
“So his men took you, then he changed his mind?”
“I don’t think so. I mean, I could be totally wrong, but I think there’s something major going on here. Like I said, I don’t ask questions, and I’m guessing I wouldn’t get many answers even if I did.”
“I asked Maryse about her. All Maryse would say is the woman was above reproach and that the right people were trying to protect her.”
Hank nodded. “Yeah, she came to the hospital courtesy of a New Orleans detective who was looking at her like anything but a suspect. I think she’s in good hands.”
“Maryse said the feds were looking into things, too.” She sat up straight and stared at Hank. “Do you think she’s a fed?”
Hank stared at Lila in surprise. “You know, she’s tough and smart and clearly not under arrest. And she knows how to handle a weapon. I’ve seen that firsthand.” He shook his head. “Damn if you’re not onto something. Her being a fed would explain everything.”
“Well, maybe not everything, but probably a whole lot.”
“A fed. I bet that’s it. No wonder everyone’s tiptoeing around her. That cop with her looked like he was guarding the Hope Diamond.”
Lila smiled. “Maybe he thinks he is.”