Trouble in Mudbug (22 page)

Maryse nodded. “Yeah. He’s definitely a fighter. I think that’s why I like him so much.”

Luc smiled. “Well, let’s get back to the office and drop Jasper off there. Then we can take a trip to the hospital. I want to make sure that head injury from your car wreck wasn’t aggravated by being so close to the blast.”

Maryse shrugged. “Whatever you think.”

Luc looked over at her as he pulled away from the island. She clutched the cat to her chest and stared straight ahead. Her face was drawn, her neck stilled flushed with red. Luc had absolutely no idea what the hell had just happened, but he’d bet his last dollar that Maryse knew something. Something she wasn’t about to tell.

And from where Luc stood, that something was going to get her killed.

It took them about forty-five minutes to dock, secure the cat, and make the drive to the hospital. Maryse called Sabine on the way—one, because she knew Sabine and Mildred were bound to hear about her cabin soon and she didn’t want them panicking, and two, because she was going to need a place to stay and something to wear if she planned on showering again. She figured Mildred would give her a room at the hotel and Sabine would come up with something temporary for her clothes-wise.

After reassuring her friend that she was unhurt, Maryse flipped her cell phone shut and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes. She was doing her best to hold everything in, but she was still so angry with Helena that she knew Luc was suspicious about what was going on. Like she could tell him even if she wanted to.
Hey, Luc, it’s
no big deal. I’m just being haunted by my dead mother-in-law who left me a bunch of land full of oil that now apparently people are trying to kill me for.
Yeah, that would work. That was believable.

She held in a sigh as they walked into the emergency room, hoping this was Christopher’s day off. The last thing she needed was to be embarrassed on top of depressed and angry. There just wasn’t room in her head for another emotion. The admitting nurse took one look at her and motioned her toward the double doors to the side of reception. Maryse asked Luc to wait in the lobby, then followed the nurse down the hall.

Either they weren’t busy at all or Maryse looked much worse than she thought. But as they passed a couple of empty rooms, Maryse decided it was the first. Obviously she’d picked a great time to have an emergency. They had passed three empty rooms when the nurse’s pager went off. She glanced down at the pager, then shook her head.

“The second room on the left,” the nurse said, and pointed down the hall. “If you don’t mind taking a seat in there, I’ll send the doctor right in.”

The nurse muttered something under her breath as she turned, and although it wasn’t clear, Maryse could swear she’d said “as soon as I find him.” How exactly did one lose a doctor in a hospital? Didn’t they have pagers too? She glanced back at the nurse who strode down the hall with obvious purpose and shook her head.

Turning back around, Maryse studied the doors in front of her. Second room on the right or left? Hell, she couldn’t remember. Maybe she
did
have a head injury. Oh well, what was the worst that could happen—she opened the wrong door and saw someone naked or something? God knows she’d seen worse, especially lately.

She took a couple of steps forward and pulled open the door on the right. It was immediately obvious that this was not the right room. In fact, it wasn’t a room at all—it was a storage closet, but the most interesting thing was it was already occupied.

By Dr. Christopher and a candy-striper.

Christopher apparently had a bit of a sweet tooth, because he’d taken the “candy-striper” title to heart. His mouth was all over the girl, and if the volunteer coordinators saw what was going on under that uniform, Maryse was fairly sure they’d have had heart attacks right on the spot.

They jumped apart as the light flooded in, but it was too late. Maryse had already seen enough. “What the hell are you doing?” she yelled, and took a good look at the rumpled candy-striper, who was grabbing for the thin strip of lace wrapped around her ankle and trying to shove it back up her butt where it belonged. “That girl isn’t even eighteen. Are you crazy?”

Christopher jumped up and ran over to her. “Now, Maryse, this isn’t what it looks like. I was just helping Emily with her anatomy class, and she didn’t want anyone to see. She’s a bit shy about presentation.”

Maryse stared at him in disbelief and disgust. Why in the world had she thought this guy was a great catch? “Do you think I’m that stupid?” she asked, and Christopher inched toward her, his hands out.

Maryse stepped back. “Don’t step one foot closer to me. I’m warning you.”

“But, Maryse, honey, I swear I can explain.”

Honey? Honey!
She glared at Christopher as he made the fatal error of touching her arm. To hell with it. She clenched her hand and punched him as hard as she could in the jaw, causing him to cry out in surprise. Staggering backwards in shock, he fell over a towel rack, knocking Emily, who was still trying to reassemble her clothing, down on the ground in a heap. The sound of material ripping seemed to echo in the tiny closet. Maryse looked down to see the lacy thong now hanging in two pieces around one of Emily’s skinny white thighs.

The commotion brought the admitting nurse and two orderlies rushing down the hall where they all screeched to a halt and stared at the spectacle in front of them. “Dr. Warren,” the admitting nurse said, her lips pursed in disapproval. “I thought Director Stone was very clear about this the last time. I’m afraid I have no choice but to report you. And I’d start packing my things if I were you.” The nurse looked at the candy-striper and frowned. “And shame on you, Emily. When your mother hears what I have to say…” She shook her head in obvious disgust and stomped down the hall, apparently in search of the director.

“Now see what you’ve done?” Christopher accused, struggling to rise from the floor.

Maryse laughed. “What I’ve done? Have you lost your mind? I wasn’t the one in a compromising position with a minor.”

Christopher rose from the floor and glowered at Maryse, his face bright red with embarrassment and anger. Emily, now reasonably covered and clutching what was left of her almost nonexistent underwear, scurried past and fled down the hall, probably trying to figure out how to avoid going home until she was sixty.

“Like you weren’t seeing other people,” Christopher accused. “We’ve only had one date anyway, and it was horrible. Hardly grounds for a commitment.”

“You think I want a commitment with you?” Maryse stared. “You
have
lost your mind. At least I don’t date children. You need serious help, Christopher, and if I were that girl’s dad, I’d shoot you.” Maryse paused for a moment, a vision of the rumpled Emily flashing through her mind. Why was she familiar?

Then it hit her—a video replay of her meeting with one of Hank’s “lenders,” who had insisted on receiving payment during his daughter’s soccer game. “Oh my God,” Maryse said. “You’ve been fooling around with the underage daughter of the biggest loan shark in Mudbug.” Maryse began to laugh. “That nurse was right—you better pack, and right away. If Lou Marcel catches you, there won’t even be anything left for the nutria.”

Christopher blinked and stared at her, wide-eyed. “Lou Marcel is Emily’s father?”

Maryse nodded and gave him a big smile. The orderlies chuckled beside her.

“Oh shit!” The color drained from Christopher’s face, and he glanced down both corridors. “I’ve got to get out of here.” With that, he spun around and sprinted down the hall. At the end, he made a sharp turn and slid on the waxed floor of the hall until he had to place one hand down to maintain his balance. The orderlies dashed after him, either wanting to see more of the show or to ensure he didn’t leave the hospital before the director got a hold of him.

Maryse stared after them, shaking her head. What the hell had she been thinking? For once, she should have listened to Helena, and that was just wrong on so many levels.

First Hank, then Dr. Deviant. What a track record.

Maryse heard laughter behind her and spun around, afraid she recognized that voice. She did. Helena Henry stood in the hall, her shoulders shaking. Her guffaws would have carried to the next state if anyone could have heard her besides Maryse. “Oh my God,” Helena said as she tried to regain control of herself. “That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I wish I would have caught it from the beginning.”

Maryse glared. “I am not in the mood for you, Helena. I left you back at the cabin for a reason. Why did you follow me here?” Maryse stalked across the hall toward the lobby. She needed the correct room, and apparently a new doctor. “My blood pressure is going to be through the roof when they take it, no thanks to you. I’ll end up hospitalized for sure.”

Helena looked contrite as she struggled to keep up with Maryse’s pace down the hall. “I know you’re mad, and I can’t say that I blame you, but I had to make sure you were all right. I checked at your office, but when I saw your boat docked and Luc’s Jeep gone, I hoped he took you to the hospital.”

Maryse stopped short and gave Helena a hard look. “We need to talk, and we will, but not right now. You have a lot to answer for.”

Maryse pushed the door to the lobby open and stalked through. Luc jumped up from his chair, looking somewhat surprised. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Bachelor number two,” Helena said and hooted.

Maryse shot her a dirty look and mumbled, “Don’t even start.” She waved one hand at Luc. “Nothing’s wrong. I just need to find out if I’m actually going to see a doctor today.”

Luc raised his eyebrows and looked from Maryse to the admitting nurse, who was standing behind the admissions desk frowning at both of them. “I saw that doctor take out of here like he’d been shot,” Luc said, and gave Maryse a questioning look.

“Ha!” Helena said. “He hasn’t been shot yet.” She looked over at Maryse and shook her head. “I still can’t believe you went out with him.”

Maryse tried to block Helena from her mind and walked over to the nurse. “Can you please find someone else to take a look at me? I really need to get on with my day, and I’ve had quite enough of this hospital. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”

The nurse gave her a curt nod and pointed back to the doors. “Take a seat in room two. The first one on the right. I’ll have Dr. Breaux right in. But Ms. Robicheaux, the hospital director will want to speak with you about this situation with Emily.”

Maryse sighed. “If he can’t make it down before the exam is over, he can reach me at the Mudbug Hotel. Leave a message with Mildred.” Maryse turned from the desk and stalked off to room two. She had just perched her hiney on the cold, hard table when Helena entered the room, followed closely by Luc.

Luc sat in a chair in the corner and looked over at Maryse. “So am I getting this right? Those orderlies said you caught that doctor in a storage closet with a loan shark’s underage daughter?”

“Yeah,” Maryse replied. “That’s pretty much it.”

Luc whistled. “Boy, I don’t give him ten minutes to hide after her dad hears.”

“Serves him right.”

Luc gave her a curious look. “And you went out with this guy?”

Maryse stared at him. “How in the world did you know that?”

Luc smiled and pointed at Helena. “The ghost said so.”

Chapter Eleven

Maryse froze at Luc’s words and knew that she had stopped breathing altogether. After a couple of seconds of complete immobility, she cast an anxious glance at Helena, who was standing stock still, staring at Luc in obvious shock.

Maryse realized he was looking straight at Helena. “You can see her?” she managed to squeak out.

Luc nodded. “Plain as day. Absolutely horrid pink suit.”