Free Trouble in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon Page B

promise to go away for at least a day.”
Damn. Helena was playing dirty. A whole day ghost free was very tempting. But would she keep her word?
“It’s too much of a risk,” Maryse said finally. “What if someone sees me? There’s no way I could explain being inside your house when you’re dead. Everyone would think I was stealing or something.”
Helena laughed. “You…Ms. Goodie Two-Shoes…stealing? Not likely.” She narrowed her eyes at Maryse. “I might have a cell phone number for Hank somewhere inside and perhaps even a last known address.”
Maryse was instantly angry. “You told me you didn’t know where Hank was. I always knew you were a royal bitch, Helena, but keeping me from getting a divorce after the way Hank treated me is low, even for you.”
“Now, don’t get your panties in a knot.” Helena put up a hand in protest. “I didn’t know where Hank was until today. He called a few hours ago, and Harold wrote down his information on a tablet next to the kitchen phone.” She shrugged and looked away. “I guess he’s still trying to figure out how to get some money and clear his worthless butt with the locals.”
Maryse stared at her for a moment, but Helena wouldn’t meet her eyes. Was that actually remorse…sadness she saw in Helena’s expression when she talked about Hank and her money? Was it possible that Helena had been hurt by Hank’s disappearing act, too?
Letting out a sigh, she pulled up her anchor, not even glancing at Helena. She looked both ways up the bayou to make sure it was clear, then started her boat and crossed the bayou to Helena’s dock.
“Dock on the left side,” Helena instructed. “That way the boathouse covers you from one direction and the cattails will hide you on the other.” She gave Maryse a gleeful smile and clapped her hands like a five-year-old.
Oh goodie. All they needed were party hats and a cake.
Maryse edged the boat in between the dock and an enormous growth of cattails, then checked the bayou again. Still clear. And Helena had been right about the docking spot. The boat was almost completely hidden.
Of course, that in no way solved the problem of walking up the pier and across the backyard to the house, but hey, who was she to complain? She’d never even had a traffic ticket, but she was about to commit a crime with a woman who couldn’t testify on her behalf and certainly couldn’t be thrown in the clink along with her.
Helena hopped out of the boat, skipped across the remaining water of the bayou to the shore, then turned around and waved for Maryse to follow. Casting one final glance around, Maryse pulled off her rubber boots, stepped onto the dock, and hurried down the pier and across the yard behind Helena.
She expected Helena to go to the back door, but instead, the ghost trailed off to the side and ducked around behind a row of azalea bushes. Maryse pushed aside a bit of the dense foliage and followed her. There was a small path, about a foot wide, between the bushes and the house. When they reached a narrow window, Helena stopped and pointed.
“You’re small. You should be able to fit through that.”
“Excuse me? You want me to climb in a window like a thief? Why don’t you have a key hidden outside somewhere?”
“Because I didn’t want anyone to break in, silly. C’mon, the window is low enough for you to climb in, and the latch on this one has been broken for months.”
The window was about four feet from the ground. God knew she wasn’t an acrobat, but she could probably make it work. At this point, she’d stick her head in a lion’s mouth for information on Hank. She reached up and pushed on the window, sliding it up until it wouldn’t go any farther.
She placed both of her hands on the window ledge and looked over at Helena. “I am so leaving this house through a doorway. Got it?”
Helena nodded. “Whatever you want to do. Just hop on in there and open the side door for me.
Maryse stared at her. “Let me get this