Showdown in Mudbug by Jana DeLeon Page A

I mean, why else would that suit be locked away like that unless it was something that could create a lot of trouble? It was too much of a coincidence to ignore.”
    “Why didn’t you follow him?”
    “He wasn’t my primary, and he didn’t live in New Orleans. So the next time he told my primary he was going to be off the grid for several hours, I went to Baton Rouge to follow him.”
    “And got caught,” Zach finished.
    “Yeah.”
    “And your primary…who was he?”
    Raissa hesitated for a couple of seconds, then finally said, “Sonny Hebert.”
    Zach felt his heart pound in his chest. He stared at Raissa, at a complete loss for words the first time since he’d met her. “You were undercover in Sonny Hebert’s organization?”
    “Yeah, for almost two years.”
    “As what? I mean, what did you do that you got that close to him?”
    Raissa gave him a small smile. “Can’t you tell?” She pointed to the row of equipment. “I’m a computer whiz. I could move money in ways that even the banks holding it couldn’t trace. And I dabble a bit with security systems. I’m probably indirectly responsible for the alarms being bypassed at the kidnapping scenes.”
    “Jesus. I can see where that might make you a valuable commodity in Sonny’s world.”
    “Oh, you have no idea. Sonny paid me a quarter million a year. Not that I got to keep it.”
    “Holy crap! I think I’m playing for the wrong team. Damn my conscience.”
    Raissa nodded. “I damned mine a time or two when I was moving millions to tax-free shelters overseas. Or driving around in my ‘company’ car—a Bentley, by the way.”
    Zach whistled. “So Sonny caught you following up on his guy?”
    “No, the guy did. Monk Marsella. He was Sonny’s cousin and ran the Baton Rouge side of things.”
    “And you think this Monk is the guy who took Melissa Franco?”
    Raissa frowned. “I did, but now I’m not so sure.”
    “Why not?”
    “You remember that guy in the bar? You know, the one I was going to castrate with my nine-millimeter?”
    Zach felt his heart beat stronger for a beat or two, but his mind had flashed firmly back to Raissa’s lipstick-coated finger pressed against his cheek. “Yeah,” he said, and cleared his throat, hoping it might clear up his mind. “Hard to forget.”
    “Spider hasn’t likely forgotten, either. I picked Spider to question because he’s a weak link, a real pansy compared to the others. He says no one’s seen Monk in six months. I’ve asked around, and he’s not lying, as far as I can find.”
    “So what happened to him? Somebody’s got to know.”
    “I’m sure someone does, but I’m guessing he’s not in rehab or taking a leave of absence in Bermuda. Even if someone suspected what happened, they’re not going to say. It’s not exactly safe to have an opinion on the boss’s cousin coming up missing, especially if the boss is the only one with the rank to make that call.”
    “Yeah, I guess not.” He tapped his fingers on the table for a minute, then asked, “So what do you think happened?”
    “It doesn’t matter what I think. I can’t prove anything.”
    “It matters to me. I trust your instincts. You’ve been right about everything. In fact, you’ve been one step or ten ahead of me.”
    “Well, I did have the advantage of a historical point of reference, but you’re right, I do have an idea. I think Monk is vacationing at the bottom of the Mississippi River.”
    “Then who kidnapped Melissa Franco?”
    Raissa stared at him, her expression mixed with frustration and fear. “I have no idea.”
    She rose from her chair and put her glass on a tray on the dresser. “So, do you still want to pin me to a wall and frisk me?”
    Her tone was light, but Zach could tell it was anything but sexual. He didn’t blame her one bit. “Between being electrocuted, going partially blind, and finding out my main suspect is a damned FBI agent—who I’ve been forbidden to contact—and my new main