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So she walked into the bar with Julian and Max, who said siuy," as they were led to a table

"Yeah, very interesting," Julian agreed "I didn’t trust hireat"

"Nikki, where does this guy come from?" Max asked after he’d ordered a dirtyto be paranoid the rest of her life Before she could answer hi around the bar But she didn’t see anyone who looked suspicious, or even anyone she knew

"New Orleans"

"Really?" Max said "I’m sure I’ve never seen him before"

"I’m sure there are a lot of people here who never cross our paths," Nikki said "And he hasn’t lived here, not for a while"

"So he just kind of appeared at the right time, huh?" Max asked

Julian started to speak Not at all sure why, Nikki kicked hied to keep quiet, but he shot her a look that said it was tiain

"He definitely appeared at the right time," Nikki said

Julian added, "I’ll tell you this, Max, he knows his stuff"

"So, Max, tell us more about the shrimpers," Nikki said, anxious to turn the conversation in some other direction

Max warmed to his cause so much so that Nikki found herself drawn in, despite the fact that she’d expected to be unable to think of anything but the co indignant for the people orked so hard, and decided that froht shrile question

Where had Brent gone now?

And why?

At his bed-and-breakfast, Brent put through a call to Adaed to do it, but within twenty ent, and yes, he was known for being a loner

Adaed to access the recent expenditures of Max Dupuis

Brent ran over his expenses during the last teeks

There hadn’t been a single charge made in the parish of New Orleans for over teeks He ed to acquire on Julian and the others There wasn’t a criminal record in the lot

Well, except for Andrea Ciello She had been busted and jailed several tih school And there hadn’t been a mark on her record in several years She had attended rehab, and since then, she’d been clean

He’d expected nothing else

Studying everything that he had, albeit quickly, he couldn’t find anything to suggest that any of Andy’s close circleoperation

Julian and Nikki had indeed attended the same schools; Julian had been a year ahead of her He’d been a theater major, an honor student He’d done his share of work as a bartender, spent a few months in Europe, and he had perfor with the tour group

Nothing there

He stared at everything, shook his head and called Adam back "Get me what you can on the two cops, Marc Joulette and Owen Massey Oh… and anything erty And a café, a place called Madame D’Orso’s Check out the woht quickly, then asked for whatever Adaet on the voodoo shop that Nikki liked "Contessa Moodoo’s Hoodoo Voodoo"

"I can get you so deeper on the cops and especially the fed er"

"Do what you can," Brent said, and thanked hi the newest records Adam sent, but, as Adam had warned hirainy ies of the men as they appeared on his screen In a hundred years, he would never have recognized Massey in ood; Haggerty must have had a hair-and-makeup artist for his official picture

Madame D’Orso, nee Debra So She’d gotten financing through a local bank, and was apparently paying back her loan in a timely manner

The voodoo shop had previously been a toy store Before she took over the location, Contessa had operated in do Orleans Having become extremely successful, she had h overhead, nearly four years ago

Frustrated, he logged off He strapped on his ankle holster and snub-nosed Srabbed the packet he had acquired on Archibald McManus and hurried out

He had to pass Marie’s hotel, so he figured he would just leave the e But Marie exited the elevator just as he was approaching the desk She ca toward him, took the packet and thanked hiht?" he asked her

She was still bruised, but she flushed and smiled "I’m fine I was lucky, and you knohat else?"

"What?"

"I think there are ghosts"