He left the house and hurried to the one costume rental shop on Magazine that he knew carried almost everything possible and was open every day of the year except Christmas.
But he just didn’t feel right, leaving Danni there with things so unsettled between them.
* * *
Billie and Danni hurried back to The Cheshire Cat to make room for their newest guests. She was glad to have Jenny and Brad there to help get everything ready.
“This is great,” Jenny said. “Does it mean you won’t be leaving?”
“I’m still going to leave, Jenny, but just for a day,” Danni explained to her. “I’ll be back before dark.”
“Is Quinn going, too?” Jenny asked.
Danni was glad she and Jenny were alone in the spare room on the second floor, and Brad was helping Billie in the attic. No point in hurting his feelings yet again.
“I don’t know, but even if he does, you’ll be fine. Wolf will be here, Billie knows how to take care of himself and Brad and Woodrow both have guns. In fact, I hope we catch this killer before Woodrow finds out who he is and goes looking for his own justice.”
“The killer should die. I’m pretty liberal, but this guy really needs to die,” Jenny said.
“That’s up to the courts. I just don’t want to see Woodrow locked up for murder,” Danni said, going back to making the bed.
“What if your plane is delayed?” Jenny asked a minute later.
“It won’t be,” Danni said, growing exasperated. Honestly, she really didn’t know if Quinn was going with her or not, and she still had to call Hattie and see if she could set something up for the next day. It was short notice, but now that she had decided to go, Danni wanted to go now.
“Danni, do you think—”
Jenny never finished her thought, because Billie and Brad had apparently finished up in the attic and Billie called loudly from the ground floor, “Hey, come on down here!”
The two of them hurried down the stairs to find that Billie had turned on the news on the small set in the kitchen. Larue was on, with dozens of reporters facing him. Quinn was there, as well, standing just behind Larue.
“Oh my God! That’s him!” Jenny breathed, turning pale.
As Larue described the costume worn by the man they were seeking, one of his officers donned a similar mask and a trench coat. The warning was now out all across the city: if anyone saw anyone dressed and masked like the officer, they were to notify authorities.
“Is this how the Sax Murderer has been getting around unseen?” one of the reporters asked.
Danni saw Larue wince; he hated it when killers were given names. It upped their importance, in their own eyes.
“Yes. This is the costume described by several witnesses,” Larue explained.
The conference continued for a few more minutes before the station’s regularly scheduled programming returned.
“That will get him,” Jenny said hopefully. “That creep won’t be able to run around in that sorry mask anymore. The bastard.”
“Here’s hoping. Meanwhile, we should get dinner going,” Danni said. “Tyler will be here with the Watsons soon, and we all need to get ready to head out to work.”
She had to hand it to Quinn; she was impressed by the way the press conference had gone. Descriptions went out as a matter of course, but there was nothing like seeing something with your own eyes to make an impression.
She hoped it would make a difference and the killer would be caught soon. If not, sax players would soon be leaving the city in droves.
Not good for a city that thrived on jazz.
She excused herself and called Hattie, who assured her that she would get round-trip tickets for both Danni and Quinn, though there was no way to send the whole band to play for the vets, as Danni had hoped.
“Thankfully,” Hattie said, “it’s spring, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting home before dark.”
“You’re keeping yourself safe, right?” Danni asked her.
“Sweetie,” Hattie told her, “I couldn’t play a saxophone if you tried to teach me from now until doomsday.”
“I’m not sure that matters now that you’ve been seen with us.”
Hattie laughed softly. “Don’t you worry, Danni Cafferty. I learned my lesson last time I worked with the two of you, and I never count on anything. But I have a brand-new and foolproof security system for the house, not to mention I have Billie to see me home.”
“About that,” Danni said. “There’s safety in numbers, and you’re always welcome over here.”
“And y’all can escape over here whenever you desire,” Hattie said. “But I know you stubborn people. You’re a little army unto yourselves, and you see The Cheshire Cat as your fortress.”
“You’re part of that army, Hattie,” Danni assured her.
“Well, thank you. I like that. I’ll email you the flight info as soon as I have it.”
Danni thanked her and walked back out to the kitchen, where the evening news was replaying the press conference.
She prayed it would help.
More than anything, she hoped the visual would keep someone alive.
She had complete faith that the Sax Murderer would be caught and brought to justice. She just didn’t know how many people would have to die before that happened.
* * *
Quinn wished Jenny didn’t see him as the ultimate weapon.
He also wished their household hadn’t gotten so big.
When he returned to the house on Royal Street, Jenny was overexuberant, Danni was overly quiet, Billie seemed to be perplexed and the Watsons were so busy trying to be helpful he felt as though he was constantly tripping over them.
“No one knows you’re here, right?” Quinn asked Woodrow.
“No, sir. We just locked up and left, even brought our things out in grocery bags,” Woodrow assured him.
“Good. I’ve asked Detective Larue to see to it that patrol keeps an eye on your house,” Quinn said. “Meanwhile, make yourselves at home here. Bo Ray and Wolf will be on guard through the night while we’re gone, but if anything troubles you—anything at all—don’t be afraid to call. I keep my phone in my pocket and tuned to vibrate, so I won’t miss a call.”
He kept looking for a chance to talk to Danni alone, but with everyone getting ready to eat and head out to their respective gigs, there never seemed to be a chance.
He was pretty sure she was angry with him, but just as he was about to head out with Brad and Jenny, Danni stopped him.
“We have reservations for tomorrow,” she told him.
“What?” Quinn asked.
“What?” Jenny, standing nearby, echoed.
“I called Hattie,” Danni said, looking at Quinn rather than Jenny. “We have reservations to fly to Washington and from there—”
“Danni, I don’t think we should be gone at night. That’s when he strikes.”
“We’re not going to be gone at night. We leave in the morning, and we’re back by seven thirty.” He could tell she was trying to keep her voice level. “Quinn, I’m going.”
With or without you...
She didn’t speak the words, but he heard them anyway.
He nodded. “Send me the details,” he told her, disturbed that she had made arrangements without settling the situation between them first. He was sure she knew just how he felt, too, but they were surrounded by people, so this was neither the time nor the place to have it out.
He walked out. Brad and Jenny followed him.
“I still don’t see why it’s so important that you guys have to go to Washington now,” Jenny said.
“Jenny, stop second-guessing,” Brad said.
“But...there’s so much going on here,” she said. “People need
to be kept safe here.”
Quinn had reached a stop sign. He turned to look at her. “No one is going to be safe—no matter where they’re staying or what precautions we take—until this killer is caught, and this trip could help us catch him. I hadn’t thought of going up and back in a day—it’s actually brilliant. That way no one has to be alone at night.”
“Feels like we’re afraid of vampires,” Brad muttered.
“A killer who comes out just before dawn,” Jenny agreed. “Do you think he’s some kind of supernatural monster? I know you and Danni collect weird things. I know what you two do.”
“The killer is not a vampire, Jenny. I was joking,” Brad said. “He doesn’t even think he’s a vampire. It’s not like he’s drinking blood or anything. He’s flesh and blood, right, Quinn?”
Quinn moved through the intersection, heading toward Canal and on to Magazine.
“The killer is flesh and blood,” he said. “But that doesn’t make him any less evil.”
Chapter 10
SUNDAY NIGHTS WERE usually slow—slower than Friday and Saturday nights, at any rate—unless there was a festival in the city or a major convention.
But when they took their breaks, Danni realized a lot of people in the audience were talking about what was going on.
A table next to where she sat with Billie during their first break was filled with young men who had just arrived in town for a “bachelor week.” Danni listened to them talking while she sipped her water.
“It’s terrible, a serial killer on the loose. Think we should be worried?” one of them asked the others.
“No. None of us can play anything but a computer keyboard,” the groom-to-be, Harry, said.
“I guess not. Scary, though. He’s killing off sax players,” another said.
“What if all the musicians get scared and leave?” the first man asked.
“Well, if there are no musicians, what will we do?” someone else pondered.
“Well, hell, there are still strip clubs!” one said, and they all laughed.
“A good stripper needs music, too,” Harry said indignantly.
Danni felt Billie’s hand on hers. “It will be all right,” he told her. “You and Quinn will catch this guy.”
“Am I crazy, Billie? To be so determined to speak with Arnie’s friend Kevin? What if Quinn decides not to come with me?”
Billie shook his head. “No. You’re a Cafferty, girl. Your instincts are good. And don’t worry about Quinn. Mark my words, he’ll be on that plane.”
“You think so?”
“I do.”
“Hmm. Think I’m going to order a beer.”
“Jessica will come by to see what else we need,” Billie said.
“She’s busy. I’ll just go to the bar,” Danni said, and stood.
“I’ll take something dark on draft, Danni.”
She waved a hand to acknowledge his request. At the bar, Eric Lyons was working alone. “Hey there,” he said. “What can I get you?”
“Two dark drafts of whatever,” she said.
“Really?” He laughed. “Going from water to the hard stuff?” he asked, getting cups and pulling on one of the taps.
She was hoping the beer would help her catch a few hours of sleep before heading to the airport, though it seemed unlikely. Maybe she could sleep on the plane.
“Going wild tonight, what can I say?” she said.
“You never go home alone, right?” he asked her.
“Never. Why?”
“Oh, I was just watching the news today. Jessica was worried. I’m going to take her home. And I was talking to Blake Templeton. He said the band members all hang together until they get home. Apparently, musicians all over the city are seeing each other home, even staying at each other’s places. I wonder if it’s going to be like a blackout and in nine months we’ll wind up with a slew of musically talented babies?”
“Well, that would be better than a lot of other outcomes, right?” Danni asked.
“Sure would.”
“You’re careful, too, right?”
He nodded. “Very,” he assured her, and handed her the drafts. “And I play horribly, anyway. I’m sure no one is after me.”
“The killer doesn’t care about talent, only instruments.”
“In that case I’ll just ditch everything I own,” Eric said.
“Hopefully, that won’t be necessary. No one’s seen you playing onstage, right?”
“Well, they might have seen me, but I’ve never been asked to join a band,” he said, grinning as he nodded toward the stage, where the band was playing a couple of songs without her and Billie. “Now, those guys—those guys are good. And your friend is amazing. He can really play the sax.”
“Billie,” Danni said. “And I never even knew until recently. His specialty is the bagpipes.”
“He should play those one night,” he said, still smiling, and then he grew serious. “All of them can play. But Arnie, now, he was special. Don’t get me wrong, Tyler is good. But Arnie...there was just something about the way he played... He could make you cry.”
“I remember.”
“You do?”
“I knew him back in school,” she said.
“Were you into music, too?”
“Art, back then. Still am. I love music, though.”
“Who wouldn’t? When it works, it’s like magic. Like Arnie and his sax.”
“I guess someone is after that magic,” Danni said.
“Hey, I think you’re about to go back up.”
“Thanks,” she told him, hurrying back to the table. She and Billie barely had a minute to take a few sips of their beer before it was time to head back up onstage.
A few minutes later, Natasha and Father Ryan appeared. On their next break, Danni hurried over to thank them for coming again.
Tyler joined her. “Not only does Danni look great onstage, she brings her own fans.”
“Tyler’s staying at my house, along with Arnie’s parents,” Danni told the newcomers quietly.
“Good. No one knows, right?” Father Ryan asked Tyler.
Tyler shook his head. “Not even the rest of the band. I’ll go with the guys to make sure they get home safely, and then I’ll go back to Danni’s. I guess you two will see that Billie and Danni get there?”
“Of course,” Natasha said. “It’s Billie I really worry about.”
Billie cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”
“You play the sax, so of course I’m more afraid for you than I am for Danni.”
Billie muttered something in Gaelic beneath his breath. They all grinned.
Just then Blake, Gus and Shamus strolled over to say hi and thank Father Ryan and Natasha for being there. Danni studied the three of them while they chatted. The more she worked with them, the more she liked them. She didn’t want to believe any of them could be the killer. Shamus was fun and flirty, not to mention very good-looking. Gus was more of an academic. Blake, like Tyler, was even-keeled. They all loved their music and couldn’t help grinning while they played. She was so comfortable with them that sometimes she forgot why she was there and actually had fun.
She left them at the table and headed to the bar; she wanted water again. She couldn’t decide whether to try to sleep a few hours at the house or just stay up until it was time to head to the airport. She wouldn’t even have a carry-on, but Quinn wouldn’t leave unarmed, she knew. He would have to check a suitcase.
If Billie was right and he was going with her. She had texted him the flight numbers before she’d left the house. All he’d texted back was Thanks.
Danni didn’t make it all the way to the bar. Jessica swooped in front of her, offering her a large glass of water with lime.
“Hey, did you have a chance to look at those duets yet?” Jessica asked.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry. I’ll get to it, I promise,” Danni told her. “Hey, when they go back up, why don’t you go sing something? It’s slow tonight. I can serve drinks for a few minutes.”
“No, no, that’s all right.”
“Please?”
Jessica seemed flustered. “Okay. Thank you.”
When the band went up, Jessica joined them and did a Carole King number. The woman had a voice like silk, Danni thought. She should have been singing full-time.
“Wow,” one of the men at the bachelor table said as Danni went by. He looked at her and flushed. “I mean, you’re wow, too, of course.”
She laughed. “Not to worry. She is wow.”
It was after two when Tyler announced the last number. After that people said their good-nights. Danni assured Tyler quietly that someone would be waiting up for him.
She, Billie, Father Ryan and Natasha began the short walk back to her place. Natasha was tired, so they said good-night outside, and then Father Ryan and Natasha headed toward her house.
When Billie and Danni headed into the kitchen, they found that Woodrow had waited up for them. He was sitting at the kitchen table, Wolf at his side—along with his shotgun.
“Ready for anything, you know?” he said.
Danni smiled. “Thank you.”
“I let Bo Ray and Amy go up to sleep. The dog hasn’t barked, so I figure no unsavory characters have come around the place,” Woodrow said.
“That’s good. Thank you. I’m going to head up, too, if you don’t mind waiting a bit longer for Tyler to get in,” she said.
“I can wait, if you want to get some sleep,” Billie told Woodrow.
“No, sir, you go on up. I can rest by day. I don’t mind being on guard—not with a dog like this one at my feet,” Woodrow said.
“Thank you again,” Danni said. “Quinn should be along soon, too.”
“Then we’ll batten down once everyone’s in and accounted for,” Woodrow told her.
“Oh!” she said. “I’ll be gone during the day tomorrow. Quinn, too, I think. But please, the two of you need to stay in the house or the shop while we’re gone. Larue will have an officer watching, especially if Quinn goes with me. But for your own safety, stay inside, all right?”
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