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Chapter 4

"Help ily from a deep sleep She forced her eyes open

"Nikki, please, for the love of God… there’s nothing I have nothing Tell theot to tell theht e froht she kept on She had failed to fully close the draperies across the sliding doors in her bedrooarden area at the rear of the house, enough light h theThough the light seemed pale and misty, she could see the basic shapes of the furniture in her room

And the wo there, clad in a long T-shirt advertising the New Orleans Saints Her long dark hair was tousled, as if she’d just gotten out of bed

"Andy, what are you doing here? What are you talking about?" she asked, glancing over at her bedside clock Almost 4:00 am They had only parted at two, and after all those Hurricanes, Nikki felt as if heron a very slow track In fact, her head was pounding She had to be drea, but it was unfair for her head to hurt so badly in a drea the drinks," she grumbled miserably

"The bum in the coffee shop, he’s dead, Nikki"

Nikki shook her head, which uy We couldn’t know if he’s dead" She stopped to think for a minute, but between the liquor and exhaustion, she knew she wasn’t doing too well

"How did you get in here, anyway? If you guys are trying to scare me… Did Julian put you up to this? Hell, I don’t really care right now Go away And lock the door behind you when you go"

"Nikki! Please… help!"

"I understand a joke, Andy, but I really feel like hell So… ha, ha, go away"

"Nikki, for the love of God," Andy implored "Wake up… I think… I think it’s you they’re after"

"Andy, go away Go ho out dressed like that, anyway? Look--I’one And if those other idiots are with you, tell the to open one!"

She opened her eyes To her aone

"Make sure hed She needed to get up and make sure that the door had been locked She should close the drapes--and avoid the sun that was going to tear into her eyes in theNot until night… the eight o’clock tour A sleep she needed She should get up…

She couldn’t quite do it Couldn’t quite et up

She closed her eyes, and went back to sleep

When Nikki woke in the , she didn’t even remember at first that she’d opened her eyes to see Andrea in her rooed to crawl out of bed and into the bathroom, and down several aspirins In the kitchen, she decided toast would be a good thing Coffee first, because she couldn’t bear life without it, then toast and orange juice

Walking back into her bedroolass doors and walked out on the little balcony that looked over the small courtyard in the back of the house where she lived The antebellurande dame had been restored beautifully--into six apartments She had chosen her ohen the work had barely been completed because of the two upstairs bedrooarden, and the spare bedroom, that she used as an office, that overlooked Bourbon just beyond the small front yard and brick fence Then, to make it all the h the main hall, but was a separate entrance, a one-time servants’ door It opened to the far end of the broad porch, an amenity accessible to all the tenants, but convenient to her The porch looked on to grass and flowers and the swing that fell froe old oak Downstairs, the street was blocked from view--and vice versa--by the brick fence From the front, all the music and mayhem of the city could be heard, but in the rear, all was quiet

A slight breeze filtered in Fall was cohts that we’re beautiful, still warue the city

She deterht help

It did Her hair still damp, in jeans and a knit shirt, she walked out to pour her coffee The headache was beginning to recede She took her coffee outside

It was at the front door--where she discovered both her bolt and the chain lock still in place--that she remembered the dream She smiled to herself

Hurricanes

She’d never have another

So--the crew hadn’t sneaked in on her last night, deter practical joke

She really had dreamed it all up!

Andrea would be a to say anything to Andrea at all That would only bolster the teasing concept that she had no life other than her work, that her life would be much more fun if she did submit toof a workaholic

She took her coffee outside, sat in one of the big wicker chairs on the porch, and looked out at the lawn and the eternal flowers there Pretty The breeze was pleasant «

A fewagain

She closed her eyes, letting the air caress her cheeks, ease away the night of living it up a bit too much--well, for her, anyway But she was very serious about her work for Max She ht be underpaid for the a on now, but she knew that Max had big plans He wanted to go around the country with his tours Nikki had always loved to travel, and once Max got going, she wanted in on the whole thing People siht lure lots of tourists, there were surely ghosts to be found!