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Sure there was voodoo andEasy, and it had becoreatthe day, the rot showed But at night, the neon ca

I ordered a zombie - why not? - and a po’boy It wasn’t until I was halfway through the food and all the way through the drink that the now-fa stared at caators on Bourbon Street, unless you counted the stuffed ones in the shop s

Uneasy, I glanced around, but all the other diners were busy with their own libations The waiters aiter-ing; bartenders, bartending

I slid aze toward the crowd, but it continued to floithout any hesitation I told myself I was exhausted from the combination of a drink, a full stomach, and a busy day, then paid my check and left

The uncolanced back every few seconds, but with hundreds of people on the street, I couldn’t deter into my hotel, I slipped behind a pillar and peeked out

Nothing

As I headed upstairs, I told ood reason to be spooked Someone had put that flower in ain

I unlocked my door, checked the bathroom, the closet, a shady corner No one here but aze was drawn to the balcony I foundoutside I let aze wander over the crowd from above, and I saw him

The revelers flowed around the e rock in the lanced at them, just continued to stare at me He was no one I’d ever met, yet somehow I knew him

His clothes were dirty, torn, his hair wild; he wasn’t wearing any shoes What was the deal with shoes around here?

My phone started ringing - loud, shrill - and I spun toward the rooot myself under control, realized it was just the phone, I turned back, letting it ring

He was gone, of course No sign of him anywhere Not that he couldn’t disappear into the crowd, a bar, hell,Wasn’t there voice mail in this place? I snatched it up

"Yes?" My heart still pounded fast enough to make black dots dance in front of my eyes I needed to breathe

"Diana"

Frank

"I’ve been calling for hours I orried"

"M at the wide-open balcony doors Should have shut those

"Is so with your cell?"

Mechanically I pattedit off after calling the police

"I was in the field"

"I suppose it wouldn’t do for you to sneak up on the loup-garou and have your phone frighten him away"

As if I could sneak up on a olf - I sighed - or any wolf, for that matter

"What have you found?" Frank continued

"Nothing really"

"What have you been doing with your ti as hell

"My guide’s dead"

A shocked beat of silence came over the line before Frank drawled, "That didn’t take long"

"What didn’t take long?"

"For the loup-garou to get him"

I frowned "Why do you think a wolf killed him?"

"Didn’t it?"

I was still on the seeing-is-believing plan, and I’d seen · nothing but a tail Could have belonged to anyone

I

"I rented the Ruelle Mansion for the nextthe matter drop "You can move in whenever you like"

"Great I’ll have e"

"Let me knohere they are, and I’ll take care of it"

Usually I paid the owner of the storage facility to do that, but if Frank wanted to pay, I was all for it I gave him the address

I almost asked if Frank had rented the place directly from Adam Ruelle, but I recalled his reaction the last time I’d mentioned the naht Ada, and maybe he did But I’d find out what for uide," Frank said, as if his last arrangement hadn’t died from a mortal throat wound

"I’ll take care of it"

In truth, I didn’t plan on hiring anyone I couldn’t put another person in danger I’d buy a gun; I’d done so before Then I’d explore the swamp on reed "I’ll call you tomorrow"

"How about if I call you when I have so to check up onht," he said slowly

"I’ll be out in the field a lot," I explained "My phone will be off"

"Of course"

Frank still sounded a bit ood-bye without further comment

I moved to the balcony, checked the crowd once more No one paid an to think I’d only iain I rationalized that even if the ht he had, it was because he liked redheads, big girls, or balconies on Bourbon Street

Still, I shut and locked the French doors before heading for h wolves usually claie territory, the proximity of the recent deaths h, for all we knew, the thing had been killing throughout the swamp - a distance of some 250 square miles - and only the bodies closest to civilization, ie, on the Ruelle property, had been found

I’d bookht theh, made a few notes

I was just about to do a search for other s under the crescent ht ement feature, and then I couldn’t move, speak, even breathe

Hell, I could barely think