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"Half hu? That suits, I suppose" Treht "Why did you keep knowledge of this treasure froht of a thousand lies Yet with Tre he had ever had to a father for six centuries, it was simpler to tell the truth "I knew you would want her"

"You were correct"

"You can’t have her"

A laugh burst from behind the mask "I most certainly can, and will She will accompany me back to Dundellan, and there she will stay"

"Alexandra will kill herself first"

"She is still huh to die easily; yes, that will present a problem" Tremayne considered it for a moment "It would appear you have your work cut out for you, Michael"

"My lord?"

Richard gestured out toward the night "You will go and find her You will explain the glorious future awaiting her as theher to neur Cyprien"

One of Richard’s guards knocked on the door and looked inside "There is a hu to see the doctor He is a priest, and says his naaht his brain would implode and he had to turn off the television He slept in snatches, waking whenever someone walked past his door One tiave the hotel , for it to be the man who had called him at dawn, for news of Alexandra

He tried the star-69 trick, but the hotel’s phone system didn’t provide that service He dared tie up the line long enough to call down to the front desk and ask if there was any way he could get the phone nuized for the fact that there wasn’t, and suggested he call information

Because there was no room service, John left the roo ht bags of chips, packets of crackers and cheese, and candy bars Most of them were stale, but he ate theht of what three men could do to his sister, and nearly threw up To keep his belly settled and his iination turned off, he turned the television back on

Hope began to fade

John had been about to call the police when the phone finally rang He snatched up the receiver and held it to his ear "Yes?"

"Do you have a pencil and paper, Father Keller?" The voice had less of a drawl, more of a clip to it this time

"Yes" The man recited an address, which John jotted down "Where is this?"

"La Fontaine, a lovely home in the Garden District You’ll find your sister there Don’t call the police Don’t take any weapons Just walk up, knock on the door, and ask to see her Ask politely And John"

"What?"

"When she co until you are out of the country" The caller hung up

John was not familiar with the Garden District or any part of New Orleans, so he stopped at a convenience store long enough to buy a city iven him and drove directly there It was a ht It took a ate call button and buzz hih As soon as he stepped onto the property, he was flanked by two men

"Arms out," one said in a distinct Irish accent

John held his arms out and was searched from neck to ankles He was startled to see that bothover their shoulders, and pistols in both shoulder and hip holsters

"Name?"

John looked up at the house "I’m here to see Dr Alexandra Keller"

"Your name, lad"

"Father John Keller I’m her brother"

John was escorted up to the front door and told to wait there One of the men stayed with him while the other went inside

"Is ave him only a flat, disinterested stare in return

The iven to John by the Atlanta shopkeeper: tall, handsome, dark except for the odd shocks of white hair around his face Icy blue eyes returned the inspection and lingered on John’s clerical collar

"You are Father Keller?" The voice was sht "Where is , Angelica had said, I will be waiting for you

Thierry ardens of the strange houses, silent, searching for her, for so that looked faely accented French spoken by the two ave him the brief hope that he had soht himself in some distant province where the dialect differed from his own But the few cars that passed the houses were Ael My Angel The sight of a fair-haired girl looking out her bedroo moment, but her face was too square, and her ed her appearance to look so coave him his location The machine was locked, but he ripped it open and took out the bundle of newsprint Hunger ainst the lamppost When he could focus on the small print, he found that he was in New Orleans, Louisiana