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Nikki’s audience appeared to be entranced No matter what other stories she and the others told in the ceend was the one people wanted to hear

She saw Julian at the back of the crowd, leaning against one of the toht

"So her fortune-telling was just repeating what she’d overheard, right?" a man asked

Nikki was surprised that the question suddenly made her uncomfortable She smiled and kept her eyes on Julian as she replied "Well, if a fortune-teller foretells a hundred incidents and a few co uncanny, is it coincidence--or is it sihts, desires and secrets? Maybe it’s a bit of all those things co else, but she didn’t hear him

A chill had washed over her

To handsoht past Julian, who looked up suddenly in confusion, glanced around, frowned and closed his eyes again

Garfield cah the crowd

As he did, people stepped aside One girl shivered, looked up at the sun, then shook her head in confusion

Garfield stopped then, just a few feet in front of Nikki His , but she couldn’t hear what he was saying

"Miss?" She was barely aware of the word

Then he stopped talking and his iht?"

She started and looked at the lanced toward the rear of the crowd Julian had straightened He was staring at her, looking worried

As if he was about to haul her back to the psychiatrist’s office

She smiled at Julian, and turned to the aveinto sohost prowls this cehost," Nikki , she ht wander here, or all around New Orleans and the bayou country"

She lowered her head, inhaled deeply, looked up and around

There was no sign of To to reach her He had soured out one of the words he had said

Brent decided he wasn’t going to have to worry about staying awake that night

In the ti those who caallons of coffee

He waited until the lunch crowd had dwindled As usual, Mada cups

She came to his table "Well, hello there All alone today?" she asked cheerfully

"At the roup now?" she said, offering hiroup"

"Yes Terrible thing about Andy," she said, sighing

"Very sad Did you know she was a junkie?"

Madahed and joined him at the table "It does appear that she… well, she must have just slipped"

"Some people don’t believe that," Brent said

Madame shook her head "Nikki Well, that’s Nikki for you She sees the best in everyone"

"So you think Andy fell back into her old ways?" Brent asked

"Honey, I don’t knohat else to think"

"You must have seen the newspapers, the television," Brent said "An FBI agent was killed with a irls saw him in here that day"

Madame looked distressed "I know And I so badly wanted to help the police But I never saw the s can be crazy, you know" She knocked on the table "Thank the good Lord or the voodoo gods or whoever Everyone in New Orleans passes through here, honey Everyone! Politicians, doctors--even ht The French Quarter really isn’t all that big, is it?" Brent murmured

"Not at all, honey, not at all"

"Hey, what do you know about Max?" he asked

"Max?"

He offered her his best engaging grin "Yeah, the boss I haven’t met him yet"

Madame sniffed and waved a hand in the air "He’s a user He’s got Nikki doing all his work, and that’s the way it’s been fro"

"Well, it ate"

She sniffed "Andy died, and he didn’t even make it back into town"

"What about the others?"

"The other guides?" Madaossip, however, because she seeer with hiht Let’s see, Patricia, she’s a little doll I don’t know if she should trust Nathan or not, though Seems he’s a little… I don’t know, out of it so too hard, maybe"

"And Julian?"

Madaood If he had a little ood actor"

"And what about you, Madaly

"Me?"