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Andy Devereaux was telling the truth when he said that he liked the senator; Jackson wasn’t sure that investigating what had already been investigated and ruled a suicide was more important than the other cases in his workload

"I’ll bother you as little as possible," he promised

"You bother ?" Andy asked

"Five," Jackson said "They’re here to inspect the house, ela Hawkins is due tonight She’s good at talking to people, so she’ll probably have a few conversations with the senator and those around hi to do?" Andy asked "I’ood"

"And I don’t have a proble that," Jackson assured him "And that means you know this house"

"Yes, I do," Andy told him Hands on his hips, he looked around "It sure is a beautiful place No oneit Back before the 1880s, the kitchen was on the outside They attached the place after that point, according to the plans Added the second two stories over there, and added it all on together It beca ladies in the 1890s, but…"

"But there was a suicide One of the girls went out a third-story ," Jackson said

"You’ve done your reading," Andy said approvingly "Some say there was just an evil presence in the house, and it caused people to do bad things The local rags picked it up at the tinant, but there wasn’t an autopsy on her The parents wanted her interred right off, and they were rich and they got their way The records still exist, they just don’t say ot copies of all the old stuff at the station--the house has become a bit of an obsession for uess that history is why you ghost people are here, right?"

"We’re not ghost people," Jackson said

Andy shrugged "Sure But it’s odd, I’ll say that It all goes back to Madden C Newton He was pure evil, and evil doesn’t just go away"

CHAPTER TWO

No one answered Angela Hawkins’s knock on the door She’d arrived at twilight For a moment, she appreciated the fine lines of the house, and the size of it She’d been in New Orleans plenty of times before, and she had always loved the city and the architecture

But Jackson Croas supposed to have been there

She had a key, but she didn’t want to take hiht down one of the country’s ht be quick on the draw

Hopefully, a member of the Behavioral Science Unit of the bureau would have the sense not to shoot her, but she did know that he’d been out on leave, and she really didn’t want to die that way

She knocked again, saw the bell and rang it, and waited, and no one came He was in the city, she knew, because she’d received a terse text from him At the house She hadn’t even kno to reply Good? Good for you, hope you’re comfortable?

About to board the plane, seemed the simplest response