He hoped no one else had died that night.
He walked with his arm around Danni’s shoulders. Billie was ahead of them, walking with Shamus and arguing the beauty of Scotland to Shamus, who let him know in no uncertain terms that there was a reason why Ireland was called the Emerald Isle.
Tyler came up behind Quinn. “You’re armed, right?” he asked.
“Always,” Quinn said.
“This could be the night the killer strikes again,” Tyler said nervously.
“We’re good,” Quinn assured him. And, he thought, they were. He closely watched everyone who walked by—especially anyone who was alone and looked as if he was trying not to be noticed.
This late, the area was devoid of the street “statues,” performers who posed without moving for hours on end, as well as the tarot readers and artists who so often worked in and around the square. But just as they were about to cross Decatur Street over to Café du Monde, Quinn paused.
“A street entertainer,” he said softly.
“Pardon?” Danni asked him.
“I know where I’ve seen the kind of mask the guy who attacked Jeff, Lily and Rowdy wore. I saw one on a guy performing down here once. He was working with a ballerina ‘statue.’ Their act was pretty cool. He was like an animator who made her come to life. Their tips bucket was pretty full.”
“We know those masks are sold all over,” Danni reminded him.
He nodded.
“But you’re thinking the killer might be accustomed to wearing one?” she asked softly.
“I am,” he told her.
This late, there was plenty of room to sit at Café du Monde. The weather was beautiful, so they chose to sit outside. Other musicians in the city began to join them, eventually taking up a half dozen tables. As Quinn had hoped, they were all talking about what had happened.
“Someone out there is jealous,” a young brunette said. “I mean, think about it. Holton and Larry were both phenomenal musicians. They could play so many instruments it’s ridiculous—and all of them well.”
“Yeah, but when it came to a sax, they reigned supreme,” her companion, a man with long dark hair, said. Then he looked at Tyler and hastily added, “I mean, they weren’t better than you, Tyler. You’re just as awesome.” A stricken look crossed his face. “Oh, wow, man, maybe that’s not good.”
“I’m ready to head to another city. New Orleans is home and I’ll always love it, but it’s not worth dying to play music here,” a man two tables away said.
Quinn spoke up. “Remember, Holton Morelli and Larry Barrett let their killer in. So don’t let anyone in unless it’s your mom, your spouse or your kid.”
“What about the holdup on the street? Think it was the same guy?” a woman asked.
“With a gun,” someone muttered.
“We’re all going to need guns,” the brunette said. She rose suddenly. “I’ve got to go home, get some sleep,” she said. Then she paused. “Um, can someone come with me?”
Her companion rose. “Of course. But I’m going to be on your couch. I’m not leaving till it’s bright daylight, preferably sometime after noon,” he said.
Soon after they left, others started to head out, everyone sorting themselves into groups of at least two so as not to be alone.
“Was this any help?” Tyler asked Quinn.
Quinn nodded.
“I’d be mad if it had been a waste of time,” Billie said, yawning. “We’d better hope Bo Ray is doing better, because he’s going to have to open the store tomorrow. These old bones are worn to shreds. And if you want me to play again tomorrow night, well, I’m going to need my beauty rest.”
“I’m sure Bo Ray will be fine tomorrow, Billie,” Danni assured him, touching his arm. “You should play all the time. Seriously.”
When it came down to their group leaving, Shamus, Gus and Blake decided they would all stay at Blake’s place. Shamus encouraged Tyler to join them.
“Can’t. Promised some old friends I’d hang out at their place now.”
“It’s almost 5:00 a.m.,” Shamus reminded him. “Who hangs out at 5:00 a.m.? Well, other than musicians.”
“I’m good—promise.”
“I don’t know where he’s going, but I’ll see that he gets there,” Quinn said.
The walk back to Danni’s was almost surreal. Tyler offered to flag down a cab to get where he was going, but Quinn told him to forget that, and they would pick up the car when they got back to the house. There were very few people out, though when they passed one man coming out of his apartment, Quinn felt his muscles tighten. But he realized quickly that the man was in scrubs and reminded himself that for a lot of people, the day was just beginning. The big street scrubbers were all out, washing away the garbage and vomit that always accumulated heavily on a Friday night.
At the house, Wolf greeted them all excitedly. Danni ran up right away to check on Bo Ray, who, she said when she came back down, was sleeping deeply.