“They would tell us if they did, Jenny. They don’t want more people dying,” Danni said.
“We should just buy some weird sax and say that’s it,” Jenny said. “Maybe he’d never know. Except...is the sax really magic?”
Danni looked at her. “Music is magic in itself, don’t you think?” she asked lightly. “Amy says that believing that sax was magic made Arnie believe in himself. Maybe that’s the real magic.”
“I believe lots of things—or try to. Doesn’t make them so,” Jenny said.
“That’s because you don’t really believe. You’re just doing what they call ‘wishful thinking,’” Danni told her. “When you really believe...I think it makes a difference.” She looked at the picture again. “There’s Amelia Addison, she’s a dancer. Carrie Merrill, she was in theater arts. I think she’s working in one of the shows they’re filming here now,” Danni said. “Do you see any of the other local musicians?”
Jenny studied the picture. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. Some people change a lot. Some of the kids in the group left after graduation. So do you think the survivor connection means anything or not?”
“I don’t know, but we have this picture now. If you can remember everyone’s name, you can make that list for Quinn,” Danni said.
“All right, I’ll do it right now,” Jenny said.
Amy Watson walked into the kitchen just then. She was in a hat and an attractive flowered dress, her handbag over her arm.
“You’re going out?” Danni asked her.
“I visit my boy’s grave nearly every day,” Amy said.
“I know, Amy,” Danni said. “But I’m not sure this is a good time for you to be out on your own.”
Woodrow, in his Sunday best, followed her into the kitchen. “She won’t be alone. I’ll be with her, and anyway, I don’t think we need to worry none during the day, Danni. The killer is a coward. He attacks in the darkness. You’ve said that yourself.”
“And,” Amy added, “no hell-spawn crazy-jealous killer is going to stop me from visiting my boy’s grave. That’s all there is to it.”
Tyler came in behind them. “We all go once a week, Danni,” he said.
Danni stood up quickly. “I’ll go with you. Quinn is out, but Billie and I will go with you. Just to be safe, we’ll create a crowd I’m sure he won’t dare to take on.”
“You’re all leaving?” Jenny asked Danni anxiously.
Danni turned to her. “I’ll wake Brad. And Wolf will be here with you, too. He’ll know if anything is wrong. Plus Bo Ray is up front in the shop. Jenny, please. You’ll be all right. It’s midafternoon.”
Jenny bit her lower lip and nodded. “I was just asking,” she said.
“I’ll go up and get Brad,” Danni told her. “You’re going to be all right. It’s broad daylight, and the street is filled with people.”
Jenny looked up at her and smiled. “You’re right. I’m going to be fine.”
Danni called Quinn to tell him what they were going to do.
“They have to go to the cemetery now?” he asked her.
“Quinn, I can’t stop them unless I shackle them to the furniture,” she told him.
“You’re probably right. Give me a minute and I’ll go with you. Larue and I are finished, so I guess a trip to the cemetery is in order.”
*
Quinn was surprised by the size of the mausoleum in the “City of the Dead” where Arnie was taking his final rest.
He had been entombed in the Garden District, where narrow walks led a visitor through rows and rows of beautifully crafted tombs, box tombs, barrel-vaulted tombs, coping graves, parapet tombs, monuments and more.
Arnie had been entombed in a “society” vault—one that was actually a small mausoleum—for musicians. It was one of the few in the cemetery with an iron gate and a little altar inside, along with a single concrete bench where mourners could sit and remember their loved ones. The tomb was beautifully decorated; musical instruments had been crafted into the design of the pyramid-shaped building. New Orleans was known for its cemeteries and its unique mausoleums, but this tomb was one of particular beauty.
Amy and Woodrow took a seat on the bench; the others stood respectfully behind them. Danni had purchased flowers from a vendor on the street, and she placed them in the vase before the seal that noted Arnie’s name, dates of birth and death, army rank, and that he had been a “Dearest and most beloved son.”
When they stepped back outside and started back to the cars, Quinn was startled to see Danni stop and then go walking off around a gated family plot marked with an obelisk.
“Danni!” he said and hurried after her.
He quickly realized that she was following someone. When he caught up with her, he saw who it was.
Gus Epstein, Eric Lyons, Jessica Tate and the part-time bartender, Sharon Eastman.
Danni was hugging them one by one, and they were talking animatedly as a group of tourists passed them.