She hadn’t been part of the in crowd or the Survivor Set—as they had ridiculously called themselves—but she still deserved greater scrutiny.
He’d watched her, so he knew her routine. She was secretive; she didn’t let even those closest to her get truly close. He knew where she lived, knew that her mother lived in the second half of the duplex, making it easy for her to watch the child. Funny, none of them had ever seen her son, either.
It seemed impossible, but he was a fan of Sherlock Holmes. Once you had eliminated the impossible, whatever remained, however impossible, had to be the truth.
They were watching him, so he had to change. He had no choice. But he still needed to blend in, even in costume. Luckily, in this city that could mean almost anything.
Today he was a robot. He was good at the mechanical motions. He attracted an audience as he moved through the streets of the French Quarter. He played with the kids. He posed for pictures.
And he reached her house.
He rang the bell. He heard someone moving. Heard the old woman say, “Hold your horses. I’m coming.”
She opened the door. He paused for a moment; she had to be at least fifty, yet she remained almost as beautiful as her daughter.
He was stunned by her appearance.
She was equally stunned by him, a perfect robot, right out of a sci-fi flick, standing in her doorway.
They both froze.
Luckily for him, his senses returned first. With his metal-gauntleted fist, he struck her a hard blow to the head, sending her flying back against the far wall.
She crumpled to the floor with barely a whimper.
He stepped into the house, surveying the parlor. There was a piano near where she lay on the floor. He saw sheet music on the piano, but there was no sign of any other musical instruments. He would have to take further care of the old woman. He didn’t have much time and couldn’t afford to be interrupted. The drapery cords would work as tethers to keep her still in a nearby armchair. He could use her own scarf as a gag.
But just as he was reaching for the drapes, a little boy walked in and said, “Memaw?”
He paused, stunned once again. The kid was a cherub. Innocent, sweet—and looking at him in complete awe.
“’Obot!” the boy said, delighted.
Frozen, he just stood there. And then, in a state of shock, he panicked. Somewhere in his mind, he knew he needed to stay and finish the job.
But with the kid staring at him that way, he just couldn’t. He turned and ran.
Chapter 14
JESSICA HAD GIVEN Danni a list of duets intended for two women. Danni had listened to all of them in search of the easiest ones—which meant none of them.
But when she got to the club that night she was able to tell Jessica that she had learned two of them, anyway. “I mean, I don’t know them well, but...”
“Which two?” Jessica asked her.
It was still slow at the bar; only a few patrons were sipping drinks and listening to the canned music that drifted through the air. Eric controlled the music while waiting for the band to come in and take over, and he seemed to be in an energetic mood. Bon Jovi was playing, almost too loudly for conversation, Danni thought.
“‘Me Against the Music’ by Madonna and Britney Spears and that song from Jekyll & Hyde, ‘In His Eyes.’”
Jessica’s eyes brightened. “Really? We can do them both?”
“I don’t have your vocal register, you know,” Danni told her. “I’m not even sure why you want to do duets when you’re phenomenal on your own. You should sing with the band every night, and I should be waiting tables.”
“That’s sweet,” Jessica said, smiling. “And I really appreciate it. But I make good money on the floor. And I need it. Hey, want to go to a back corner and run through them quietly together?”
“Sure,” Danni said, though she wasn’t sure just how quiet they would have to be; the music was pretty loud, and though there weren’t many patrons, their conversations were animated, not to mention that the band was setting up, and there was plenty of noise coming in from Bourbon Street.
“Let me just check on my tables first,” Jessica said.
As Danni leaned against the bar, waiting, Eric came over to chat.
“She’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” Danni agreed. She remembered seeing him with Jessica and the others at the cemetery. “It’s none of my business, but are you two a duo?” she asked.
“Me and Jess?” he asked, seeming surprised.