The Unforgiven, стр. 47

At her side, it seemed Dan read her mind. “Katie, it’s very likely the murders are all connected. And if so, the way this woman died is horrific, yes, but there’s a good possibility she was instrumental in the brutal murders of at least nine other people. It’s horrible, but she chose her path. None of this is your fault in any way.”

She nodded. “I know that. It’s just...”

“Horrible, yes. But helpful, maybe, for the lives of others. You saw this Jennie in New Orleans. I imagine it means Dr. Neil Browne is in town somewhere, as well. And because of you, we have a sketch of him.”

Again, Katie nodded.

“He could have changed so much in twelve years.”

“Right. But we have a dozen or more computer enhancements of the man to work with. He’s going to appear somewhere. And you don’t know what happened. He may have tired of his accomplice. This might have nothing to do with you.”

She nodded again.

She was feeling...tired. And a little numb. But far too anxious to even contemplate sleep.

They’d gotten the carriage and Sarah back to the stables before coming to the morgue. There wouldn’t be an autopsy until the morning, but due to the circumstances, the police wanted a solid identification on the woman as quickly as possible.

Monty had been at the stables, and Dan had explained the situation to him. He’d naturally wanted to help, but Katie had needed to tend to Sarah. It was busy work, and she loved the mule. And it was good to have the boys scurrying around her while she brushed Sarah down and saw to her food.

Matt was still out, serving the night crowd with tours. Lorna had brought her carriage in, accompanied by Benny.

The two of them were now at Benny’s house, working on his Satchmo apparel for the following day.

It was just past nine o’clock. There wasn’t much to do until morning.

“They’ve done blood work and fingerprints, taken dental impressions. We’ll see what we can get,” Axel said, joining Dan and Katie at the window. He looked at Katie and maybe realized how restless she was. “It’s tough. But sometimes, no way out of it, it’s a waiting game.”

She gave Axel a weak smile. “Anything from Angela?” Dan asked him.

“She’s working through the night. When she has something, she’ll get it to us. Have you two eaten?” he asked.

Katie looked from the corpse to him.

“I had a late lunch,” Dan said. He looked at Katie. “How are you doing?”

“I, uh...well, I can sit with you, wherever you’d like to go,” she said.

“Seems rude, huh? Going from the morgue to dinner?” Axel asked her.

“I mean, I know this is what you deal with all the time—”

“Not quite this,” Dan said.

“I don’t think I’m hungry,” Katie said. “But I probably should try to eat...”

“Beware, if we’re not at a music venue, the media will be blasting the fact another corpse, a victim of the Axeman’s Protégé, has been found,” Axel said. He grimaced. “That’s what they’ve labeled the killer in the media. The Axeman’s Protégé.”

“Great,” Dan muttered.

“Maybe the restaurants will be empty anyway,” Katie said.

“Probably not. Very little closes down this city.” Dan smiled. “She’s tough. NOLA is a tough grand dame. She’ll make it through this. And so will we,” he added softly.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Katie said. “Commander’s Palace. It’s right next to Lafayette Cemetery. Maybe Mabel will join us.”

“I don’t think she’s just hanging around the cemetery waiting to meet us,” Dan said. “I mean, uh... I don’t actually know much about this yet. Do ghosts hang around cemeteries?”

Axel chuckled softly. “I don’t think anyone has all the answers. I’ve seen people remain because there was something they had to see through, sometimes hoping a killer will be caught, sometimes just hoping to help a loved one through a situation. We went to Gettysburg once where I met a woman—”

“Living or dead?” Dan asked.

“She was long gone and had died of natural causes, but she stayed because she liked to haunt historians who twisted history. She told me about other ghosts there, men who fought the same battle over and over again, all trying to understand the past. She would try, bit by bit, to convince them that they could move on. She was there during the battle but died several years later of heart failure. Many like to return to places where they were happy. And sometimes they do haunt the cemeteries where they were laid to rest or interred, just as a...home.”

“Well, thankfully,” Dan murmured, “we made nice homes for our dead. Anyway, okay, Commander’s Palace it is.”

Katie tried a weak grin. “A landmark restaurant that opened in 1893,” she said.

“One of the famous Brennan family has something to do with the restaurant now, right?” Dan said.

“Yes. I haven’t been in a while,” Katie said. “But—”

“But?” Axel asked her.

She shrugged. “When I visited with my folks... My mom was a bit of an amateur artist. She loved to sketch in Lafayette Cemetery, and we all loved the Garden District Book Shop. And a meal at Commander’s Palace always went with the outing. I do love the place.”

Dan looked at Axel. “Hey, she might even eat something.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do it,” Axel said.

They took Axel’s car. He apparently knew the city well enough to navigate to Washington Street, but as they started out, Katie commented, “Oh! It’s nine fifteen. Will we make it in time?”

“Axel drives fast,” Dan assured her. “We’ll be there in a few, and the kitchen is open late.”

They could see through to the many vaults as they drove around the cemetery to the restaurant; when Axel gave the car to the valet, they could still see through the Washington Street gates. The cemetery was closed by night, and the streets were quiet. There was still something haunting about the bits of the cemetery that could be seen, elegant yet touched with the decay of the passage of time. Katie could remember the first time she had