The Dead Play On (24 page)

“Gus? I can’t believe it,” he said when Danni called him. “I mean, he’s got a temper on him, yeah, and he has a thing for Jessica, but...I still can’t believe it. As for closing for the night? Yeah, already got a request from the cops, and it’s no problem. The band needs time to get their heads together, anyway. You take care, okay?”

Danni promised that she would and told him to do the same. “Don’t forget, the killer went to Jessica’s house. Her mom is still in the hospital.”

“Speaking of...how’s Jessica doing?” he asked. “We all care about her, you know?”

“I
do
know. And she’s fine.”

“She’s not alone, right?”

“No, no, she’s not alone,” Danni assured him. She hesitated. “What about you and Sharon? Can you guys hang together, watch out for each other?”

“We’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ll try to reach her.”

When Danni hung up, Quinn was watching her, the light coming through her studio window casting shadows across his face. “Okay?” he asked.

“Not a problem,” she assured him. “But...what if the police can’t find Gus? We can’t ask people to close down forever. And I’m not sure that it does do any good. No one has ever been attacked in public or inside a club.”

“The street is public, and that’s where the killer went after Jeff, Rowdy and Lily,” he reminded her.

“I can’t help wondering...”

“Wondering what?” he asked.

“What if it’s
not
Gus?”

“The evidence at his house was pretty damning. And I think he might be going over the edge. No matter how sane a face he’s been portraying to the world, what he’s doing has to take its toll. That puts him at risk for making a mistake, and that can only be to our advantage. Unfortunately, it also means he’s liable to do anything. Anyway, I’m taking Wolf, Billie and Father Ryan and going back to Gus’s house. We’re going on the hunt. If Wolf can pick up a scent, we’ll be able to follow Gus’s trail.”

“I’m coming, too,” Danni said.

“I’d rather you stayed and watched out for Jessica, Craig and the Watsons. You’ll have Tyler and Bo Ray, along with Brad and Jenny. I don’t like leaving the house unguarded with the dog gone. Larue is leaving an officer out in front, but I want someone I can count on inside, too,” he told her.

Danni raised her eyes, challenging, then realized from the look in his that he recognized the fact that they were in this together, and that he couldn’t make his every move with the idea of protecting her.

The truth was, what he was saying made sense. She had a houseful of people who did need protecting. And if Billie was with him...

“All right, I’ll stay here and watch the house,” she said.

She got up and walked over to him and stood on her toes to kiss his lips. “Just be careful out there, okay?” she said softly.

He put his arms around her and pulled her close for a moment. She felt the whisper of his breath over her hair, and she wanted to hold tight and refuse to let him go.

She realized after a moment that he was actually looking over her shoulder, and she turned and studied the picture she’d sketched during her last sleep-drawing session.

“What is it?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. The picture...everything looks so normal. Except for the kid on the bar, of course.”

Danni looked at her own art. “We’re all there, Gus playing with the band as usual.” She hesitated. “I looked at the picture up on Gus’s wall, and the first thing I thought, before I saw what he’d done to it, was why did he even have it? He wasn’t one of us, wasn’t part of the Survivor Set. Do you think he just hates everyone who was? Or was he just convinced Arnie Watson would have given someone in the picture that sax?”

“I don’t know,” Quinn said. “Maybe, when we find him, we’ll be able to find out just what was going on in his mind.”

“I wonder if we’ll ever find the sax,” she said.

“Maybe. Let’s pray we do. God knows when the idea of a magic sax could cause someone else to go mad,” he said.

He was still looking at the drawing.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s telling us something we just aren’t seeing.”

“Something we should know?”

He shrugged, shook his head as if to clear it and turned to her. “Okay, we’re off. Bo Ray and Tyler are closing up the shop, and they’ll set the alarm. Woodrow is at the kitchen table with his shotgun, a cop is outside—and you have your gun.”

“We’re good,” she said then added, “
I’m
good.”

He started to leave then came back suddenly, pulled her to him and kissed her hard then turned to leave again.

And that time he really did go.

* * *

Cops were combing the city. They were on foot and horseback in the Quarter, and driving in the surrounding districts. Larue had called in every available man for overtime, and the mayor had approved it. News alerts were out.

With so many people looking for him, Quinn would have thought there was no way for Gus Epstein to hide, except that his powers of disguise seemed to be just this side of supernatural.

Billie, Father Ryan and Wolf were tense and quiet as Quinn drove to Epstein’s house, but he knew that inside they were alert and ready for anything.

Grace Leon and her team were still going through the house when Quinn arrived with his small posse. She found a piece of clothing for Wolf to sniff; the dog caught the scent and barked enthusiastically then raced for the back door.

They already knew Gus had gone out the back. The true test of Wolf’s abilities was yet to come.

Wolf led them through Epstein’s backyard and then the neighbor’s, and finally out onto the street. He ran for several blocks, with Quinn on the other end of the leash, and Father Ryan and Billie right behind.

Wolf ran for two blocks, and then he stopped, sat on his haunches and began to howl.

“What in God’s sweet heaven does that mean?” Father Ryan demanded.

“It means the scent ends here,” Quinn said. “He got into a car or on a bus.”

The dog began to bark again then headed back toward Gus’s house.

“What does this mean?” Father Ryan asked.

“I’m not sure,” Quinn said.

“I can’t believe he’s making us run back the way we just came,” Billie said breathlessly.

“Take it more slowly, then,” Quinn shouted, carried along after the dog.

“Like hell— Sorry, Father,” Billie said. “If Wolf is on the move, it means something!”

And it did, Quinn knew.

But what the hell was it? What were they missing?

What was right there in front of their faces that they hadn’t seen?

Chapter 17

DANNI WAS STILL
in her studio, studying her most recent drawing, when Jessica tapped at the door.

“Hey,” Danni said. “Come on in.”

“You sure?” Jessica asked.

“Of course.”

Jessica walked into the studio as if she were stepping on hallowed ground.

“How’s Craig?
Where’s
Craig?” Danni asked her.

Jessica offered her a broad smile. “He’s just fine. His grandma is doting on him. Oh, Danni, I feel like such a fool. How could I have had so little faith in the people who raised Arnie? They’re wonderful. I just have to hope everyone else will be, too.”

“I guess we have to be cautiously optimistic.”

“That’s what they said about my mom when we got to the hospital. I think that’s going to be my new approach to life, cautious optimism,” Jessica said. Then she walked over and looked at Danni’s drawing.

“What’s Craig doing on the bar? I never brought him to the club, Danni.”

“I know that, Jessica. I just draw people, and sometimes my imagination gets a little carried away, I guess.”

Danni’s phone rang. She answered it to find Shamus on the other end.

“Danni?”

“Yes. What’s up?”

“Did they get him yet?”

“I don’t know, Shamus. They’re looking everywhere. If they haven’t found him yet, I promise you they will.”

“I’m frightened, Danni. What if he knows? What if he knows I said something?”

“There should be a cop out front of your house.”

“There is, but there have been cops around before.”

She hesitated. “Have you spoken with Blake? Has he seen Gus?”

“He’s gone, Danni. Blake took off. He went to Florida. He said he’ll be back when this is over.”

Shamus really was afraid; Danni could hear it in his voice. “Do you want to stay here, Shamus?”

“Hell, yes! I mean, you’re not alone, right? There are a lot of people there?”

“Yes, there are a lot of people here.”

“You got guns?”

“We have guns.”

“Will the cop bring me?”

“I’ll call Larue. I’ll tell him that you don’t want to be alone and ask if the officer can drive you over.”

“Thank you, Danni.”

“No problem.”

She hung up, called Larue and made the arrangements.

“Shamus, huh?” Jessica asked. She smiled. “He’s a big sweetie. I’m glad he’s coming. I hope you don’t mind, though. There are so many people here already.”

“A full house is a good thing right now, right?”

Jessica nodded. She turned away from Danni’s sketch and said, “I’m going to check on Craig.”

“I’ll go with you, see what everyone’s up to,” Danni agreed.

Everyone seemed to be doing their best to make time pass in as normal a fashion as possible. While Woodrow wasn’t about to abandon his position, he was more than willing to play gin with Bo Ray and Tyler, who had joined him at the table.

Natasha and Amy were taking care of Craig, laughing with him as he assembled the pieces in a little
Busy Bee
block game.

Jenny was cooking, with Brad awkwardly helping her. She’d insisted on preparing lasagna for dinner.

It was almost a party, Danni thought drily. “Shop locked up tight?” she asked Bo Ray.

“Yup. I locked up and set the alarm right after Quinn and the other guys left with Wolf,” he assured her then grinned and announced, “Gin!”

“I’ll be damned,” Woodrow said.

Danni’s phone rang. She excused herself and went into the hall to answer. It was Quinn.

“Any luck?” she asked anxiously.

“No, but Wolf is following a new lead,” he said.

“Wolf?”

“Hey, I trust the dog, okay? I just wanted to make sure everything there was all right.”

“Everything is fine,” she assured him. “Shamus is joining us. Blake left town, and he’s alone and afraid.”

“Yeah, I just talked to Larue. The cop watching his place is bringing him over, and then he’s going to stay for a while. That puts two cops with you, which seems good to me.”

“Okay, so...keep me posted, yeah?”

“Yep, absolutely. And call me, if anything comes up.”

“I will.”

“Danni?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you,” he said.

She smiled. “I love you, too,” she said and hung up.

She looked back into the kitchen. All really was well. Everyone was busy doing something. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought everything was normal. But she
did
know better. And so did they.

Because every so often, one of them would pause, looking around. Reassuring themselves. And waiting...

Because it was in the air. Something was going to happen.

* * *

Wolf was running around Gus Epstein’s house. He was picking up a scent, Quinn knew; he just didn’t know
what
scent.

“I think your dog has gone nuts,” Grace told him. “And I’m not finished here, Quinn. Not that we’ve found a damn thing or expect to, but still, there’s procedure. And having your dog lose it in the middle of my crime scene isn’t helping.”

“My dog doesn’t lose it, Grace,” Quinn said. “He’s onto something. But don’t worry about it, because he’s done with your crime scene.”

Wolf
was
done; he was standing by the door, whining. He was ready to move.

“We’re going to follow Wolf
again
?” Billie asked.

Quinn nodded. “Maybe I should have someone get you back to the house, Billie.”

“Hey!”

“You’re not exactly a kid, and you still seem winded from earlier.”

“I’m not keeling over yet, either, young man. If we’re following the dog, we’re following the dog.”

“And I’ll be right here with him—just in case we need last rites,” Father Ryan teased.

“Watch yourself, Father, or you’ll be the one in need of last rites,” Billie threatened with a smile. “Come on. Let’s follow Wolf.”

The dog lit out the minute Quinn opened the door and started toward the Quarter.

He finally stopped by a hedge on Rampart Street and started barking. Quinn looked closely.

There was blood on the leaves. And as he carefully moved the branches aside, he spotted a bit of fabric. Denim. He pulled out his phone, got hold of Larue and told him to get Grace down to the hedge. “I don’t know whose it is, but we’ve got blood and fabric,” he said.

“On it,” Larue promised him.

“And we’re moving,” Quinn said.

Wolf was barking insanely. He wanted to cross Rampart, but the traffic was too heavy, and Quinn held him back.

Father Ryan moved into the street as soon as there was a slight break in traffic. He held up his hands and brought cars screeching to a halt. “Go!” he shouted. “Thank God I’ve got the collar on. Even atheists think twice about hitting a priest.”

* * *

Danni automatically excused herself when her phone rang again. She was anxious, but she wanted to hear what was happening before she told anyone else, whether it was good news, bad news or no news at all.

She was stunned, glad she had stepped out of the kitchen, when she heard the voice on the other end.

“Danni?”

“Gus?” she said incredulously.

“Danni, I didn’t do it. I’m being framed.”

“Gus,” she said, thinking as quickly as possible, “Gus, if that’s true, you’ve got to get to the police. Tell them—”

“Tell them? What makes you think I’ll have time to tell them anything. They’ll shoot me down like a rabid dog!”

“No, Gus.” Was that the truth? she wondered. “Gus, Quinn is out with Father Ryan, Billie and Wolf. If you call him and find a way to meet him, he’ll make sure you get to the station safely.”

“He came to my house. The killer came to my house. I ran, and the next thing I knew, I was being hunted by the cops. Danni, I didn’t do it. I saw the news on my phone, and I’m being set up. I’m being framed by the real killer. I barely got out. See, I ran, panicked, then went back—I was running blindly, probably in circles half the time, because I thought the killer was still there. I cut myself, and I’m sore from crawling over fences. Danni, please, you have to help me.”

“If it’s not you, Gus, who is it?” she demanded. “Did you see him?”

“Her.”

“No, Gus, it was a costume. So you don’t know who it was?”

“Well, he looked like a dark-haired woman.”

The same disguise he’d used at Steve’s house.

She’d never believed it could be Gus. Of course, this could just be his way of tricking her.

“Gus, you’ve got to go to the police.”

“Danni, I’m scared. If he sees me before I can prove my innocence, I’m dead. He’s magic or something, Danni. He gets in.”

“How did he get into your house?”

“He had a key! I heard my door opening. I looked out a window and saw the woman. I ran out the back.”

Looked at logically, she had to admit that the story sounded preposterous.

“Where are you, Gus?”

“Danni, you have to believe me,” he insisted.

“Then you have to trust me. Where are you?”

There was silence for a long moment.

“I’m here, Danni. I’m in the house. I slipped into the shop with some customers, and then I sneaked into the house and hid. It’s the only place I feel safe.”

* * *

It was too easy. Ridiculously easy. In the end he hadn’t even needed a costume, because he was invisible. Invisible in plain sight. He stepped right up to his friend.

“You’re scared out here, too, right?”

“Yes. There’s safety in numbers, right?”

“Safety in numbers.”

At the courtyard gate, he hit a buzzer. A female voice answered carefully. Danni, he knew.

“Can we come in and stay with you and everyone else?”

“Hang on,” she said.

He smiled. So many of them were there...

The precious Survivor Set. Amy and Woodrow Watson. Jessica...

And Danni.

He was invisible. But tonight they would see him.

* * *

Danni had frozen when she heard the courtyard bell, but now she was glad of the new arrivals.

Her gun was in her bag, which was in the kitchen.

Gus was in the house. But where, exactly?

He must have come in after Quinn had left with Wolf, because the dog would have barked his head off if he’d known a stranger had come in unaccompanied.

He claimed he was innocent.

She hurried into the kitchen to see that Shamus had arrived, along with Eric Lyons.

“Hey,” Eric said to her. “I couldn’t get through to Sharon, but her roommate told me that she went out of town to see family after I told her we were closing. And I...well, I decided that I didn’t want to be alone. Not when we know that Gus is still out there.”

“You’re just in time for lasagna,” Jenny told the newcomers cheerfully.

“Hey, guys,” Danni said. She wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly felt even more uneasy.

Gus was in the house somewhere. Gus, with all that evidence against him.

Claiming he’d been set up.

And now she had even more people to keep safe.

“Hey, where are the rest of the troops?” Shamus asked.

“The rest of the troops?” Danni said. Then she realized that Jessica wasn’t there, and neither were the Watsons.

“Craig needed changing,” Tyler explained.

Danni heard a voice coming from her side. “Danni?”

It was Gus. She’d forgotten he was still on the phone.

“Excuse me,” she said, and fled to her studio. “Gus, where are you—exactly? And why the hell should I believe you?”

“Because it’s true, and I’m begging you. And I’m right here.”

She turned around. And there was Gus, filthy, his clothes marked by several tears, standing in the doorway of her studio. He brought a finger to his lips, begging for her silence.

Then he closed the door.

* * *

It was easy, so easy. Because he was magic. Invisible in plain sight.

He took out Tyler first, because he was the biggest, the strongest and the most capable of putting up a fight. He pretended to compliment Jenny on her cooking as he slammed the butt of the gun down on Tyler’s head so he fell without a sound. Spinning around, he caught Bo Ray with a hard thwack to the jaw. After that he pointed the gun at Jenny, and warned Shamus and Brad that she would be dead before they could move their lips if they didn’t listen.

They listened then did as he said, tying up the fallen and then each other. After that he moved up the stairs and took old Woodrow by complete surprise. All he had to do next was threaten the kid to get the old woman to do anything he wanted.

And then he had Jessica...

Downstairs now for Danni and the sax, and then the fun of killing them all, one by one.

* * *

Wolf had led them to Bourbon Street and then to La Porte Rouge.

It was locked up, of course, but Wolf stood at the door and barked without stopping.

“Great. Now what?” Billie demanded.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what he wants, but Wolf is always right on,” Quinn said.

“We can break the door in,” Father Ryan suggested.

Quinn looked at the old, heavily bolted door then at the windows, whose shutters had been drawn down and locked.

“Wolf really wants in,” Billie said.

“We could call Larue and get the cops to open it,” Father Ryan said. “Or go back to plan A and break it down.”

“We may have to—if we can,” Quinn said.

But as he spoke he heard the heavy inside bolt sliding open.

The door opened, and Max, the bouncer, stood there looking down at them. “What’s going on? I heard we were closed tonight.”

“Right. So what are you doing here?” Quinn asked him suspiciously.

Max shrugged sheepishly. “I lost my apartment. I’ve been sleeping here. No one knows, but with what’s going on...well, I looked out from upstairs, saw it was you and figured I had to open to you.”

Wolf rushed past Max and stood at the bar, barking.

“What the hell?” Billie muttered.