He shook his head. “Do you have any of your father’s records?” he asked. “Did he keep a diary or anything? What about Jeremy? Do you think he’d meet with us? I’d like to talk to him about your father’s time here when he came back after the storm.”

“My father—” she started.

“Katie, it’s important. And there’s a clock ticking.”

“I know,” she said. “All the boxes I have with a few of my parents’ personal belongings, paperwork and so on, are at Jeremy’s house.”

“Could we speak with George?”

“We’ll have to ask George.”

He smiled. “We will. Do you remember anything about the time when your dad came up here?”

She shrugged. “I know he was happy when he talked to my mom because they’d gotten a few people off rooftops. And pets! He was thrilled when he could help with animals, too. He was a big-time animal person. I think about how my dad would have loved the boys! Let’s see, I remember him complaining, too, angry because there was an element out looting. He was sad one day when they pulled a woman out through a window, but she had already died.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know anything specific.”

“But Jeremy would.”

“Yes.”

“Can you call him?” he asked.

She nodded. “Of course. I, uh, left my phone upstairs.”

She turned and hurried on back up the stairs. As she left, his phone rang.

It was Axel. “Someone leaked the news about the letter,” he told Dan.

“Figures. Are they worried about a panic?”

“Let’s just say the airport is crowded,” Axel told him. “And we have the fanatics on Bourbon Street with their signs already, warning that anyone who commits any kind of sin—sneezing wrong is counted with that, I think—is going to hell. I just wanted you forewarned everyone is afraid of the Axeman. There is a segment of the population that really believes he’s back.”

“Great. Just great.”

“Now the paper will print the letter with this Axeman’s addendum.”

“Of course. Thanks, Axel.”

He ended the call. Katie came back down the stairs. “Jeremy is going to meet us, and he’ll bring us my boxes. He wants to go to a place he loves. It’s called Coffee Science, and it’s on Broad Avenue.”

“I know it.”

“He needs an hour or so.”

“Okay. If you don’t mind, we’ll stop by my office quickly.”

“You’re working other cases?”

“No, but I want to make sure my assistant isn’t being harassed by an old client. Besides, we have an hour to kill.”

“I’ll just check with Monty, let him know I won’t be in the carriage at all today.” She smiled. “Thank God for Monty! He’s so understanding. I might be in danger of losing my job, otherwise.”