“But you had him under surveillance, and you’re supposedly good at what you do,” Katie said. She frowned, looking at him. “You still don’t think George—”

“No, actually, I don’t.” He hesitated, looking at her. “Okay, listen, we’ve had people monitoring the security tapes at his hotel. For his protection as much as anything else. George hasn’t left the hotel. He’s rented a dozen movies, and he has become friends with everyone working in the restaurant there. George is—”

“Is what?” Katie asked.

“Scared. I mean, maybe he was part of it once and knew even before we did that Jennie was going to wind up dead. But don’t be upset with me! I don’t think so. George has been used. I believe this thing is twofold. The big man, I guess we’ll call him, stepped into the whole Axeman/Allan Pierce legend, as far back as Katrina. Your father happened to be a stand-up guy who got in his way. Everything was planned. The big man either watched and studied your father himself or had his followers do it. Probably the latter, since Jennie and Neil evidently killed your parents. They missed with George, but that turned out to work for them, and they found out where he was living and made their next kill, that we know about, in the Orlando area. Where George fit the bill perfectly. They knew he was here, and they probably laughed at the fact he didn’t recognize them when they were both working for the movie. Now...”

“Who is the big man?” Katie whispered.

“We’ll drive around, and I’ll listen to your wonderful stories of history and beyond, and we’ll see what we can find out.”

They reached the square. Matt hadn’t even had time to cue up on the curb before he’d been hailed. As they pulled in behind Lorna, Dan jumped down and headed away from everyone to make a phone call. She wondered if he was calling Axel or Ryder or if anything else had been discovered. When a smiling woman approached her, she smiled in return and indicated Lorna was the next to go. Lorna nodded her thanks.

Benny was already in place near Decatur Street, where he could be viewed from those sitting street-side at Café du Monde.

But though she had sent the first group on to Lorna’s carriage, there was a second group that approached her almost immediately after.

Dan saw; he ended his phone call and jumped back on the carriage to be with her.

“The Axeman! The Axeman! Tell us about the old Axeman,” a teen boy in the group demanded immediately.

“Gavin!” his mother said with dismay.

“Well, if he is immortal, maybe it is him again!” the boy said.

“Let our guide—guides—tell their stories,” the father chastised. “Please. No more on the Axeman.”