“Ah, now we’re going to be...polite, nice, courteous?”

“I really am nice, polite and courteous. I was just hoping Ryder—that’s Detective Stapleton—would let me work this thing.”

“Because you should still be a cop?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “Yeah, I should still be a cop. Or something. Or...” He let his voice trail. He looked at her for a moment with real concern and confusion. “You... So you’ve seen the dead for a long time?”

She hesitated and then exhaled a long breath.

“A dead man saved my life,” she said softly. Then she grimaced. “When I surfaced and saw the boat, the blood, my parents... I went numb. I fell back in the water. I would have drowned. But there was a man in the water, a long-dead pirate—or privateer, as he later assured me.” She took another deep breath. “And then I came here, to New Orleans, and... Well, they like to say this is one of the most haunted cities in the country.” She shrugged. “It is. Helps a hell of a lot when you’re a tour guide.”

He smiled ruefully. “I guess it would.”

“You?”

“Today,” he said quietly. “Today. My first time. And I don’t...”

“Don’t...”

“I’ve seen a lot of death. FDLE, we got a lot of bad cases. Bodies in stages of decomposition, bodies chopped to throw in the ocean...a lot of bad. Lost both my parents, though they were older, and it was natural causes.” He shrugged. “As I said, my family is in Lafayette Cemetery in the Garden District.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

He smiled. An honest smile. “The thing is... I’m wondering why I suddenly see a flapper who passed away in the 1920s.”

“Maybe because you needed to see her. I saw my pirate because I needed to survive. Maybe you need her to help with this case.”

He smiled and nodded again. “Well, then, let me get you to your door. I understand the NOPD and the FBI will have a task force with Adam as the titular lead, and Axel, Ryder and me—and every cop and agent in the city on it.”

“What do I do?”

“Be a tour guide. I’ll find you in the afternoon,” he said.

The dogs followed them to Katie’s door, tails wagging.

She unlocked her door, and Dan peeked in.

“Love this. Great little house,” he told her.

“Thanks.”

“You want to let these guys in for the night?” he asked her.

“Ah, well, they’re following us because they want treats. But the gates between the stables and my place are open. Their job is to guard the stables, and they have nice plush beds there.”

“Okay, then.” Still, he hesitated. “I listened to everything you said about Neil Browne and Jennie. And I think you’re really on to something with them.”