Elle Détente had been in her midforties; she had been a beloved caretaker for the elderly couple for almost twenty years; Randolph Rodenberry had suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and when their son had left home to become career military, they had hired Elle. She had been a childless, young widow; she was one of the family. Dan could imagine she hadn’t suspected anything amiss, that she had been shocked to turn away from the sink where she had been rinsing a few dishes and see an axe-wielding killer before her.

Randolph might have opened his eyes to see his killer, but he hadn’t seen them long. The first blow had cleaved his skull down a line that had split his face. Subsequent blows had dislodged his eyes from their sockets.

Lettie might have heard the commotion by then. She had possibly been lying in her bed to rise and head for the bedroom door to see what was happening. But she never left the room. She might have been confused, turning the doorknob to discover it was already turning, and then she was facing a man with an axe raised high in the air.

Dr. Vincent believed that she, too, had been cleaved first straight through the skull, lifted and thrown on the bed, receiving more blows there and then the slice of the knife.

Hours went by as the ME worked. Stomach contents were sent to the lab. They might give some indication as to where the Rodenberry couple and Elle Détente had last eaten, but Dan figured it may well have been at their home.

“There are two trains of thought on the Axeman killings,” Ryder said as they all left the morgue at last. “One—because so many victims were Italians, perhaps it had to do with the Mob. But some of the victims weren’t Italian. And there weren’t any other obvious connections. So...the other theory is the victims were random. Do we think this killer just chose the Rodenberrys randomly?”

Dan shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think he knew an elderly couple lived in the house and their maid wasn’t the feisty kind who might carry a weapon. They didn’t have an alarm system, but I think they felt safe in their neighborhood. Back in the 1900s, anyone might have had an axe lying around for firewood or household repairs. Nowadays, people have guns around because the laws allow it in Louisiana. But I don’t think they were chosen for any other reason than they were vulnerable.”

“So where will he strike next?” Ryder asked.

Dan shrugged and grimaced. “Somewhere he can easily get in and out. We need warnings out in the city. People need to be careful. They need to secure their windows and lock their doors.”

“So who wants to give that press conference?” Ryder asked, looking hopefully at Axel and Dan.