“My good boy, thank you. Yes, I will.” She smiled. “And, of course, I have Muffy.”

Muffy was a Pomeranian, a little ball of puff. Not the kind of dog one associated with protection, though he did love his owner unconditionally.

“Muffy is great, but please set the alarm.”

“Oh, yes, yes, I promise,” she vowed.

Dan headed out, coffee in hand, only a few blocks from Jackson Square, the cathedral and the park with its striking statue of Andrew Jackson.

He cut down to Chartres Street and then followed the park to Decatur.

He was grateful to see that Katie’s carriage was just pulling back into its spot on the curb.

“The area was claimed by an explorer, a Frenchman named René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, in 1682. And then the city, Nouvelle-Orléans, was founded in 1718 by a man named Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville,” Katie said. “Lots of places’ names now go back—”

“Man, they had long names back then,” the boy with his dad in her carriage said, not being rude, just enthusiastic. “I see French names all over.”

“The city has been under several flags,” Katie said, drawing the carriage into its spot. “But the French founding runs deep.”

She turned to smile at the boy. He’d been great. His father had gotten the rest of the carriage to refrain from Axeman questions because his son was in the carriage. The other passengers, a young couple and two young women, had complied. The boy—his name was Tim, and he was nine years old—had asked all kinds of questions about the city that were easy to answer. Yes, the zoo was wonderful, and they should visit. The aquarium was also beautiful and informative, and both were great for boys his age and for adults. The National World War II Museum was first-rate—and yes, they had a restaurant, and yes, she had eaten there and the food was good. It was getting near five, though, so they might want to start out in the morning. If they headed to the zoo, they could also prowl Uptown and the Garden District, and if they had time, they could perhaps start at the aquarium and spend a few hours there and then head over to the WWII Museum in the CBD. But they could look up exhibits and maps and check on times best for them. And if they hadn’t done the museums in Jackson Square, those were great, too.

“I can see the document that gave us a third of America!” Tim said excitedly.

“The Louisiana Purchase, yes. You can see it. And there’s the Pharmacy Museum, the Jazz Museum, all kinds of things. Tim, I think you will love both the zoo and the aquarium.”

Her group crawled out of the carriage, thanking and tipping her. One of the young women paused as she and her friend took pictures with Sarah.