He managed to fall back with Nikki as they walked. He waited until Max and Julian had entered into conversation, then took the moment to catch Nikki's arm and draw her close as they walked. "What's bothering you?" he demanded.
She looked at him, eyes wide. Then she shrugged. "Oh… a friend died, I think she was murdered, I'm seeing ghosts… conversing with them, actually. And I'm beginning to be glad that I can talk to them. Max is weird, Julian is weirder… and… " She glanced at him seriously. "I really don't know who you are."
"You know all you need to know. This has nothing to do with me."
She smiled. "You couldn't care less if Max keeps you on or not, because it isn't really your job."
He frowned. "Nikki, you're not worried about your job. Max has a gold mine in you, and he knows it. What's the truth?"
She let out a sigh. "I don't know. But… you know how it seemed like someone had been in my apartment? How I just had a feeling? Well, once I started to talk to Andy, I figured it had to be her. But… I just got that feeling in the office, too. If I wasn't in there, no one should have been. Except for Max, of course, but he hasn't been here."
"Was anything missing?" Brent asked.
"No."
"Changed around?"
"No." She flushed. "But I'm one of those organization freaks. I know exactly how I left the papers on the desk, and they were just a little askew."
"Rats?" he suggested lightly.
She frowned at him.
"I'll check into it, Nikki."
"How?"
"Trust me. I'll find a way."
She studied him seriously. "You will, won't you?"
He nodded. She watched him closely then. "Your turn. Why are you so keyed up and tense?"
"I'm not."
She laughed. "Not usually, but you are now. You've glanced at your watch about ten times."
"I need to go out at dark."
She still watched him intently. "Again?"
He nodded.
"And you're not going to tell me where, are you?"
He shrugged. "Nikki, even I think I might be on a wild-goose chase tonight."
"But why are you so tense?"
"I don't want to leave you alone."
"I'm not alone. Julian is desperate to stay with someone he works with, and Max is back now."
He was silent.
She groaned. "I've known Julian all my life. And I keep Max's business running while he trots all over, doing whatever he wants."
He let out a soft sigh. "Nikki, I know you're going to get angry, but… "
"But what?"
His clenched his jaw. "I can't betray a confidence that may have no bearing whatsoever on what's happening. But I'm not the only one wondering about your group, okay?"
She stared straight ahead. "I'll go home alone then."
"But—"
"I was afraid because of Andy. But I'm not afraid of her anymore."
"I shouldn't go. I should just let the cops—"
"No!" she said sharply, her beautiful eyes full of resolve. "I want you to go, to do what you have to. Do you understand? I'm comfortable in my own home. I'm kind of hoping for a visit from Andy."
His eyes narrowed. "Nikki… you're up to something."
"Shh," Nikki said.
Their path through the Quarter had taken them past Madame's. The woman was outside with her coffeepot and stopped dead when she saw Max, smiling. "As I live and breathe. The master is returned from parts unknown."
"Hi, Madame," Max said, planting a kiss on the woman's cheek.
She smiled, patted his face and said, "Looks as if you've been roughhousing a bit." She glanced at the others. "What's going on?"
"Brent tried to beat him up," Julian said lightly.
Max laughed. "Do I really look beat up? How embarrassing."
"No, there's just a smudge of dirt on your chin," Madame said.
Max looked at the others. "Thanks for telling me, guys.""I didn't see it, honestly," Nikki said.
"Why did you try to beat up Max, dear?" Madame asked Brent. She turned to Max before Brent even had a chance to answer. "You could fire him, you know."
"I don't think he'd care. Besides, I hear nobody does a cemetery tour like this guy. He's as familiar with them as Nikki is. Maybe he slides into the tombs at night and gets to know the ghosts, huh?" Max teased.
"There are no such things as ghosts," Madame said with a wave of her hand.
Madame's buxom figure had been blocking the table directly behind her. A familiar voice suddenly sounded from around her derriere. "Ah, Madame, you are mistaken. Many things exist that we don't see."
Contessa rose, having finished her coffee. Her marble eyes touched Nikki with warmth and concern. She spoke very seriously. "But spirits are seldom evil. The cemeteries, when they are locked down and it is deep and dark and mists rise… they are safe, sad places. But when they are used by the living, that's when evil reigns."
"Contessa," Madame said with a laugh. "You're good, you're really good. No wonder I send people to your shop all the time. And, of course, you send your customers to me." She looked back to Max. "Well, have you come for café au lait? In celebration of your return, I'll bring it out for you, on the house."
"Very kind, Madame," Julian said. "But Max is buying—and we're going to find a different kind of spirit, if you know what I mean."
"Sure you don't want coffee?" Max asked.
"No, you're not going all cheap on us. Alcohol," Julian insisted.
"We're heading out, I guess, but thanks for the offer, Madame," Nikki said. She smiled warmly at both Madame and Contessa.
Contessa stared at Nikki oddly. "Cemeteries are no place for the living at night," she murmured, then walked away.
"Strange lady, even for New Orleans," Madame said.
"Well, we'll see you later," Max said, and they started walking again.
Once again Brent made a point of lagging behind with Nikki. "Out with it, what the hell is going on? And why did Contessa say that to you?"
"No reason."
"Nikki, don't be an idiot."
She hesitated, eyes searching his, apparently deep in a mental dilemma. Then she blurted, "I'm going to the cemetery tonight. I saw Tom Garfield today, and I think he said I should come there tonight. He tried to talk to me, but I couldn't hear the rest of what he said. I believe he knows something about what happened to him—about what happened to Andy. I have to go."
"What?" Brent nearly shouted, he was so astounded. She'd planned on him leaving, because she meant to head to the cemetery herself.
"Are you insane? Do you know how dangerous going there is under the best of circumstances? You weren't going to tell me about this? And you saw Garfield? You talked to him? Nikki, you swore you'd tell me—"
"I haven't exactly had a chance, have I?"
"You were going to go to the cemetery alone?"
"I just meant to see what was happening. Don't you understand? For some reason he trusts me. I have to find out what he was trying to say, what he was trying to tell me. He doesn't trust anyone else. I didn't have any intention of becoming a one-woman assault team. I wasn't going to attack anyone. I was just going to be there, hidden. Max was right I do know where to hide in that cemetery. I'm willing to bet I know it better than you do."
He started to answer her, still furious that she hadn't realized her own personal danger, men bit his tongue.
Julian and Max had paused, waiting for them to catch up. Max was assessing him anew, Brent realized, which meant that Julian had probably been describing his relationship with Nikki.
"Something wrong?" Julian called sharply, sounding like a wary older brother.
"No, we're with you," Nikki called, and sounded perfectly casual.
She looked at Brent. It was a very regal look. She simply didn't intend to be frightened, victimized or dismissed. She intended to fight.
"We'll talk later," Brent said beneath his breath.
She gazed at him, judging the distance between themselves and Max and Julian. She smiled as she walked, but her words were biting. "And where were you going? The cemetery?"
"The cops are going to be there, Nikki. You don't have to be."
"Yes, I do."
"No. Nikki, dammit, I'm trying to keep you safe."
"I'm not going to sit around and wait. I saw Tom, and he's trying to tell me something. And I'm not waiting. I'm not going to be like Andy."
"Nikki, you can't be there."
She glanced his way sharply. "You need me there."
"Nikki—"
"Dammit, you need me there. I'm the one Tom Garfield trusts, remember?" And with that, she hurried on ahead of him, smiling as she linked arms with Julian.
* * *
Chapter 18
Nikki was startled when Brent suddenly declined to join their group.
He was really angry, and he had no right. She really hadn't had a chance to tell him that Tom Garfield had appeared again.
She herself felt furious at being afraid, at feeling she was a target, that someone might come after her.
But before Brent took off, he looked at her and said, "I'll pick you up just before eight, okay?"
So she nodded and listened as he told Max that it had been a pleasure to meet him, sorry about the way it had happened, he would get his work papers taken care of, thanks for the drink offer, but he had a few things to attend to.
Then he was gone.
But his eyes touched hers before he left, more eloquent than any words. I'll come for you. Be there.