Maybe he had a different sax and his killer did take it, Larue suggested.
That seems like the most logical explanation, Quinn said. The killer lured him to Rampart, where he killed him when no one else was around. He stole the sax from him. But then he discovered it was the wrong one and figured maybe Arnie needed money and had sold it.
Could be, Larue said.
But he stole all the instruments when he robbed that group of musicians, right? Danni asked.
He did, Larue answered.
If he was looking for a saxophone, why take other instruments? she asked.
So that no one would know he was looking for a sax? Quinn suggested. Anyway, somehow the killer got Arnie to go with him. Maybe he was a friend, or maybe he preyed on Arnies generosity, which seems pretty well-known, and pretended to need help with something. Maybe he even told him another vet needed help. When Arnie was dead, he took the sax then discovered later it was just a regular sax, not worth what a Penn Special is. Or maybe it wasnt the monetary value. Maybe he knew it supposedly had special powers and what he wanted was to play as well as Arnie played. And then he started trying to figure out where the sax had ended up, first hiding his goal by stealing a bunch of different instruments. Then he started targeting people he thought were likely to have ended up with it, and when Morelli and Barrett couldnt or wouldnt tell him, he got pissed off and killed them.
Sounds like a good working theory, she said.
Where is this sax you got from Tyler? Billie asked.
Quinn pointed out the case where it was sitting under the table.
Billie picked it up and opened it carefully then took out the instrument.
You play? Danni asked him with surprise.
If you can play a bagpipe, the sax is a piece of cake. He coaxed a few off-key notes from the sax. I didna say I could play well, he said. Give me a minute.
He began to play again. The sounds were suddenly clear and good.
Nice, Danni said.
Is it the sax itself? Is there something special about it? Quinn asked.
Its a good instrument, Billie said. But...
They all sat in silence for a long moment, staring at Billie and the sax.
Its a sax, Billie said at last.
Quinn laughed suddenly. Okay, so, apparently, the magic doesnt come out for us.
All right, no offense, guys, but Im feeling like a foolsitting here and waiting for a sax to do something, Larue said.
Were not offended, Danni said and looked at Quinn. We need to call Tyler and get him to take us out to meet Arnies family. We have to know more about that sax.
Ive got to go home and study some files, Larue said. I didnt handle Arnies death, and obviously not the attack on the musicians, but now...with what youre telling me, maybe everything does all connect. At any rate, Ill call the night shift and have them set up interviews with those musicians starting first thing in the morning. Quinn, Ill give you a heads-up as soon as I have a schedulefigure youll want to talk to them, too. He rose.
Quinn knew that Larue had knocked back the scotch in a single swallow and then nursed his coffee the rest of the time theyd been speaking. The man did look tired as hell, but then, he knew that Larue didnt believe in set hours, and that his life was pretty much his work. He loved New Orleans and considered himself a warrior in the citys defense.
Quinn followed him to the courtyard door and locked it thoughtfully after him. It was nearly ten. They should all get some sleep and start in the morning, he thought.
But when he returned to the kitchen he found Danni gathering up her shoulder bag, her keys in her hand.
I called Tyler. The bands giving him the night off. Im going to drive by and pick him up, and then hell take us to meet Arnies family. He says theyre always up late anyway, and I figured we might as well make a start on things.
He smiled. Danni was her fathers daughter. She wouldnt stop now.
After all, stopping could mean another life lost.
Lets do it, he said.
Ill be holding down the old fort, Billie said drily. If Bo Ray comes to after all that pain medication, Ill bring him up to speed. And if he doesnt, I just might practice on that sax.
* * *
Bourbon Street was heading into full swing when Danni drove toward it along St. Anns to pick up Tyler Anderson. He was without an instrument and told them that, without him there, the band was only going to play songs that didnt require a sax.
The Watson family lived in the Treme area, just the other side of Rampart at the edge of the French Quarter. She was easily able to find street parking.
The house was in a line of dwellings that had mostly been built between the 1920s and 1970s. While the Treme area had faced some tough times with gangs and drugs since the summer of stormsKatrina, Rita and WilmaDanni had a number of friends who lived in the area. True, some had left after the storms, never to return. But many had dug in, driven by a love for New Orleans so deep inside them that it would never die. There was crime here, as there was everywhere. But there were honest citizens here, too, just trying to get through life with work, family and friends.
The Watson house appeared to have been built in the early twenties, with porch and window arches reminiscent of the Deco Age. The yard was neatly mowed, and there were flower beds with lovely blooms lining the concrete path to the house.
Theyre good people, Tyler said. They didnt deserve this.
No one deserves this kind of thing, Tyler, Quinn said.
No, but them more than most.
Hed let the Watson family know that they were coming. Before they reached the front door, it was opened by a tall, straight-backed elderly man with light mahogany skin. He smiled as they came up the path. Welcome, and thank you, folks, he said. He had his hand out, ready to greet them. Im Woodrow Watson. Pleased to have you. Danni Cafferty, I knew your father. Fine man. Cant say as youd know me. I was just in your shop a few times. Now, Michael Quinn, I have met you, sir, but Ill bet you dont remember me.
Quinn smiled. Youre wrong. Now that were face-to-face, I do remember you. Your whole family showed up at football games. Arnie was a year or two younger than me, but he was in the band, and you all came out to see him every game.
Thats right, son, thats right. You sure could throw a football, Woodrow said.
Well, that was then, Quinn said.
Come in, come in, their host encouraged. He looked at Tyler. Thank you for bringing us all together.
Yes, sir, Tyler said.
They entered directly into a parlor with a comfortable sofa covered in a beautiful knitted throw and a number of armchairs set with covers to match the throw. As they came in, a woman, wiping her hands on a dish towel, came out to greet them, as well.
Im Amy Watson, and thank you all for what youre doing. Tyler says were going to have some help with things at last.
Were going to do our best, Mrs. Watson, Danni promised her.
Please. Im just Amy, and my husband is Woodrow. Sit, sit, Amy said. Its a little small and tight in here, but please, make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you anything? We dont keep any spirits in the house herefigure you can find enough just about anywhere else in the Big Easy. But I have coffee, tea, juice...
Please. Im just Amy, and my husband is Woodrow. Sit, sit, Amy said. Its a little small and tight in here, but please, make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you anything? We dont keep any spirits in the house herefigure you can find enough just about anywhere else in the Big Easy. But I have coffee, tea, juice...
Were just fine, Mrs. Watson, thank you, Danni assured her.
We just finished dinner and already had some coffee, Quinn added. Too much, you know, and well never sleep.
Well, then, if you decide youd like something, you just holler, Amy said.
I promise, we will, Danni said.
Lets sit, shall we? Woodrow asked.
Danni, Quinn and Tyler took the sofa; the Watsons chose the chairs facing them over the carved wooden coffee table.
I know this is a difficult time for the two of you, Quinn told the Watsons, so I apologize in advance for any pain my questions may cause, but the more information I have, the better I can do my job. So...where was Arnies special saxthe one you gave Tyleron the night he was killed?
The Watsons looked at one another without speaking. Amy had a look of gratitude in her eyes, and it mirrored her husbands. Woodrow was the one to speak. He looked at Quinn and Danni and said incredulously, You said killed. You used that word. Killed. So that means you believe usyou believe our son didnt just suddenly stick a needle in his arm. Right?
We do believe you, Mr. andIm sorry, Woodrow and Amy, Danni said. We do believe you. Some musicians were held up at gunpoint leaving work not long ago. And more recently two musicians have been killed in their homes. We believe that someone is out there looking for something, and it might be Arnies sax.
Woodrow stood up and walked to the fireplace. He leaned an arm on the mantel and looked at his wife then back at Danni. You think someone is looking for Arnies sax? And that theyre killing over it?
The sax you gave me, Tyler said. And dont worryits safe. Danni has it at her shop, over on Royal Street.
Amy and Woodrow looked at each other again.
Finally Amy sighed. We dont have his special saxthe one my mother gave him. We assumed he had it with him the night he was killed. We figured it was stolen.
Then what did you give me? Tyler asked her. You made me feel...
That sax is just a replica. We wanted you to feel you had something special of Arnies, Woodrow said. And you always said he was so good and you were second-rate. We figured if you thought that was Arnies special sax, youd feel like you could play just as well as he did. And Ill bet you have. Playing is believing. Living the music, son, you know that. So we gave you one of his other saxes, the one that looked like the special one his grandmother gave him.
Tyler looked as if hed been hit in the head with a two-by-four. But you dont understand. It has to be that sax. I could see what Arnie saw. I could feel him when I played it.
Magic in the mind, son, magic in the mind, Amy said. And it was the best gift we figured we could give you, though theres no gift out there that says a big enough thank-you to a real friend. And, Tyler, you were his friend. I think you believed in him so much in your mind that you saw his death so you could go out and fight for him.
I believed it, Tyler said. I believed that sax was magic, that I could play because of that magicthat I could almost talk to Arnie again, he finished softly.
Thats magic, son. Love and belief, Amy said. She looked back at Danni and Quinn. I dont rightly know what else could have happened to Arnies special sax besides whoever killed him taking it. Arnie was found with nothing except the clothes he was wearing. And, she added, her lips tight, that needle in his arm. They even told me they couldnt find another single track line on him, but I think they wind up with a dead black boy on Rampart Street, and they just dont want to think anything else.
I can assure you, Amy, the detective whos now on the caseDetective Laruedoesnt see the world that way at all. Well find the truth, Quinn promised her.
You know, I heard something about those musicians being held up, Amy said. But they were only knocked around and hurt. They werent killed.
Two people have been killed now, and as I said, right in their own homes. So dont answer the door to anyoneeven old friends of Arnies. The killer might come around here if he doesnt have the sax and Im right that thats what hes looking for, Quinn said.
Were not alone here, Woodrow said. We got good friends. We got family around the area. Hey, we got Tyler.
Always like a second son, Amy said fondly.
Amen, Woodrow agreed.
You may be in danger, though, Danni told them.
Got a shotgun in the back. I always did protect my home, Woodrow said.
Dont you worry none about us, Amy said. Even I know how to use that gun. You just go out there and find out who murdered our boy.
We plan to do just that, Amy, Danni told her, reaching out to touch the womans shoulder reassuringly. Im not sure how well go about it, but I promise you, well do everything it takes.
As will Detective Larue. Hes a good guy, Quinn said.
You know the man well? Woodrow asked.
I worked with him for years, Quinn said. Since...
No worries, son, Woodrow said. We know about your troubles. You been clean all this time now?
Yes, sir, Quinn said.
You got an angel with you, boy, Amy said. Dont you forget that.
Danni watched Quinn. New Orleans was a good-sized city, but that didnt mean that old-time citizens forgot anything. She knew Quinns dark past, and she wasnt surprised the Watsons did, too. Both his downfall and his resurrection had been covered in the local media.
I never forget, Amy, trust me, Quinn told her.
Bless you, boy, Woodrow said.
Thank you, Quinn said. And you cant come up with any explanation of what might have happened to that sax?
None. None at all, Woodrow said. We reckoned the killer took it that night, like Amy said.
They were back to square one, Danni thought. But if neither Tyler nor the Watsons had Arnies special sax and they were right and the killer was still searching for it, just where the hell was it?
You at a dead end already? Woodrow asked. He was clearly trying to sound matter-of-fact, but there was a hopelessness in his voice that squeezed at Dannis heart.
No, sir, Quinn said. Were just at the beginning.
Thank you, Woodrow said. Thank you for what youre trying to do. But thank you most of all for believing in my son.
Quinn gave a reluctant grin. Thank Tyler for that, Woodrow. He made us see the light, so to speak. Not that it was all that difficultyour son was a true hero. But because these days we recognize what soldiers go through, it was easy for people to think maybe he just couldnt shake the pain of the past. The killer was clever, Ill give him that. Thing is, by being his champion, Tyler gave us what we needed to get started. No one can promise theyll solve every crime, but we will promise you thiswe wont stop.