“What’s going on here?”

“This is Miss Elaine.” Stevenson introduced the woman that was standing with him. “She is the maid of the family that lives here and she just confirmed that the husband, Trevor Walnut, has been seen multiple times drunk driving and walking around the neighbourhood, causing  multiple violent episodes with bystanders and as for his family the most usual victim is his wife. Their son is usually caught in the middle. The boy is only trying to protect his mother.”

Of course that was the case. I shook my head. Unless the wife was willing to testify against her abusive husband, nothing could be done on their part. The boy could try to do so himself, however seeing how unwilling and terrified the mother was, I instantly doubted she’d be any help if they were brought for questioning along with the husband. It was as Stevenson had previously stated; it is infuriating knowing you can’t do something to prevent pain when it is happening right in front of your eyes.

“Is it true that there is a killer on the loose?” The woman with scarlet hair clipped on top of her head was wearing a regular green dress, with matching comfortable shoes and a white apron.

“I am afraid so, ma’am. We are doing all we can to capture him.”

“We were all shocked when we read the news. Usually you hear about small crimes and burglars, but someone killing like that and young boys even! You understand that we are all losing sleep, especially families with boys around that age.” She rubbed her upper arm. “When I first saw the picture of the victims in the newspaper I thought I saw  madam’s son. But then I realised that little Mickey wouldn’t be the one. I mean, he is not even in New Orleans this time of the year. He is studying all the way to Yale and he only visits just in time for the Mardi Gras parade.”

  Stevenson and I exchanged glances. This could be it, a possible lead, a small crack of light that could guide us out of this deadend.

“Is there any chance the boy could visit his family earlier?” The man had witts and was quick with his questions. We both waited impatiently.

“No, I doubt it, officers. They have exams this period and Mickey is a good boy. He would never miss any class. That’s why madam is always so sad. She doesn’t get to see him anymore as when he was living here with us.”

“I see, thank you for your assistance.” A fruitless discussion.

“Another lost case, if you ask me.” Stevenson whispered as we walked away.

“If I can help,” we heard her saying, “My madam will return with her husband  in two days. They have gone on their annual honeymoon trip. I will let them know you passed by.”

  “Please do! Have a nice evening, ma’am.” Stevenson waved at her and we finally got inside the car.

“Annual honeymoon trip? I wasn’t able to take my lady to a regular first one.” The young man chuckled and pulled his seat belt.

“Some people will always stay privileged, Alex. All we can do is accept it and move forward.” I started the engine, yet my mind wasn’t clear. “Do you think we should worry about that kid?”

“Mickey?” Stevenson remained silent for a minute or two, giving a good thought before answering. “We can check with Yale but it will take some time until they confirm. Also, the woman said that she had actually mistaken the victim for Mickey.”

“So, we still got nothing.” I admitted defeat and Alex sighed.

“And since this was our last of the addresses, we can finally return to the station.”

We were both glad that none of these boys were laying on the cold metal tables, yet we needed that little nudge of hope; something that could assure us that we were on the right track of bringing justice to both the families and the victims. Instead, we got to drive around the uptown parts of New Orleans and be led to nowhere. At least I got to know the town a bit better.

“Fuck!” I yelled out of frustration.

Stevenson didn’t comment on it nor did he flinch. He understood my feelings perfectly, hell, we even shared the same desperation.

“Detective, am I an awful person for wishing that Mickey boy somehow changed his annual routine and actually visited the city earlier?”

“Making him one of the victims, you mean?”

No reply. It was obvious.

“I, for once, can’t wait to see the chief’s reaction when we tell him that we returned empty handed.”

Alex chuckled and we didn’t talk about that again. Actions, not thoughts can defy our alignment. I had the same wish as Stevenson, but we both wanted that to be true so we could catch the murderer and end this maddening game of cat and mouse. No, we were not evil for wishing for a small window. Either way, four young men were dead, four families would soon grieve and the one to blame was still out there enjoying his freedom.
It was already night-time when we reached the station and we both ran to the chief’s office ignoring everyone in our path.

“I’m listening.” As usual he was sitting behind his desk, buried underneath the endless piles of paperwork.

“We checked on every single address on the list.” he motioned me to continue with a wave of his hand, yet there was nothing else to say.

“That’s it.” Stevenson entered. “Nothing. A dozen of them didn’t even care to inform us that their offsprings returned home, a good handful didn’t seem to care where they had gone and the rest just shut their front door without a question.”

“So, you’ve got nothing.”

“Nothing.” I confirmed.

“So what?” Charles stood up and walked towards us, leaning against his desk. “Those boys just appeared in the killer’s way? They just popped up and ended up dead?”

“There’s probably a chance that they were tourists. College students perhaps who came to enjoy the parade?”

“Which takes us back to zero, because heaven knows how many tourists have arrived in this damned city for Mardi Gras! Shall we monitor each and every one of them?”

“No, sir.” Alex cleared his throat and straightened his body, intimidated by Charles.

“We do have a lead, though. I mean, Stevenson here managed to speak with the maid of a family. Apparently she mistook one of the victims with the son of her employer.” I had to give Charles something. It’s one thing to be a disappointed officer, and another to hold the entire department and be responsible for both your subordinates and the civilians. His frustration was greater than ours just like his responsibility.

“Is that true officer?” Charles’ sharp gaze fell on Alex who immediately nodded.

“She said that the boy is studying over at Yale, and he always visits in time for the parade. Never sooner because of exams.”

“The parade is in a week,” I continued, “so, either the boy changed plans and visited earlier without informing his family, or he will actually appear in a few days.”

“Can we trust her words?” Charles’s thick eyebrows were raised in question.

“She knew what she was talking about. Apparently, the boy is the family’s prodigy. A true star student. I doubt she’d lie about anything to us.”

“Did you have the chance to cross check with the parents?”

“Stevenson.…” I chuckled as I passed this on Alex with a playful tone.

“No, sir,” he replied. “His parents will return from their annual honeymoon trip in two days.”

Charles was a bit thrown off by the information he was given, however he focused on what mattered the most. 

“Ok. In two days sharp you will visit them again and make sure that they know where their boy is at. After all, the chances of him making an appearance in a few days are the same as the ones of him not coming at all.” he took a deep breath and nodded. “You did a great job, gentlemen. You deserve some rest.”

“Good night, Chief” we both greeted him, stretching our exhausted arms and backs.

Stevenson even suggested a drink or two and I was giving it a thought. His wife was spending these days with her mother as the old woman was close to the end of her days and he’d rather spend the night drinking with a potential friend than with the company of just his shadow. I never found loneliness to be an ill friend and advisor, however a change would be nice.

“Dandeline,” I rolled my eyes. I was in no mood of being scolded or reminded how important it was to focus on that boy. “There was a call for you from hotel Monteleone. A mrs. Griffith was asking for you.”

The world around me began spinning as I froze my steps. I watched Stevenson walking away and towards the exit, unaware of my immobility. I didn’t turn so I could spare Charles the opportunity of watching me drenched in cold sweat. My heart had stopped yet I could hear its loud thumping in my ear. Silk blonde hair, deep ocean-blue eyes, smooth fair skin and the elegant figure of royalty accompanied with the softest of voices, all combined in a brilliant soul.

“Vivian. Her name is Vivian.” That name got stuck in my throat like a bad seed. “What did you tell her?” And most importantly, what did she want from me?

“That you will be here tomorrow and she can call again in the morning.”

I swallowed hard and gave myself a few seconds to shake off the feeling of dread.
“Thanks for letting me know, chief. Good night.”

Of all the ghosts that this town had to offer, I was haunted by the both the living and the dead ones.