What if Jack had done a horrible thing and created an alibi around the building’s mysteries? As much as she wanted to believe him, his coincidental arrival just as the 1837 murder scene unfolded was just too great a leap even for her to accept. But it made no sense — the police would never believe that he was just an 1837 murder witness. But if he was lying, he’d have come up with something more plausible than that.
Tiffany’s death hit Landry hard. He sat in the bedroom alone, blaming God for the unfairness of this and himself for not doing enough to help her. Her plight had ignited something he hadn’t felt before. He considered himself empathetic, but his work was the driving force in his psyche. It was his love and passion. He loved Cate too — very, very much — but even she joked that Landry’s fascination with the paranormal was his true love.
Landry had helped Tiffany, but he’d gotten help in return. He had taken pity on her and traveled across the country to bring her back, and he anticipated helping solve the issues that would allow her to regain her sanity and restart her life. Lost and confused, she had no one to turn to, and she had trusted him. And they had lost her before she got the help she so desperately wanted.
Then there was Jack, another castaway who’d become more than just a friend. Landry loved how he eagerly embraced every assignment and how proud he’d been to report back with answers to Landry’s questions. He had hopes for Jack too — hopes for a new start that would give him purpose in life and put him on the right path. Now it was possible — no, it was certain — that Jack’s life would never be the same.
Unlike Cate, Landry believed Jack’s story, but what he believed didn’t matter. With no alibi, no witnesses and no other perpetrator in the building, he knew Jack faced a manslaughter charge — or worse.
Landry pulled himself together because Jack needed help fast. One call would be to Pamela Sacriste. If anyone could save Jack’s hide, it would take the best, and the best cost a lot. Landry couldn’t fathom how he’d pay her legal fees, but he had to bring her on board.
The other was Shane Young, the detective who helped Landry earlier. Young had witnessed the paranormal in another of Landry’s cases, and he’d had a cameo role in the Bayou Hauntings episode that arose from it. Young believed in the paranormal, but he couldn’t work miracles. Police officers dealt in tangible reality, and this case was anything but.
Dog-tired, Landry went to bed, and he felt Cate slip in beside him some time later. After a few hours of sleep, it was morning. He flipped on the TV and heard Jack’s name. The circumstances of Tiffany’s death looked grim for their friend. They would learn more at the district attorney’s ten o’clock press conference.
Death in Haunted Building was the Times-Picayune’s headline, and the same banner appeared on every social media outlet. “Only two people were present in the building at the time of death,” a police spokesperson stated. “One was the deceased and the other was Jack Blair, who is in custody. So far Mr. Blair has declined to speak to investigators.”
Landry had to admit it was a sensational story that appeared to have only one explanation. To make matters worse, once the news got out that he — the famous ghost hunter — was in the thick of it, the media would pounce on the sensationalism. This could also backfire for Channel Nine. Although Jack had been on the payroll for less than twenty-four hours, he was an employee. Landry regretted that Ted would face questions too, but his boss knew how to handle himself in a crisis.
He dialed Young’s cell number and the detective said, “I’ve been expecting to hear from you. I recognized the building when dispatch got the 911 call. This is the same courtyard where you were with the same unconscious girl two weeks ago. That time she recovered. This time she didn’t. Do I have my facts right?”
Hearing the facts stated that way, Landry wasn’t sure if he should help Jack at all. He might hurt Jack’s case more than help it. He said, “There’s a supernatural aspect to all this. Jack Blair and Tiffany Bertrand weren’t the only ones in there last night.”
Young said, “Landry, you gotta get real, buddy. I’m not only your biggest fan at NOPD, I’m your only fan, and that’s because I’ve witnessed the paranormal with you. But if you’re telling me those two were the only living ones there last night, all I can say is you’d better get him the best lawyer you can find. This one will be hard to prove, my friend.”
He was right and Landry knew it. Next he called the Sacriste Law Firm and went to Pamela Sacriste’s office on Poydras Street. They reminisced about her client Craig Morisset and a strange case called The Experiments, and then he got to the matter at hand.
She took copious notes, and when he finished, she said, “I understand what you’ve told me. There’s a paranormal aspect to this girl’s death, but let’s talk about Mr. Blair’s situation pragmatically. First, people in law enforcement deal with the facts in black and white. Second, while millions of people are fans of Landry Drake, many of them take your shows with a healthy dose of skepticism. The supernatural is fun to watch and think about. It gives us cold chills and nightmares, but for most, it isn’t real. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but some people think your show is like the WWE. Those wrestlers aren’t beating each other to death in the ring. It’s contrived entertainment.”
“That’s not fair,” Landry
