“Well, having seen some episodes of Benny Hill,” Andretold him, “I have no doubt you’re not nearly as stoic, prim, or sane as we tendto think. But has Halloween become a bigger deal over here through the years?”
Emily and Eric looked at one another and then nodded.
“You saw decorations on the way in, I’m sure,” Eric said.
“All right. What about suspects?” Andre asked.
“Well, they interviewed another whack job, like the chapsall those years ago who fueled the whole paranormal and vampire thing about thecemetery,” Eric said.
“Fellow calls himself ‘Father Faith,’” Emily told them. “Hedoes readings, holds seances, that kind of thing. He got himself interviewedfor the papers and claims that, yes, there is something in Highgate, it’s neverbeen stopped, and it’s readying itself for something big on Halloween.”
Andre’s phone buzzed softly, and he rose and excused himselfto answer it.
“Do you know where we can find Father Faith?” Cheyenneasked.
“Sure,” Emily said. “He has an occult shop just down in thecenter of town.”
“He’ll have to wait,” Andre said, coming to the table andpulling back Cheyenne’s chair. “We have a meeting with Inspector Adair ofScotland Yard. Now.”
She looked up at him questioningly at first, but then sheknew.
Adam Harrison had somehow worked his magic from across thepond. They couldn’t officially be on any kind of an investigation, butAdam had managed to get them the unofficial help that might change the playingfield.
“But…you just got here,” Emily said. “After a trans-Atlanticflight. Don’t you need to rest, to eat, to…feel your feet on the ground?”
“No, we’re fine. And the quicker we move…well, we’re onlyfive days from Halloween, aren’t we? Got to move faster than a speeding bullethere.”
“Superman,” Eric said. “I do love American comics.”
“Well, not Superman. Just human trying to do our best,”Andre said. “And we need to get into Highgate.”
“None of the bodies were found in the cemetery,” Eric said.
“You love history as much as languages. Can you pull up someoriginal maps, noting anything remarkable or with changes and get them to myemail?” Andre asked.
“Sure. Be prepared for a hunk of email. But as I said, noone was killed in the cemetery. There are visiting hours now, and a lot moresecurity on the place. Though there is still a lot of that old, charming decaything going on, despite the historical value. One side—the east side—allowsvisitors to roam freely. That’s where Karl Marx is buried with a giant headmemorial. Once you’re in the area, you can’t miss it. The other side is byguided tour only.”
“Great,” Andre said. “We’ll take a tour this afternoon. Thenwe’ll see Father Faith. If you think of anything else, give us a call.”
Andre quickly led Cheyenne out of the house and to the car.
“What?” she demanded, sliding into the passenger’s seat.“Something else happened. You dragged me out of there so fast!”
“Another young woman has been reported missing,” Andre said.He looked her way. “She was last seen walking down Swain’s Lane in the vicinityof your cousin’s home,” he added softly. “We are going to have to find out whatthe hell is going on here and quickly. Because it’s beginning to look as ifsomeone wants your cousin or Eric either looking guilty as hell…or dead.”
Chapter 3
Their meeting with Inspector Adair was at a coffee shop inthe center of the main area of town.
Andre recognized him immediately, though he wasn’t sure why.He was in plain clothes, a casual tweed suit with light brown trim, a matchingvest, and a casual cap—much like a deerstalker.
He rose when he saw them. Evidently, they were just asobvious in their appearance as either an American couple on holiday or lawenforcement agents with no authority in the U.K.
“Special Agents Donegal and Rousseau?” Inspector Adairasked, offering his hand. He was perhaps forty-five with light brown eyes andmatching hair. His cheekbones were wide, and his smile was generous, giving hima pleasant look. But Cheyenne also noted that he seemed to have a jaw of steel.
“Yes, yes. And thank you so much for seeing us. We realizeit’s quite a favor,” Cheyenne said, and Andre nodded in agreement.
“Please, sit down. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering coffee.I love the stuff. You know, we English and our tea-time… Give me coffee everyday. Did you know we’ve had coffee longer than tea? They both arrived in the1600s, but java came first—by about a decade. Now, you folks probably opted togo for coffee first because you were breaking away, but now we’re all happyallies, so we can enjoy both!”
“Yes, we can,” Andre said as they settled themselves at thetable. “You’re working this case as the main investigator by yourself?”
“Oh, no. But my partner, Inspector Claude Birmingham,suddenly found he had something else to do.” Adair lowered his voice. “He’sread up on the Krewe in America. Says we don’t need any more hocus-pocus here.”Frowning, he leaned back and regarded them. “I have also read up on the Krewe. AndI don’t give a bloody damn what you do if you can help. Occultists…paranormalexperts…they’re jumping out of the woodwork here. Ghosts are killing, vampiresare murdering…and seances must be performed in the cemetery. It’s crazy!”
“Someone human, of flesh and blood, is doing the killing,”Andre said flatly. “I just spoke to my field director back home. He said he’dgotten word that another young woman has gone missing.”
Adair’s eyebrows rose briefly
