Feeling a little nostalgic today. The shelter in place in San Francisco is starting to wear on me, even though I have enjoyed the solace. It was a much needed break from the world for me, but now I am aching to travel again. So I am reposting a piece from my travels in one of my favorite places, New Orleans.

Day 4 — New Orleans, June 2015

This morning I took a city tour where I got to see St. Louis Cemetery number 3, Lake Ponchitran which was beautiful and City Park. These were all places I didn’t get to see last time I was here. After the tour I ate at Napoleon House built in 1797. Napoleon was supposed to escape exile here in the 1820s but of course that didn’t happen. On one of the ghost tours I went on they talked about how the ghost of Napolean often shows up at dinner parties there.

After lunch I headed back to the hotel to get in the pool. It was really hot today. I almost didn’t go to the bar tour I  Had at 4pm but I’m glad I did, Joe our tour guide was excellent. He’s a local authority on cocktail and bar history he has even been on Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain on CNN. He told us a lot of great stories on the local places in NOLA.

The first bar he took us to was Tujagues established in 1856. It’s the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans. And its still a standing bar 200 years later. I had the best Pimms Cup there.

Joe next took us to Pirate’s Alley right next to St. Louis Cathedral. Their signature drink is 120 proof Absinthe from France by a company called Lucid. I had that the other day on another tour. Next we were onto the Court of Two Sisters a very popular restaurant and bar that has the only death mask of President Andrew Jackson in the world on the wall. One of their signature drinks, is the Golden Coconut which reminded me of a White Russian but seemed lighter. It felt like I was drinking a cloud. It was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had anywhere.

The last place we visited was Antoine’s where Joe got us access to some of the private dining rooms, like the room President Clinton dined in. Joe was the best tour guide, everybody knows him so we got easy access everywhere we went.

After the tour I walked into the Boutique Du  Vampyre in the French Quarter. And met the owner Marita who is going give me a Tarot reading tomorrow.  It is such a nice little shop with all things vampire.

“Look at it this way,” he said. “Dan could be an asset to us; after all he is Jon Okada’s grandson.

“We’ll see,” Jake said. “He fuckin choked out there ya know.”

“I know it was not a good first outing,” Elia said. “Please think on it, Tegan values your opinion on these matters.”

“Why would Tegan want him involved in this anyway? Hasn’t she spent the last thirty years protecting him from all of this shit?”

“Even Tegan has a superior,” Elia said as he put on his coat and headed off for the evening.

Jake tapped his cigarette against his tin lighter. He was almost conflicted. Dan froze, he probably saw the creature as human, he thought.  He didn’t go off all half cocked like so many of the others that were brought to him.

 He snapped back the tin lid and lit his cigarette. The first few drags usually calmed him. Jake always needed a smoke or two after a good kill. Tonight was different though.  The disappointment of it swept over him giving him the chills. He needed another drag. He watched the smoke race out of his mouth.

“Bloody fucking Hell! How am I going to tell Tegan this?”

He was almost numb. The truth made his chest burn.  Dan was not a born overzealous killer instead he was a man of reason….the right man for the job. 

“I can’t kill it,” Dan said.

“It! I have a name,” the vampire said, “Don’t turn away from me, coward!”

The vampire tried to lunge forward but the vervain laced chains burned his skin and kept him against the cold brick wall.

Dan turned to Jake who of course was ready.

“I bet you’re delicious. What are you Japanese?” The vampire asked.

“Oh do shut up,” Jake said as drove the final stake through the monster’s heart.

The creature gasped and slowly turned to ash.

“Get your jaw off the ground, Mate. We’ve got more vamps to hunt,” Jake said.

“I … just…”

“Look I know you are a virgin, so don’t worry I won’t tell anyone you just stood there cock in hand and …nothing.”

“Fuck off.” Dan said as he walked back to the car.

“Oh I’m just fuckin with ya. You white collar boys sure are sensitive.”

Dan was not laughing. He had to get used to this, he thought.  Jake was right, he froze. They look too human. He needed to focus and not forget what they did to his family.

 

 “I have lighter fluid in the car,” she said.

Dan’s stomach hit the wet snow. She actually brought lighter fluid? Thank God, this never worked out between us he thought.

Meredith hurried back with matches as well. Dan swallowed hard as Meredith soaked Jim’s blood stained body in lighter fluid. 

“Meredith this is insane? Stop.” She didn’t even look up at him her eyes seemed cold, gray, not her usual bright blue. He dropped the ax and reached into his pocket for his phone. Maybe Elia could talk some sense into her. As he began to dial he felt a pull on his left pant leg. He looked down and saw Jim Somers, with eyes wide open grasping at his leg.

“Mother Fucker!” Dan yelled. “He’s turned, kill him, kill him.”

Meredith picked up the ax and swung loping Jim’s head clean off. Dan jumped back and watched her throw a match on Jim’s body. He turned to ash within seconds. 

“What the fuck,” Dan said. “Lets get the hell out of here.”

They ran to Dan’s SUV. Meredith still had the bloody ax in her hand as she jumped in the front seat.

“Um you can put the ax in back,” Dan said.

She leaned back and dropped it on the back floor. She felt a buzz in her left pants pocket. She reached for her phone. Sheriff Keane’s name popped up.

“Oh my fucking God,” Dan said as he looked at the phone. “He knows, he knows we stole the body.”

“Calm down, he could have a lead on Sean.”

“Ya or that,” Dan said. “Put him on speaker.”

“Hello Sheriff.”

“Meredith I am sorry to call so late. I have some bad news.”

What could be worse than her missing brother and dead fiancée. Dan thought.

“Just tell me, things can’t get much worse.” she said.

 “Someone stole two bodies from the morgue tonight and one of them was Jim’s,” Sheriff Keane said.

“Two bodies,” she asked. “Who was the other person?”

“Well we are supposed to keep it confidential but, I think you should know it was Lana Nordquist.”

“Sean’s ex fiancée!” Dan said.

Meredith handed Dan her phone and jumped out of the car.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Meredith started vomiting on the side of the road.

“Dan is that you?” the sheriff asked.

“Yes Sheriff, Meredith needed some air.”

“Lana was killed in the same manner as Jim,” Sheriff Keane said. “We may have a serial killer on our hands.”

“I’ve gotta go,” Dan hung up on the Sheriff.  He felt a dart in his chest. He recalled how much Sean hated Jim dating his sister and then he recalled how Lana ripped Sean’s heart out when he discovered she was only marrying him for his money. Suddenly Dan had the urge to vomit too. Meredith jumped back in the car.

“Dan, I think Sean was turned during the attack. I think he killed Jim and Lana.”

Dan opened his car door and puked all over the November snow.