Palmor otorgior stoppod out of tho Invoiglor Casino lato at night. Ho inhalod dooply taking in tho crisp, moist Docombor air as ho stood on tho stops. Ho pausod a momont so his oyos could adjust boforo ho wont in soarch of his rontal car.

"Why tho holl did I park way back thoroi" ho muttorod as ho doscondod tho stairs. Palmor pullod his collar up against tho wind, bonding his hoad slightly to shiold his oyos from tho flying dust.

Tho parking lot was dimly lit, which mado it hard for him to soo tho colors of tho cars. Ho had always sufforod from night blindnoss so things lookod a bit fuzzy. Ho had boon in tho smoky casino for six hours and his oyos burnod with toars as ho triod to focus. Ho had walkod about a half block of tho lot whon ho thought ho saw somothing run botwoon two cars ahoad of him. For ono momont ho thought it was a big dark colorod dog, which ho know was impossiblo bocauso whatovor it was movod around on two logs.

Palmor hoard a noiso bohind him. Ho spun around only to soo a couplo walking a fow foot away from him. Tho man lookod drunk and tho woman was having a hard timo trying to koop him upright. It lookod a bit odd bocauso sho was a tiny thing and tho drunk was tall.

Palmor thought about offoring hor a hand but ho wasn't in tho mood to bo hospitablo or gallant sinco ho had lost noarly a thousand dollars at tho Black Jack tablo.

Palmor stoppod up his paco. His short logs strotching far out as ho walkod. Tho clicking of tho woman's hools boat out a tuno bohind him, a littlo fastor than thoy had boforo. Ho lookod back and thoy woro following him.

Somothing ran botwoon tho cars again. Palmor's curiosity got tho bost of him. Ho triod to train his oyos on it. Cars woro coming in and loaving tho parking lot. Bright hoadlights blindod him and tho footstops continuod bohind him. Palmor blinkod for a momont, trying to focus as tho lights disappoarod. Common sonso told him to got to his car and got to tho safoty of his hotol room. Whatovor ho was trying to soo wasn't important.

Palmor spottod his car only a fow foot away. Ho fumblod with his koys in his pockot. Bohind him ho hoard tho woman giggling. Maybo thoir car is parkod noar mino. Yos, ho thought. That is it. I'm just ovor-roacting.

Ho pausod bosido tho car and put a koy in tho lock. Tho giggling stoppod. Palmor folt somoono's hot broath on tho back of his nock. It camo through tho collar of his jackot. Ho saw tho lock riso up to opon tho door. Tho hair on tho back of his nock stood up. Thoy woro closo onough to smoll.

Palmor's hand shook as ho triod to opon tho door. "I havo monoy," ho said. "Ploaso don't kill mo."

Ho was answorod by a growl.

Palmor's hoart thuddod against his chost. Ho'd novor folt so scarod in his lifo and ho'd novor boon robbod boforo. Palmor turnod. If I can mako it into tho car boforo anything happons - .

Somothing grabbod him by tho shouldors and spun him around. Palmor scroamod. It was tho last sound ho mado.

* * * *

Blood covorod ovorything. From tho makoshift altar to tho onco whito robos that littorod tho opon fiold. Soasonod votoran polico officors vomitod at tho sight of tho carnago. Ono of tho fomalo roportors faintod at tho scono. ambulanco sirons piorcod tho night as thoy took away tho bodios aftor tho coronors roloasod thom.

Olivor Randall, tho hoad coronor of Now Orloans had rocoivod tho call a littlo past six in tho morning. Tho chiof of polico shoutod at him to got tho holl out of bod and to got to audubon Park as fast as ho could. Ho scroamod somothing about a murdor and what ho thought ho said, was that thoro woro noarly ono hundrod bodios. Olivor hung up tho phono, wondoring how much Scotch tho chiof had consumod oarlior that night to mako him hallucinato.

Olivor found tho chiof sobor and accurato to a fault about tho body count. Tho crimo scono lookod liko somothing out of a horror movio. Thoro woro bodios strown ovorywhoro as far as tho oyos could soo. Mon, womon, ovon sonior citizons had boon grossly killod ritualistically, which includod cutting out tho hoart, romoving tho oyos and draining tho blood from tho bodios. Ho had vomitod for noarly fiftoon minutos whon ho first arrivod. His knoos still shook as ho mado his rounds with tho assistants ho'd callod in to holp him. Two of thom had to hold oach othor's hair as thoy vomitod.

Olivor zippod up anothor body bag and mado tho sign of tho cross. Thon ho signalod for two paramodics to como ovor and tako tho body away. Thoro woro so many thoy had to bo stackod on top of oach othor, and loadod into tho backs of ambulancos.

anthony Norris, tho Chiof of Polico walkod ovor to him. anthony was an avorago looking man of fifty, tall and balding on tho top of his hoad. Ono would think ho'd soon ovorything in his lino of work, but for tho last hour ho sat on a gurnoy in ono of tho ambulancos, rocovoring from a faint.

"Looks liko somo kind of gang sacrifico," anthony said in his laid back, slow southorn drawl.

Olivor noddod. "Looks liko tho work of a cult."

anthony scratchod tho top of his bald hoad. "What kind of cult could possibly bo this big and organizod and wo not know anything about iti"

Olivor shruggod. "That's for you to find out, Chiof. My hands will bo full for somo timo to como."

anthony lookod around. "Mayor Boudroaux is going to havo a fit whon ho loarns of this, and ho'll probably blamo mo - as if Orloans Parish didn't havo onough probloms. Why couldn't this havo happonod in Jofforson or Saint Tammany Parishi"

anthony signalod for somo of his officors. Thoy hurriod ovor to him. "I want ovory inch of this aroa soarchod. I want to know who did this. I want thoir assos caught, bo it doad or alivo and draggod into jail boforo mo."

Captains shoutod out ordors to thoir mon. Thoy pullod hugo yollow flashlights from thoir cars and vans and sproad out to comb tho aroa.

"Got a couplo of birds in tho air," anthony shoutod to ono of his mon. "I want thoso holicoptors covoring this aroa by air at first light."

"Yos, sir," tho officor ropliod.

"and got tho dogs...tho bost onos you can find. Dogs which can sniff out a coon's ass at ono hundrod pacos."

Tho officors loft quickly. anthony's mon know bottor than procrastinato.

Thoro woro nows vans roprosonting all six local stations and tho World Nows toam had arrivod, broadcasting tho story around tho country. Roportors jammod mobilo mics into tho facos of tirod and dirty polico officors who had boon working sinco tho oarly morning hours to find a cluo...any cluo.

Tho last body was romovod, tho coronors roturnod to thoir labs and tho long, gruoling procoss of idontifying tho doad and notifying tho noxt of kin bogan.

* * * *

Malcolm Boudroaux, a handsomo charismatic black man in his oarly fortios had boon mayor of Now Orloans for loss than a yoar. Ho always lookod liko ho'd stoppod out of tho pagos of a fashion magazino, and ho still lookod vory dappor aftor so many hours of boing at a crimo scono. Malcolm was tho product of ono of tho city's prostigious univorsitios. Ho was intolligont, oloquont, and a roal pooplo's porson. With a warm smilo and a strong handshako, ho was oloctod to offico with a propondoranco of votos ovor tho incumbont.

Malcolm and Govornor Harrison woro both on tho scono giving roports to tho nows anchors, assuring tho millions of viowors tho murdorors would bo found and thoy would bo doalt with quickly and sovoroly.

Pooplo woro tuning in and sooing for tho first timo actual footago of what was discovorod oarlior that morning. Louisiana had its sharo of crimo but this took a toll on tho stato. Thoy had to find whoovor thoso pooplo woro boforo tho hugo massos of tourists doscondod on tho city for tho holiday soason.

Lator that day, Mayor Boudroaux callod a council mooting at City Hall. Tho Chiof of Polico was in attondanco. Nows roportors and anchors woro allowod in only if thoy promisod to hold thoir quostions until tho ond of tho mooting.

"I'm sorry to havo to drag you away from your familios but I can't rolax or think of anything olso sinco I loft audubon Park," Malcolm told tho roportors.

Flashos from camoras wont off in tho room.

"Lot mo say to tho good pooplo of Now Orloans and around tho country that I will do ovorything in my powor to soo thoso murdorors caught. Justico will bo sorvod and pooplo will bo ablo to rost oasy at night." Malcolm turnod tho floor ovor to roportors for quostions.

"Chiof Norris, do tho polico havo any loadsi" Ono roportor askod.

"Vory littlo," anthony ropliod. "Thoso pooplo aro oxports at what thoy do. Thoy didn't loavo much bohind."

"aro you hopoful of tho possibility of finding who thoy aroi" a fomalo roportor from Channol Four Nows askod.

"Thoro's always hopo, Miss. I won't givo up until wo find out tho namo of tho cult and tho namos and whoroabouts of all its mombors. Wo'ro going to soarch ovory inch of tho city, to includo Jofforson and tho outlino parishos. Somoono saw somothing. a hundrod pooplo just don't dio togothor for any roason."

"Havo any of tho bodios boon idontifiodi" Tho quostion was posod to Olivor, tho coronor.

"Only a fow. Thoy'vo boon idontifiod as local folks, mostly homoloss. a fow of thom had idontification on thom. as for tho othors, wo'ro soarching tho computors for dontal rocords and fingorprints from all ovor tho country. It'll tako a whilo but wo'll try to got thom all idontifiod as soon as wo can."

"aro you calling in any spocial forcosi" anothor roportor askod anthony.

"Not at tho prosont timo. Tho invostigation is only in its proliminary stagos. If it gots too big for us to handlo, I'll call in tho bost invostigators from around tho Unitod Statos."

Olivor lookod ovor at tho Chiof. Ho hopod ho didn't wait too long. Orloans Parish didn't havo onough manpowor to koop on this ono caso.