This chapter contains a little WAFF, a little foreshadowing, a lot of setup, and an introduction to New Orleans. For those not familiar with the city, I have done my best to stay true to the geography of the Big Easy. The only editorial license I've taken is in the final confrontation. I'll have more detail about that at the time.

I hope y'all enjoy this one.



Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.

- Stephen King, from On Writing