*** Prologue - Scene 2 (of 17) ***

Boudreaux "Boo" Le Doux sits in his office with a cigar and a drink. As has been the case since he opened the office, it was another quiet day with little more than a couple of jobs checking on wives to make sure they weren't enjoying the milkman's company more than they should by some paranoid husbands. It was easy money, but not quite the same as the hardboiled detective cases Le Doux read about in his dime novels that inspired him to close his swamp guide business and make a name for himself as a private dick.

He's just putting out his cigar when there's a knock at the door. He looks up and sees Ofc. Eberhardt. Boo has used Eberhardt for some help with some cases, usually with a wandering daughter job where he had him run off some hooligan the girl would be shacked up, or just to have him drag the girl back home. He's the one to call Eberhardt though, not the other way around, so he knows something is up.

Since his secretary, Madge, is off nights, Le Doux motions Eberhardt inside. Le Doux greets him with his usual Cajun flair. He offers the officer a drink, but Eberhardt declines.

The officer looks around, noting he doesn't see Madge or Le Doux's partner around. Boo explains Chester is off on a cigarette run for his wife but will be back soon.

Eberhardt speaks in hushed tones as he explains there is a problem involving the son of Congressman O'Conner. Boo asks if it is trouble related to women, but the officer says that isn't the issue.

The door to the office opens suddenly as Chester Lee Nibbons comes inside. Eberhardt looks the bookish man over, with his usual pondering about why Le Doux uses him for a partner though he knows Le Doux mentioned something once about Nibbons working off to pay off a debt he owed him.

Le Doux tells Chester that Eberhardt has a problem he needs help with, and encourages the officer to explain. Eberhardt says something about needing to clean up something with O'Conner's son and how he's currently in a bathtub. Boo doesn't quite follow the German's broken English ramblings, saying a bathtub sounds like the right place to get cleaned up.

Eventually, Le Doux gets out of him that the congressman's son is dead and the department wants to keep it quiet. Eberhardt says they need to cover up what happened and investigate. Boo asks Chester what he thinks, but the man says he tries not to think too much as it usually gets him into trouble.

Le Doux says he is always open to helping the police, but his fee is five dollars a day plus expenses. Bruno, thinking of the money in the envelope, says that should be fine. When Boo asks for twenty up front as a retainer, Bruno takes out one of the twenties, careful to make sure Le Doux can't see the envelope.

After saving some of the taxpayer's money for himself, Eberhardt wants to get moving on the investigation. He wants to start with the body at the motel. To keep things less conspicuous they take separate cars.

*** Prologue - Scene 3 (of 17) ***

The Full Moon Motel sits out by the rail yards in the Tulane area, across from Reverend Jimmy Lee Farnsworth's apostolic mission house. As Eberhardt gets out of his car, he can see the reflection of the neon sign reading "Jesus Saves" reflected in a pool of filthy water in the parking lot of the motel.

The motel is small, with only six cabins to it. Ever since this part of the neighborhood became more industrialized, it usually has six vacancies. With the college crowd avoiding the area, it gets some occasional use as a flophouse by Fransworth's failures at rehabilitation. The city uses cabin six as a safe house from time to time to keep snitches alive, figuring no one will look for them there.

Although Le Doux and Nibbins haven't made it there yet, as they are notoriously slow and cautious drivers at times, Eberhardt heads over to cabin six. The large, dumb officer O'Neill answers the door; Eberhardt can see the Irishman is half in the bag already though he suspects the man isn't very smart when he's cold sober either.

Eberhardt greets O'Neill by name, saying the major sent him. O'Neill doesn't seem to follow. When Eberhardt asks to come in, he says he's not supposed to let anyone in. It takes a minute as Bruno carefully explains the major sent him there to come in.

Once inside, he looks around. He can see a couple of bloody blankets in the corner of the bathroom that the body was dragged in with. The body itself is lying in the tub; he appears to be a man in his 30's.

A knock sounds at the door and O'Neill tells Bruno to be quiet, as someone else has apparently shown up. O'Neill then answers it, finding Le Doux and Nibbins at the door. The private investigator tries to explain they are "with Bruno", but O'Neill thinks they have the wrong door and closes it on them.

Le Doux knocks again and O'Neill insists they have the wrong door. It takes Eberhardt a moment to clear up the confusion O'Neill has and he finally lets Boo and Chester inside.

Once inside, Boo distracts O'Neill with a bottle of whiskey (after initially confusing him by calling it "whiskey juice"). He then accompanies Chester and Bruno back to the body.

Le Doux looks over the body. It has a single, mid-caliber bullet wound to the back of the head with no exit wound. He finds Taylor still has his wallet on him.

Carefully, he takes the wallet out of the body's pocket and opens it. There is no money inside, but there is a folded up racing form and a ticket to an upcoming performance of "The Parish Hall Women". Le Doux recognizes the name as a new play designed to call back to the classic minstrel shows of the 1840's; he's confused why Taylor would have a ticket as that play only appeals to people in their 70's or older (though the elderly seem to love it for some reason).

The detective looks over the ticket carefully but finds nothing written on it. He then unfolds the racing form; he can see it is from today and has several races circled and some various amounts written on it along with other notes.

Chester offers to look at the figures on the form. Using his knowledge of accounting, he determines Taylor made several bets, getter larger throughout the day. Overall, the man appears to have lost nearly a grand that day. Chester explains it all to Le Doux, who comments that is probably why he has no money in his wallet.

Le Doux finds nothing else of interest on the body. Chester leans in closer and sniffs the body; he detects a faint odor of sulfur. Le Doux finds that odd, and wonders if it is related to any of the chemical or manufacturing plants in the area and what a dilettante like Taylor might have been doing at one.

Nibbons also tries moving the limbs and mouth of the body to check rigor. He can tell full rigor has not set in yet. He also fails to detect unusual odors from the body's mouth or an unusual coloring of the tongue. Boo and Eberhardt find Chester's investigative methods a bit strange and wonder what he is doing.

Le Doux wonders if they are supposed to get rid of the body, but Eberhardt suggests they are simply supposed to make it less scandalous; such as filling in the hole in the back of his head.  Le Doux decides the best course of action is to take the body to a mortician he knows at the Fisher and Sons funeral home.

The three then realize they'll also want to look at the alley where the body was found. Unfortunately, by this time O'Neill has already started to get pretty drunk and he has a hard time following their questions. Once he gets what they mean, it takes him a while to come up with it, first saying "it is by that place with the good food". Eventually, he comes up with the cross streets.

The three of them wrap the body back up in the blankets and put it in Le Doux's car. O'Neill laments he will need to go back to work now, but Le Doux convinces him he has the night off and should finish the bottle. They leave just as he rushed into the bathroom to vomit into the bathtub full of ice.

*** Prologue - Scene 4 (of 17) ***

Dark clouds in the sky obscure the moonlight, leaving the alley pitch black despite the buildings on either side only being two stories high. Special Agent Millard Fox makes his way in, using his flashlight to see. The old Creole townhouses on either side almost seem to tilt in ominously as if to threaten him.

After searching for a moment, Fox finds what he is looking for – the occult symbol written on the ground. He's satisfied his informants, the Solo Riflemen, came through again. His satisfaction pushes away the thoughts he has lingering about how Special Agent in Charge Bartus will certainly take him to task again for looking into "spooky nonsense" instead of focusing on that car theft ring investigation.

Focused on his task, Millard examines the symbol, noting it appears to be written in blood. Just then, a German voice calls out asking what he is doing. Fox can see there is a uniformed cop with a flashlight on him and another man dressed in a suit behind him.

Fox takes out his Bureau of Investigation ID card to identify himself as a federal agent. He tells the cop he heard there was a murder in the alley.

Eberhardt isn't sure what to think of the strange-looking guy in the dark suit; he hasn't had much interaction with the feds before. Thinking back to what Lt. Sawley told him, he decides to play dumb, saying he doesn't see a body.

Wanting to keep the Solo Rifleman a secret, Millard lies and says he heard about the murder from a fellow agent at the BOI. He notes he also found some blood with a symbol on the ground, which proves conclusively to him that a murder occurred.

Fox goes on to explain the symbol is of the demon, Allatou. He knows in order to find out more details, he'll need to find a copy of the rare book, Tobin's Spirit Guide. Outwardly, he asks the two men if they know anything about the occult but they react like he's a little crazy for even bringing the subject up.

Chester actually knows a couple of the occult book stores in town, but says nothing. Eberhardt tries to end the conversation by wishing him well with his investigation, but the young agent is tenacious. He points out they clearly came to the alley to investigate something themselves.

Eberhardt tries to say he's just patrolling his beat. He tells Fox that investigating the occult may be making him crazy. Fox explains he's seen several people go crazy from occult-related incidents but he's not there yet.

Around this time, another car pulls up to the alley and Boo gets out. Fox asks him who he is. Le Doux gives his name and the two exchange pleasantries and Fox mentions he is a federal agent.

Le Doux wants to know what is going on. Fox says he found the cop investigating the alley and notes that Le Doux is obviously a private investigator. Boo confirms his suspicion.

Fox goes on to explain how he's investigating a murder, which he feels is confirmed by the blood on the ground. Looking over at the blood, Le Doux can see the symbol. He takes out his notebook and quickly creates a sketch of it. Fox follows suit.

Le Doux tells Eberhardt and Nibbins they should look around the alley before they clean it up. When Fox asks about the cleaning, Le Doux (falsely) expresses surprise he is still there.

Everyone searches around the alley, but it is Agent Fox who makes a discovery. He first notices there is no other blood in the alley or any shell casings. He also finds the remains of a smoked, rolled cigarette and an empty matchbook.

Boo asks to see the matchbook. He can see it is from Chez Louisiane. Le Doux recognizes the place as a popular diner nearby on North Robertson Place, a favorite in Treme known for its oyster stew, filet gumbo, and crawfish etouffee. Fox wonders if the man who was murdered was meeting someone in the alley after going to the restaurant.

Confident they have all of the evidence they are going to find, Eberhardt says they should clean the area up and leave. Le Doux notes there is no sign of a struggle and he believes the body was just dumped there.

Fox picks up that one of them is finally admitting there was a body, and points out they confirmed there was a murder there. Le Doux tries to put him off again, but the exchange reminds Eberhardt to ask if Le Doux asked them to take out the bullet (referring to the funeral home).

Le Doux responds he did not, and Eberhardt wants to get the bullet for ballistic analysis. Fox asks who the victim was, assuring Boo he can keep quiet. Le Doux still doesn't tell him any details, but doesn't fight him when he wants to accompany Boo to Chez Louisiane to ask around about the victim.

While the two of them head out, Eberhardt and Nibbins focus on making sure the alley is clean of any sign a crime took place.

*** Prologue - Scene 5 (of 17) ***

The lights from inside Chez Louisiane shine out like a beacon into the night from its large bay windows. With only an hour to go before closing up for the night, Frank Parrish glances around at the few patrons left. He keeps an eye out on which cups of coffee Miss Marie refills and which ones she avoids; he still hasn't learned all of the regulars yet.

Frank thinks back to a year ago, when he was lecturing his English class at Penn State. He remembers the call he got about his father's heart attack. He figures it probably happened on a night just like this; Big Arthur loved keeping the diner open late and chatting with the regulars. Frank felt he was still getting the hang of it.

The door jingles as another patron enters the restaurant; it appears to be a Cajun man in a cheap suit. Frank gregariously welcomes him and invites him to sit wherever he wants. The Cajun man is immediately revealed to be loud and boorish, and likely drunk. He starts loudly asking to see someone named O'Conner. Frank tries to calm the man, but he carries on about being owed a hundred dollars. Parrish has no idea who the Cajun man is asking about and tells him as much.

Frank tries offering the man some gumbo to get him focused on something else, but the man continues to ramble on describing the man (poorly) and insisting this O'Conner person ate at the diner. Frank again says he doesn't recognize the man.

Just then, another man enters the diner; a white guy in a suit, which is unusual to see in the neighborhood after dark. Frank. The man asks Frank if he needs any help, but he tries to be cheerful as he tells him he will take care of him in a minute once he is done with the Cajun man.

Le Doux is starting to wonder if the owner isn't buying his act, or really doesn't know. But he keeps asking, and the man eventually tells him if he sits down he will send "Miss Marie" over to talk to him as she knows all the regulars. The owner then says something about how she won't serve him as he isn't a regular, which Le Doux finds odd but since he wasn't planning on eating anything doesn't bother him.

Fox again asks if there's anything he can do. The man tells him they aren't hiring but asks if he wants to sit down and have some food. As a recent transplant from Washington D.C., Millard hasn't ventured out much beyond the more traditional American restaurants of the Mid-City area so he's eager to try something. He asks for a recommendation, and the man suggests the crawfish etouffee.

Over at the counter, Le Doux is approached by the oldest waitress he's ever seen. He estimates Miss Marie must be well into her eighties. When he asks her about O'Conner, she is very certain he is not one of the regulars as she knows them all and has for many years.

Miss Marie then starts talking about Le Doux having a dark aura around him. Le Doux tries playing it off as the whiskey he's drank, but she tells him there is a darkness out there and he better watch himself.

Fox, overhearing the conversation, asks what she knows about it. Miss Marie insists she is knowledgeable about the "dark spirits" saying they come straight from Satan. She says her family has always been sensitive about such things. She warns Fox he has the dark aura as well, saying the two of them must have come into contact with something evil.

Millard considers showing her the symbol, but decides against it. He asks her a little more about the aura, but she says only they are in danger and asks if they know each other.  Both Fox and Le Doux lie to say they do not. She tells them both to be careful.

Le Doux says he doesn't know about any darkness but if the man he's looking for isn't there, he doesn't want to stay around. He stumbles his way back out of the diner.

Fox, meanwhile, asks about the matchbooks. Miss Marie points out they have a dish full of them for free at the counter by the register. Frank then brings over his crawfish and after inspecting it over, Fox eats it and enjoys it. He leaves a very generous tip.

*** Prologue - Scene 6 (of 17) ***

Under the threat of a mysterious dark aura, everyone meets back up in the alley. The moon breaks through the clouds for a moment, shining down on the faces of Chester and Eberhardt, giving them an almost ghoulish appearance.

Le Doux tells them they didn't know O'Conner at the diner while Fox points out what Miss Marie warned them about. Le Doux asks Fox about the occult symbol, which the agent identifies as being of the demon Allatou. Incredulous, Eberhardt asks if the demon killed the man. Fox somewhat condescendingly tells him no, that the killing was done in the name of the demon by a cultist; possibly as some sort of ritualistic sacrifice.

Boo asks Chester what he thinks. Chester tries to say perhaps the symbol was there a while and has no connection to the murder. Fox is taken aback by the suggestion, pointing out how unlikely it would be of a coincidence for the symbol to be on the ground right where a body was found (in fresh blood no less) without the two being related.

Eberhardt also tries to downplay any suggestion a murder took place. Fox tells them they've already said too much to start denying it now; he even knows the name from Boo carrying on in the restaurant – Taylor O'Conner. Le Doux tells the others they will have little choice but to let Fox join their investigation. They decide to all head over to Fisher and Sons to see about getting the bullet.

A short time later, they all stand around in the back room of the funeral parlor as Nathaniel Fisher uses his tools to extract the bullet from the brain of Taylor O'Conner. The man is a bit grumpy at getting woken up again, saying they should have let him know they needed the bullet when they dropped it off.

Since the others offered no opinion on where in town one might find occult books, he tries asking Fisher. Fisher, busy with the body, mumbles something about getting his dime novels at the druggist.

Fox is a bit squeamish about the work being done on the brain, so Chester takes him aside to give him the location of a book store along with a password for the back room. Unbeknownst to the agent, the Blue Acadian bookstore Nibbins told him about has no occult collections but the secret back room does exist (though it contains the Martanga mob's illegal pornography business).

Fischer then pops out the bullet. Fox takes a look at the slug, but can't identify it (though it appears to be a mid-size bullet of some kind). Eberhardt agrees to drop it off at the crime lab while everyone else agrees to meet back up the next morning.

*** Prologue - Scene 7 (of 17) ***

The sun rises slowly over the city in the morning, casting a dark red pallor along the coastline. Madge Gravois looks at it for a moment as she unlocks the front door to "Le Doux Investigations"; it reminds her of blood.

Flicking on the lights, she starts up the kettle for making the morning coffee. As usual, she will have a half hour before her employer, and second cousin on her mother's side, shows up.

As she pours herself a cup of coffee, the phone rings, startling her; she almost never sees a client call or show up before ten. The soft Southern voice on the other end of the line is a far change from Boudreaux's usual clientele; she figures him for a wealthy man out of the Carolinas based on the accent. He gets to the point quickly and she dutifully takes down the message he has for her cousin.

When Boo does show up a short while later, she gives him the message right away; it was a man from Congressman O'Conner's office, and the congressman wanted him to come over for a meeting by 11:00.

Boo's sort-of partner, Chester, shows up next. He's followed by the German cop, though he arrives out of uniform. They seem to be waiting around until a fourth man shows up, looking somewhat disheveled despite arriving by cab; Madge doesn't recognize him.

Once everyone has arrived, Le Doux explains about the message. Le Doux, Nibbins, and Eberhardt are confused how the congressman knew to call him, though Fox points out they are overlooking the obvious – the police already know Le Doux is the one working the case.

Le Doux has Madge call back over to the congressman's office. A man named Scott Prichard is the congressman's chief aide; he tells Le Doux the congressman is looking for a short amount of his time to get an update on the investigation, and confirms it is fine for the others to accompany Le Doux to the congressman's house. Eberhardt and Fox make noise in the background, causing Le Doux to wonder if he really wants to bring them along.

After the call, Le Doux has Fox straighten up his suit a bit, telling them all they will need to look presentable in order to go to the congressman's house. He also has Madge get Eberhardt some coffee, since the officer has been complaining about wanting some.

Fox tries to be friendly to Madge by offering her a cigarette and a light. The previously disinterested secretary, a somewhat rough looking 30-year old spinster, starts looking the young man over more carefully and smiles.

Madge then asks if Fox wants to hear about her cats; he agrees though doesn't really pay attention. While he is distracted, Le Doux asks Chester more about the occult symbol. Chester admits he knows a place to find a book with information on it after Fox gives him the name of the book.

Fox catches part of the conversation as Madge is rambling on about "Mr. Pibbles". He wonders if they should discuss those elements of the investigation around the secretary, but Le Doux explains she is his cousin and he trusts her completely.

Eberhardt wonders if they should ship the body back to the O'Conner house, but Le Doux notes they better check with the family first. The officer also wonders about researching the sulfur angle.

The agent suggests he should go check out the Blue Acadian, while Chester plans to go to a real rare book store. Eberhardt and Le Doux make their way over to the congressman's house.

*** Prologue - Scene 8 (of 17) ***

Mid-morning in the French Quarter is a busy scramble as people move to and fro. As is usual, the streetcars are packed with middle class workers headed to the business district and lower class workers headed to the industrial areas. The packed masses of pedestrians move through the streets more slowly, being careful to avoid not only the streetcars, but the hustlers, pickpockets, prostitutes, and panhandlers as well.

Luckily for Millard Fox, his job provides him with enough money to take a cab straight to his destination. He's not very impressed as he exits; the sidewalk smells of urine and the storefront is dirty and unkempt.

Inside, books are stacked about everywhere but appear to be cheap or unpopular; the kind of books one might purchase from a warehouse or estate sale. There is a musty smell in the air. The owner behind the counter, identified by a name plaque as Arthur Gage, looks disinterested.

Fox is suspicious he has been given a legitimate lead. Rather than use the password, he simply tells Gage he is looking for a book on the occult for his son as part of a school project. Gage is perplexed by the story, and tells Fox he doesn't have the kind of books he is looking for.

Gage asks if someone sent Fox there, wondering if this is part of a practical joke. He makes a joke to ask about Fox having a daughter, then cuts him short and say he doesn't have the kind of books he's looking for. Fox settles for purchasing a cheap novel to read later.

*** Prologue - Scene 9 (of 17) ***

The warm summer wind blows down the unassuming quiet street in the Seventh Ward. Some children playing run down the street, nearly running into Chester as he makes his way to the quiet rare book store, Gramarye Books.

The old Scottish man behind the counter, Dr. Henry Carstairs, wonders what he wants. Chester explains he is looking for a copy of Tobin's Spirit Guide. Carstairs knows the book, saying the rare volume was published in 1920 by John Horace Tobin of East Hampton; he notes Tobin died shortly after getting it published, leading to its rarity.

Searching his records, Carstairs does find he has a copy in stock. He leads Chester to the back room where he keeps the special archives.

Nibbins opens the book and confirms it appears to be the legitimate article. He flips through quickly to the section where Allatou should be found, but finds that particular page he is looking for is burned out of the book. He notes the pages to either side are not singed.

When Carstairs asks for payment, Chester points out the problem with the book. Carstairs is upset about the damaged book, and begins yelling obscenities. He accuses Chester of causing the damage and being bad luck, and tells him to get out of his store. Chester tries to find out if he knows of any other copy around, but Carstairs says he does not.

Back on the street, Chester thinks of another possible store to try.

*** Prologue - Scene 10 (of 17) ***

Representative James O'Conner's palatial mansion in the garden district shines in the sun, with its white paint giving off an almost divine halo. The lush greenery surrounds it, along with the tall wrought iron fence.

Le Doux takes his car to the gate, where the guard checks his list and admits him. After parking the car, he and Eberhardt walk up the stairs to the columned porch, where he rings the bell. The door is answered by a large Norweigan manservant who gives his name as Claude.

Just inside the door is the entry hall, with a tall master staircase heading to the upper level. To the right, Le Doux notices the large dining room with its grand chandelier and place settings for over a dozen guests. To the left is a baroque parlor in the style of Louis XIV.

Claude, however does not let them into the parlor but takes them down a long hall to the back. Along the way, they pass a younger woman outside the ball room, crying; Le Doux assumes it is a family member.

The butler takes them to a back room where O'Conner's study is located. This room has a more masculine flair, with one wall dedicated to O'Conner's mementos and trophies from the Great War – including not only his old uniform, canteen, and rifle, but also a bayonet, a German pistol, and a spiked Pickelhaube helmet.

After a moment, O'Conner enters. Along with him is a younger blond man and an older middle-aged man. O'Conner is clearly tired, but maintains a cheerful disposition as he greets Le Doux and the others. He points out the younger man as Scott, his chief aide. The older man he identifies as Mr. Medvig, a name Le Doux recognizes as being a major political boss in the state (obviously there for some political reason).

Le Doux gives his condolences. When the congressman asks about their investigation, Boo admits they haven't made much progress yet.

He then asks the congressman if his son was involved in any non-traditional religion, such as Hinduism or Voodoo. Medvig interrupts before O'Conner can respond, saying the question is irrelevant and there should be no questions that insinuate the congressman or his family are involved in anything un-Christian-like.

Eberhardt tries to intervene, saying the information could be valuable. Medvig says they should definitely investigate all leads, but there can't be anything that could harm the congressman's reputation. He assures the men that no questions along those lines will lead to anything valuable.

After another exchange, Medvig starts to get upset and O'Conner has to intervene. He agrees to answer the question, saying his son had troubles but nothing involving anything like that.

Le Doux brings up the symbol on the ground in blood, saying he wants to make sure they know what is going on so they can keep things quiet. Medvig insists the crime was a robbery, saying surely they know someone in town who creates heinous acts like that they could find evidence on. When Eberhardt and Le Doux say they are amenable to a cover-up, Medvig clarifies to say they should do everything in their power to find the real robber.

Boo then brings up the betting sheet. O'Conner admits that sounds like his son, with Medvig reiterating the son had problems. Medvig goes on to suggest that line of investigation is more likely to be fruitful than fancies into the occult. Medvig even offers to use his contacts to help give them information in that direction, saying someone will contact them.

O'Conner thinks the men for their time, asking them to check in with Prichard when they have more information as he needs to head back to Washington for urgent business on a committee bill. Before O'Conner leaves, Le Doux asks about the body and he agrees it should be sent back to the house.

On their way out, Le Doux stops to talk to the crying woman. He gives his name and condolences for her loss. She gives her name as Janet, O'Conner's daughter and Taylor's brother. She says she is lost without him, explaining the two were very close as he was her usual escort when she left the house for various activities. Without him, she wonders if she will ever feel safe again.

Le Doux asks about anything unusual lately with Taylor's behavior, but Janet says he had been the same as always. He then asks about gambling, which she admits he had a problem with. Janet goes on to say he was always asking their father for money, even an argument the night he died about her father cutting him off.

His last question is about voodoo activities, but she assures him they would never have anything to do with those people. Le Doux mentions there was a symbol on the ground near the body, but it is probably coincidence. He isn't sure whether he can trust her or not, but gives her his card in case she needs anything.

As they leave, Millard pulls up. Le Doux asks about his book search, but Fox notes he was clearly given the wrong address.

*** Prologue - Scene 11 (of 17) ***

Chester uses his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow as he rushes to exchange streetcars one last time before reaching his destination in uptown. Situated near Audubon Park, the store he is looking for is a converted section of the old World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition. The sign above it reads, Esplanade Books.

Nibbins' skepticism evaporates quickly once he gets inside and sees the large collections of books, including a section of antiques from the 19th and 18th centuries. However, his hope quickly fades when the clerk checks the sales logs and finds they already sold the only copy of the book they had a couple of weeks ago.

The clerk, named Beauregard, explains it was sold to a private collector but he can't give the name out for privacy reasons. Nibbins takes out his wallet and puts down some cash. Beauregard, leaving the sales ledger open, says he just recalled he needed to check some inventory in the back.

After he leaves, Chester looks over the book and identifies the purchaser as a Miss Patricia Walker with an address of an apartment in St. Roch. Glancing through the volume, he can see she's purchased several occult-related books over the last couple of months.

Once he takes down all the notes, Chester leaves to head back to the office.

*** Prologue - Scene 12 (of 17) ***

The Regulator clock ticked off the minutes as Le Doux sat around his office waiting. He didn't like waiting, leading to an unfriendly gaze at the clock through the cloud of smoke in his office as he and the others sat around waiting for Nibbins to get back.

The bell at the door sounded, causing one of the mice hiding in the corner of the office to scuttle away back into the wall. Le Doux looked up and saw three men – a middle-aged German guy with short hair and glasses flanked by two goons, Irish by the look of them. Le Doux could figure out what was coming next.

The man didn't give a name, just calls himself a "concerned citizen for O'Conner." Fox can tell the goons are packing pistols.

Not wasting any time, the man tells them that if they are looking for a certain someone who might be owed money by another particular person, they might find that man by asking around the track for a guy named Bernie, calling it "friendly neighborhood advice". After giving his information, they leave.

Shortly after, Chester comes through the door. Fox immediately lays into him about sending him to the wrong address. Chester plays dumb, asking if he used the password. When Fox says he didn't, Nibbins tries to convince him to go back and try the password.

Le Doux interrupts the arguing back and forth by asking what Chester found. Nibbins explains he found a copy of the book with the page missing. He then traced down a second copy to a woman in St. Roch.

Eberhardt and Fox take notice. Eberhardt believes they should go talk to her. Le Doux fills in Chester on what they heard from the congressman, noting the political boss wants it covered up quickly by focusing on the gambling angle.

They decide to split up again, with Fox and Eberhardt checking in on Patricia Walker after checking in with the crime lab, while Le Doux and Nibbons check on the Bernie lead.

*** Prologue - Scene 13 (of 17) ***

With the new central police headquarters still under construction (and not scheduled to open for at least another year), the temporary headquarters was a run-down old building in a bad part of town. Some of the more dilapidated sections of it were abandoned, with routine rousts required to keep bums from squatting there.

Mid-day, the place was almost acceptable to look at, though various indigents and hopheads still swarmed around the surrounding neighborhood. Eberhardt usually considered his precinct a bit of a dump, but compared to central command it was a palace and he was glad not to have to work out of it.

The crime lab, such as it was, was an understaffed and overcrowded room near the back of the station. While the new building held promise of something more state of the art, the current one looked more Victorian.

The ballistics expert, a man named Kelvin, greets Eberhardt and Fox. He tells them he has completed his report on the bullet. Kelvin goes on to say they had a bit of trouble with the bullet.

Eberhardt is intrigued, asking what the issue is. Kelvin explains they originally assumed it was a .32 ACP cartridge, but the grain weight was wrong. He goes on to explain that in examining it further, they found it was an unusual bullet. Using the Goddard catalogue, he believes it is a European cartridge – a 9mm Parabellum used by a German P08 Luger pistol.

Officer Eberhardt is familiar with the weapon, having carried one in his time during the war. However, he tries to play dumb.

*** Prologue - Scene 14 (of 17) ***

The Fair Grounds racing track is a popular destination with a full parking lot. Hundreds of people sit in the stands waiting for the next race as the horses and jockeys are led out.

The ground is littered with torn betting slips of the unfortunate, like a ticker tape parade of broken dreams. The slight breeze in the air smells of horse dung, which Le Doux finds appropriate.

It doesn't take much asking around to find Bernie the Bookie. The middle-aged, rough-looking Jewish man stands as close to the track as he can, chomping down on a big cigar. Le Doux figures he's not one of the guys who just makes book and takes the money, rather he's a degenerate gambler himself trying to stay afloat.

Le Doux uses the same play he did in Chez Lousiane, to better effect this time. Saying O'Conner owes him a hundred, he asks Bernie if he's seen him. Bernie laughs it off, saying Taylor owes him five large and will get his money first.

After a brief negotiation, Le Doux gets Bernie to agree to give him a finder's fee of 10% if he manages to collect from Taylor. When Boo comments on the amount, Bernie says the guy has had bad luck lately, but he's not too worried about the money since the vig alone will keep his rent paid. Besides, he figures his father is good for it.

Le Doux gets Bernie to confirm he last saw Taylor the previous day. Based on the amount lost, Bernie will come looking for him the next day.

Boo is convinced the bookie didn't kill him, and isn't even aware he's dead. Chester agrees, and the two decide to head back to the office.

*** Prologue - Scene 15 (of 17) ***

The statuary angels watch over the quiet streets of St. Roch. Like every other day, the faithful come on their pilgrimage to ask St. Roch for help with their diseases or deformities – a boy with a club foot, a woman with tuberculosis, and an old man with a glass eye are just some of the visitors that day.

Eberhardt drives past, paying little notice of the penitent. His destination is past the cemetery and chapel, past the dilapidated old market that he believes should just be torn down, and past a few more blocks of homes and parks before reaching the row houses where Patricia Walker is said to reside.

Fox takes the lead, knocking on the downstairs door. The landlady confirms Walker is home in the upstairs apartment, but refuses to let them up without accompanying them as she doesn't let young women staying in her apartments have male visitors without a chaperone.

The three make their way up the outside stairs. When Patricia opens the door, the two are surprised to find her a very attractive young redhead. She reminds Fox a bit of the older redhead he has his eye on back at the office.

Fox greets her and asks if she knows Miss Marie. Walker is confused, asking if he has the right apartment. When he says he is sure that he is, she asks who he is. He answers evasively, causing the landlady to give him a look.

Eberhardt tries to fix the situation by saying he is with the police, though that doesn't comfort the landlady any. Walker suggests she meet them at the coffee shop across the street in a few minutes, obviously not wanting to continue the conversation in front of her landlady.

Shortly after, she meets them at one of the tables out on the patio area. She wants to know what this is about.

Fox shows her the symbol her drew, asking if it means anything to her. She finds it interesting that is what they are there for, expressing surprise that police detectives would be interested in the occult.

Without going into too many details, Fox says it was found at a crime scene. Patricia correctly identifies the symbol as belonging to the demon Allatou. She says there is an active cult in the area.

Patricia goes on to explain she is a demonologist and studies the activities of cultists. She confirms Fox really wants all the details, while Eberhardt excuses himself to get more coffee.

Fox listens to the information she read in Tobin's Spirit Guide. Allatou is a female demon, usually identified with trying to possess a virgin female in order to birth demonic Nephilim. The knowledge is slightly more than he can take, causing him to momentarily lose track of the conversation. He doesn't even notice Patricia's joke that as a modern woman, she is protected from such threats.

When Eberhardt gets back, Fox gives him a brief synopsis of what he learned. Eberhardt finds Walker quite attractive, and starts to get a little lecherous. Disturbed by the attention of the man twice her age, she says she needs to be getting back home. Fox gives her a dollar for her time.

*** Prologue - Scene 16 (of 17) ***

When everyone gets back together at Le Doux's office, they compare notes. Everyone agrees the gambler angle is dead, but Walker's lead about the cult has merit. Fox even muses the cult could be after Janet O'Conner and simply killed Taylor to keep him out of the way.

Eberhardt also explains about the bullet. Le Doux points out they already know where one Luger is located – O'Conner's study. He wants to get a closer look at the gun.

After a long discussion, the four agree the next step is to go see Scott Prichard. Not only do they need to fill him in on the case, but Le Doux wants to use some subterfuge to get him back to the house so they can distract him while one of them checks the gun. After that, Le Doux wants to follow up with Walker to see if he can get any additional info and he also still wants to check on the sulfur lead.

The congressman's local office is an unassuming suite inside one of the buildings in the business district. When they come in, his secretary is on the phone but motions them to wait inside Prichard's office. The door appears to be open but no one is inside.

Le Doux can see Prichard has expensive tastes – it has a fine vase, an oriental rug, and a fancy renaissance-style painting on the wall, a print of some version of the adoration of the magi. Fox can tell this particular version is by Heironymus Bosch.

However, on looking at it closer, Fox and Le Doux can see something is wrong with the painting. The Virgin Mary figure in the painting has scaly pink skin and yellow eyes, while the Baby Jesus being held has hooves and horns on his head.

Just then, the secretary gets off the phone and says she's not sure if Prichard is coming in today because he hasn't shown up yet, noting he didn't even cancel his usual lunch order. Fox starts to worry something is very wrong.

Fox notices the paper bag sitting on the desk. Sniffing, he recognizes the smell from the lunch bag as crawfish etouffee. He asks the secretary and she confirms Prichard always orders his lunch from Chez Louisiane; it's his favorite.

Le Doux starts putting the pieces together, saying they need to rush over to the O'Conner residence right away.