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said.
    Jackson nodded. “Anyway, both men were stabbed in the heart. The forensics experts believe that both men were stabbed with a bayonet or something similar that could be wielded with a certain precision.”
    â€œIf a bayonet was the murder weapon, that seems to indicate the killer is a Civil War reenactor,” Ethan said.
    â€œThat’s what the police think. But what’s the motive? And why these two men? Both of them were descended from men who fought in the Civil War but on opposite sides. Both of them had roots in or around the area, but their jobs weren’t related, and there doesn’t seem to be any obvious connection between them.”
    Ethan listened, surprised he hadn’t seen anything about the murders on the news yet. He believed the country was trying to change the mind-set that had been so common at one time. He would have seen a clearer motive if descendants of known Klansmen had been murdered, for example, even more so if the victims were current members of the Klan or one of its spiritual cousins.
    He didn’t know the particulars of either man, since he had yet to read the files, but he was sure Crow would have mentioned anything that obvious.
    And he had yet to hear why the Krewe were involved. Unless the local police had asked for help. Unless one of the men had been kidnapped or state lines had been crossed.
    Under most circumstances, three murders with the same signature were seen as the calling card of a serial killer, which was when the Bureau got involved, and so far they only had two. Of course, since the War on Terror had begun, everything, even in the FBI, had changed. And especially with the Krewe of Hunters, there really wasn’t such a thing as a norm.
    â€œJackson, I need to look through that,” he said, indicating the folder.
    Jackson nodded. “You can study it on the way.”
    â€œOn the way? Where am I going?”
    â€œBaton Rouge,” Jackson said, watching him for his reaction.
    â€œOkay,” Ethan said slowly. “I’m just curious, and I’d like to play with a full deck. The Bureau has an office in New Orleans. Granted, it’s not a Krewe office, but even here I’m not the only Louisiana agent on staff. Am I going with someone else? Were we invited in? Or will I be stepping on toes when I get there?”
    â€œAdam is speaking with the proper authorities. You won’t have any problems, though you’ll be working with a local detective—Randall Laurent.”
    â€œRandy!” Ethan said.
    â€œYou know him?” Jackson asked.
    Ethan nodded. “We’re both from St. Francisville. He’s a good guy,” he added, pausing to grin. “He quit opening beer bottles with his teeth years ago and became a solid, tough and decent man. Seriously, he’s a good guy. We were actually at Loyola together, too. But—”
    â€œI’m sending you because Angela referred the call to me. She receives all our ‘invitations’ and inquiries, and she has a great way of reading between the lines and determining if the case is right for us.”
    Ethan knew Angela, a special agent with the Krewe who handled a lot of the administrative and back-end business. They were often inundated with cases, and she had an amazing ability to determine which ones might best benefit from the Krewe’s assistance.
    She and Jackson were also married and had been among the original six members of the Krewe.
    â€œYes, of course,” Ethan said.
    â€œI believe you’re the perfect man for this situation. You know the area. If I’m not mistaken, you even used to live in the parish.”
    â€œI’ve been gone a long time,” Ethan said. “I have family in the area, but they’re mostly in New Orleans now.”
    â€œBut you know people there. The lead detective is an old friend, you said. That’s always a good thing.”
    Ethan was still curious. So far he’d