Cut and Run 7 - Touch and Geaux

that the police station is two blocks that way?” Zane asked, pointing toward Royal Street.
    “What are you, like a walking map?” Digger asked.
    “Sort of, yeah,” Zane answered.
    “The station will be damn near empty right now,” Ty told them. “There are three parades today, plus the Easter services. They’re already out. The safest place is in a crowd, and this is all I got.”
    Nick patted him on the shoulder, nodding. “It’ll do.”
    “Call the Feds,” Owen said as they all parked themselves near the façade of the restaurant. They looked like wandering vagrants. Their clothes were unkempt, they were carrying bags on their backs, and Ty and Zane were both wearing hats they had taken from Murdoch’s office before leaving.
    Ty pulled out his phone and dialed the number for the local Bureau field office.
    “Yes, I need to speak with Gregory Pike,” Ty said as soon as the call was answered. He could feel the others forming a sort of barrier around him and Zane as they stood on the periphery of the parade crowd. He ducked his head to avoid being recognized or caught on any security feeds.
    “I’m sorry, sir, Special Agent Pike no longer works here.”
    “Shit,” Ty hissed. He put the phone to his chest and closed his eyes, trying to think. Pike had been the handler for all UC cases before Katrina hit. He’d been a solid, trustworthy local, one who’d proven impervious to bribes or scandal. His replacement could be anyone, and Ty didn’t trust just anyone. He cleared his throat and brought the phone back up. “I need to speak with his replacement, then.”
    “One moment.”
    Nick shook his head urgently. “Replacement?”
    “I know. I don’t think we can trust him,” Ty whispered.
    Zane extended his hand. “How do you know?”
    “This is New Orleans, Zane, you don’t trust anyone. But if I hear his name, I might know him.”
    “Hang up,” Nick hissed.
    Kelly gripped Nick’s shoulder and shook his head. “This is the only avenue that doesn’t end bloody. We’ll go in careful, bug out if he doesn’t feel right.”
    Ty glanced around the faces staring at him and noticed one missing. “Where’d Liam go?”
    The others searched around, but Liam Bell was nowhere to be found.
    “He bailed,” Zane said. He sounded surprised.
    Ty gritted his teeth. “We consider him hostile now.”
    “Does that mean I get to shoot him?” Nick asked.
    “Yes.”
    Owen cursed. “We can’t fight a three-front war with a few of Digger’s toys and four guns.”
    Zane shook his head. “We can’t fight one front if we don’t get help.”

    Saint Louis Cemetery #1 on Basin Street was the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. It wasn’t far from where the parade started. The walk was excruciating for Zane. Ty wouldn’t make eye contact with him, wouldn’t even glance in his general direction. Zane wasn’t sure which of them should be apologizing or if there was even anything left to say after last night. Ty had crossed a line, there was no question of that. But last night, Zane had crossed one too.
    He trailed along, silent as Ty told them a little of the history of the cemetery so they’d be familiar with the terrain.
    The raised tombs were due in part to the Spanish and French traditions of the original New Orleanians, but also served as a solution to the fact that New Orleans was below sea level. Solid land was at a premium even in the 1700s, and using it to bury the dead was just bad business. So the iconic aboveground cemeteries of New Orleans were pieced together over the centuries. Ty told them they would have lots of cover, but to be careful about taking blind turns, as they might wind up smacking straight into an abandoned vault that had sunk half into the ground.
    There were three gated entrances into the cemetery, only one of which stayed open. It was otherwise surrounded by high walls. Not a fortress by any means, but an excellent place for such a meeting. The maze inside would offer cover, and the limited points of egress would make it easy to spot anyone who shouldn’t be there.
    As the parade inched down Bourbon, they began to split off. Ty was to double-time it to the north and circle back, heading down Rampart and then cutting through Louis Armstrong Park. He would approach Basin Street Station, a visitor center with a roof terrace that was the perfect place to put a sniper. He’d secure a position up there and remain until it was clear. He carried Liam’s British-made AWS