Jessica goes to New Orleans during Mardi Gras to check on cousin-in-law Calhoun 'Cal' Fletcher as promised to Aunt Mildred. As her hotel was booked for the next night, she goes to Cal's place, but the only man in the Cyrano de Bergerac costume she was told he wears ignores her and storms, with drawn sword, into a room beside the party hall from where a fight is heard, which leaves a real corpse, Johnny Blaze, with Cal written in blood besides him. NOPD Lt. Edmund Cavette concludes from her eye for murder scene details who Jessica is and explains the Lafitte mansion, which Cal inherited, is no home but a gambling place. Cavette arrests Cal, who claims he didn't even know what happened there. Cavette knows he was indebted to Blaze, now Cal admits he recently accused Blaze of cheating. Fellow gambler attorney Mitch Payne promises bail tomorrow and considers pleading self-defense. He got Blaze off a murder charge, he probably committed, on Cavette's son, Eric. Jessica untangles more sordid intrigues concerning such matters as Congressman Brad Gardner's IOU's which his rich wife Rosaline tried to buy back, and Kitty Manette's infidelity, before trapping the killer at a reconstruction.
—KGF Vissers
