It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans and unfortunately, the parades have been canceled this year due to COVID.
That doesn't mean that lovers of the city have to do without. Take a trip to the Big Easy and be an armchair traveler with The Ghost in the Plantation: A Nancy Keene Mystery.
Walk through the French Quarter with a teenage sleuth inspired by the early Nancy Drew stories as she tries to solve the mystery of who killed the docent at Oak Alley Plantation.
Excerpt:
Nancy, her father, and friends took the red-eye to New Orleans and arrived at 4:00 in the morning. There was light rain falling as the taxi driver drove to the French Quarter. When they reached the heart of the Quarter, they loved all of the buildings and the way the streetlights were reflected in the rainy street. There wasn’t a tourist to be found, and all of the streets were deserted except for a teenage African American boy dressed like Gainsborough’s “Blue Boy” who was playing a trumpet in the shelter of a doorway on Royal Street.
Nancy told her friends, “Listen to him. I think he’s playing Stardust by Louis Armstrong.”
“How do you know that?” Beth asked.
“Dad and I have been watching the Ken Burns Jazz series and we know all the songs from it. I’ll lend you the DVD some time.”
“What’s this guy doing standing out here by himself in the middle of the night when nobody’s around to hear him?” Hannah wondered.
Nancy said, “Maybe he’s trying to pick up on the vibe of all the musicians in New Orleans’ past. Maybe he’s channeling Louis Armstrong.”
Mr. Keene told them, “We’ll definitely have to hear some ‘trad jazz’ while we’re here.”
“These buildings remind me of Disneyland’s Orleans Square,” Hannah said. “I’m expecting to see a Riverboat any minute.”
The taxi driver pointed towards the Mississippi River as he drove down Rampart Street. “You can catch the Delta Queen right over there. She’s a beautiful riverboat.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Mr. Keene answered.
“Let’s for sure go on a riverboat while we’re here,” Hannah chimed in.
“Aren’t any of you guys tired? I didn’t get a wink of sleep on the plane,” Beth complained.
“We’ll take a little nap once we get settled in our rooms at the Lamothe House,” Mr. Keene told the girls.
“Where did you hear about this hotel, Dad?”
“Your mother and I came here on our honeymoon.”
“How romantic!” Beth exclaimed.
“I hope you don’t miss her too much while we’re here, Dad. Maybe we should have gone somewhere else.”
“She’d be very happy at the thought of you being here with me right now.”
Everyone was lost in thought until they arrived at their historic three-storied pink hotel decorated with two large Corinthian columns on either side of the front door.
Once there, they were greeted by the night clerk who introduced himself. “P.T. Beauregard, at your service. Glad to make your acquaintance.”
Nancy asked, “Were you named after the Civil War General?”
“Yes. Indeed, I was. How clever of you to know that.” He took their luggage. “Let me show you your rooms.”
Beth said, “This hotel looks old. Does it have any ghosts in it?”
“Why yes, I believe it does. Some of our guests have reported seeing a woman in red walking the hallways looking for her baby that died.”
“Oh, you don’t believe that. Do you?” Hannah asked.
“Who am I to say? This is New Orleans and there are many things here that you may find hard to believe.”
He showed them to their rooms and cautioned them, “Watch out for the red woman’s ghost. We haven’t seen her for a while; you never know when she’ll return.”
“Just great,” Beth said sarcastically. “So much for sleeping.”
“You’ll be fine, honey. Just be sure to lock your door,” he said, winking at Nancy.
That guy gives me the creeps, Nancy thought. The girls entered a richly decorated room, featuring antiques and damask curtains. “Isn’t this beautiful? Look at this vintage fireplace,” Nancy told her friends.
“Wow!” Beth said. “I just love it!” She walked over to a window and saw the city starting to wake up. “Come and look outside,” she motioned.
The three girls looked out the window and were delighted when they heard a calliope playing in the distance.
