by Grace York
"I think we can rule the clowns out of the picture as well," said Isaac.
"Good," said Addison. "I never thought it was them. What did they tell you this morning? Why were they in Frankie's bunk?"
"They were there to threaten him," said Isaac.
Addison grabbed his arm to stop him. "They what?"
"We were right about Frankie trying to blackmail them. He caught Corey and Nabil together one night and threatened to tell Nabil's parents unless they paid him half their wages each. Corey told Luc, and Luc walked straight into Frankie's bunk and counter-threatened. Apparently, Luc knew that Frankie had been secretly seeing Davina."
"Jake's wife?" Addison was losing track.
"Yep. Luc said he was more than happy to tell Jake what his wife had been up to, which would almost certainly have cost Frankie his job. Frankie backed down, and a truce was made. So the clowns had no reason to kill Frankie."
"But Jake did," said Addison. "If he knew about the affair with Davina."
"Yeah. Davina was my next stop, before you rang."
"My goodness," said Addison. "Frankie and Davina, Harriet and Bob, Corey and Nabil. There are a lot of secret relationships going on in this carnival."
"Don't forget the trapeze artists. It's not surprising when you think about it," said Isaac. "They spend eight months of the year travelling together." He swept a hand over the camp trailers. "Look at the size of the spaces most of them live in. And the only people they see more than once are each other. Of course relationships are going to form. Not to mention arguments."
"Arguments!" said Addison. She suddenly remembered why she was so desperate to find Holly. She told Isaac about the argument between Hugh Hanley and his father, and how it had escalated so quickly.
"I realised we hadn't paid much attention to Hugh because we had no motive for him."
"You're right. We looked into him, but he was clean. Nothing showed up on his record, bank accounts, phone records, anything. We have no reason to suspect him."
They'd walked through the staff area and out the other side, with no sign of Holly. Now they were approaching the circus tent, where Addison could hear the music that accompanied the clowns' performance.
"There!" said Addison, pointing to the side of the main tent. There was a smaller tent attached to the big one, where the performers milled about waiting and getting ready to go in. Addison thought she caught a glimpse of Holly around the back of the smaller tent.
They picked up their pace and closed the gap within seconds.
"You're not supposed to be back here," said one of the trapeze performers, but Isaac held up his badge and waved the guy away. Addison walked around the back of the tent and found Holly, eyes red from crying.
"Holly! What's wrong? Where have you been?" Addison grabbed the girl by both arms.
"Oh, Addison. It's all a big mess. It's all my fault."
"What's your fault?"
"I never should have lied to him," she said, sobbing. Addison could barely make out the words.
"Lied to who? About what? Holly, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
Holly fell to her knees. "I think Hugh killed Frankie. And it's all my fault."
27
Holly had dissolved into a mess of tears, and it was a full two minutes before Addison could get any more information out of her. But when she finally spoke, it did nothing to allay Addison's fears.
"I shouldn't have lied to him," Holly said again. "It's all my fault."
Addison pulled the girl to her feet. "Holly, you need to pull yourself together. Tell us what you said to Hugh. Tell us why you think he killed Frankie."
Holly took a deep breath. "Frankie knew about Corey and Nabil," she said. "He was going to tell Nabil's parents. They would have made him quit the carnival and leave Corey. It's not fair."
"Okay," Addison prompted. "We know that much. What did you do?"
"I told Hugh… I… I said Frankie had harassed me. It was kind of true. He was always making mean comments. He was a horrible man. Hugh didn't like him either. No-one did, except old Mr Hanley. I thought if I gave Hugh a good reason, he could fire Frankie and we could all go back to being happy. Like we were before he came along."
"But Hugh didn't fire Frankie," said Isaac.
"No. He killed him."
"Do you know this for sure?" Isaac asked.
Holly looked up at Addison, her eyes wide and pleading.
"If you know, you have to tell us," Addison said gently.
Holly's eyes fell to the ground. "He told me. Last night. He came to my bunk and told me he'd dealt with the problem, and now we could be together."
"Where is Hugh now?" asked Isaac.
Holly pointed to the main tent. "It's show time. He's directing the performance."
Isaac lifted his phone to his ear and started speaking. In less than a minute Short and Diaz were with them. Isaac explained the situation to them.
"We need to cover all three exits," he said. "And let's not make a scene. There'll be a lot of kids in there."
He turned to Holly. "Can you come in with me? It's a big tent. I need you to show me exactly where he is."
Holly took a deep breath and nodded.
"You stay here," Isaac said to Addison.
"Not a chance," said Addison. "My daughter is in that tent."
Isaac sighed and shook his head. "Stay behind me, both of you."
Short and Diaz went off in separate directions, and Isaac moved towards the closest entrance. He waited a few more seconds for the others to get into position, then entered the tent.
Addison and Holly were right behind him.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but soon enough Addison could see Paolo and Gianna in the ring. By the looks of it their act was just getting started.
Addison's eyes followed Holly's pointed finger to where Hugh Hanley stood at the side of the ring. He looked so normal. Could he really be a killer?
She remembered his outburst earlier in the day. He'd got so angry with his father he'd smashed the electronic tablet on the ground.
Maybe he could be a killer.
Addison scanned the crowd for Olivia. There she was, two rows from the front, watching the magicians intently with Max from the Red Lion. Addison pulled herself in further behind the seats, so Olivia didn't see her.
What was Isaac going to do? He had to arrest Hugh, but did he really have to do it in front of all these people? Couldn't it have waited until the show was over?
Isaac was inching closer to Hugh, and as soon as Hugh spotted him and the other two officers blocking the exits, Addison knew the answer to her question. Hugh's eyes darted around, looking for an escape route. But he was trapped. Diaz blocked the exit right behind him, and Short was covering the door on the other side of the tent.
Diaz took a step closer, and for a minute Addison thought Hugh was going to give himself up. But instead he ran into the middle of the ring and started climbing the ladder. He was so quick he was almost at the top before the crowd gasped.
"Oh no," said Isaac.
Harriet Hanley appeared at his side. "What's going on?" she said. "What are you doing here?" She spotted Hugh at the top of the tent. "What's he doing up there?"
"Long story," said Isaac. "But I don't think he's of sound mind right now. We need to get these people out of here. Calmly."
The crowd were already starting to point and whisper. The whispers got louder, until they weren't whispers anymore.
"Is this part of the show?" Addison heard one woman say.
"It might be part of the magic trick," said a man next to her.
"I don't think so," said someone else. "He's not in costume. He'd be wearing a costume if it was part of the show."
"You're right," said the first woman. "He's not wearing a costume, Greg."
"Yes, I heard," said Greg. "The magicians have stopped, too. They're looking up at him like we are."
"Definitely not part of the show," said the woman.
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Addison looked over at Olivia. Her daughter's face was filled with fright, and Addison wanted to rush to her and tell her it was going to be okay.
But it wasn't going to be okay.
"Oh, my goodness," someone else in the crowd exclaimed. "He's going to jump."
28
"So much for keeping them calm," said Isaac, amidst screams from the crowd.
"I've got an idea," said Addison. She raced back out to the changing room tent and found Corey and Luc. "Put your wigs back on, boys. They need you in there." She quickly explained what was happening and pushed them back into the main tent.
They caught on quickly, like the professionals they were. After a few quick tumbles and slapstick moves to get everyone's attention, Corey explained that there was a small problem with the tent and the man up in the air was going to fix it. But everyone had to help by standing up and wiggling about with their craziest dance moves.
The kids got right into it, and soon enough most of the adults caught on and helped to distract the kids. Within minutes Corey and Luc had the laughing crowd on their feet and dancing their way out of the tent. Addison was relieved when Olivia and Max were out of harm's way.
Isaac had kept his eye on Hugh Hanley the whole time.
"You think he's really going to jump?" Addison asked once the tent had been cleared of the public.
"I don't know," said Isaac. "But that was brilliant. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Corey and Luc are the stars here." Addison looked up at Hugh. He was holding onto the rope-ladder so tight Addison could see the whites of his knuckles from down on the ground. He didn't look like he wanted to jump.
"What now?" she asked.
"Yes, what now?" asked Holly. "You can't let him hurt himself. Oh my goodness, this is all my fault."
"Stop it, Holly," said Addison with as stern a voice as she could muster. "You can't blame yourself. He's the one who climbed up there. He's the one who killed Frankie."
"What?" Addison turned at the sound of the deep voice. It belonged to Jake. The whole Hanley family had entered the tent and were now staring up at Hugh. Harriet must have gone and got them. Dot's face was a mixture of fear and confusion, while her husband was just annoyed. Owen and Harriet's concern was obvious, their heads swivelled from Hugh to each other and then around the tent, looking for some way to help. Davina's eyes were on Jake.
"There's no time to explain," said Isaac. "Isn't there supposed to be a net or something? To catch the performers if they fall?"
"We only put the net up during the trapeze act," said Jake. "Did you say Hugh killed Frankie?"
"Yes," said Isaac. "Is there any way we can get the net back up?"
"I'm on it," said Owen.
"He's not going to jump," said another voice. Morris Hanley stepped into the middle of the ring. "Get down from there, right now," he yelled up to Hugh.
"No," said Hugh.
"Please, Hugh," said Dot, joining her husband in the ring underneath her youngest son. "What are you doing?"
"I don't belong, Mum. I never have."
"Get down here now," said Morris, his voice louder now. "Do you have any idea how much this is costing me? All those people are going to want their money back…"
"It's all about money to you, isn't it?" said Jake, stepping into the ring to confront his father. "That's what everything comes back to."
"Of course it's about money," said Morris. "How else am I supposed to put food on the table? Clothes on your back? This carnival has supported our family for over seventy years."
Addison felt like she was intruding on a private family matter, but she couldn't tear herself away. She stood rooted to the spot, Holly in her arms with tears streaming down her cheeks. She glanced at Isaac, who was keeping a close watch on Hugh.
"This carnival is tearing our family apart," said Jake. "Do you have any idea what we've all sacrificed for you? For this bloody show to go on?"
"What are you talking about?" said Morris. "What sacrifices? I've given you everything. I've made it possible for you to live a great life."
"It's your life, Dad. Not ours. But we don't have a choice."
"You don't know what's good for you," said Morris.
"Really? Owen having to come back here every year to be reminded that his son isn't his? That's good for him? Hugh stuck in a stupid circus managing temperamental performers when he's smart enough to get any job he wants? That's good for him? And me, having to pretend I don't know my wife is having an affair with a complete asshat of a man because he's this year's favourite son to you. That's good for me? When is one of your actual sons going to be your favourite, Dad? What do we have to do to get you to care about us?"
"I…"
"Save it, Dad. It's too late." Jake looked up to Hugh, still dangling from the top of the ladder. "Come down, mate. I can't let you do this."
"Jake…" said Hugh.
"No. You deserve better." Jake turned to Isaac and held out his arms, fists clenched and wrists together. "I'm the one you want. I killed Frankie."
29
Chaos followed Jake's confession. Everyone talked at once, but Addison watched as Isaac and his team never took their eyes off Hugh.
"Shut up, all of you," said Addison. "You can argue later. We've got to get him down."
Owen was struggling to set the safety net on his own. Addison and Holly raced to help, and finally Morris did too. Dot and Davina stood back out of the way, but they went to separate sides of the ring. Dot may have been aware of Harriet's past indiscretion with Bob, but she'd obviously had no idea about Davina and Frankie.
Isaac hadn't handcuffed Jake, who now climbed the ladder after his brother.
"Don't," said Hugh.
"Mate, you have to come down," said Jake. He stopped halfway up. "I've told them it was me. There's no reason for you to do this. It's over."
"Why did you do that? I'm not like you, Jake. You and Owen. You can handle this life. I'm not good enough."
Jake held onto the rope ladder with one hand. "You're right," he said. "You're not suited to this life. You're better than this. All of this." He ran his free hand through the air, palm up, to illustrate. "You can be anything you want, Hugh. You need to stop letting this place hold you back. You need to stop letting Dad hold you back."
Morris looked up from where he was busy hooking the safety net into place. "I'm not—"
"Shut up, Dad," said Owen. "Let Jake speak for once."
"Why are you up here, Hugh?" Jake asked. "Why are you trying to take the blame for something you didn't do?"
"I… you have more to stick around for than me," said Hugh. "Davina, and the baby… you said you were going to stop gambling, win her back. Make a real go of it. I can't let you throw all that away."
"That's not your choice to make, little brother. I'm the screw-up of this family, not you. I made my own choices. Now I have to face the consequences."
Addison finally managed to get her corner of the safety net hooked in place. She looked up to find the others had done the same and breathed a sigh of relief that the threat of danger had passed. Her mind started working overtime to process what she'd just heard.
It was Jake who killed Frankie?
Now that the net was in place, Isaac called up to the two brothers.
"Any chance you two can get down here so we can sort this mess out?"
Jake looked up to his younger brother. "How about it?"
Hugh nodded, and climbed down after Jake. Once they were both on the ground Dot wrapped her arms around Hugh, while Jake held out his wrists again.
"I killed Frankie Hammond," he said.
Isaac raised his eyebrows at Hugh, who nodded. Isaac signalled to Senior Constable Short, who stepped forward to arrest Jake.
"Hang on a minute," said Morris, grasping Jake's arm. "What are you saying?"
"I said I killed Frankie. He stole my life, Dad."
"But I thought the two of you got on all right?"
Jake stared at hi
s father a moment before answering. "We did at first. But then he turned on me. I know the gambling was my own fault, and I don't blame anyone for the trouble I got into there. But he made it worse. He encouraged me to borrow money, money he knew I couldn't pay back. He even lent me some himself. Then he got close to Davina, and I couldn't do anything about it. He was so sneaky, Dad. He had you fooled."
He turned to his wife. "Davina too. He didn't even care about you. Or the baby."
Davina placed a hand protectively over her belly. "It's not his," she said.
"I know."
"Then why?"
Jake shrugged. "I don't know. The gambling, you, Dad and the way he was turning on me and Hugh, it all seemed to stem from Frankie. No-one liked him. He was ruining us. I had to do something."
"Why didn't you come to me?" asked Morris.
"I tried, Dad. You wouldn't listen. You wouldn't hear a bad word about him. He was your new prodigy. You would have sacked Paolo and given him top billing if Hugh hadn't stopped you. You even invited him to come to the house this winter. I couldn't stand the thought of that. Of him hanging around Davina all that time. It's bad enough on the road. But out there, with nothing to do…"
Isaac stepped forward. "That's probably enough for now," he said. "Take him back to the station. I'll be there shortly."
Short and Diaz took Jake away, and Davina started to cry. Harriet put an arm around her and led her away. Owen followed.
Dot Hanley broke down at the sight of her son being led away in handcuffs. She collapsed into a ringside seat, and Morris, for the first time Addison had seen, went to comfort her.
That left Addison, Isaac, Holly, and Hugh.
"Why did you tell me you'd killed Frankie?" Holly asked Hugh.
"I didn't," said Hugh. "Well not exactly. I let you believe I did, though. I'm sorry. I guess I just wanted to impress you. I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting you. I went to confront him, but he was already dead."
