“How did your son get hurt?” Kissy asked this innocently.
Evelyn looked down and fluffed the hair over her eye. “You know what boys can be like.”
“Why don’t you introduce me to the other members of your committee?” Julia pulled Evelyn away from the bar and back towards the chairs.
Tim stood still, concentrating on breathing. He watched Evelyn reluctantly follow his sister to the gaggle of do-gooders. Julia was careful about how she touched the broken woman. She let Evelyn take the lead with the introductions. He recognized every subtlety from how she had treated him as a kid.
A breeze blew open the back door of the gym, tearing him from his memories. Kissy, holding her turtleneck up, brushed a hand along his arm before she jogged over to secure the door. Tim followed. When he caught up, he ushered Kissy out the door and shut it behind them. She didn’t argue.
Circus Freaks had a small back driveway and loading dock left over from when it had been a tuna cannery in the wharf’s heyday. Just beyond the cement of the drive, a thin strip of grass and carefully spaced trees lined the metal fence looking over the lake. The wind had picked up since he’d arrived. Kissy’s silky black hair blew nearly in his face as she walked with him to the water’s edge. The waves turned the water white as they crested. Thanks to the steady wind, the lake had a current driving the water northwards even as it crashed in against the seawall.
Kissy took his hand. “You didn’t know why Julia was helping Evelyn?”
Tim shook his head. He watched the crashing waves and sucked in the cold air.
“She has a son.” He stated it. But Kissy took it as a question.
“A nine year old son and thirteen year old daughter.”
He looked at her sharply and away again. Turning his back on the rising tide, he faced the bright blue Circus Freak’s building, glancing at the warehouses and converted lofts to either side. The sun had already sunk below their heights. Down to the south, lights were already coming on at the dead docks.
He made up his mind and sighed. “And here I’d just decided to stop working pro-bono.”
Kissy faced him. She grabbed his arm roughly. “No.”
“You know what’s happening, don’t you?”
“Yes.” She said. “But that’s not the way to help Evelyn.”
“If Julia knew what I do, she’d hire me for this.”
“No, she wouldn’t.” Kissy countered.
“No?”
“No. Julia is as strong and awesome as she is because she got herself out.” Kissy turned away from him, back to the water. “So did you.”
“So I shouldn’t kill her husband.”
“No, KC.” She said firmly. “What does the C stand for?”
Tim smiled. “Conscience.”
“Right. You’re the Killer with a Conscience. You help people. Other people. If you kill him, it would be for yourself.”
“But he wouldn’t be able to hurt them anymore.”
“He wouldn’t be able to hit them anymore. But they still won’t have any power.” Kissy looked up into Tim’s eyes. “Let Julia help them. Take a night off.”
His phone buzzed. “There’s someone else I could help tonight.”
Kissy looked far away to the south where the coast curved deeper into the water. Lights shone from the great glass window that had been repaired on the back of the hospital. She reached a hand halfway up to her neck but then stuck the hand in a pocket of her black dress pants.
Tim breathed in the cold air and kept his own hand from wiping the tear from her cheek. He whispered, “If you don’t want me to, I won’t do it.”
Kissy looked into his eyes. “Don’t do it. Don’t kill anyone tonight.”
Six
Kissy grabbed Tim’s hand and dragged him back inside. Even in a turtleneck and pants, it was too cold to be standing still outside. She checked her phone while Tim typed out a text telling his client he wasn’t going to take the job.
She had two texts from Avi.
A couple of hours ago he’d asked, Do you need a ride to the circus?
And then, I’m at The Coffeeshop if you need a ride home.
Kissy ignored them.
Inside Circus Freaks, she hustled over to the room Julia referred to as the equipment closet. The closet held most of the rigging and equipment that wasn’t currently set up in the gym. There were poles and belts and ropes and bars and shelves filled with rigging. One corner was dedicated to brightly colored clowning supplies. Along the wall right by the door were floor to ceiling shelves holding wrapped Spanish ropes and knotted up lengths of silks used for the aerial acts Julia specialized in. The silks were tied so that one pull could open up fifteen yards of strong, billowy fabric that allowed Julia to fly. They may have called it a closet, but the room was really the size of Kissy and Julia’s apartments put together.
Julia had brought Kissy’s gear to the gym earlier in the day and now Kissy started pulling it out to set up. She didn’t really believe the committee wanted to audition her for the fund raiser. Just as Julia had gotten involved the anti-obesity campaign to help empower Evelyn, she’d strung Kissy into the event to help her heal from nearly having her head cut off. Kissy wasn’t a fool. She knew she’d shut down since she’d been released from the hospital.
She reached a hand up to her neck. She’d agreed to perform. But she wasn’t ready to play the ukulele again just yet. For just a little while, she’d stick to her guitar.
“The client sounds pretty desperate.” Tim startled her.
She dropped her hand from her neck and picked up her amp. “Have you even verified their claims yet?”
“No.” Tim grabbed her mic stand and cable and followed her out of the giant closet. “I usually verify their cash first.”
“I guess you’ve got to have priorities.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They’d only been in the equipment closet for a minute or so but the atmosphere in the main gym had changed completely. Evelyn seemed to be in a panic. She was pacing around the semi-circle of chairs, waving her phone around. Julia stood with her, but the other ladies of the committee were strolling over to the bar.
“I can’t do this. We need to wait for Gina. We can talk when Gina gets here. Everything will work out when Gina gets here. Madison?” She tapped the bluetooth in her ear when her phone flashed. “Are you okay?”
Julia stepped away to give her some privacy. She gestured for Kissy and Tim to follow her over to a little wheeled platform pushed up against one wall.
“Evelyn got a text and wigged out.” She explained. “We might need you to perform while we wait for Gina so the ladies don’t get restless.”
“The ladies seem to be perfectly happy hanging out with Jessica.” Kissy observed. “But if you can set this up, I’ll go let Evelyn know I can buy her some time.”
“Thanks.” Julia kissed her friend on the cheek and turned to set up the little rolling stage. “Hey, where’s your amp cord?”
“Oh, I rewired it to work off batteries when I set up the wifi interface.”
Julia nodded her head like this made perfect sense and went back to extending the mic stand. Kissy went to walk away but Tim stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“You rewired your amplifier?” He asked incredulously.
Kissy smiled. “Yeah. Electricity is fun.”
She turned and trotted over to intercept a blond who was making a beeline for Evelyn with a pill bottle in her hand. She pretended to not see her and crossed directly in front of the woman, causing the well-heeled lady to run into her. Kissy didn’t time it well enough to avoid having white wine splashed over her new sparkly turtleneck.
“Oh my dear. I am so sorry.” The woman looked about uselessly. She held her champagne flute and the bottle cap in one perfectly manicured hand and the open pill bottle in the other. “Let’s get you a napkin.” She called out as she turned back to the bar. “Cherie, bring us something to wipe off my friend here. I’ve simply ruined
her little top.”
Cherie, a short woman with pudgy cheeks pattered over with a handful of cocktail napkins. She didn’t seem very solid on her four inch heels and Kissy nearly took another bath in Bloody Mary. She put a hand out to support the woman and snagged the napkins with the other.
The blond pointed out spots as Kissy wiped. “I’m Kimberly. Oh, right there, dear. It looks like you’re lactating.”
Both ladies laughed until they couldn’t breath. Cherie took a couple of napkins and helped to pat at Kissy’s shoulder and arm. When they’d gotten the worst of it soaked up, Kimberly tipped her glass and drank down the remaining wine. She held it out.
“Here, put the napkins in here. Look at us. Quite the little team. Oh!” She remembered what she held in her other hand. “My dear, would you care for a Valium? Take a few and you won’t care about one little cold, wet nipple.”
The two laughed again and Kissy didn’t wait for them to calm down again. She waved off the drugs.
“Thanks anyway but I’m about to perform and I should probably have all my faculties about me.”
“Ugh. You are a better woman than me. I hate having all my faculties about me.” Cherie giggled and turned to Kimberly. “I’ll take a couple. And you should give Ev some. Horrible situation.”
“What’s going on with her?” Kimberly asked.
“Her husband Randall is taking Madison up to the cabin tomorrow morning. They’ll have two whole days of daddy daughter bonding before Ev and Mason get up there on Thursday.”
Kissy asked, “Madison is their daughter?”
“Yes. She just became a woman. Lovely party, that.”
Kimberly and Cherie clinked glasses and laughed again when Kimberly went to drink and found her glass full of napkins.
When Cherie caught her breath, she took the blond by the arm. “Come on. Let’s go get you a refill. In a proper glass.”
Kimberly walked away with the shorter woman but she hugged the dripping flute to her chest. “I like my flute. The pretty boy gave it to me.”
Kissy wanted to ask them if it was a good idea to be mixing Valium with alcohol but decided she’d focus on her own problems for just now. She headed over to Evelyn, still pacing among the chairs. As she arrived, a voice called from across the room.
“Evie!” The lyric soprano sang out. “I hope you didn’t start without me.”
Evelyn practically ran to the newcomer. Kissy followed her over towards the swinging doors where a shockingly beautiful woman with a perfect chin and crystal blue eyes was pushing aside the chair that had been propping open one of the doors.
“It is too cold outside. I assume I’m the last to arrive.” She put a hand out to Kissy when she had finished kissing Evelyn’s cheek. “I’m always the last to arrive. Gina.”
“Gina.” Kissy had barely taken her hand when Evelyn put an arm around Gina and led her into the room and straight over to the chairs. Kissy trailed after them.
“We would never start without you.” Evelyn assured her. “I was just going to begin with a review of how much money we’ll have to spend on the party.”
“Oh!” Gina clapped her hands prettily and set her leather shoulder bag on one of the folding chairs.
She pulled out an inter-office envelope and quickly unwrapped the red string holding it closed. Apparently it wasn’t the one she was looking for and she closed it up carefully and tucked it back into the purse. The second one she pulled out was thicker and nearly all the spaces for names had been filled in and crossed out. Kissy could see banded bundles of cash through the holes in the side but Gina had to unwrap the string and pull out a stack of hundreds before she was satisfied. She wrapped the string again and instead of shoving this one back into her magic bag, she handed it gleefully to Evelyn.
“Well, this should help just a little bit.”
Evelyn took the envelope and held it to her chest like it was a life vest. She started typing on her phone even as she thanked Gina.
“Oh yes,” Gina interrupted. “And this is another five from my sister.” She added as she pulled a white envelope from her coat pocket. “Who doesn’t love a good tax deduction? Am I right?”
She looked over Evelyn’s shoulder to Kissy for confirmation since the committee chair had her head down over her phone. Kissy nodded but Gina had turned to take off her coat and situate herself.
A tear splashed on the screen of Evelyn’s phone. She ignored it and kept typing. Kissy stepped up and put a hand on the woman’s back, careful to avoid the ribs on her right side. She glanced at the phone as it rang out the whoosh sound indicating a successful send. Evelyn quickly hid the screen against her leg and turned sharply to Kissy.
Her eyes were panicked but her voice held steady. “Yes, dear. Let’s start with a song. What a lovely idea. Go. Go get your guitar.”
Kissy considered the sweat on Evelyn’s brow. She saw the tracks where a few tears had escaped down her face and the edges of the still purple black eye hidden behind her hair. Then she turned and paced slowly over to Tim and Julia.
Tim looked up and she saw in his eyes that her face was showing her roiling thoughts. Before Julia looked over, she schooled her expression.
“Okay. Gina’s here.” She said in a chipper voice. “Can you get my guitar? I left it by the bar.”
“You guys can roll this over to the chairs?” Without waiting for an answer, Julia backed away. “I’ll meet you there.”
The second she was out of earshot, Tim held up his phone. “The client seems a little shady anyway. They just said they came up with another fifteen thousand and they’ll double it after the job is done.”
Kissy thought about it all for another second.
“Take the job.”
“I thought we were gonna help Evelyn tonight.”
“We are.” Kissy said. “Gina just handed her fifteen thousand dollars in cash and she immediately sent a text.”
“Wow.” Tim stopped rolling the little stage and stood up straight. “What a coincidence.”
“You’re an idiot, Timothy.” Kissy grabbed his phone. She typed Can you meet near the docks? And hit send.
Almost instantly a message came back. Behind Circus Freaks. 6:00.
Kissy held the phone up for Tim to see.
“Holy crap,” he muttered. “I guess Evelyn found her power.”
Seven
Tim stepped behind the bar and got a speed lesson in service from Jessica while Kissy performed what she called her ‘straight routine’ on guitar for the committee women. Tim observed that Kissy couldn’t do anything straight. She had a tall wooden stool as a part of her equipment but he hadn’t seen her sit on it yet. While she sang, she wandered as far from the little rolling stage as her cord would allow. She made a few of the ladies join her on a chorus. And she had them screaming with drunken laughter at her filthy patter between songs, assuring them she’d clean it up if they managed to get any kids to come to the fund raiser.
After her final selection, the rich women applauded like teenagers at a boy band concert and when she told them she didn’t do encores for less than a ‘cool thou’, they came up with it.
She rewarded them with a short ballad, going acapella for the last verse. Her crystal voice rang through the rafters of the enormous old warehouse. Everyone held their breaths as her last note faded away.
Tim liked that Kissy looked brighter than she had in weeks. In high school she’d been shy. Her only performances had been private ones for Julia that Tim had listened to while crouched on the carpet outside his sister’s room. When he’d run away to die while doing good, he’d taken a recording of her songs with him. The songs had been filled with teen angst and he’d never imagined she’d grow into such a funny performer. But it clearly made her happy. He wondered if she’d accept his help getting bookings. In his extensive travels, he’d found a lot of little clubs across the country where she would absolutely kill.
The ladies started applauding wildly again and he was jolted from his th
oughts. While Kissy vehemently refused to do another song, he pulled his satchel over his head and jogged over to help her roll the little platform away to the wall. They waved Julia back to her chair in the semi-circle when she stood to help.
“Yeah, that’s my best friend,” Julia bragged. “She’ll share the stage with her boyfriend Avi’s vocal band GinNtonix who are volunteering their time in exchange for a go on the flying trapeze.”
Tim saw Kissy look sharply at Julia but she didn’t say anything. A little of the smile faded from her face. Tim felt his heart expand a little and schooled his expression.
He pulled her from her thoughts of the GinNtonix gorgeous bass singer. “What time is it?”
“Quarter ’til,” Kissy swung her guitar over her head and balanced it on the stool. “But listen—“
Tim interrupted. “I’ve got to completely change my look in fifteen minutes. Come help me.”
He headed for the back door, already rifling through his Mary Poppins-like shoulder sack. Kissy grabbed his arm.
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound at all like a recipe for a Robin Williams film.” She said dryly. “I have a better idea.”
“The women always do in those movies.” Tim retorted. But he followed her.
Kissy pulled him into the storage closet. “Evelyn knows what you look like and who you really are. Same with me.”
“I really am pretty good with disguises.” Tim pointed out. “You know that goth guy with all the earrings who always orders at the bar but sits on the porch?”
Kissy thought about it. “Thursday nights. Wears a bowler hat? Never stays very long?”
“Yeah, that guy.”
“We call him Clockwork Screwdriver.”
Tim smiled broadly and sketched a slight bow.
Kissy stared at him. He watched her search his face. Then her eyes darted down to his left hand and the long black nail on his pinkie finger. He saw her picturing the goth guy in her mind. Her eyes flashed up to his.
Killer on Call 6 Book Bundle (Books 1-6) Page 20
