“And groping Poet,” Luke added.
“That, too,” Kade acknowledged, not missing a beat.
“And you?” Brewer turned to me. “What were you doing when you weren’t groping this guy?”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t like his attitude. I was innocent, but Melissa was part of my alibi. I wasn’t sure I should mention her name. “I did readings until about eight,” I answered. “I usually go until about nine, but my stomach was upset so I headed over to the midway and got a ginger ale.”
“What did you do on the midway?”
“I talked to Mark Lane, who runs that part of our operation, and we discussed how small the crowd was,” I replied, opting for honesty. “He was worried that he would be blamed, but I explained it was the dead bodies cutting down on the crowds.”
“See, it doesn’t make sense for us to kill anyone, because it hurts our business,” Luke interjected.
Brewer ignored him. “What did you do after that?”
I had no idea why he was fixated on me, but it was starting to grate. “I talked to a few people … I gave out a few passes … and then I ran into a young woman who was interested in talking about the fortune teller business.” That wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t the truth either. I didn’t want to mention Mary and Grace in case Brewer decided to question them and that forced their parents to put the kibosh on their day of fun tomorrow. As for Melissa, well … I didn’t know how to explain that, so I opted to avoid it. “That’s when I ran into Kade and … um … we started talking.”
“With their tongues,” Luke said.
“I got it, Luke,” Brewer intoned, rolling his eyes. “How long were you and Mr. Denton groping?”
“Not nearly long enough,” Kade replied, gracing me with a smoldering look before turning back to Brewer. “I’m looking forward to getting back to it as soon as you’re done with us.”
“There’s nothing like a dead body to heat up a romance, huh?” Brewer’s snarky demeanor was disturbing, but when I slipped inside his mind I found no malice there. He was genuinely upset by the deaths, but he was also afraid they signified the end of Lincoln’s relative innocence as a city. The community wasn’t overly large, so it hadn’t been jaded by too much death and destruction yet. He didn’t want it to happen on his watch.
“I didn’t say that,” Kade shot back. “The death is a tragedy and it’s very sad. We didn’t do this, though.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t think you did it either,” Brewer said, taking me by surprise when he flipped his notebook shut and shoved it in his pocket. I already knew he didn’t suspect us, but for him to admit it was a big step.
“If you believe we’re telling the truth, why are you constantly grilling us?” Kade asked.
“You can grill me,” Luke said, winking to signify his crush was back on. “I taste good with barbecue sauce.”
“Okay,” Brewer said, shaking his head. He had no idea what to do with Luke’s unwanted attention, although I managed to catch a glimpse of the fact that he was mildly flattered before he shifted his thoughts to something else. “I don’t think you guys are the killers because it makes no sense from a business standpoint. I do think you’re targets, though. I also think whoever is doing this is using the circus grounds to hunt and the hoopla surrounding your visit to hide.”
“We’ve been vigilant,” Kade said. “If someone is hanging around here, they’re doing it in a way we can’t detect.”
“That’s why I want you to shut down the circus early,” Brewer said.
“What? No way.” The words were out of my mouth before I gave any thought to the wisdom associated with them.
“It would be safer for everyone if you shut down early,” Brewer argued. “You just said that crowds are down. They’ll be down even more tomorrow.”
“I said crowds were down, not that we weren’t making a profit,” I countered. “We’ll make a profit tomorrow, too. We’ve already sold quite a few tickets, and they’re non-refundable.”
“So you’re saying if you call off tomorrow’s shows you’ll have to refund the money, but if people choose not to show up you get to keep it. That’s what you’re saying, right?”
If Brewer was trying to shame me, he was about to be disappointed. “Exactly.”
“We’re a business,” Kade said, placing his hand on my arm to keep me still as he locked gazes with Brewer. “While these deaths are gruesome … and terrible … and definitely a tragedy, they’re not of our making. The first victim died long before we got to town.”
“But he was dumped in a spot where you would be sure to find him,” Brewer said. “This keeps circling back to the circus.”
“That doesn’t mean we can shut down early,” I said. “That’s not an option. I’m sorry.”
Brewer wasn’t quite ready to give up. “And I suppose the fact that this woman bears a striking resemblance to you won’t sway your opinion, huh?”
I jolted, surprise washing over me as I darted my eyes back to the corpse. She didn’t have eyes, but in a weird way she did sort of look like me. We both had extremely long hair. We both wore flowy skirts. We couldn’t be twins, but we shared a lot of the same traits. “I … .”
Kade moved his hand to my back and tugged me a little closer. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” he said. “The first victim was a man, and we don’t know about the second victim.”
“It was a blond woman,” Brewer supplied. “Listen, I’m not saying your girlfriend is a target. I am saying I have a very bad feeling this isn’t over. If you open the circus tomorrow – and I don’t have the power to stop you, so I’m not going to pretend I do – I’m worried we’ll have another body on our hands.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to be on the lookout,” Kade said, rubbing his fingers up and down my back. “We can’t close early. That’s the end of it.”
23
Twenty-Three
“We’re closing down early tomorrow.”
Kade tugged his shirt over his head and restlessly paced at the foot of the bed. After saying our goodbyes to Brewer – and ignoring his final plea to shut the circus down – we returned to the trailer to get some sleep. Luke wanted to sleep with us, fear for my safety fueling him, but I shut that down quickly. I didn’t think Kade would be ready to pick up where we left off in front of my tent earlier, but I wasn’t ready to relinquish all hope.
“We’re not closing down,” I argued, shaking my head as I pulled my blouse off and reached for a tank top to sleep in.
Kade’s eyes moved to my simple lace bra, lingering there, and then he shook himself out of his reverie. “I don’t like that the latest victim looks like you.”
“She bore a faint resemblance to me,” I corrected. “It’s not as though we’re sisters from different misters.”
Kade frowned. “What?”
“It’s something Luke says sometimes,” I said, tugging the tank top over my head before reaching beneath it to unsnap the bra. I wasn’t ready to get naked in front of Kade if it wasn’t going somewhere. There had to be a little mystery left for us to discover when the time was right. “You were the one who agreed with me in the parking lot. What changed between now and then?”
“I agreed because I didn’t want Brewer thinking there was friction between us,” Kade replied. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I don’t like it. I don’t want him thinking he can swoop in and seduce you.”
Wow, we really were living in a soap opera. Wait … do soap operas have British clowns, temperamental pixies and oily midway bosses? Probably not. They definitely had resident sluts, though. I guess Raven fit the bill. “Do you really think I’m interested in being seduced?”
Kade’s eyes flashed and the temperature in the room kicked up a notch. “I don’t know. Are you interested?”
“I guess it depends on who is doing the seducing.” That seemed like a safe answer. Most of the time when I flirt I come off as a spaz. That response didn’t sound half
bad.
“It’s going to be me.”
“I’m looking forward to that.”
We stared at each other for a moment, the atmosphere in the room practically crackling with intensity. Kade broke the magical connection first.
“It’s not going to be tonight.”
I bit off a sigh. I’d been hoping for the best but was prepared for the worst. “I figured.”
“I want to, but … we’re both exhausted and worked up,” Kade explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want murders and doubt hanging over us when it happens. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize – especially because it makes me sound like something of a sex fiend,” I said, patting his hand. “It’s okay.” I went back to working my bra and pulled it through the arms of the tank top.
Kade ruefully shook his head. “This is torture.”
“Things will settle down once we’re out of Lincoln,” I offered. I wanted to believe that was true, but Max’s deadline was looming and I was certain we would be dealing with another problem before there was any trailer rocking. I was pretty sure we’d missed our chance. I only hoped it wasn’t forever. “You should get some sleep. We’re going to have a really long day tomorrow.”
Kade nodded, flicking off the bedroom light before climbing under the covers next to me. He rolled me so my body was pressed against his, my cheek resting on his chest, and then kissed my forehead. “I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he whispered.
“You don’t have anything to make up to me,” I argued. “The timing is just … off.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Kade said. “This whole thing bothers me, though. How did someone kill a woman in the parking lot without anyone seeing? Why didn’t she scream? Why didn’t someone sense trouble?”
That was an interesting question. “We were all distracted,” I said. “I was so worried about myself I didn’t think about what could happen to anyone else. Now I wonder whether Melissa showed up to keep me purposely busy.”
Kade stiffened beneath me. He hadn’t considered that option. “Oh.” He exhaled heavily. “You think you were supposed to die in that parking lot, don’t you? If Melissa hadn’t showed up, you might’ve sensed the trouble and gone to save that woman.”
“Maybe.” I had no idea. “The dreamcatcher didn’t cover the parking lot because of the way these fairgrounds were set up. It’s clear that was a mistake. We won’t make it again. Raven and Naida promised to put the dreamcatcher back the way it was before going to bed.”
“You guys did a good thing calming that crowd,” Kade said, stroking the back of my head. “I was impressed with the way everyone pulled together. I was worried about you, but I had to focus on the people in the parking lot. I thought I was going to be stampeded, but then Dolph, Nellie and Luke showed up, and they were a lot of help.”
“Nellie helped?” I was understandably dubious.
“You would be surprised how many people listen to a dude when he’s dressed in a dress and chomping on a cigar.”
“Ugh.” I snuggled closer, absorbing some of Kade’s warmth. The trailer was hot even with the ceiling fan whirring above us. I still couldn’t get enough of him. “I’m glad everyone worked together so you could see that we really are a family.”
“Yeah.” Kade kissed my forehead again. “Do you know who didn’t show up to help?”
“The clowns?”
“Hey, I’m thankful they stayed in their own little area,” Kade said. “Although one clown in particular didn’t show up, even though he fancies himself part of our group.”
I realized who he meant before he even said the name. “Percival.”
“I know you think I’m jealous – I’m not, for the record – but there’s something off about that guy.”
“He’s just a simple British bloke who likes honking his own horn,” I said, giggling at the inadvertent double entendre. I was starting to get a little slaphappy due to exhaustion. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him.”
“There’s nothing right with him either.”
“I don’t know. The accent is nice.”
“Don’t make me tickle you,” Kade warned, although his thick voice told me he didn’t have the energy to do anything of the sort. “I’m going to get up early for some computer work tomorrow. I want to run a more extensive background check on Percival.”
“You don’t really think it’s him, do you?” The suggestion seemed preposterous.
“I don’t know,” Kade answered. “He was already here when we arrived, so he could’ve killed Frank Ryland. We have no idea what he was doing before we showed up. He’s been present but conveniently absent several times. He sleeps alone, so he doesn’t have an alibi for the time the woman was killed at the rest stop.”
“What would his motive be?”
“He’s a clown.”
“Oh, man. Are we back to that? It can’t be the clown twice in a row. That’s not allowed.”
Kade tickled my ribs, although he didn’t put a lot of effort into it. I put even less effort into giggling. “Clowns are evil,” he said. “I don’t trust anyone who spends his days caking on makeup and making balloon animals.”
I was too tired to argue. “Knock yourself out.”
“I will.” Kade’s lips rested against my forehead as we both shifted and drifted closer to sleep. “I really will make this up to you. I promise.”
I hoped it was a promise he could keep. “Goodnight.”
“Sweet dreams.”
I WAS lost in the cornfield.
Intellectually I knew it had to be a dream, but it felt real. My heart hammered, blood rushing through my ear canals and drowning out the ambient sounds of the faux field as I fought to control my terror. I had to be here for a reason.
I wasn’t exactly prone to prophetic dreams, but I’d had a few during my misspent youth. Of course, I had no idea I was dreaming of the future when it happened. I thought my guilty conscience – I really didn’t like picking pockets, even though it was a necessary evil – was getting the better of me. It wasn’t until the dream came to fruition that I realized I could see the future.
Max had taught me to hone my skills. He never talked about what he was capable of, although I’d gotten a few glimpses over the years. He was powerful and terrifying. He helped me learn to control my powers enough to read the future of the people I met instead of letting it haunt my dreams.
Most people with the sight cannot see their own future. That doesn’t mean they don’t have the occasional prophetic dream or two, though. I couldn’t help but wonder whether that’s what was happening. Of course, the discovery of a dead body after my hormones got ramped up could’ve helped form the dream, too. The cornfield could be my mind’s way of throwing an ice bucket over my raging libido.
“Poet.”
I froze. The voice was so low I couldn’t be sure I really heard it. I tilted my head to the side and strained, listening for signs indicating I wasn’t alone in the dream.
“Poet.”
There it was again. I swiveled quickly, my hair whipping around and catching on my lip as my heart rolled at the sight behind me. It was the scarecrow … or at least a scarecrow; I couldn’t be sure whether it was the first or second one from the field. It was about ten feet from me, its odd head cocked to the side as the burlap sack used to make its head reminded me of a horror movie I couldn’t quite place. The scarecrow in the field had buttons for eyes. This one had glowing red orbs, and I could feel them trying to burrow into my soul.
“What are you?” My voice was ragged and hoarse. “Are you … real?”
“Are you real?” The scarecrow mocked me, cackling as I cringed at the unnatural sound of its voice. “I don’t know, little gypsy. I guess I’m as real as you are.”
I licked my lips as I tried to rein in my terror. “Are you the killer?”
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
“Did someone give you life?�
�
“That’s still the wrong question.” The scarecrow adopted a singsong tone as it messed with my mind. “You’re smarter than that. Think!”
I jolted as the creature bellowed the last word. This couldn’t be a prophetic dream. The situation was too surreal to ever happen in the real world. That didn’t mean the conversation wasn’t important.
“Is the killer human?”
“That’s better, but it’s hardly the direction I expected you to take,” the scarecrow said. “Everything has some basis in reality. Even monsters lived and drew breath at some time. Vampires aren’t born evil. They’re created.”
“Were you created?”
“Is that really the question you want to ask?”
Even my inner intuition liked to argue. How annoying is that? “Why are you here?”
“You brought me here, Romani,” the scarecrow said. “Your mind is so busy you can’t quiet it. You can’t decide whether you should focus on the murders, Max or the innocent who sleeps next to you at night.”
“I’m guessing you’re my conscience,” I said, irritated as I regained some courage. The scarecrow couldn’t hurt me in my dreams. It was impossible. “I feel guilty for lying to Kade, and that guilt manifested into … you … because he won’t stop talking about scarecrows, and the woman who died tonight looked like me.”
“If that’s what you want to tell yourself.”
The scarecrow was a game player. I had no time for games. “Well, why don’t you climb back up onto your stick and get out of my head,” I suggested. “I’m tired. If I’m going to dream I prefer it involve the ocean … or at least a fruity drink with an umbrella.”
“You’re running out of time, Romani,” the scarecrow said.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I grumbled. “I … wait. Are you saying I’m running out of time with Kade, or are you suggesting I’m running out of time to live?”
“Perhaps it’s not an either/or situation,” the scarecrow suggested, tugging on a cornstalk and removing an ear of corn. “No one’s future is set in stone, least of all yours. You know that. Danger comes in many forms, yet you’ve overlooked the obvious answer.
mystic caravan mystery 02 - freaky lies Page 20
