“It’s a second job with better benefits, and the outfits are to die for,” Luke said, gesturing toward his baby blue with sequins trapeze leotard. “I make having a second job look good.”
“You do indeed,” I said, smiling despite myself.
“I think the color is all wrong for you,” Melissa said, not missing a beat. “You do better with warm hues because of your coloring. You should stay away from that shade of blue. It washes you out.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open. “What did you just say to me?”
Uh-oh. This would go south fast if I didn’t get a handle on it. “Forget the clothes for now,” I ordered. “You can argue about clothes tomorrow – or later tonight when we have our victory bonfire. We don’t have time to discuss clothes right now.”
“Fine, but he should be taking wardrobe cues from you,” Melissa said. “You look like a dream in that outfit.”
“I dressed her!” Luke was beside himself. “I did her hair and makeup, too.”
“Huh.” Melissa didn’t look convinced. “You should spend more time worrying about yourself and less time worrying about her. She’s perfect.”
“She is perfect,” Kade agreed, grinning as he squeezed my hand. “Now let’s talk about what we’re going to do with Mary and Grace. We can’t kill them.”
How did I know he would go back to that? “Kade, we don’t know anything yet,” I said. “Right now we just need to find them.”
“And then what?”
“Then we watch them to make sure all of the guests are safe,” I replied. “We can’t do anything until this place is cleared out. It’s going to be a long day. Prepare yourself.”
“THEY look like normal kids,” Kade said, his hand clenched around a glass of fresh lemonade as we sat at a bistro table under one of the food truck awnings and watched Mary and Grace throw darts at balloons. “They can’t be evil.”
“Do you sense anything off of them?” I asked, casting a sidelong look in Melissa’s direction. She was fascinated with the kids. I didn’t blame her. There was something of a void surrounding them, an impenetrable shell that held nothing inside. I didn’t notice it before because I saw no need to scan them. The oversight plagued me now.
“There’s nothing there,” Melissa said. “It’s all … empty.”
I nodded, agreeing. “Very empty.”
“What does that mean?” Kade asked, frustrated. “What are they?”
“I don’t know what they are, but I’m fairly certain they’re not little girls,” I said. “We won’t know what they are until we confront them, and I don’t feel comfortable doing that in front of a crowd.”
“Why don’t we just grab them and take them to one of the tents and interrogate them?” Luke suggested. “I’m already bored watching them. They’re not doing anything remotely interesting. You’d think they could at least shoot laser beams out of their eyes or kick old people or something. Sheesh!”
“We can’t grab them,” I scoffed. “What happens if they scream ‘kidnappers’ or ‘child molesters?’ They’re smarter than normal children. I’m certain of that. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to snow me so easily the other day.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that,” Kade said, resting his hand on my knee as he studied the seemingly happy girls. “How could anyone possibly suspect them?”
“Because I’ve seen evil in all shapes and sizes, and I should’ve known better,” I replied. “I thought it was weird they were playing alone in a cornfield, but I pushed it out of my mind because you were fixated on the scarecrow and we’ve had so much other stuff going on.
“Then, when I saw them last night, they knew exactly how to play me,” I continued. “I felt bad for them because they didn’t have any money. They kind of insinuated their parents were around so as not to draw attention to themselves, but I never reconciled the fact that what they were telling me didn’t mesh with the idea of parents allowing such young kids to run around at a circus after dark with no supervision.”
“I don’t understand, though,” Kade said. “If they’re evil and soulless, that means they’re monsters, right? How did they cross the dreamcatcher without it alerting?”
That was a damn good question. “I don’t know.”
“That also doesn’t explain whatever chased you in the field the other night,” Kade added. “That wasn’t a little girl. You said it was the size of a man.”
He had a point. “I don’t know what to tell you,” I said, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “They’re empty shells. Whether that means something is muting them or what, I can’t be sure. Whether that means they’re working with someone or being forced to work for someone against their wills, I honestly don’t know.”
“So what do we do now?” Kade asked.
“Watch them,” I replied. “The only thing I do know is that we can’t let them out of our sight. Either they’ll kill again or the thing working with them will. We need to keep an eye on them until the circus closes.”
“And then kill them?” Kade kept his voice even, but the distaste on his face was evident.
“It depends on what’s going on,” I answered. “Until we have answers we can’t form a plan. We’ll have to handle this on the fly. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Kade said. “I didn’t sign up to kill children.”
None of us had.
“IT’S GETTING dark.”
Melissa’s enthusiasm for the spying game lasted longer than everyone else’s, but it eventually waned. Hours upon hours of watching two kids play games and eat hot dogs wore everyone down.
“They haven’t done anything evil all day,” Kade argued. “I don’t think they’re what you think they are. Maybe your sight thing is on the fritz.” With each hour that ticked by he became more desperate. I didn’t blame him. He saw them as innocents. I had a feeling he was in for a rude awakening.
“I’m not going to walk up to them and twist their necks without proof, Kade,” I said, my irritation bubbling up. I knew he couldn’t help but worry, but he was driving me insane with the incessant whining. “We’re going to clear this place out and then approach them.”
“They know,” Nellie said, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands behind his head. He’d opted for a purple evening gown tonight, taking over Luke’s chair when my best friend got called away to perform. “Don’t you see it? They know we’re watching them.”
“What makes you think that?” Kade asked, unconvinced. “They’re acting like normal kids.”
“You’re right,” Nellie agreed. “They’re acting like normal kids who have eaten five pounds of hot dogs and played hours upon hours of the same games. They keep looking over here and smiling at Poet. They’ve waved so many times I’ve lost count.
“We’re a bunch of creepy adults watching their every move,” he continued. “If they had parents, they would’ve warned those girls about people like us. We’ve acted like loons for the better part of the day. Those girls don’t seem surprised by what we’re doing.”
That hadn’t even occurred to me. “He’s right,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “They’re playing with us. This is a game to them.”
“What are you going to do?” Kade asked, grabbing my wrist. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to talk to them,” I replied simply. “The main show lets out in twenty minutes. I don’t want to lose them in the crowd.”
“See if you can herd them someplace,” Nellie suggested. “They’re playing a game with you. See if you can play a game with them. We need them isolated from the rest of the crowd. If we make a move when people are around they’ll scream bloody murder.”
“And then while everyone is staring at us thinking we’re monsters they’ll take another victim,” I said. “Where do you think I should herd them?”
Nellie shrugged. “It needs to be someplace removed from everything else,” he said. “I’m leaning toward clown row because I hate those guys. They might not ap
preciate the mess if things get bloody, though.”
He had a point. “I know where,” I said. “I’ll see if I can get them there. When you follow, don’t do it too closely. Keep a little distance between yourselves and them. I don’t want them panicking right away.”
“They don’t look the type to panic,” Nellie said. “They look as if they’re the type to eat your guts when they’re bored and top their ice cream with your eyes an hour later.”
Now that was a sobering thought.
I leaned over and gave Kade a quick kiss. It was meant to soothe him, but he looked anything but relaxed. “I promise we won’t act unless it’s necessary,” I said. “We can’t let them keep this up, though. You know that.”
“I do know that,” Kade confirmed. “I don’t know whether I can watch this, though.”
“Then maybe you should be in charge of getting the guests out of here,” I suggested. “You can handle that while we handle this. You don’t have to be a part of it if you’re uncomfortable. I understand.”
“I won’t leave you.” Kade’s resolve was obvious. “I might not be thrilled with what’s about to come, but there’s no way you’re shaking me off. I will be with you whether you like it or not.”
I rested my hand on his shoulder and offered him a wan smile. “I like it.”
“That’s good,” Kade said. “You need to get used to me.”
That was the biggest problem I had. I was already used to him. If I lost him now it would hurt beyond imagination. How did I let this happen?
30
Thirty
Grace and Mary smiled as I approached. The expression appeared simple and earnest, yet all I could see was something sinister lurking behind their eyes. They weren’t little girls to me any longer. I had no idea what they were, but I wouldn’t let them fool me again.
“Hello,” Grace sang out, smiling as she handed her sister three darts. “We’ve been enjoying your passes all day. Thank you so much.”
“Yes, it’s the best day we’ve ever had,” Mary said while twirling a strand of blond hair around her finger. “We’re ever so thankful.”
“I’m glad,” I said, hoping my voice sounded neutral. They knew I was on to them but continued to play the game. I could do the same. “You two look like you’re having a good time. Look at all the loot you’ve won.” I gestured toward the stack of goodies at Grace’s feet. “I’ve never seen anyone win so many games. You must be magic to do that.”
Mary frowned. “We haven’t done anything wrong,” she said. “We’re following the rules. We’re not cheating or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’re cheating,” I said, tentatively reaching out and brushing a stray leaf from Mary’s shoulder. She didn’t pull away, but her eyes were leery as they searched my face. “I think that good things happen to good people. You two are good people, so you’re finally getting what you deserve.”
“That’s good, right?” Grace looked relieved.
“It is.” I nodded as my gaze bounced between them. “What did your parents say when you told them about the passes? You were worried they wouldn’t like it, but they obviously got over that and let you come.”
“They said no at first, but we got them to change their minds,” Mary said. “We begged and cried until they said we could come.”
“We did,” Grace said, nodding solemnly. “It took a little work, but we got what we wanted.”
“We always get what we want,” Mary intoned, the corners of her mouth tipping up. She didn’t have fangs or anything, but I was honestly afraid something like that would pop out now that the game was almost over.
“Well, that’s good,” I said, keeping my demeanor bright and cheery as I glanced around. “Did you see the big show?”
“I’m afraid of crowds,” Mary said. “They make me nervous. We decided to stay and play the games instead.”
“Uh-huh. What about the animals, though?” I pressed. “I thought you wanted to see the animals.”
“We do,” Grace replied. “Well, at least I do. Mary said there were too many people in the tent so we couldn’t go in. She doesn’t like it when a lot of people are around.”
“Oh, well, that’s too bad,” I said, straightening a little as I studied the horizon. The sun was dipping low. It would be dark soon. “Are your parents here with you?”
“Of course,” Mary said, linking her fingers in front of her. “Only bad parents would let little kids go to the circus without watching them.”
“Bad parents?” I knit my eyebrows. “Why would you say something like that? This is a safe area, isn’t it?”
“It used to be … before all the dead people,” Mary said.
“Yeah, the dead people.” I licked my lips. “Are you supposed to meet your parents at a certain time?”
“They’re around,” Mary replied. “I’m sure they’ll find us when the time is right. They trust us to do our own thing.”
“We hardly ever get lost,” Grace added.
“Yes, we always know where we’re going,” Mary agreed.
Now that I couldn’t shake my suspicions every word coming out of their mouths made me think it had another meaning. I might’ve been overreacting – it wouldn’t be the first time – but something inside of me screamed out that I needed to isolate these kids from the rest of the crowd.
“Well, you don’t like crowds, but how would you like to see the animals anyway?” I asked, drawing a slit-eyed look from Mary and eliciting genuine curiosity from Grace. “The animals have their own tent. It’s right over there.” I pointed for emphasis. “I could fix it so you could see the animals and avoid the crowd. How does that sound?”
“That sounds great,” Grace enthused, hopping up and down.
“I don’t know,” Mary hedged, shifting her eyes so she could stare at the table where I previously sat. I fought the urge to turn around and see if everyone remained sitting and staring. I didn’t want to tip my hand. “We’re not supposed to go anywhere with strangers.”
“That’s a good rule,” I said. “We could find your parents first, if you’re nervous, that is. We could all go together.”
“We can go by ourselves,” Grace said. “We don’t need anyone else to come.”
“I don’t think we should,” Mary argued.
“I don’t care what you think,” Grace shot back. Her tone took me by surprise. It was the first real fissure I’d witnessed between the girls. “I want to see the animals. You’re the reason I couldn’t in the first place.”
Mary obviously didn’t like her sister’s demeanor. “But what if something bad happens to us? What if the tiger eats us?”
“The tiger won’t eat you,” I interjected smoothly. “He’s extremely friendly.”
“Can we pet him?” Grace asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Then we’re going,” Grace said, bending over to gather her winnings and shooting Mary a defiant look when she straightened. “We’re doing what I want for a change. If you don’t like it, you can stay here.”
Mary shifted her contemplative eyes to me. She didn’t trust me any more than I trusted her. She knew I was plotting something. She also knew she couldn’t do anything with so many witnesses around. If killing me was their ultimate goal I was practically serving myself up on a platter, and it frustrated her.
“Fine,” Mary said finally. “Let’s go see the animals.”
“You’re going to have a great time,” I said, ushering them in front of me before risking a glance at the table. It was empty. That meant everyone else was getting into position. I could only hope this plan wouldn’t backfire. I still had no idea what we were dealing with.
“WHAT kind of animals do you have here?”
The closer we got to the tent the more excited Grace grew. Mary was another story. Her feet became heavier with each step, almost as if she sensed a trap but couldn’t figure a way out.
“We have all kinds of animals,
” I replied. I kept my eyes peeled for signs of backup, but wherever they were they remained well hidden. On one hand I was relieved because I knew if Mary saw Kade or the others she would bolt. On the other hand, seeing at least one face would reassure me I wasn’t alone. “We have a tiger, a bear and a wolf.”
Grace wrinkled her nose. “A wolf? What kind of circus has a wolf?”
“The best kind,” I replied, holding the tent flap open and prodding Mary and Grace to move forward. Grace obediently did. Mary stalled long enough to give me a dirty look. “Don’t you want to see the tiger?”
“I know what you’re doing,” Mary hissed. “I know what you are.”
“I know what you’ve been doing,” I said, keeping my smile in place. “I have no idea what you are, though. Why don’t you enlighten me?”
Mary made a disgusted face and ducked into the tent. I followed at a slower pace, being sure to give the girls a wide berth once inside. The tent was empty, as I expected. I had no idea where my reinforcements were, but they had to be close.
“Where’s the tiger?” Grace asked, disappointment etched on her face as she looked around. “You said there would be a tiger here.”
“He must not be back from the big tent yet,” I said. “That’s okay. He’ll be here soon. Now we have a chance to talk.”
“What do you want to talk about?” Mary asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she faced me. “Are you a bad person? Are you here to do bad things to us?”
“I’m not a bad person,” I answered, purposely leaving the second question unanswered. “I’m actually more interested in you girls, though.”
“Why are you interested in us?” Grace asked. “We’re just helpless little girls.”
“I don’t know what you are, but you’re obviously not helpless,” I said, deciding now was the time to put all of my cards on the table. “I’m pretty sure you’re not little girls.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re right,” Mary said, grinning. The smile would’ve been impish on anyone else her age – er, at least the age she looked. On her it looked downright malevolent. “You’re not a simple fortune teller either.”
mystic caravan mystery 02 - freaky lies Page 26
