Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage

by Amanda M. Lee

  “First, I’m not boring,” Kade snapped, jabbing a finger at Luke. “Second, I would definitely be bereft without her.”

  “Aw,” I teased as he gave me a quick kiss before crossing to the table.

  “What was the last possibility?” Nixie asked. “You said there were three possibilities why Poet might’ve died in her sleep. I can think of at least fifty, by the way, but your imagination has always been limited.”

  If looks could kill, Nixie would’ve been dead. Luke’s eyes were narrow slits of disdain that promised retribution at some point. “I have a better imagination than anybody here,” he insisted.

  “His clothing choices prove that,” Raven drawled.

  “I thought maybe the crazy people doing the ritual called forth some monster and it killed them in their sleep.”

  The statement sobered everybody.

  “Yeah, speaking of that ... .” I turned toward the river. I could see it from our vantage point, but not the spot where the group had been dancing. The ghosts were gone, or at least not visible in the bright morning sunshine.

  “We sent Nellie and Dolph down,” Raven said as she pulled out bread to toast. “They’re not back yet. We figured it was best to make sure they were gone.”

  “What about security last night?” I asked. “Did they report anything?”

  “If something had happened, they would’ve reported it to me,” Kade pointed out. “Obviously nothing happened.”

  “That we know of,” Raven said. “As for the ritual, we don’t know that it was legitimate. They could be kooks making stuff up on the spot. Cities like Savannah draw kooks.”

  “What we witnessed last night felt different,” I said.

  “It could have nothing to do with us,” Naida argued. “Savannah draws paranormal enthusiasts. Maybe they were just interested in the ghosts we saw.”

  “I think it’s more likely they were calling the ghosts,” I replied. “Heck, the ghosts might’ve been drawn to the ritual. Until we know more, it doesn’t do any good to theorize. In fact ... .” I broke off at the sound of approaching feet, and when I turned, I found Dolph and Nellie scurrying in our direction.

  “We have a problem.” Nelson “Nellie” Adler was a dwarf from another plane. He crossed over to our plane in his younger years and had been happily cross dressing and hacking off the heads of enemy combatants ever since.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, instantly alert. “Are the ritual people still down there?”

  “It looks like one of them is.” Nellie was always quick with a joke, but he was deadly serious now.

  “They left one of their people behind?” Kade asked.

  “We don’t know if it’s one of their people,” Dolph replied. The circus strongman towered over all of us. When it came to anything other than battle, he was essentially a giant kitten. “We just know there’s a body.”

  My blood ran cold. “A fresh body?”

  Dolph nodded. “The cops are down there. We couldn’t see what the deal was with the body from where we were standing. They saw us watching.”

  I moved away from the counter, breakfast preparations forgotten. “We should head down there,” I said to Kade. “They’re going to seek us out here. It’s better to look proactive.”

  “You don’t think they’re going to assume it was us, do you?” Kade asked. “The last thing we need is them breathing down our necks.”

  We’d dealt with worse, which he well knew. Still, it was uncomfortable when local police decided to set up shop in our backyard. “We need to go on the offensive. We just arrived last night. They’ll be suspicious.”

  “We are circus folk, after all,” Raven agreed, drying her hands. “I’ll go with you. Between the two of us, we should be able to get a feeling for what they’re thinking.”

  I nodded. “They need to think we’re worried and fearful, not aggressive. That means only three of us are going … at least right now.”

  “You, me and Raven?” Luke asked hopefully.

  I shook my head. “Kade is head of security. He should go.”

  “We understand,” Cole said as he rested his hand on top of Luke’s in an effort to keep him quiet. “We’ll be ready here. If they give you grief, call me. My law enforcement background might come in handy.”

  I flashed a smile for his benefit. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

  IT TOOK US LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT would to make our way to the police entourage spread out along the riverbank. It looked like a straight shot, but the ground was rutted and dangerous, which meant watching where we walked closely if we didn’t want to turn an ankle. The police officers working the scene saw us coming long before we arrived and I felt their eyes on me for the duration of the walk.

  “This is a crime scene,” a male voice called out once we finally reached them. “You can’t cross here.”

  “We’re actually coming to see you,” I said, focusing on the man who had spoken. He wore plainclothes, which meant he was likely a detective, maybe even someone higher on the food chain. “My name is Poet Parker. I’m with Mystic Caravan Circus.” I showed no hesitation as I explained our presence. “We saw the activity down here and thought it best we check it out.”

  The man was tall and swarthy, likely in his late thirties or early forties. His dark brown hair fell across his forehead. He looked agitated by our presence. “I’m Brock Williams. I’m a detective with the Savannah Police Department.”

  “This is Kade Denton, our head of security, and Raven Marko, a member of our leadership team.” I didn’t bother smiling. This wasn’t a friendly situation. “We were considering calling your department last night because we saw a lot of activity down here. When we woke up to news that you were on scene, we thought it best to talk to you now.”

  Brock’s forehead furrowed as he absorbed the news. “You were going to call us? May I ask why?”

  “Because we saw some hinky stuff last night,” Kade replied. “We arrived late afternoon and set up for a few hours. After dinner, Ms. Parker and I decided to go for a walk. We saw at least twenty-five people dancing on the riverbank.”

  “Dancing?” Brock made a face. “Last time I checked, dancing wasn’t against the law.”

  “They were wearing robes, and although we couldn’t make out the words they also appeared to be chanting.”

  “Why didn’t you call us then?”

  “This is Savannah,” I answered. “The ghost stuff is normal for these parts. Paranormal enthusiasts from all corners of the world end up here. We thought it was just some excitable group doing ... well ... whatever those groups do.”

  Brock’s expression remained unchanged as he hitched his thumbs in his belt. “Have you been to Savannah before?”

  “This stop is on our regular route. We come every year. We’ve seen some things in town, but we’ve never seen anything like this.”

  He smiled and relaxed. “Yeah, you see weird crap here. I can’t argue with that.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Could you identify any of the people you saw?”

  “Sorry, but we weren’t close enough. When we saw what they were doing, we assumed it was just some ‘pray to the moon’ thing. We thought they would get drunk, dance and then leave.”

  “Obviously it was much more than that.” Brock stepped to the side and gestured toward the body behind him. It was hard to make out the specifics, but I didn’t like what I saw. “Would you like to take a look?”

  The question felt like a trap. “I don’t know that it’s necessary,” I hedged, doing my best to look fearful. “We’re just trying to tell you what we saw.”

  “I wouldn’t mind looking,” Kade said, ignoring me even as I shot him a sidelong glare. “I’m head of security. If my people are in danger ... .”

  Brock nodded in understanding. “You can move closer. I wouldn’t mind your take on the situation. If you saw anything that would explain what happened to this young woman, we would greatly appreciate it.”

  I let Kade take
the lead. Once he got closer, I couldn’t ignore his sharp intake of breath. When I leaned around him, my blood started pounding faster and I shuddered.

  “Must be some sort of ritual killing,” Brock volunteered. His attention was on Kade now. Obviously the detective had marked him as an equal. Apparently Raven and I were just window dressing.

  “Obviously.” Kade moved his hand to my back and prodded me to his side so I could see better. “I think we should double security on the water side,” he said.

  “I don’t want to be an alarmist, but it couldn’t hurt,” Brock said as I studied the body. There were runes carved into the young woman’s skin. “You should know that we’ve had several young women go missing in this area the past few weeks.”

  I jerked up my head. “Has that been in the news? I didn’t read anything about that.”

  “Do you read about crimes in all the cities you visit?”

  “Yes.” I saw no reason to lie. “We have a lot of people and it’s our job to keep them safe.”

  “My job,” Kade corrected. “Poet’s technically my boss. We read up on crime before heading to a new city. We have a lot of people to take care of and we take our jobs seriously.”

  “Your girlfriend is your boss?” Brock looked amused at the prospect. “That must make things interesting.”

  “I’m always interesting,” I agreed darkly. His attitude rankled.

  “Some individuals like being bossed around by their girlfriends,” Raven added. “You would be surprised how many people find that stimulating.” She was such an imposing figure, Brock’s smarmy initial reaction quickly evaporated and he swallowed hard.

  “Um ... I’ll have to take your word for it.” His voice was suddenly raspy. “What were we talking about again?”

  “Dead girls,” I interjected, my eyes on the dark-haired female on the ground. She was naked. She’d been tortured, which made my stomach twist. “Was she alive for this?”

  Brock shrugged. “The medical examiner will have to determine that. He’s on the way.”

  “Who called it in?” Kade asked. “Nobody from our group has been down here yet. Mondays are set-up days and we’re pretty busy. I wouldn’t expect anybody to take a walk down here until this afternoon.”

  “It was an anonymous caller,” Brock replied. “There are joggers on the riverbank all the time.”

  “How many women have gone missing?” I pressed.

  “Enough that we’re concerned.”

  He didn’t want to show his cards. That was both worrisome and interesting. “Have you discovered any other bodies?”

  “This would be the first.”

  “Was this woman one of the missing ones?”

  There was hesitation in his answer. “She fits the description of the other missing women. They were all dark-haired females under the age of thirty. We can’t be certain of her identification until our medical examiner checks fingerprints and dental records.”

  He was lying. He knew who she was. I tried to invade his brain for a name, but it wasn’t bubbling at the surface and I didn’t want to risk pushing further in front of witnesses. “Well, I hope you find your answers,” I said. “If you need to question our people, you’re welcome on the fairgrounds any time.”

  Kade sent me a sidelong look but didn’t protest.

  “Just beware of the animal tents, which are clearly marked,” I added. “The animals aren’t dangerous unless surprised. We like to keep them calm between shows.”

  Brock nodded. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve never been an animal lover.”

  It was an admission that always made me leery when judging others. “You know where to find us. We’ll let you get back to work.”

  “Remember what I said and be careful. You’re a little older than the other women, Ms. Parker, but you match every other qualifier.”

  I managed a grim smile. “I’ll be careful. I can take care of myself.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  4

  Four

  “I need to go to the police station.”

  I waited until we were back at the circus grounds to make my announcement.

  Kade merely nodded. “I figured.”

  “He’s hiding something,” I explained. “I tried to dig, but he’s either good at shuttering or he had other things on his mind.”

  “He seems annoyed with the paranormal stuff in Savannah,” Raven said. “My guess is that he has no idea about shuttering.”

  “Yeah, I’m guessing he’s the pragmatic sort. He thinks that the ritual happened because people have associated ghosts with Savannah. It would never enter his mind that the ghosts are drawing the ritual seekers.”

  “What about those people?” Kade asked. “Are they a threat to us?”

  “Likely not, but we know better than to write off anybody. We need to keep our eyes open and our senses alert.”

  “Which means you want me to stay here while you infiltrate the police department,” Kade surmised.

  “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but if Brock decides to pay us a visit — and I think at some point he will — we need to look as if we have nothing to hide. A normal security chief would not leave his people.”

  “I guess.” Kade didn’t look thrilled, but he didn’t argue.

  “I’ll go,” Raven volunteered.

  Normally I’d take her up on the offer. Today I was leery about it. “I think we need someone who is good with mind magic to stay here ... just in case.”

  Raven’s eyebrows drew together. “You think the ritual folks could attack.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Not during the day,” I replied quickly. “But they could send a scout. If some curious looky-loo shows up, I want you here to read him.”

  She nodded. “That makes sense. If I was going to attack, that’s what I would do.”

  “And they’ll likely do it,” I said. “One of us has to stay here, and because I can glamour myself if necessary I’m the one who needs to visit the police station.”

  “Who are you going to take?” Kade pressed. “I don’t want you going alone.”

  “Is this because Brock said the missing girls look like me?”

  “Yes, and I feel better when I know you have backup. Also, I don’t consider Luke backup because the only thing he knows how to do effectively is run his mouth.”

  That was an exaggeration — one Luke would melt down about if he heard — but my best friend was a distraction at the best of times. “I’m not taking Luke. I’m taking Cole.”

  Kade opened his mouth, and for a moment I thought he might argue, but then he thought better of it. “That’s a good idea,” he said finally. “If you do get attacked by a group of robe-wearing crazies, you two can tap into his fire magic and shred them all without breaking a sweat.”

  That possibility hadn’t entered my mind. “I figured he would know the best place to get information because he understands law enforcement.”

  Kade chuckled. “That, too. You’ll be careful?”

  He didn’t enjoy acting like a pushy boyfriend, but there were times he couldn’t help himself. “I’ll be careful. Don’t worry about me. I’ve been taking care of myself for a very long time.”

  “Yes, but now you own my heart, so you’re taking care of me, too.”

  “Oh, so sweet,” I teased, leaning in for a kiss.

  “Ugh. You guys make my stomach hurt,” Raven muttered as she pulled away from us. “Seriously, the older I get, the less inclination I have to put up with high school nonsense.”

  “I think it’s called love,” Kade countered.

  “Not in my world.”

  COLE WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO ACCOMPANY me to the police department. In fact, he seemed eager for a break from the circus monotony.

  “Are you chafing?” I asked as I parked Kade’s truck two blocks from the building. I didn’t want to draw attention by parking in the lot.

  “You’ll have to be more specific,” Cole said blankly.

 
; “With the schedule,” I prompted. “I know it’s rigorous and involves a lot of moving, but you’ll get used to it.” I hoped that was true. If Cole decided circus life wasn’t for him, Luke would be broken-hearted. He loved the life, but it was obvious he loved Cole more. I was starting to suspect that Luke might opt to leave with Cole if it came down to a choice, and the notion had my insides jiggling worse than loose Jell-O.

  “I don’t mind the schedule,” he reassured me. “I actually like it. It’s more that I want a purpose.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Everybody has their thing. Luke is kind of an everyman, but he loves performing and it’s obvious he’ll take over as ringmaster once that current douche is out of the picture.”

  I smirked. “That’s the plan.”

  “Kade is head of security. You’re head of everything. Raven has her corner of the world. The pixie twins know what they’re doing. I feel as if I’m floating.”

  I considered my words carefully. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”

  Cole’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he regarded me. “That’s not on the agenda. Why?”

  “I just ... Luke really cares for you.”

  “I love Luke. He’s a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like work for some reason. As for leaving, that’s not the plan. I just want something to do.”

  I had to find him a position. He’d been filling in as a pinch hitter in a variety of positions since joining us, but I understood that wasn’t fulfilling. “Well ... what is it you want to do? Do you want to join the security team?”

  “Not really. I don’t mind helping. Actually, I find it amusing and cathartic at times. I want more than that.”

  “Like what?” I desperately wanted to find him something.

  “I don’t know.” He stroked his chin. “What’s the deal with the midway guy?”

  I was taken aback. “Mark?” The mere thought of the slimy midway chief had my insides crawling. “He’s a disgusting piece of filth.”

  Cole’s chuckle was dry. “I’ve noticed you don’t like him.”

  “I hate him.”