Just before he disappeared into the trees, Ollie looked back at the camp where she and her sister waited. She returned his wave and felt a sense of loss when he was gone. It had only been two days, but she had relaxed around him more than she had in town. She hoped that when this was over they could get to know each other better.
❧
It was nearing dusk later that day when Pierre rode up in the wagon. Marissa was glad he hadn’t come any sooner.
“Pierre, you’re back. It hasn’t been two weeks yet.”
“Aren’t you glad to see me, Marissa? I just couldn’t stay away from my two lovely daughters any longer.” His laugh echoed in the open stillness around them.
All evening, Pierre would start sentences, then stop midway and laugh, a gleam in his eyes, as if he had a secret. Marissa didn’t care. She didn’t want to know anything about him or where he’d been. She was sure he’d spent part of the time with unsavory companions, some of them women. How she hated him and what he had done to her. She imagined her life would have been much like that of Gerda or Anna if she’d never known him. Maybe it wasn’t too late. She certainly hoped not. But Pierre wasn’t the only one with a secret, and the one she and Clari shared would put him in prison. It was hard for her to act natural around him. She was glad when he said Clarissa would be going into town with him this time. It would be easier to wait at the camp for the fateful day. The only thing Marissa regretted was that she would have to commit one more crime, but it would be the last. And Pierre would be out of their lives forever, she hoped.
Twelve
It was the last day of August, and the circus train was coming that morning. The railroad agent had posted a sign to let everyone know when it was due. By the time they could hear the huge mechanical monster in the distance, chugging toward the station, gawkers crowded the platform. Others were scattered along both sides of the tracks. Young mothers sat on the benches beside the depot, holding toddlers and babies. Children darted in and out among the crowd as though they were playing hide-and-seek with each other, and the more daring boys stood at the edge of the platform and hung out over the tracks to wait for the engine’s approach.
Ollie leaned against the depot wall, watching the activity. Lowell was taking his turn at keeping watch on Marissa in the camp. Of course, she didn’t know he was there, but the brothers had decided they wouldn’t leave her alone in the wilderness.
Ollie scanned the crowd, looking for Clarissa. He didn’t see her, but Le Blanc was there, watching everything with a huge smile on his face. The excitement would help his scheme succeed. Ollie glanced down Main Street. Since most of the people who were in town were at the station, the thoroughfare looked deserted, except for the shop owners who stood near their doors in case a stray customer needed an item. Even the saloon keeper and a few of the women sauntered toward the tracks and clustered in small groups a short distance from the crowd. At least the women were dressed modestly. It was a wonder they were awake this early since they’d worked so late at night.
“The train’s here!” someone shouted. “I can see it coming!”
Smoke belched from the smokestack on the powerful engine, and cars spread down the track as far as the eye could see. More than fifty long railroad cars, Ollie guessed.
When the whistle blew, the stationmaster made his way out onto the platform and tried to get the crowd to move back. Finally, the sheriff and his deputy came to help him. Within moments, the people had moved to a safer distance, and the stationmaster stepped up beside the huffing engine as its shrieking brakes brought it to a halt. He spoke to the engineer, then directed him to move to a side track that ran beside the main line. After all the cars were on the other track, he turned the wheel that threw the switch, leaving the tracks ready for the next train to pass through town.
People emerged from the railroad cars and moved quickly to perform their duties.
The ringmaster, in a uniform covered with gold braid and fringe, lifted a megaphone to his mouth. “Come one, come all—to the greatest spectacle you’ve ever seen! At precisely two o’clock, the circus parade will begin!” He turned toward another part of the crowd. “Come see the performers and fee-ro-cious wild animals from the jungles of Africa! The parade will start at that end of Main Street.” He swept his white-gloved hand down the street. “And it’ll come this way and go out to the field beside Lake Ripley. See the greatest little show under the big top right after the parade!”
The clock on the depot chimed ten o’clock. Ollie guessed it would take about four hours for the workers to set up the mammoth tent pictured on the flyers around town. He noticed Le Blanc leaning against the depot wall, writing in a notebook. Ollie wished he could see what he was writing, but he didn’t want to alert the man to his interest.
After most of the people had dispersed from the area, Ollie decided to go home and get his mother. She might enjoy the excitement. He’d take her to eat at the hotel. Since he and his brother wouldn’t be home at lunchtime, she probably wouldn’t fix herself anything, either. Ollie was worried about her not eating right since Father died. Her clothes were beginning to hang on her thin frame. Perhaps someone else’s cooking would perk up her appetite.
He figured she could spend a little time with Anna, then watch the parade with her from the front of the Dress Emporium. After that he’d try to get the two women to go with him to the performance. He wanted everything to seem normal to Le Blanc.
The hotel restaurant was crowded when Ollie arrived with his mother; but one group left, and they were given that table. His mother ate more than she had in some time. After dropping her off at his sister’s store, Ollie sauntered up the street, stopping and talking to people as he went. Finally, he stepped into the sheriff’s office, as if paying a friendly visit.
“Is everything all set?” Ollie asked Sheriff Bartlett.
Bartlett glanced out the window. “Yes, a friend sent several of his deputies to help us. They’re already hidden in the forest around the campsite where the girls are. Mr. Finley told me he was closing the bank during the circus performance, so I asked if he and his family would sit with Le Blanc and his daughter.”
“Did you tell him why?” Ollie hesitated. “I mean, do you think it’s good for many people to know what’s going on?”
“No, I didn’t tell him, and I agree with you. But he has a daughter who might enjoy Clarissa.”
After reviewing the plans, Ollie left the office and headed toward the bank. Le Blanc was just coming out of the door.
“Are you and Rissa going to the performance this afternoon?”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Le Blanc said with a smile and continued down the street.
Ollie smiled to himself. I’m sure you wouldn’t.
❧
Clarissa couldn’t believe her good fortune. Pierre had suggested she might like to watch the parade with her friends at the Dress Emporium, so he took her there right after an early lunch. He would get Mari and bring her to town, keeping her hidden in the wagon until after the circus performance started. Then she would rob the homes he had listed and return to the wagon to hide again.
I hope Ollie will come by the store while I’m there. She sighed as she remembered his green eyes and wavy brown hair. Soon after she arrived at the Dress Emporium, Ollie came, as well as his mother. She was a lovely older woman. Now Clarissa knew where Ollie got his good looks. He shared many of his features with his mother, even though her brown hair was laced with silver strands that only added to her beauty.
Clarissa watched Mrs. Jenson talking with her daughter and Gerda. How she wished she’d known her mother after she had reached adulthood. The special bond between these two women was evident. A mother would have made a big difference in the way her life and Mari’s had turned out. Clarissa had to swallow the tears that clogged her throat. She didn’t want anyone to guess anything was wrong. She tried to join in the pleasant conversation but had little to say. She was glad the other women were too busy talking to not
ice.
Soon it was time to move outside for the parade. The boardwalks were already filling with people. She was thankful no one was in front of the Dress Emporium yet. Gerda and Anna moved chairs from the store and set them under the awnings the Braxtons had recently added to the front of the building. The women would have a comfortable, shaded spot to watch the festivities.
A horse-drawn calliope led the parade. The music it played was lively and different from anything Clarissa had ever heard—tinny and breathy at the same time. Clowns and jugglers followed, then two men leading three huge gray animals. The handlers carried long sticks and walked on either side of the animals, keeping them in line down the middle of the street. A woman in a fancy costume perched on the neck of the first animal. The beasts’ long trunks and huge ears swished through the air, stirring up a small breeze, and their feet raised giant puffs of dust that filled the air around them.
“What are those?” Clarissa whispered, staring at them. For the first time, she wished she’d been as interested in books as her sister. Mari would know what they were.
“They’re elephants.” Anna watched as the animals drew closer. “I saw a picture of one in a book once, but these are the first real ones I’ve seen.”
Clarissa leaned as far back in her chair as she could. What if an elephant stepped on her? It could kill her. But some boys dashed out into the street and tried to get as close as possible to them. One boy even reached out to touch one of the elephant’s legs.
“You there, Boy!” one of the handlers barked. “Get back before he tramples on you!”
The boy jumped back on the boardwalk, his friends right after him.
Behind the elephants came horse-drawn wagons with colorful cages containing other strange animals. Some of them prowled around the cages and roared at the crowd. This seemed to excite some of the boys, but Clarissa didn’t like it. The sound was terrifying, coming from such close proximity. In the heat of waning summer, the strong wild animal smells were almost overwhelming. She held a white handkerchief to her nose and didn’t breathe very deeply.
After the caged animals passed, other performers wearing fancy costumes and heavy makeup rode horses or walked down the street, waving to the people who lined the thoroughfare. Clarissa wondered what they looked like under the garish greasepaint. Then she saw a man carrying a stick that was on fire. He had just reached the street in front of the Dress Emporium when he stuck the burning end into his mouth, then pulled it back out.
Clarissa gasped and shuddered. “Why did he do that?”
“He’s a fire-eater,” Anna said, her eyes wide. “I’ve read about them too, but I’ve never seen one.” She looked from one end of the street to the other. “In fact, most of these things are new to me. I can hardly wait for the performance to start.”
When the last of the parade had passed, Ollie returned for his sister and his mother, with Pierre close behind. He offered Clarissa his arm, then escorted her down the street toward the tent. She wished he’d waited until the dust from the parade had settled. She covered her nose again with the now-dingy handkerchief. A brown film blanketed everything.
Smaller tents and booths dotted the landscape around the big tent, and hawkers called out to the people to come inside and behold the “wonders” they boasted about. One was supposed to be a bearded lady, while another purported to house an Egyptian mummy.
The hawker outside one small tent shouted, “Step right up! Buy a ticket now! Inside this tent is General Tom Thumb and a gen-u-wine Feejee mermaid.” He looked right at Pierre. “Come on, Sir—buy a ticket so you and your lady friend can see these amazing wonders!”
Pierre leaned close to her. “Would you like to see something before the show starts?”
Clarissa shook her head. With the closed tents and the heat, she didn’t want to venture inside one, even to see a mummy or a mermaid. And she was appalled the man thought she was Pierre’s lady friend.
“Perhaps you’d like a glass of lemonade?” Pierre stopped in front of a small wooden hut.
“Yes, anything to help my dry throat. Thank you.”
Clarissa looked around her while Pierre paid for the drinks. She wondered how they’d set up everything in the time since the train had arrived that morning. Many people must have worked together. She sipped the cool liquid as they headed toward the main tent.
Inside she saw seats on raised platforms that looked like stairs around the perimeter of the tent. Sawdust covered the floor, and short barriers defined the different sections. Strange-looking equipment was attached to the tall poles that held up the great canvas, and most of the sides were rolled up to let in what little wind was blowing.
After buying two tickets, Pierre led her to a spot about halfway down one side of the long tent. “Would you like to sit on the front row?”
Clarissa shook her head. “No, not that close. Maybe farther back—up there in the second group of seats. We can still see over the heads of the people in front of us.” They climbed up to the second tier, then sat down. Other seats along the rows were filling up, and a short time later, the banker, Mr. Finley, and his family joined them. Clarissa had never met Becky Finley, but soon they were chattering away as if they’d known each other for years.
Both old men and young strode up and down the aisles, calling out, “Roasted peanuts! Popcorn! Get ’em right here!” The atmosphere was festive—and different from anything Clarissa had ever experienced.
Circuses had traveled mainly in the East until recent years, so she and her sister had never been in the same town where one was performing. They would usually pull a con during a community barn dance, an Independence Day celebration, or a similar big event.
❧
Ollie escorted his mother into the tent and found seats where he could look straight across the center ring at Clarissa. Soon August brought Gerda and Anna to sit with them. Ollie knew they were talking, but his attention was trained on the woman sitting across the tent. Today her hairstyle was not as elaborate as usual. It reminded him of the way she looked out at the campsite. A ribbon the color of her dress tied back her hair, and her curls bounced against her shoulders as she moved her head. He gazed at her. If only someday I could touch those curls. . .
“Did you hear what I said, Ollie?”
His mother’s voice brought him back to the present. “I’m sorry, Mother. I didn’t.”
“Do you think something will be happening in all three rings at once?”
“I don’t know.” He smiled at her. “But why else do you think they’d have three rings?”
Just then the ringmaster announced the equestrian events in ring number one. Riders circled the ring while executing tricks on the backs of the horses, sometimes standing, sometimes sitting. One even stood on his hands on the horse’s back. Then suddenly, the ringmaster turned their attention to ring number three at the other end of the tent. A man stepped inside a large cage that held two lions and three tigers. He cracked a whip about their heads until they stood on small round pedestals.
“I want to watch both of them, but I can’t.” Mother looked first at one ring, then at the other.
Ollie smiled at her. He hadn’t seen her this animated since Father had died. Maybe it would take her mind off losing him—for a short while anyway. Then Ollie glanced across the ring at Clarissa. She was watching the big cats. One of them roared, and she shuddered. Quickly, she turned to watch the performers on horses. He had never been to a circus, but he didn’t want to waste any of the time he could spend appreciating her beauty.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, turn your attention to the center ring! Those masters of laughter are coming your way!” The ringmaster pointed to the clowns, tumbling and chasing each other into the ring.
Ollie glanced at Clarissa again. She was laughing and clapping her hands. He could feel his own heart tumbling too. Clarissa—so happy, so beautiful—took his breath away. He wanted to help her be happy for the rest of her life.
Ollie shook h
is head. He didn’t know if she was a Christian, and he knew the Bible spoke plainly against a believer marrying an unbeliever. But he couldn’t get rid of the thoughts that filled his head and heart. He hoped he would find out soon if she knew the Lord. For now he would pray.
After the clowns had cavorted around the center ring, the ringmaster announced the high-wire acts. “Oohs” and “aahs” and gasps of breath rippled through the audience as various performers crossed the high wire—walking, riding a bicycle, juggling, and carrying a variety of bulky items. Ollie watched a myriad of emotions cross Clarissa’s face at the same time.
The final act took place on the flying trapezes. It was the most spectacular of all. Ollie couldn’t keep from watching it, even though he stole glances at the beautiful face across the tent.
❧
Clarissa was glad when the performance was over. Just before the end of the display on the trapezes, she noticed Ollie across the tent from where she sat. How long had he been there? After that, she had a hard time staying focused on the performers. One time, when she glanced at him, he was looking straight at her. She felt as if they were the only two people in the tent. Everything around her faded, and she could hardly breathe. The death-defying heroics of the troop held no more attraction for her. Ollie Jenson filled her mind and heart. If only her life had been different. More like Anna’s or Gerda’s. Perhaps then they would have had a future together.
As soon as most of the people were out of the tent, Clarissa noticed the circus workers dismantling the equipment. “Do you know where they’re going next?” she asked Pierre.
“According to the front man, they’ll have to head south for the winter.” He helped her climb down from the tier where they’d been sitting. “Most of the wild animals came from Africa, and it’s hot there. They can’t tolerate the winters this far north.”
They followed the rest of the crowd that was headed toward the middle of town. Pierre made a point of greeting many people. Clarissa knew he wanted them to remember talking to him and seeing her. Then, if anyone saw Mari before she slipped away, he could assure them Rissa Le Blanc was indeed at the circus. There would be plenty of witnesses to that fact. She only hoped this would be the last time she and her sister had to go through this.
Double Deception Page 11
