Murder At The Circus: A Witch Cozy Mystery (A Bluebell Knopps Cozy Mystery Book 2)

by Nancy McGovern

  Humiliated, Tara said, “I don’t need to explain myself to you. I’m innocent. I would never cheat on you.”

  “Sure,” Felipe scoffed. “Play the martyr. You’re so good at it.”

  Her chin raised, and her eyes became glassy. “Fine,” she said. “Since you think I’m just being fake, and since you never did care, then I’ll get right on signing those divorce papers.”

  “Do what you like,” Felipe said.

  Tearfully, Tara stormed out, just as Bluebell opened her mouth to speak.

  Ignoring Tara’s departure, Felipe said, “I was just trying to make a point. We only have circumstantial evidence against Davis.”

  “Actually,” Bluebell said. “I’d say with confidence that Davis didn’t do it.”

  “That’s more like it!” Felipe said with a smile. “You’re my kind of girl.”

  “Why would you say that, Bluebell?” Nolan asked. “Don’t complicate this with a wild theory. Davis did it. He came stumbling out of the trailer in front of my eyes!”

  “Exactly,” Bluebell said. “Why would he do that? If he had killed Alex, he could have left the scene immediately.”

  “He probably didn’t get time,” Nolan said. “Tara came over to talk to Alex, right? He probably hid.”

  “Ok. So he hid when Tara came in. He had a good ten minutes to escape when she ran to the big tent to tell us about Alex’s death,” Bluebell said. “Why didn’t he?”

  “I don’t know,” Nolan said. “Drunk people are weird.”

  “Also, the way he was murdered…” Bluebell said. “From what you’ve described, Alex was seated in his chair when someone strangled him, right?”

  “Right. Davis is 6’3. And certainly strong enough to strangle a man.”

  “But Alex would have struggled, wouldn’t he? Were there any scratches on Davis’ arms?”

  Nolan shook his head. “Well, this isn’t for us to decide, Bluebell. The police will be here soon. Felipe, who’s in charge here now that Alex is gone? I’m assuming it’s you?”

  Felipe wasn’t paying attention. He was staring at the door, as if he could still see Tara in it.

  Nolan and Bluebell turned to him, unsure what to say.

  “So things aren’t going well between you and Tara?” Nolan asked.

  Felipe shook his head. He bought out a cigarette case from a pocket, and lit another one. “Nasty habit,” he said. “But I can’t seem to quit it.” With a laugh, he added, “Love’s a little bit like that too, isn’t it? You think, I can always quit. Maybe you even do for a little while. But sooner or later, those cravings start. Before you know it, you’ve succumbed.”

  “Have you known her long?” Nolan asked. “Tara, that is?”

  “I’ve known her for a long time,” Felipe said. “Still, I don’t know whether we know each other at all.” He took a deep breath, jamming his hands into his pockets. “You know, when we first got together, I thought she was just another pretty girl who likes to play Diva.

  “Performers get energy from attention. We need it more than we need food or drink, that’s the only way you can explain some of the crazy diets we go on, after all. Well that’s what I thought Tara was like. She can’t help it either, she’s born that way. her mother was a performer too. But oh, oh how I longed to tame all that energy.” He sighed, and shook his head. “I guess it was just a pipe dream.”

  “I know I shouldn’t give my opinion,” Nolan said. “After all, we’ve just met and all…”

  “Good,” Felipe said. “Don’t give it, then.”

  “…but I think you’re being a little stubborn. Tara seems to really love you. The way she looks at you…”

  “She cheated on me,” Felipe said, his voice deep. “I can’t take her back.”

  “She just said she didn’t,” Nolan pointed out.

  “I saw her exiting from Alex’s trailer at 2am one night,” Felipe said. “She refused to tell me why she was even in there. What do you think they were doing?”

  “Felipe!” Trent rushed into the room.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Davis!” Trent was taking huge breaths, and shaking all over.

  “What happened?” Felipe put a hand on his shoulder, and shook him.

  “Davis ran off.”

  “You were supposed to be watching him!”

  “I know. I’d gone to take a smoke break, and he knocked out Mark. By the time Mark came to, Davis had vanished.”

  Felipe groaned. “Now that was a stupid thing to do. He’s going to regret this.”

  “He will if we ever catch him,” Trent said.

  “How far could he have gotten. He’s on foot, right?” Nolan asked. “Let’s chase him down!”

  “That’s really not our job,” Trent protested. “The police need to get here, and fast.”

  “But where can he have gone?” Felipe wondered. “I can’t believe he’s the murderer after all.”

  Bluebell gave a little exclamation. “Joel! Who’s watching over Joel?”

  “Davis’ son? He’s in his trailer…” Trent’s mouth fell open as he realized what Bluebell was saying. “You think Davis… no, he’d never harm…”

  But Bluebell had already taken off, Nolan and Felipe following close behind. Running was her least favorite activity, and consequently, by the time she reached the trailer, Bluebell was panting heavily. Still, she flung open the trailer and looked inside, hoping for the best.

  The kitten lay on the bed, fast asleep. Joel, however, was nowhere in sight.

  “This is bad,” Nolan said. “This is really bad.”

  *****

  Chapter 6

  The Innocence Of Davis

  Sheriff Mickey Mackworth of Chesterdale chewed on a piece of bubblegum as Felipe told him the story. The circus lot now had three police cars parked haphazardly on it. Most of the performers were now in the big tent, while the sheriff, and a handful of people, were in Felipe’s tent.

  Mark sat off to one side, with an icepack on his jaw where Davis had hit him. “I still can’t believe Davis would do that,” Mark said. “I mean, I always thought he’s the nicest of guys.”

  “Well. If you’d only kept a better watch on him, it wouldn’t have happened.” Sheriff Mackworth shook his head disparagingly.

  “A murder has occurred, and a little boy’s life is in danger,” Felipe growled. “Are you really going to sit here and blame Mark?”

  “Now, now. No need to get testy,” the sheriff said. He stretched, then tucked his shirt back in under his potbelly. “Look here, we’ve called for the K9 unit, and we’ve put out an APB. Davis isn’t going anywhere with that kid.”

  “I mean…” Nolan shrugged. Internally, he thought that Lledrith’s own Sheriff Catherine would have done a far better job than this man, but the neighboring town had jurisdiction.

  “What?” the sheriff asked.

  “Nothing,” Nolan said, deciding not to air his views.

  The sheriff glared at him for a second, as if he could guess Nolan’s thoughts, then turned back to Felipe. “Now, like I said, we’ve done what we could. I’ve sent one search party out into the woods too. The rest of us can leave as soon as the K9 unit comes....”

  Bluebell lost interest in this conversation, and instead focussed on Nancy, Davis’ ex-wife. Nancy sat next to Mark, looking shellshocked. Bluebell put a hand on her. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I’m… in shock,” Nancy said. “I honestly am. I still can’t believe it. I know I was having problems with Davis, but… but none of this makes any sense.”

  “There’s little doubt that he killed Alex,” Mark said with a groan. “Why else would he run the way he did?”

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. “But Joel… Davis would die before he hurt Joel. If he was planning to run anyway, why would he take him?”

  “Joel heard something,” Mark said. “I was a fool to discuss it with Trent in front of Davis, but Joel heard Alex screaming at Davis. Saying that he’d used you.”


  “What?” Nancy looked confused.

  “How did you find out?” Bluebell asked Mark. “About what Joel heard, that is.”

  “Nolan and Felipe were talking about it,” Mark said. “Said Tara told them.”

  “Right.” Bluebell nodded. She turned to Nancy, who was still looking confused. “Ok, Nancy,we need to be proactive here. Think… is there any place near here that Davis could have gone to? We know he left on foot. Is there any hiding spot you can think of?”

  “Hiding spot? We’re a traveling circus, and we just got here a day ago,” Nancy said. “None of us have ever been in the area before.”

  “Well, apart from Davis, right? He grew up near here.” Mark smiled.

  “You know what I mean, Mark,” Nancy said. There was a slight irritation in her eyes. “No, Davis doesn’t know any hiding spots, Bluebell.”

  Why would Nancy do that? Bluebell wondered.

  If Mark hadn’t blurted out that Davis grew up near here, Nancy’s proclamation that he didn’t have any hiding spots nearby would have been universally accepted. Of course, the police would also have focussed their search differently. Right now, they were prepared to hunt in the woods.

  But if Mark was right, and Davis had grown up nearby, maybe he was hiding in town, at a relative’s house.

  “Okay.” Bluebell sat on a chair herself, and tried to puzzle it out. “If he grew up near here, maybe he has family in the area?”

  “Alex was like his family,” Mark said. “Davis and Alex grew up next to each other. They were like brothers in all but name. Both of their parents died early, and they were on their own since they were teens, so I don’t think they have any family left.

  “Not that Alex cared for his real family much. They were Czech immigrants, and his dad wasn’t a nice guy. Davis had a sister somewhere but he never talked about her much. As for Alex, well, he may have left a few oats strewn around town from his wilder days, you know?” Mark laughed and winked.

  “Shush, Mark,” Nancy said. She was looking more and more annoyed now. “That’s no way to talk about a man who’s just been murdered.”

  Bluebell sighed. So far, it seemed that Davis had done it. Clearly, he had. He’d had opportunity - after all, he had been in the trailer when the crime occurred. He’d had motive, too, jealousy at Nancy having left him for Alex. He’d known that Joel was a witness, and so he’d panicked, kidnapped him and run away.

  Only none of it fit. None of it made sense.

  If Davis had committed the murder, why had he remained in the trailer? If he had wanted, he could have escaped from it. Second, if he had known Joel was a witness and that his time was up, why bother kidnapping him? He could either have run away, or tried to harm Joel. Doing both just didn’t make sense.

  As for motive… Bluebell glanced at Nancy, who was sitting with her head bowed, clearly deep in prayer for her son.

  “Nancy,” Bluebell said. “For the sake of Joel, can I ask you some personal questions?”

  “I’m an open book,” Nancy said. “There’s nothing I’ll hold back.”

  “Did you… did you and Alex…?”

  “Oh, heavens no,” Nancy said. “Alex and I had never had a fling in the first place.” She laughed. “That’s a popular rumor. Alex liked to boast to people that he was a rooster among hens. But the truth is, he…” Nancy looked sideways at Mark, then said, “I don’t want to talk ill of a dead man. Never mind. Suffice it to say I never had a fling with Alex.

  “Davis and I were breaking up because of his alcoholism, and because I wanted to focus on my career. Joel loves his father a lot and begged to stay with him, but I wanted him to stay with me. Davis and I fought about it all the time. Davis was even threatening that if I didn’t come back to him, he’d settle down in some small town, and then I’d have to choose between my two loves - Joel and my career.”

  “So you had no intentions of returning to Davis?”

  “When I left him, I told Davis that anytime he wanted me back, all he had to do was stay away from the bottle for a month. That’s all. I’d give it a try if he could stay off the wagon for just a month. Davis never took up my challenge. Oh, he might cry once in awhile and tell me he’d given it up forever, but the very next day he’d go back to his evil habits.” Nancy wiped her eyes. “It’s a pity too, because I never stopped loving him.”

  “He cares about Joel, doesn’t he?” Bluebell asked.

  “He does,” Nancy said. “That’s why, no matter what they say about Davis, I simply can’t believe he would harm Joel. He wouldn’t do that. He just wouldn’t.”

  No, Bluebell thought. Maybe Davis wouldn’t. But Nancy, no matter what she said, was a curious mother. Who left their little boy alone with an alcoholic father? Even now, Felipe seemed to be far more interested in talking to the sheriff than Nancy. Bluebell didn’t have any children, but she imagined how some of her friends who did would have reacted if their child was missing. Surely they would have been a ball of energy, doing their best to get the missing child back? Especially in these crucial early hours.

  “How did you first meet Davis?” Bluebell asked.

  “Well, I was a performer with the Ringling Brothers when I met Davis,” Nancy said. “He and Alex had just finished their five years of service in the army. They were both best friends, and after seeing a lot of horrors overseas, they wanted to travel all over our grand country and bring joy to people.

  “Setting up Darwin Circus was Alex’s idea, and it was Alex’s money that went into it, but Davis contributed with a lot of small details, and created a lot of original routines. They’d both decided that they wouldn’t include any animals. The circus would focus on acrobats. They were offering a pretty high pay, so I agreed to the job.

  “Davis was so young, and so handsome. I remember being distracted and nervous throughout the interview because of it. Davis must have liked me too, or at least been convinced of my abilities, because he hired me on the spot.” Nancy wiped her eyes again. “Poor Davis. I’m telling you, he’s innocent. The real killer is still out there.”

  Yes, Bluebell thought, there was something fishy going on. Not once in the conversation had Nancy bought up Joel. All her focus seemed to be on declaring Davis innocent. Bluebell didn’t fully believe that Davis had done it, but there was something suspicious going on here. She was sure of it.

  *****

  Chapter 7

  Finding Joel

  Nolan walked over, and Bluebell smiled at him. With all that was going about, it was good to have an old, trusted friend like him around.

  “Hey, what happened to your friend Megan and my date Drew?” Bluebell asked, suddenly remembering them.

  “Megan got so upset that she went back home,” Nolan said. “Since Drew owns the lot, he’s still here talking to one of the policemen. He’s a little bit upset right now, I think. You know property prices can get affected if there’s rumors of murder and mayhem.”

  “How can he think about money at a time like this!” Bluebell exclaimed.

  “Well, I suppose it’s more important to him than Alex’s life was,” Nolan said. “Not everyone cares as much as you do, Bluebell. Alex was just a stranger renting out Drew’s lot. Why should Drew care, really?”

  Bluebell shrugged, then smiled. “You think I’m caring? What’s that little lump in your shirt pocket?”

  “This?” Nolan patted his pocket gently. “This is one very sleepy kitten who’s taken to me. Poor Joel. I know he was a scammer, but he cared about Mr. Fluffles here.”

  “Mr. Fluffles?” Bluebell giggled, and then flat out laughed, as she thought of the ever-macho Nolan, naming a cat Mr. Fluffles!

  “I didn’t know his name.” Nolan colored, and defended himself. “The little fellow just looks as though he should be called Mr. Fluffles.”

  “Joel told me his name is Bobo,” Bluebell said, trying and failing to suppress a smile.

  “Bobo Fluffles the Third,” Nolan said. “That shall be his official name when
I return him to Joel.”

  Both their faces turned solemn again as they thought of Joel. Bluebell sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

  “We should go join the volunteers,” Nolan said. “Try and find Davis. Funny, the last thing I thought I’d be doing today was joining a hunt for a clown in the jungle.”

  “I don’t know, Nolan,” Bluebell said. “It feels to me like there’s more to the story. I think… well, I think maybe Davis isn’t hiding in the jungle.”

  “But the sheriff thinks-”

  “I know what he thinks,” Bluebell said. “But I talked to Nancy and…” She suddenly had an idea. “Nolan, could you give me little Bobo?”

  “You mean Mr. Fluffles? Sure,” Nolan said, handing him over.

  Bluebell took the kitten in her hands. It gave a little mew, twitched its ears, and then rolled over onto its back. When an owner loves his pets, they have a bond. Joel had been dedicated to Bobo.

  Earlier in the day, when she’d been trying to find Bobo, Bluebell had put a spell on him. She’d ended up finding him with Joel. It wasn’t very likely, but it was possible - maybe she could use the same spell, and it would lead her to Joel this time. The same energy spectrum that was present around the kitten, might hang around Joel also. Hurriedly, Bluebell excused herself, and went to a quiet spot for some privacy.

  Closing her eyes, she murmured a little spell. The air around her seemed to shimmer. A faint purple trail hung in front of her.

  “Blue, what are you doing?” Nolan asked.

  She jumped, and swung around. “Nolan?”

  “You were acting very dodgy, so I followed you,” he said. “Are you all right? I mean, I realize that it’s been a few years since Steve died, but I thought maybe I’m being insensitive? Are you more affected by Alex’s murder than you’ve let on?”

  “No. I’m fine,” Bluebell said. Nolan didn’t look like he much believed her.