“I am fine,” she insisted. “I just needed to, like… spend some time alone.”
“Right. Of course.” Nolan patted her hand. “Listen, Blue. I’m not the best person when it comes to giving and taking advice, but I’ll be here if you ever want to talk. So will a lot of people back home in Lledrith. You tend to bottle up stuff, you know.”
Impatient, Blue looked at the rapidly disappearing purple sparks. If Nolan kept talking, the trail would disappear. Already it had dimmed. She couldn’t risk wasting another second. Making a sudden decision, she turned from him and ran.
“Bluebell, wait!” Clearly, Nolan thought he’d touched a nerve. He chased after her immediately.
Bluebell gave a little cry of frustration, as the trail ended in the parking lot. She was standing next to Nolan’s rusty red BMW, now, and there wasn’t a purple spark to be seen.
Nolan gave her a mildly annoyed look as he caught up to her. “Honestly, Blue, we can talk about this. But if you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you. Don’t run away from-”
“Your keys!” Bluebell said suddenly. “Give me your keys!”
“What?” Nolan looked confused. “Why?”
“Nolan, right now. Please.”
“All right. But you’d better have a good expla— hey wait! Don’t leave without me!” He jumped over to the passenger’s side, and slid in. “Bluebell, have you gone mad?”
“Not now, Nolan. Here, hold Bobo.”
“Mr. Fluffles, and you’ve upset him. He’s crying now, poor thing.” Nolan bought the kitten up to his face and nuzzled it. “It’s all right, kitty. We’ll feed you something soon. That’ll make you happy, won’t it? Yes it will!”
Bluebell gave a triumphant laugh. She’d been right - the trail hadn’t disappeared. It had just stretched a little. Every half mile, she could make out a purple star hovering above the road.
“Why are we headed to Chesterdale?” Nolan asked.
“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies,” Bluebell said.
“How about, I’ll ask the questions and you’ll tell me the truth because it’s my car and I’m your best friend?” Nolan asked.
“Fine. I have a hunch, Nolan. I have a hunch that Davis isn’t hiding in the jungle like everyone else thinks he is. I have a hunch that he’s hiding back in town.”
“Why would he be in town?”
“I think he’s got relatives there, or maybe just friends who’d take him in,” Bluebell said.
“And how do you know exactly where he is?” Nolan asked. “Or do you plan to scout through the town?”
“I… I have a strong hunch,” Bluebell said. “Maybe I’m just going to get lucky.”
“You know, the odds of that happening are about the same as the odds of little Fluffles here suddenly standing up on two feet and imitating Schwarzenegger in The Terminator,” Nolan pointed out.
Bluebell wondered if she had a spell that could do that. Wisely, she decided not to use it. Spells weren’t infallible. In fact, more often than not, she ended up goofing them up somehow. She’d been warned by the Magical Ministry that using any spells on a non-magical human being would mean an instant few years in jail.
She’d also been warned by her teacher that 9 times out of 10, spells used on human beings never worked as intended. With the exception of very simple hypnosis, such as asking a person to raise their hand. Otherwise, she supposed, it would be so simple to simply cast a truth spell and ask each person what was going on until the murderer confessed.
Once they reached Chesterdale, it got much more difficult to keep track of the purple sparks. More than once, Bluebell took a wrong turn, and ended up having to backtrack. To Nolan’s credit, he let her do as she liked. Bluebell got the impression he was trying to be supportive, though he clearly had his doubts.
After two hours circling the town, they finally found it. At least, Bluebell was somewhat sure she’d found it. They weren’t in a very good part of town. When she finally stopped the car, it was in front of an old red-brick apartment block. The apartments looked rather shabby, with cracked windows and dark stains on the walls. A purple spark hovered in front of one door.
Before Nolan could protest, Bluebell sprang out of the car, and entered the apartment. She was closer now, she was sure of it. The trail had grown strong again. She raced up three flights, before knocking on a door.
“Who is it?” a suspicious female voice called from the inside.
“I… uh… delivery,” Bluebell said.
The door opened a crack, and a lady poked her head out. She must have been beautiful once, before drink and smoke took the youth out of her skin, and yellowed her teeth. Her eyes were a deep green, almost magically beautiful, and her hair was jet black, hanging to her shoulders.
“I didn’t order anything,” she said, in a raspy voice.
“It’s for Davis,” Bluebell said. “I got him the money he needs.”
Just for a moment, the eyes brightened. Just for a moment, the woman seemed to believe Bluebell.
Then Nolan came panting up the stairs, and declared, “Honestly, Bluebell, I don’t know why you’re leading me on this wild goose chase. We aren’t going to find Davis and-”
The door slammed shut in their faces.
Bluebell gave out a little cry of annoyance. “Nolan, I was so close! Davis is in there! Now she won’t open.” Bluebell knocked on the door. “Miss?” she called. “Please, we’re here to help!”
“He’s in that apartment?” Nolan asked, his voice suddenly sharp. “You’re sure of it?”
“Davis? Maybe. Joel, very,” Bluebell said. “Joel’s in there.”
Without a word, Nolan turned back around and disappeared down the stairs. “Nolan!” Bluebell called after him, astonished. It wasn’t like him to just run away from a situation.
She didn’t have time to think, however. The door opened a tad bit again. “Go away,” the woman said.
“My name is Bluebell Knopps,” Bluebell said. “I’m here… I have a message for Joel and Davis. From Nancy. Joel left his kitten behind.”
“I don’t know who those people are,” the woman said. “I’ve never heard of them. You need to leave before I call the police.”
“I’m not leaving until you let me in,” Bluebell retorted. “Feel free to call the police.”
The woman looked very confused. Shocked, almost. The idea of someone wanting to call the police seemed to unnerve her. She tried a different tack. “Go away,” she said. “Before I bring out my gun. I’m not afraid to use it.”
“Let me in,” Bluebell said firmly, then she gave a little infuriated sigh. What was she doing, arguing with this woman? This was one situation where magic could help. Oliver had shown her how to hypnotize people. Now was a good time to try out her abilities.
Deepening her voice, fixing her gaze on the woman, Bluebell said, “You will open the door. You will let me in.”
The woman gaped at her.
Was it working? Bluebell didn’t feel anything, but then, maybe she didn’t need to. “I am a friend. You see me as a friend. Now open the door and let me in,” Bluebell said.
“You’re mad,” the woman said, definitively. “Utterly crazy. Get out of here. I am not letting you in. I’ve never heard of Joel or Davis. Go away!”
Well, that was a disappointment. Clearly she needed more help from her teachers before she learned how to… Bluebell gave a little gasp, as once again, the door was firmly shut in her face.
Bobo/Fluffles, who was snug in her purse, gave a little whimper and began washing his paws.
“I’ll get you in there,” Bluebell said. “Wait and see.”
No sooner had she said it, than a huge crash came from inside the house. There were shouts and screams. Bluebell heard another crash, as if someone had thrown a lamp at a wall. Then, she heard Nolan’s deep voice. “All right, your game’s up, Davis. Give up! The police want you!”
There were two more crashes, and then, ominous silence.
> Bluebell was about to break open the door when it swung open.
“You might as well come in,” the green eyed woman said, gesturing to her.
*****
Chapter 8
Davis Tells His Story
“What happened in here?” Bluebell exclaimed, as she walked in. The apartment was tiny, and rather messy, with clothes strewn about all over the place. A TV leaned on one wall, with an olive green sofa a few feet away from it.
A wheelchair sat next to the sofa, and Bluebell felt sympathy as she saw the woman sitting on it. She was possibly in her teens, and had the pale, sunken face of someone suffering from a serious illness. Her upper body was perfectly normal, but even through the blanket that had been thrown over her legs, Bluebell could tell that they were thin sticks. In one corner of the mantelpiece was a birthday card with Happy 18th! written on it.
Poor girl, Bluebell thought.
“My daughter,” the green eyed woman said, seeing Bluebell glance at her. “Her name’s Sara. I’m Lacey.”
“Good… good to meet you,” Bluebell stuttered. She’d spotted what had made the crash - a vase lay shattered against the window. The window, too, had a crack in it. What had happened here?
From the adjoining room, Nolan came out, marching Davis and Joel in front of him.
“You were right, Bluebell,” Nolan said with a smile. “They were hiding here all along.”
“You broke into my house,” Lacey said with an angry look at Nolan. Turning to Bluebell, she said, “He forced his way in here through the fire escape.”
“Just in time, too,” Nolan said. “Because Davis here was about to make an escape.”
“I’m innocent!” Davis proclaimed.
“Sure you are. That’s why you punched Mark and ran away from the circus,” Nolan said. “Call the police, Bluebell. The sooner we get Davis into a jail cell, the better it will be.”
“Please! Call the police, but before you do, just listen to me,” Davis said.
“Why should I?” Nolan asked. “You can explain to the sheriff why you-”
“Nolan…” Bluebell gave him a look. “Let’s hear him out. At least once.”
Nolan looked exasperated. “You can’t be serious, Bluebell.”
“Please,” she said.
“No!” Nolan exclaimed. “Davis killed Alex, he punched out Mark, he kidnapped Joel! I’m getting the police here as fast as possible.”
“I didn’t kill Alex. I promise I didn’t! I would never hurt him!” Davis said. “I punched Mark, yes. But kidnap Joel? Why would I do that? I just wanted to get him away from the circus, and in a safe place.”
“Away from the circus and in a safe place?” Nolan raised his hands and looked all around him. “This is your definition of a safe place?”
“Hey, watch what you say about my house,” Lacey snapped. “I’m sorry if your highness is used to fancier castles, but I like this place. It’s all I got.”
“Mom, calm down,” Sara said, wheeling herself forward. “Let’s just… everybody just sit down. We’ll make some coffee, and talk this over.”
“I’m not giving them coffee unless they pay for it,” Lacey said rudely.
“I wouldn’t trust her coffee, Bluebell. She’s harboring a criminal. She wouldn’t have any problems with murdering us.”
“I threw a vase at you because you’re a strange man who tried to break into my house!” Lacey shouted. “I wasn’t trying to murder you!”
“That remains to be seen,” Nolan said. “It’s for the police to decide, anyway.”
“Look,” Davis said. “Give me ten minutes. Just ten minutes. If you don’t believe me at the end of it, call the police. I won’t say a word.”
“All right, then,” Nolan said. “Talk to us.”
Davis took a deep breath. “I don’t know where to start,” he said. “I guess Alex is a good place. Alex and I both served in the military, but we didn’t serve together. I was in the infantry, while Alex, with his brains, soon rose up high. I didn’t talk to him for a long time. I think he was in some form of intelligence. CIA maybe? I don’t know. He’d tell me tales all the time, but warn me not to repeat them.”
Nolan gave a bark of laughter. “You can’t be serious. The CIA did this? That’s what you’re trying to sell? Very un-American for an army man.”
“I know I didn’t do this,” Davis said angrily. “I went there to argue with him, but-”
“Why did you go to argue with Alex?” Nolan asked.
“Because he wasn’t being fair about the money,” Davis said. “The circus is earning excellent profits, but us performers don’t see a dime. Alex gave us barely enough to have three meals a day. Not much more. I’d gone to talk to him about more money.”
“Oh please,” Nolan said. “Nancy told us you were an alcoholic. More likely you went to talk to him about a small loan and he refused you. Then, in a fit of rage, you killed him. That’s what happened, isn’t it?”
“Stop talking about my dad that way!” Joel yelled.
“Joel, hush.” Davis patted him on the shoulder. “This man is just angry about Alex’s death.”
“I don’t like alcoholic fathers,” Nolan said. “Especially those who kidnap their own kids and spout off insane conspiracy theories.”
“It’s not a conspiracy,” Davis protested. “I didn’t kidnap Joel, either. I was keeping him safe. As soon as Mark told me what Joel had overheard, I knew it was time to get him out of there!”
“What?”
“Felipe left Joel alone and unguarded in all the confusion after Alex’s death,” Bluebell said. “Of course Davis would feel protective. But I don’t understand one thing, Davis, why not just ask someone to bring Joel to the big tent? Why run away with him?”
“I didn’t know who to trust, that’s why. I reacted instantly. I just wanted to find Joel and take him someplace safe,” Davis said, his eyes stormy. “I was in panic mode - they all said someone had killed Alex brutally, but with no blood showing. Who could have done that but an assassin? Now if that same assassin was lurking free near us… well, what chance did we have? I still think I just got lucky.”
“There’s no assassin,” Nolan said. “You’re just delusional.”
“Alex is dead, isn’t he? He was a reasonably fit man, but from what I’ve heard, he was strangled to death, and apparently he didn’t even put up a fight! Can you explain that? I can’t. Unless someone very high level came to finish him off, that is.”
“We need to call the police,” Nolan said.
“Yes, go ahead, do that, but if they arrest me, what happens to Joel? Does he have to go back to the circus, with Nancy? Because I wouldn’t trust anyone there with his life. Accidents happen so easily when we’re loading and unloading. No, I don’t care. As long as he doesn’t go back there, the police can do what they like to me.”
Nolan gave Bluebell a look. Since they’d been best friends for years, she was able to decipher it pretty simply. It was a look that said, “There’s no use arguing with a crazy man, I’m going to do as I like anyway.”
“I’m not crazy!” Davis exclaimed, apparently reading Nolan as well as she had. “I’m not. If you can promise me that Joel gets to stay here with my sister Lacey, I’ll be okay.”
“Now, Davis,” Lacey interrupted. “I’d love to keep Joel, but I really can’t. It’s all I can do to take care of Sara. Besides, the circus is his home - it’s where he needs to be. There’s no threat to his life. Nancy’s there, isn’t she? So is Tara. Alex was never a good guy. He just liked being the centre of attention. I don’t think he was ever in the CIA. He was just good at telling stories.”
“Nancy? Tara? They’re just weak women,” Davis scoffed.
“Now, Tara’s pretty strong, she’s an acrobat! And Nancy, I’ve seen her lift a fifty kilo sack.”
“What will that help when Alex’s assassin tries to kill them? These are trained people with world class skill. I want my child to be in protective custody. Witness p
rotection. Lacey, Joel belongs here. He’s your responsibility too, isn’t he? I’ve done all that I-”
Bluebell looked from his face to Joel’s. Joel wasn’t saying much, but all this talk of his life being in danger had clearly affected him. He was looking tearful. Bending down, Bluebell handed him the kitten. “Hey, Joel, look what I got for you. Bobo was missing you.”
“Bobo!” Joel looked ecstatic as he grabbed the kitten. “Gee thanks, miss! I really was missing him too. I thought I might never see him again. Especially if Dad makes me stay here.”
“Do you want to stay here, buddy?” Nolan asked. “The police are very close to finding out who the killer is, and they’ll arrest him very shortly.” He looked over at Davis with contempt, then turned back to Joel. “There’s no assassin running around the circus, but your mother will be there.”
“Nancy isn’t my mom,” Joel said petulantly. “She left us anyway.”
“You know, when I punched Mark out and went to my trailer, Joel was fast asleep inside, but someone had tried to break the door open,” Davis said. “I’m telling you, if I had gotten there even a little bit later, they might have killed my Joel! You can go look yourself - there’s marks on the door.”
Lacey sighed. “Mark, I think it’s time for you to stop drinking so much. I think Nolan’s right too. It’s time to call the police. We can make them promise to keep an eye on Joel. I know you didn’t murder Alex, but you have to let the law follow its course. If they want to keep you in jail for a little while…”
“I won’t go unless I’m confident Joel is okay,” Davis said.
“Look, Davis, be reasonable about this,” Nolan said. “Alex was killed in his trailer in the afternoon. Why would an assassin kill him in broad daylight?”
“A good assassin would know that broad daylight was a better time to kill him,” Davis said. “Anyone who’s spent any time in the circus knows that too. The best time to kill Davis would be when everyone else is distracted and in the middle of a show. Alex was bored of seeing the show and preferred to be in his trailer working the accounts.”
“Now then,” Bluebell said. “We aren’t so sure he was killed in the middle of the show. The half hour interval where he was killed is right before the show.”
Murder At The Circus: A Witch Cozy Mystery (A Bluebell Knopps Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 4
