The Carnival of Curiosities (Matt Drake Book 27)

by David Leadbeater

  Oana watched the closing down of the Carnival as if it were the closing down of her life. Darkness came forth from the surrounding forests in fits and starts as the lights were turned off, shrouding her with its searching, frightful fingers. If she were to defy her father, this place—the only home she’d ever had—would be off limits forever. She would never be able to return.

  A lone tear fell from her right eye. A lifetime of memory crushed her. The thought of such an intense wrench debilitated her.

  Change was inevitable, they said. Embrace it, they said. But nothing made the act of change easy to accept.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Drake had thought long and hard about the best place to reunite with the team. Quiet and open, busy and boisterous, or as secret as the grave.

  In the end the latter won, obviously.

  Truth be told, the Yorkshireman would have preferred a meet in the local fish and chip shop but, here in Romania, there didn’t appear to be any. He’d traveled fast from the wilds of one continent to the wilds of another. Romania was bitterly cold. A snappy wind filled with razor blades tore at his face every time he turned around. He wore a black leather jacket and was standing in the shelter offered by a lone trio of barren trees. Around him stood uneven rows of old headstones.

  They’d decided to meet in a cemetery. Drake could almost hear Alicia’s greeting comment word for word and had written a version of it on his phone for fun. Really, Drakey? After all that voodoo bollocks, you ask to meet in a fucking cemetery? At least, something along those lines.

  He didn’t have to wait much longer to find out.

  They came in a line, pacing along a narrow path up a short incline toward the trees. Drake spotted the big, blond lummox leading the way, followed by Kenzie and then Alicia. Cam and Shaw brought up the rear, chatting in earnest. Only Kenzie appeared to be scouting the area.

  Dahl waved a hand in greeting on spotting him. “Knobhead.”

  “About time. You’re fifteen minutes late. I’m freezing my bollocks off out here.”

  “You chose the fucking place,” Dahl muttered. “And that’s clearly a lie. Your bollocks would freeze off in far less than fifteen minutes, mate.”

  Drake gave him the finger, turning to Alicia. Before he could speak the spirited blond gave him both barrels.

  “What the fuck, Drakey? A cemetery? Are you just trying to scare the pants off me?”

  It was near enough to what he’d imagined. Drake acknowledged Kenzie, Cam and Shaw and then nodded back along the path they’d just traveled. “Here come the stragglers.”

  Hayden, Kinimaka and Mai joined them. Drake couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Well,” he said. “It’s good to be back.”

  There were hugs all round for the newcomers, then Drake tried to pull himself away from Alicia’s tight grasp. “You can let go now.”

  “Are you kidding me? This is the warmest I’ve been since we landed.”

  “Let’s leave the catching up for later,” Mai said. “What’s the plan?”

  “First order of business is to track down that carnival,” Dahl said and then waved at Cam. “At least, that’s what our friend here wants.”

  Cam came forward and gave them a brief update. “The message hasn’t been repeated again in the WhatsApp chat. Basically, my sisters are in trouble and we have to find out why. This is no idle threat. They’re in great danger.”

  Drake nodded, trusting the young man’s judgment, and seeing his concern. Hayden was already clicking away on Kinimaka’s iPhone.

  “They have a Facebook page,” she said. “For marketing. Next stop is near a town called Iaşi, close to the Moldovan border. Their ad says the carnival will stay for three days before moving on.”

  “And how far’s Iaşi?” Dahl asked.

  Hayden clicked and swiped for less than a minute. “Four-hour drive,” she said. “Could be worse, I guess.”

  “That means we could be there by morning,” Cam said. “Before the next Carnival begins.”

  “Hold your horses, mate,” Drake said. “Slow down. This must be handled sensibly. Our enemies are still out there, searching. One ping and we’ll have more than a few Roma travelers to worry about.”

  Alicia blinked at him. “One... ping?”

  “Bollocks,” Drake said gruffly. “You know what I mean.”

  “Not me,” Dahl said with a straight face.

  “Aye, all right. Well, imagine this if you can: A bunch of idiots are being hunted by some of the world’s worst and best funded criminal organizations. Bunch of idiots goes for a stroll around a busy seaside town—let’s call it Clearwater. Bunch of idiots is shocked to find they’re suddenly under attack.” He paused. “Is that clear enough for you?”

  Dahl glared at Drake and then Alicia. “Who told you?”

  “Don’t look at me,” the Englishwoman protested.

  “Bryant found out quite easily,” Mai said. “Agency chatter. I mentioned it to Drake.”

  Alicia stared at the Japanese woman. “Oh, yeah? And how did your cozy days and nights go with the Letch of the East?”

  “He’s not such a bad guy, at least not when you get to know him. You’ll see.”

  Alicia was about to say more, and Drake was also intrigued, especially at her last comment, but Dahl was looking huffy and ready to move off. A strong gust of wind blasted the moisture from Drake’s eyes, making him shiver and blink.

  “Let’s go get those cars,” he said.

  *

  They used the false IDs they’d appropriated from the remains of the Strike Force HQ to rent two vehicles, both dark and comfortable SUVs. Once Drake was inside with the heat turned to high, he was happy and more amenable to winding Dahl, Kenzie and Alicia up to the max.

  “You guys manage to hit the beach down in Clearwater? It’s supposed to be great.”

  “How was Colorado?” Dahl tried to change the subject. “Did you find your woman?”

  Drake acknowledged the crafty choice of words with a wince, somehow refraining from casting a guilty glance at Alicia in the back seat. “I did. And found a few more serial killers besides. That’s all done with now.”

  “Whoa, what a machine. You do love your serial killers.”

  Drake blinked. “I wouldn’t exactly put it that way, mate.” He nodded at the car’s other occupant, also in the back seat. “Mai,” he said. “What did you and Bryant get up to?”

  Alicia smiled, but Mai spoke up. “I joined him in an operation. He has a good setup over at Glacier. You boys should go take a look.”

  Drake nodded as Dahl drove. It was pitch black outside, and the other car was visible only because of its headlamps, but they’d decided to put a few hours between themselves and the place they’d entered the country. After that, they’d find a hotel.

  Drake settled back as the journey began uneventfully. It had been an intense, long, dangerous trip from Colorado and he was happy to have arrived and met the team in one piece. They found a hotel halfway to Iaşi and rented several rooms, paying in cash. It was one of those nights where Drake just wanted his head to hit a soft pillow with peaceful oblivion following less than twelve seconds later.

  Alicia had other ideas.

  *

  The next morning, they ate a good breakfast before resuming their journey under a leaden sky. A wan sun considered putting in an appearance as it flitted between rainclouds. By the time they reached the environs around Iaşi, it was early afternoon. Hayden found them another rural hotel where they could book rooms anonymously and then meet later, using Dahl’s junior suite as a meeting room.

  “We know where the Carnival will be setting up,” Hayden said. “We know tonight’s the first night.”

  All eyes turned to Cam.

  “How do you want to do this?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Darkness came fast to the wilds of Romania.

  Drake followed Cam through a thick stand of trees. Alicia and the others were at his back, taking their time to ensure
they remained unseen. This time, it had nothing to do with their own enemies but everything to do with a team of lookouts that Cam’s father usually employed. Drake had heard much about Marko Lupei this afternoon—how he had raised his sons to be fighters and his daughters to be con artists, how the Carnival always came first, how he’d made an arrangement with a Romanian minister to traffic poor people across the country, making slaves of their naivety and desperation.

  From the outside, the Carnival looked an easy location to infiltrate. It was set in a wide-open field between two hills with one major road close by and another field for parking cars. The place was already starting to fill at 7:00 p.m., and Drake had been prepared to join the entire team in an attempt to find Cam’s sisters.

  But that wasn’t the plan.

  Cam wanted to go in alone, in disguise. The team would watch from the shadows. Not what they were used to, and not what they preferred. But Cam’s logic was sound—one disguised individual stood a better chance than nine, and Cam’s sisters would reject anyone but him.

  Cam wanted to pull them out alone.

  They hunkered down at the edge of the treeline, on a slight rise that looked over the carnival. Wafts of raucous noise reached their ears, borne along on gusts of wind. Gaudy lights flashed around rides and stalls, and along rudimentary paths where people walked, crowded and watched. Drake could see all age groups from young children to pensioners enjoying the cold night at the funfair.

  “Bloody hell, can you smell the popcorn?” he said. “Makes my mouth water.”

  “That’s what you said last night,” Alicia said. “When you went—”

  “Are you ready, Cam?” Hayden cut in. “Sure you don’t want a comms earwig?”

  They only had four left after their various adventures since the HQ’s demise. Cam knew that and shook his head. “If I get recognized, it won’t help,” he said. “Believe me.”

  The young man was wearing a flat cap and had dirtied his face. He would walk with a limp and wear a long black coat to hide his frame.

  “Which vehicles belong to the family?” Kinimaka asked, studying the large campsite through field glasses.

  “The far left,” Cam said. “Those trailers, vans and trucks. I can see Oana and Alba’s. I’ll make my way there first.”

  “You be careful,” Alicia said. “If your brothers catch you it won’t go well.”

  “Yes, Mum.”

  Cam darted away before Alicia could squeeze the life out of him, slipping down the slope under cover of darkness and making his way to the path along which other fair-goers had formed a short queue. He was very aware of the others watching him, and very aware of their capabilities. They could complete this op blindfolded, but Cam had to do it for himself, and needed to prove that he was an integral part of this team.

  Shuffling forward, he paid on the gate and wandered in. For appearances’ sake he bought a bag of freshly cooked donuts and ate as he walked, drifting through the main thoroughfare.

  The smells and the noise struck him first—old memories of a childhood partially forgotten rushed back, filling him with nostalgia. More than two decades he’d spent here, growing and learning, fighting and hating it more every day. He’d seen Ruby turned from a fun-loving innocent young girl into a hard, soulless husk of herself by the time she was a teenager.

  In secret, they had clung to the best reminiscences of their childhood, trying to keep the pure flame alive, but both had known—if they remained with their father—that remaining virtue would be brutally ground into dust.

  And still it took everything they had to leave.

  Cam studied the façades he passed—the ring toss and the rifle range, the old magician’s tent—careful not to raise his face too high or meet anyone’s eyes. The tug of wistful memory slowed his steps and made him long to hear Ruby’s voice once more; to believe he’d saved her life rather than seen her murdered by those mercenaries.

  Digging deep, with a huge effort, Cam walked to the end of the main road, forcing a calm focus on his mind. He stopped and, for the first time, lifted his head fully and took a good scout around. Nobody appeared to be watching him, so he slipped away from the fairground beyond the back of a large van. A generator hummed back there, masking all sounds. Garbage had piled up against one side. Cam crouched down to get his bearings.

  To the left, he saw a way through the trucks and vans. As he prepared to move, a familiar face appeared, walking toward him. Cam ducked down.

  Mihai, his brother.

  Older now, with hard coals for eyes and a face too deeply engrained for a young man. Mihai had always affected that unfriendly, world-weary look, but now it looked etched-on, as if he’d been born that way. Cam stayed low until Mihai had passed him by.

  He gave it another minute, then crept along the darker paths to where he thought Oana and Alba’s mobile dwelling would be. The grass was slick, the earth sucking at his boots. He smelled overturned soil and campfires. When he came to the correct vehicle, he saw that the lights were on.

  Cam gripped the edge of a window, went up on tip-toes, and peered through the gap between two curtains. The first thing he saw was Oana. His sister was cooking. Her face and eyes were red. Cam decided the quick approach would be best and headed for the door, but at that moment it opened. Cam fell to the floor and rolled against the side of the van, deep in shadow.

  It was Alba, the younger of the two. Alba held a sandwich in one hand and a can in the other and stalked off without a glance in any direction. Alba appeared to be furious.

  Cam rose and knocked lightly. When Oana came to the door she froze on seeing him, then blinked rapidly and put a hand to her forehead.

  “What... are you real? Am I seeing things? What are you doing here?”

  Cam nodded. “It’s me.”

  Oana’s look of confusion turned to fear. “Get in here. If they see you, they’ll kill you.”

  Cam didn’t have to ask who. He jumped up and let Oana close the door. When he turned to her she was staring at him with wondering eyes.

  “Where’s Ruby?”

  Cam felt ice water flood his veins. How could he have been so stupid not to think this might happen? Of course, his sister—his entire family—would ask that question. They didn’t know.

  “Ruby’s dead,” he said bluntly. “Killed by a soldier in Mexico.” He found that he couldn’t go on; the words choked in his throat.

  Oana closed her eyes then hugged him for a long time, grabbing tight hold of his body. Cam hugged her back after a short while. A minute passed. Finally, Oana pulled away.

  “Is that why you came back? I wouldn’t—”

  “I came back because you asked me to,” Cam said urgently. “That message—The Carnival has ended—remember?”

  “Oh, that? Well, yes, but things have gotten much worse since then.”

  “Tell me.” Cam seated himself farthest from a window, shrouded in shadow whilst Oana locked the door and turned off the stove.

  “Listen to me.” She approached him. “Our father wants a war with the Hagis, and others that oppose his crazy claim to be King of the Roma. You know of the Hagi feud—it’s existed for generations—but when he murdered Hagi’s daughter at our carnival, in our water tank, he triggered an unavoidable confrontation. Hagi has been building an army ever since, making deals and assembling fighters from all over Europe. Our father is arrogant enough to believe he can still win, but—”

  “He’s not that stupid,” Cam said. “Arrogant, but cunning.”

  “Exactly. Nobody wants a Roma war but him. Not even our dumbass brothers.”

  “There will be a much larger motive.”

  “Oh, there is. Dumitrescu has offered help from the Army. He and our Tată can’t afford to halt their daily caravan of people.”

  Cam knew she meant the flow of human trafficking. He also knew that Dumitrescu was one of the most corrupt and dangerous officials in the world—after the American president of course.

  “Why start a war then?
”

  “He can’t help himself. It’s in his blood, the very root of his existence, etched into him by his father and his father before that. There must be war. Conflict. Hard times. Because hard toil breeds hard men.” Oana shook her head sadly in memory of Lupei’s teachings.

  “And by now Mihai, Stevo and Nicu believe the same?” Cam asked.

  Oana nodded. “It has been knocked into them by force.”

  “You said it’s gotten worse,” Cam said in question.

  Oana bowed her head. “Our father needs more fighters in case Dumitrescu betrays him. He wants the clans Grotsu and Balan as allies.”

  Cam frowned. “They’re substantial as a family group, yes. But... why would they consider joining forces with our father?”

  “Typical Cam.” Oana smiled at him. “Always erring on the side of good. You’ve managed to hold on to a little innocence, and that’s a fantastic thing. You can’t see how deep a truly evil mind works, can you? The depths it sinks to. You can’t see the conniving trickeries they use.”

  “I didn’t think I was so naïve,” he said.

  “It’s not a criticism. I love that about you and wish I still had that virtue. Now, I know this is not the worst that might happen, but our father plans to marry Alba and me into the Grotsu and Balan clans.”

  Cam’s mouth fell open in horror. “Oh my God. That will not happen. That is not gonna happen.”

  “Why?” Oana said with a gentle smile at his outrage and protective words. “Do you have an army that’ll help?”

  It was Cam’s turn to smile. “As a matter of fact...”