[Mystic Caravan Mystery 04.0] Freaky Games

by Amanda M. Lee

  He wasn’t wrong. “I don’t feel particularly sorry for guys who break legs for a living.”

  “You know that’s a figure of speech, right?” Kade challenged. “Most of these guys don’t go around breaking people’s legs. They did back in the day, but there would be too many questions and the possibility of law enforcement getting involved now. People don’t look the other way like they used to.”

  “That guy has a photograph of something really bloody in his wallet,” I pointed out. “He clearly did harm to someone.”

  “Maybe it was an animal,” Raven suggested. “He might be all about the posturing.”

  “That doesn’t really make me feel better.” My stomach squirmed. “It almost makes me feel worse. What does that say about me that I’m more upset at the prospect of an animal being hurt than a human?”

  “It says that you’re normal,” Raven replied, moving in front of Wendell. “Animals are often helpless and trusting. You can’t often say that about humans. Well, you can say it about children a lot of the time, but because those children are also screaming snot monsters they lose a lot of the appeal that dogs and cats have.”

  Kade made a disgusted face. “I see you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

  Raven nodded without hesitation. “I have,” she confirmed. “I can guarantee that I like animals better than humans.”

  “Yes, well, that feels somehow wrong,” Kade muttered, flicking his eyes to me.

  I averted my gaze. “Let’s release this guy and see what he can tell us, okay? We’ll question him and then send him on his merry way with our demands. If everything goes as planned, Pardo will show up at dusk.”

  “I know I’m not the only one thinking it, so I’ll ask the obvious question,” Raven said. “What happens if the shadow creature shows up at the same time Pardo does?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the shadow will cause Pardo to crap his pants or something. We might as well go for the trifecta.”

  “I’ve heard worse ideas,” Raven said, gesturing for Kade to get in position.

  Kade wasn’t quite ready to let go of the earlier argument. “Do you like animals better than humans?”

  I heaved out a sigh, resigned. I had to answer the question. I knew he wouldn’t be willing to let it go otherwise. “A lot of the time I feel that way,” I conceded. “Animals are pure and gentle. They’re sweet and never want more than you can give.

  “People, on the other hand, are often takers,” I continued. “Some of them were raised that way, but others get off on being horrible people. Humans are the only creatures in the wild kingdom who hunt for sport … torture for sport … break legs for sport.” I gestured toward the enforcer for emphasis. “In the end, as a whole, animals are better than humans.”

  Kade pressed his lips together, frustrated. “I want to argue but I think you’re right.”

  I patted his shoulder before moving to stand next to Raven. “You’ll soon learn that I’m always right.”

  Despite the tense situation, Kade barked out a gravelly laugh. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

  “That makes two of us.” I locked gazes with Raven and nodded. “Let’s do this, shall we? Part of me is looking forward to having a conversation with this jerkwad now that I’ve gotten some sleep and refined my technique following the first guy. I know exactly what I’m doing this go around.”

  “That will be a nice change of pace,” Nellie said, grinning. “Wake him up. I want to see if he pisses himself. I also want to see if he mouths off, because I’ve got fifty bucks that says he tries to bully us.”

  “You’re on,” Percival said. “I think he’ll cry and carry on out of fright. I don’t think he’ll be a bully.”

  “That just shows how little you really know about human behavior,” Nellie groused. “This guy is going to go full-on bully. Man, now I wish I had brought my ax.”

  I ignored the bluster. “Do it, Raven. I’m ready to talk to our friend.”

  Raven sucked in a breath. “Okay. Here he comes.”

  WENDELL surfaced slowly, his eyes focusing in increments. The first thing he saw was Percival reclining behind the desk. Wendell jolted in a mixture of surprise and fright, moving to stand. Nellie and Kade firmly grabbed his shoulders and pressed him back into the chair. They’d been expecting the move.

  Wendell fought against the effort, but they were stronger and he finally ceased struggling and focused on Raven and me. It was clearly a strategic move, and I didn’t believe for a second that he wouldn’t attempt to fight his way out a second time. He was simply biding his time until he formed a plan and made his move. We were ready for that.

  “Good afternoon.” I flashed a faux sugary smile when his gaze landed on me. “How are you feeling?”

  Wendell worked his jaw back and forth as he glanced around the office, his mind clearly busy. “What’s going on?”

  “You fainted,” Raven replied. “You swooned in the middle of the House of Mirrors, and we moved you here so as not to upset the rest of the guests. We thought about calling an ambulance, but we figured there was a decent chance you’d recover on your own.”

  Wendell was flabbergasted. “I don’t faint.”

  “Oh, but you did this time,” Raven countered. “You pressed the back of your hand to your forehead and swayed back and forth, complaining the entire time that you felt lightheaded … and perhaps even felt as if you were facing an onset of the vapors. Frankly, I think you’re lucky that we swooped in when we did.”

  Wendell shifted on his chair. I didn’t miss the way his hand moved to his pockets. He was trying to be surreptitious.

  “We have your wallet,” Percival announced, holding it up for emphasis. “It was very enlightening. Do you know that you have eight of those punch cards for various fast food restaurants? You must be big on free food.”

  Given the size of his shoulders, I didn’t doubt that. “We also have your phone.” I gestured toward the corner of the desk where his iPhone rested. “We needed to see if you had an emergency contact listed. We would’ve called for you, but … we didn’t find anything obvious when we looked.”

  Wendell balked. “You can’t get in my phone. It’s password protected.”

  “Yes, and your password is ‘hardcore,’” Raven supplied, her features lit with amusement. “Now, my question is, did you pick that word because you think you’re hardcore or because you’re trying to posture and make others believe you’re hardcore when you’re really a marshmallow who watches Lifetime movies when he’s home alone on Saturday nights?”

  Wendell’s mouth dropped open as dumbfounded realization washed over him. “How did you know that?”

  “I’m gifted.” Raven’s tone was breezy. “I have a way with men. You were more than happy to share your password with me … and all I had to do was ask nicely.”

  “Bullshit!” Wendell exploded as he tried to hop to his feet. Kade and Nellie were ready, and snapped him back with minimal effort.

  “You need to stay in your chair,” Kade warned, drawing Wendell’s attention to him. “If you try to get up again we’ll have to secure you there.”

  “And you won’t like that,” Nellie added, his eyes flashing with a mixture of mischief and mirth. “We don’t believe in safe words here at Mystic Caravan, so I can pretty much guarantee that experience won’t be pleasant if you force us to go that route. Our handcuffs aren’t the soft and fluffy kind.”

  “You’re a midget in a dress,” Wendell spat.

  “I’m your worst nightmare,” Nellie shot back. “You know Dirty Harry? Well, he ain’t got nothing on me. And, for the record, I’m a dwarf. The word ‘midget’ is considered derogatory, so you should probably stop using it.”

  I knew Nellie meant it as a terrifying threat, but given Wendell’s age I didn’t think it meant nearly as much as Nellie hoped. “I don’t think he knows who Dirty Harry is.”

  Nellie wr
inkled his nose. “Everyone knows Dirty Harry.”

  “Not people born after a certain date,” I argued. “To this guy, Clint Eastwood is an old man warning people to stay off his lawn. In fact, the last movie I saw him in he sat on the front porch and threatened people to stay off his lawn. No joke.”

  Nellie was understandably annoyed. “Whatever.”

  I ignored his tone. “You need to use a reference that he’ll understand,” I continued. “Like … Jason Statham has nothing on you. Or, those gun thug rappers who are only famous for shooting one another instead of the music might work. You should be tough like them.”

  Nellie held up his hand to silence me. “Yeah, I’m done talking to you.” He rolled his eyes until they landed on Kade. “How do you put up with her?”

  Kade shrugged. “I think she’s kind of cute.”

  “Ugh, you’re ruled by your hormones, man,” Nellie complained. “It’s not an attractive quality.”

  “We need to focus,” Raven interrupted, stepping between Nellie and me. “This guy’s mind tends to wander faster than a toddler at a chocolate festival. We need to remain on task and point him in the direction we want him to go.”

  “We also need to do it quickly,” Percival pointed out. “We need to give him time to get back to his boss and talk things out if we want him to return after dark but before it gets late enough to draw the other … um … thing.”

  He had a point. I pressed my lips together as I regarded Wendell. “We know what you are,” I said, resting my hands on the knees of my cargo pants as I leaned against the desk. “We know you work for David Pardo. We know you came here because your other friend – Ron Waters – was supposed to shake down Luke for money. We know about it all.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The words came out mechanical and rehearsed as Wendell stared into nothing.

  “I think we’re all too old and weary to play this game,” I prodded. “I know why you’re here. I had a little discussion with your co-worker a few hours ago and sent him on his way. In hindsight, I’m not sure how much good he’ll be at conveying our message.”

  “He wet his pants,” Nellie explained, grinning.

  Wendell remained stoic, but I didn’t miss the flicker of fear in his eyes.

  “We need you to get your boss out here so we can have a discussion,” I said. “We’re very aware of what he has planned for the circus – all of it – and we want him to understand that it won’t work.”

  “Not in the least,” Kade reinforced, leaning closer. “Not even a little bit.”

  Wendell kept his eyes on me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “We know that’s not true.” I licked my lips as I regarded him. “Do you know what time it is?”

  Wendell blinked three times in rapid succession, the question catching him off guard.

  “It’s after three,” I informed him, enjoying the way he squirmed in the chair and the flash of doubt that washed over his face. “You can verify that on your way out. It’s hardly important now.”

  I leaned forward so Wendell would have no choice but to focus on my face. “So, here’s the situation, I’m going to pay Pardo the original two grand Luke borrowed. He’s going to come out here after dark tonight, we’re going to have a talk and I will pay him that amount of money at that specific time.

  “I will not, however, pay him any interest,” I continued. “I will not kowtow to his demands or act fearful. We’re not easy marks out here – no matter what Mr. Pardo seems to believe – and he won’t be happy if he pushes us.

  “We know he plans to rob the place,” I said. “If he tries it will have to be tonight, because we leave tomorrow. We know he has a specific plan, but it’s going to fail.

  “Now, I need you to tell Mr. Pardo that we’re not messing around and he’ll be sorry if he tries to take us on,” I said. “I fully expect him to stick with his plan, but it’s important that he and I have a talk if he ever wants to see the money Luke borrowed. Can you share that message for me?”

  Wendell gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. I could feel the rage coursing through him.

  “You don’t have many options,” I offered. “You can either take this message to Mr. Pardo or we can cause you to swoon again and let him come out here to find you drooling and twitching on the floor like a big old wuss. Which do you prefer?”

  Wendell snapped his eyes to me, hatred oozing from his onyx orbs. “I will share your message with the team.”

  I patted his shoulder in a condescending manner. “I thought you would.” I handed back his wallet. “We’ll hold onto your phone until you return tonight. Think of it as … collateral.”

  “That’s my property,” Wendell protested.

  “Why don’t you report our theft of your property to the police,” Nellie suggested. “I think that will go over well.”

  Wendell ignored the suggestion. “I need my phone.”

  “And I need to be sure that you’re properly motivated when it comes to relating our message to your boss,” I countered. “You have a job to do. We have a job to do. I promise you’ll get your phone back if you hold up your end of the bargain.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “You might want to ask your friend how his visit differed from yours and use it as a comparison point,” I suggested.

  Wendell made a low growling sound in the back of his throat. “I’ll share your message.”

  I beamed in a way I knew he’d find grating. “We can’t ask for anything more. Thank you so much for your time.”

  27

  Twenty-Seven

  I left Kade and Nellie to put their security plan in action, including preparing for closing time by making sure our people were in place, giving Kade a quick kiss on the cheek before turning my attention to Raven and Percival. I was about to suggest they help me for the rest of the afternoon when I got a brief glimpse inside Percival’s mind and found something freaky weird – something about his annoying clown horn and her magic hands – and turned myself toward Nixie and Naida’s tents while admonishing them to spend a little time together without making eye contact.

  I needed to have a word with the pixie twins before everything went down. They’d be instrumental in my plans – Naida especially – and I had to make sure they were ready for a fight.

  I was well on my way when a jolt of pain waylaid me, causing me to list to the side. Something pierced my heart, although after a few moments of contemplation I realized it wasn’t a physical wound. It was mental anguish, someone else’s mental anguish, in fact. I snapped my head toward the animal tents when I recognized the emotion for what it was and pointed myself in that direction. Someone was in trouble … it was just a different type of trouble from what I was used to tackling.

  I found Luke sitting on the metal table in the middle of the empty animal tent. To keep up appearances – and head off spot inspections from state and federal animal welfare experts – we go all out when it comes to our animal act. Everyone has a specific job where that’s concerned. We even keep meat in freezers in case we have to fake feed one of our “animals.” We don’t garner much attention, but it does occasionally happen. We have to be prepared. That’s why the animal tents are always the first we set up and the last we tear down.

  Luke was the only one in the tent. He sat on the table facing away from me, his palms flat as he kicked his legs. From behind he looked like a happy animal handler waiting for his friends to return to the large cages. I knew him better. I recognized the guilt and disgust running through him.

  “Why aren’t you in the main tent?”

  Luke cringed when he heard my voice, jerking his head over his shoulder and meeting my steady gaze with a worried one of his own. “I thought you were sleeping.”

  “I was. Then we had a visit from Detective Dorsey, so Kade had to wake me.”

  Luke scowled. “Kade should’ve told Detective Dorsey to shove it. You need you
r sleep.”

  “Surprisingly enough, I feel okay.” I stepped carefully as I moved closer to him. “I poured a little too much energy into that guy than I probably should have, but it’s hardly the end of the world. I’ll eat a big dinner to fortify myself. Kade and I made plans for hot dogs a little while ago. We’re eating in thirty minutes or so. If you’re hungry, I mean.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Luke cocked an eyebrow as he swiveled. “You look pale.”

  “Thanks,” I said dryly. “You have no idea how women love to hear things like that.”

  “Oh, don’t start that.” Luke wagged his finger. “We both know you’re not a normal girl.”

  “We do,” I agreed, moving around the edge of the table and hopping up so I could sit next to Luke. I was careful to keep a bit of space between us – for his benefit and my own. He needed to apologize and I couldn’t be too eager when it came to forgiving him, no matter how much my heart kicked and screamed to the contrary. “We need to talk about a few things.”

  Luke heaved a sigh, the sound depressing and dramatic. “I’d rather wait until we’re away from this place for you to unload on me.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to unload on you?”

  “I’ve met you.”

  He had a point, and still … . “Luke, this isn’t all your fault.”

  Luke cocked a curious eyebrow. “How so?”

  I held up a hand to caution him. “I said I didn’t think this was all your fault. Some of it is. I don’t want you getting ahead of yourself.”

  “Oh, here we go,” Luke grumbled, hopping off the table to pace the open space in front of me. He reminded me of a caged animal or a small child who was put on timeout and suddenly found himself all sugared up with nowhere to go.

  “I’m not going to pull punches with you because I think you’re delicate or somehow the victim in all of this,” I warned him. “You made mistakes. We both know it. If you start out this conversation by denying that, it’s going to be a really long night.”