Ellen stared at the delicate cameo in the officer’s large, calloused hand. “I didn’t take it.” Her chest tightened. “You have to believe me.”
“Then how did it get there?”
“I don’t have any idea. Someone put it there. Someone is framing me.” She didn’t want to think it, but no other theory explained the jewelry’s mysterious appearance in her belongings.
Constance zipped over from the other side of the tent. “My cameo. You found it.” She clapped, then swiped it from the officer’s hand. A few tears, crocodile ones in Ellen’s estimation, slipped down her cheeks. “I never thought I’d see it again.”
The officer cleared his throat. “This is the missing item, then?”
Constance nodded. “And you found it in Ellen’s trunk?”
“That’s correct, miss.”
Constance turned to Ellen, her skirts swirling. “How could you? This means everything to me. You waltz in here, take my job, and now you steal my grandmother’s cameo. I hope they lock you in jail.”
Ellen stood, knocking over the stool. “But I didn’t do it.” She clenched her fists, her heart racing faster than the chariot around the hippodrome. “Officer, I’m innocent. Check with the stores. They’ll tell you I shopped in their establishments. There is no way I had time to do this.”
“You can be sure I’ll do just that.”
Will touched her shoulder and smiled, his mustache rising. “This will all work out.” He directed his attention to the policeman. “The train leaves within a couple of hours of the show’s end. This matter needs to be cleared up before we depart.”
The man nodded. “I’ll do the best I can. In the meantime, Miss Meyer will have to stay in her train compartment.”
“But the show. There’s so much to do. I have to finish these costumes.”
Constance fluffed her hair. “I’m the senior member of this staff. I’m more than capable of overseeing the job. Besides, we don’t want this kind of influence around innocent young women.”
The officer shook his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Meyer, but that’s the way it has to be. Is there a responsible person who can guard her?”
Will nodded. “I don’t have any duties at this point. I’ll sit outside the car. Can she work while we await the results of your investigation?”
“I don’t have any problem with that. I’ll do my best to speed things along. I can’t guarantee I’ll be done by the time you leave, but I hope to wrap this up soon.”
“Just make sure to keep a careful watch on her.” Constance glared at Ellen. “Who knows what she’s capable of.”
With gentle pressure on the small of her back, Will led Ellen to the tent’s entrance. He glanced behind. “Make sure all of the performer’s costumes are in good repair and ready to go when they’re needed. The show comes first.”
Will clasped Ellen’s hand as they wound their way through the crowd gathering on the circus grounds. Already, the sideshow hawkers beckoned the curiosity seekers to peek inside their tents. They sidestepped the wagons, painted in an array of garish hues, returning from town. An elephant trumpeted. The smell of peanuts wafted on the afternoon air.
Ellen didn’t enjoy a bit of it. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you have work to do.”
“I believe you. Perhaps the real thief panicked when they heard I went to town to involve the authorities. Whoever did it might have stashed it in the nearest trunk.”
“Is it really such a simple explanation?”
“Sometimes, yes.”
“Thanks for believing me. You might be the only one.”
“Are you having a difficult time adjusting to this life?”
“The girls have been nice enough, but they don’t welcome me with open arms.”
“The circus is like a family. Many of these people were born into families of performers. This Gypsy-style existence is all they know. And the former wardrobe mistress worked for the Ringling brothers since the beginning. Give them time. They’ll warm up.”
She stopped as they reached the train’s steps, doubt filling her. “But you’ve been with the show your entire life. Why are you being nice to me?”
A handsome deep pink infused his smooth cheeks. Did he get too much sun? Or had she embarrassed him?
How?
Will toed a rock stuck in the dirt. How did he answer Ellen’s question? He couldn’t tell her he noticed her yesterday in the rainstorm. That compassion rose in his chest at the sight of her bloody head. Or that some mysterious part of her reminded him of his sweet, departed mother. “It’s the Christian thing to do.”
“Oh.” She skipped up the stairs and disappeared into the Alvena.
“I’ll be out here if you need anything.” He sat on the warm metallic step. The first woman who sparked any kind of emotion in him, and he made a mess of things. Most of the girls on this train were more like sisters to him. He grew up with many of them. And those he met during the winter harbored no desire to spend their lives on a stuffy train crisscrossing the country.
Anyway, he worked from first thing in the morning until late in the night. He remembered the long, lonely hours he’d spent as a child wandering the grounds, looking for anyone to pay him a bit of attention. This was no life for anyone who wanted to settle down. That’s what his mother told his father.
Before the circus took her life.
Still, he loved the excitement and pageantry of it all.
“Mr. Jorgensen?”
He straightened, her soft voice piercing him. “Please, call me Will.”
“Would you mind talking to me? Just to keep me company.”
“Not at all.”
“I’m frightened. What if the store owners don’t remember me? I don’t stand out in a crowd. In fact, I’m rather forgettable. And if they can’t tell the police I was there, they’ll throw me in jail.”
“You have nothing to worry about.” Dimpled cheeks. Light brown curly hair. She was anything but forgettable.
“How can you be so sure?”
“You’re innocent, right?”
“Yes. The only thing I ever stole was a cookie from Miriam Taylor in school. And I only did that because I was hungry.”
“You have nothing to worry about.”
“What if the investigation takes too long? What will I do if the train moves on without me? Will I lose my job?” Her voice tightened until it almost squeaked.
“My mother would tell me not to borrow trouble.”
“I’m not borrowing it. It’s found me.”
“Havoc follows Constance in her wake. One disaster or another befalls her on a regular basis. You had the misfortune of standing too close to her. Keep your distance, and you’ll be fine.”
“That’s wise advice. I wish you would’ve told me that twenty-four hours ago.”
“And don’t worry about the train leaving. You happen to be talking to the right person.”
She giggled. “True. But I can’t allow you to hold up the entire production for me. You have a schedule to keep. A show to put on tomorrow.”
“It’s a short run. Rock Island is only twenty-five miles away. We can wait.” He’d risk Mr. Ringling’s ire, if need be.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“You calmed me down. Now, if I could only get this skirt to the wardrobe tent. One of the Nelson sisters needs it for the contortionist act.”
He scanned the grounds. The call of the ringmaster heralded from the main tent. The afternoon performance was well underway. For now, the grounds were quiet. He stood and peeked into the Alvena. “Give it to me. I’ll run it over. You stay put.” He winked.
“I’ll be right here.”
He scampered across the field and made it to the ladies’ dressing room within a few minutes. “I have a delivery from Miss Meyer.”
Of course, Constance met him at the entrance. “Mr. Jorgensen, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be guarding the prisoner.”
“She isn’t a prisoner. No one has convicted her of a crime.”
She blinked several times, until he thought she must have sand in her eyes. “I’m sure the little vixen worked her magic on you and has you running at her beck and call. She’s hoodwinked you like she has everyone else, made you believe she’s perfect and innocent when she’s nothing of the sort.”
“I’m just delivering this skirt for one of the Nelson sisters.”
“I’ll walk back with you to make sure she hasn’t escaped. What a perfect time it would be. With the entire town inside the big top, she could slip away unnoticed and be halfway to Chicago before anyone realized she disappeared.”
“Let’s go. I’ll prove she’s trustworthy.”
When he spun around to return to the train, he spotted the police officer climbing the steps.
He’d returned with his verdict.