| |
BO BROUGHT THE CARNEYS together under the big top as Monroe had instructed. He took his place on his raised stage in the centre of the second ring and looked about. Faces filled with confusion, fear, sadness and distrust looked up at him.
Monroe took a deep breath. “Well, you all probably know we won’t have a cooch show tonight and most of you know why,” he began. “Karla and Jacinta are gone missing and I got nobody to take their place, and I don’t want nobody taking their place.’
“You know what happened?” a man in the crowd yelled.
Monroe looked for the voice. It was Victor Goddard, they youngest son of Tyrone and Beatrice, the circus’s trapeze artists.
“They went walking in the forest when they were told they shouldn’t,” Monroe said. “When I said stay with the circus, I meant stay with the circus. There’s something bad about.”
“There were police and shit at the bridge earlier,” the voice of Xavier Le Monde called. “They’re dead, aren’t they?”
The crowd started to become noisy.
Monroe raised his hands. “They’re not dead!” he called out and waited for the noise to die down. “They’re not dead,” he said again.
“How do you know?” a woman’s voice asked. It was Shirly Maple. She already had the white makeup that would become the foundation for the rest of her clown face.
Monroe looked at Tammy. “If they were dead, I’d know.”
Tammy nodded reassuringly.
“I think there’s been another body found though,” Monroe continued.
“How do you know?”
He looked at Tammy again.
“Because there’s the stink of murder in the energies,” Tammy declared.
“And it’s not Karla or Jacinta?”
Monroe looked around. He didn’t know who asked this time. “I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “I’m scared for them, damn scared. I—”
“Well what’re we doing here when we should be out looking?” It was Xavier again.
“Because it’s nearly time to open the gates to the marks and I want the show to go on like usual. If they were taken by the animal who’s gone on a killing spree then—”
“Spree?” It was Bo this time. “What you said sounded like only two. That’s not a spree.”
“No, you’re right,” Monroe said. “It’s not a spree and it might not become one. They might even be completely unrelated. I don’t think they are but I sometimes get things wrong. I want you all to know this. If I close the circus because two of our women have gone missing, then whoever done it, if they’re not just lost that is, he’s going to notice and he’s going to panic and he’s probably going to kill them.”
“Monroe!” Beatrice Goddard called. “If they were took by someone who’s killed two women already, he’s going to kill them anyway, isn’t he?”
“Yes, Beatrice. He will, but not tonight.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
Monroe looked at Tammy again, then back to Beatrice. “If the police and shit are busy with another dead girl, then he’s not likely to want to—”
“What aren’t you telling us!” another man in the crowd yelled.
“I’m not telling you a lot because I don’t know a lot,” Monroe snapped. “That’s why I got Bo to call you all here. So I can tell you what I do know and what you need to know. He might be one of the marks who comes tonight, looking to see what we’re doing about our missing girls. I want you all to keep a close watch, especially those of you who sense them energies. If we’re going to find them, then... just keep a close watch. I don’t think they could have been taken far and I don’t think they can be taken farther without someone here noticing something.”
“You know, if we had some shifters...”
“Now’s not the time to say I told you so, Xavier.” Monroe said. “Now’s the to time act normal but be suspicious. I know you can do some shit that might help, like Tammy and a couple of you others here.”
“And what does Tammy sense?” another man called out.
“I sense they’re not dead,” Tammy answered. “I sense it’s dark and I sense they’re scared...” she looked at Monroe with some alarm. “...and not alone.”
“You mean the bastard is with them?” Beatrice asked.
“No,” Tammy said. “Another girl. Cold, hungry and afraid.”
“Do you sense where they are?” another voice called.
“Can’t tell you where, but it can’t be too far.”
“We could have used you this afternoon,” Bo said. “We might have—”
“No you couldn’t,” Tammy said. “All I meant was they’re somewhere closer than a hundred or so miles. That’s a lot of area, and three other towns.”
Monroe banged the stage with his walking stick and waited for their attention. “I don’t normally ask those of you who can use special abilities to use them. I doubt there’s any who’ll notice out here, let alone those who’ll want to do something about it. It’s risky still, and it’s risky for me and for the circus. But they’re family. You all are. If family won’t do for each other, then it’s no family at all.” He looked at Bo. “We’ll be here after the last of the marks leave so anyone who finds anything can come and tell us.”
Bo nodded.
“We’ll start looking some more at sunrise,” Monroe said.
“You been to the police yet?” a woman in the crowd yelled.
“Soon,” Monroe said. “They’re not going to do anything until the girls have been gone a few days. I got a couple of other contacts I want to speak to first, to make sure we’re not troubled because we’re looking in the pine plantation. Now get. We’ve all got a show to do.”
Bo clapped his hands and the carneys disbursed. He approached Monroe as he stepped from his stage. “Will she be alright, boss?” he asked weakly.
Monroe shook his head. “She’ll live,” he said. “I reckon that’s going to be the best that we can hope for. If she does, she’s going to need you to be... you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Strong,” Monroe said. “At least as strong as she’s going to need to be.”
“I’ll need to be strong for her?”
“She’ll be strong for herself. You’re going to need to be strong enough to love her. Do you think you can do that?”
“I don’t know if I can,” Bo said.
“Then that means you can,” Monroe started walking from the stage. “If you said you could, I’d have had doubts. It’s surprising what a man, and a woman, can do when they have to. You’ve always been able to do what you have to.”