Dark Carnival Murders by Bob Moats
Smashwords EBook Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Bob Moats.
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This is a work of pure fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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P.O. Box 524, Fraser MI 48026-0524
Website: http://murdernovels.com
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EBOOK ISBN: 978-1-4657-5038-9
Cover design and photo by Bob Moats, all rights reserved.
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Other Jim Richards series books by Bob Moats
(In series order)
“Classmate Murders”
“Vegas Showgirl Murders”
“Dominatrix Murders”
“Mistress Murders”
“Bridezilla Murders”
“Magic Murders”
“Strip Club Murders”
“Made-for-TV Murders”
“Mystery Cruise Murders”
"Talk Show Murders"
"Sin City Murders"
"Black Widow Murders"
"Vegas Vigilante Murders"
"Area 51 Murders"
"Mortuary Murders"
"Hypnotic Murders"
"Sunshine State Murders"
"Blue Suede Murders"
"Honky Tonk Murders"
For a preview or to purchase a paperback book
go to http://murdernovels.com
What people are saying about the Murder novels by Bob Moats
"I went online this morning and read your book. I thought at first that I would only read a few pages, but got sucked into it and read all 11 chapters. You are a very good writer! I read quite a bit and often pick up "Airport" paperback mysteries to read on a plane. Most of them are dreadful, with obvious plots. Classmate Murders is a much better story than most."
Ray Zink, Entrepreneur, Minn.
"I got up to chapter ten of the Classmate Murders and decided then to buy the next two books." ... "Just finished your third book, the Dominatrix Murders. I thought it was the best one of the three, didn’t want to put it down till I finished it. Keep the books coming can’t wait for the next one."
A. Norris, Retired Naval Corpsman
"Classmate Murders is well written and keeps the reader involved and wondering what will happen next throughout the book. Showgirl Murders keeps the reader involved throughout the story and keeps you guessing as to who the murderer is until very near the end."
G. Shurig, Kalamazoo
"If you like mysteries and action then don’t miss reading this book..."
Jan Schneider, avid mystery/crime reader
"I finished the book last night, and really enjoyed it. I can only read a book that fast when it keeps my interest, so that should tell you a lot. I would recommend this book to others. I look forward to reading the next installment of the book."
M. K., retired Chrysler Admin.
"I haven’t finished the book yet, when I enjoy a book, I take my time, but I want to buy the other two books. I compare your writing to a Mickey Spillane novel, and I like your style, very narrative. I’m amazed you don’t have a publisher yet."
Michael Rasah, Professor of History
"Thanks for making me immortal, love the stories, your friend, Buck."
The real "Buck", George Carver
“Your books have been a joy to read. They keep me interested until the last page is turned. Keep up the good Work!
B. Scharmann, Rochester Hills, Michigan
"Bob, I LOVED it. It reminds me a lot of Colombo, I can see Jim as a regular guy, not a smooth talker, but able to outwit the bad guys. The characters were great and I love the way you describe so many of them. Some of your other characters were fun to read about. I can’t think of any corrective criticism. I will have my husband read it, he reads all the time. I think he will love the book too."
Joyce Van Houzen-Stacy, B.A.,M.B.A.
Bob, my brother, Bill, sent all seven of your Jim Richard’s novels for me to read. I loved them. They were interesting and fast moving. You did good and I hope you write some more of them. I gave the books to my daughter and now she says she is hooked! I enjoy your books and I want to see more of them. It is hard to find books of this type. Concise and interesting. We need more books like these. Getting published is a real war. I hope you have good luck with them. You have a talent for writing novels the way I think they should be written. Regards,"
Fred Scharmann, Avon, OH
Murder novels aren’t my usual fare but this sweet, suspenseful and often humorous series draws you in and keeps you guessing to the end. I’ve read all eight (some of them twice) and hope to see more coming soon. I recommend following Jim Richards adventures but take care, murder seems to follow him!
Tia L Brink, Binghamton, New York
____________________
Thank you for purchasing this book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing these for my faithful readers. Please feel free to email me to tell me what you thought about my stories. I can be reached at murdernovels@mail.com thanks again!
Chapter 1
They slowly moved in under cover of the pale moon. Enough light to see what they needed to do; but not enough to attract much attention. The convoy of trucks pulled into the center of the expansive twenty acres of still untouched desert land. In one corner of the property sat construction equipment and supplies to soon build the most expensive and most glamorous towers of condos in Las Vegas, but the work had been delayed while the investors battled over profit division.
The trucks came to a stop in formation for the building of another type of attraction; the men flowed out of the cabs and started to pull out equipment and parts to build the rides on which people would find thrills and chills.
A huge tent went up at the perimeter where the rides were being set up and a gaily colored banner was strung across the front of the tent where it could be seen easily from the road. It read "Jacob S. Dark’s Traveling Carnival and Wonder Shows."
Three hours later, the tent was equipped with all that was needed to amaze and amuse the crowds with the greatest sideshow of geeks and freaks found on earth.
From the edge of the lot, two young boys were watching the activities. They had told their parents that they were camping in the backyard in the pup tent they had set up. But the flyer they had found blowing in the street summoned them to the lot where a bigger tent and rides were growing before them. So when it was finally dark, they’d snuck out of the yard and walked the mile from their home to the place where they knew magic would happen. They quietly moved up to the back of the tent and listened carefully at the canvas.
Suddenly a flap in the tent opened and there stood a tall, dark man, in a black suit, the type a funeral director from the western movies would wear. Tall stovepipe hat, a pencil thin mustache and he had what the hip folks on the strip would call a soul patch beard.
The boys froze, one felt a trickle of wetness running down his leg, the other just made a small yelp. The man smiled and said loud and boisterously, "Welcome boys, don’t be frightened, this is my carnival and you can come in to help set up the side shows and the games of chance. I pay well, and you get to go on the rides for free. Just step on in and I’ll take care of you."
The older boy looked to the other and nodded, then they happily ran into the tent. The tall, dark man grinned, looked out to the vast area to see if anyone was watching, and then slowly closed the flap.
~~*~~
It was Saturday morning and I wanted to sleep in, so I had already warned my beautiful wife Penny not to disturb me under penalty of death. I, of course, couldn’t sleep so I just stared at the ceiling as Willy, our tiny toy Yorkie licked my foot hanging over the edge of the bed. I usually slept in strange positions but my leg over the side of the bed was not one of them. Moreover, Willy’s tongue tickling my foot wasn’t on my list of favorite things.
I gave up and swung my other leg over the bed causing Willy to rush out of the room before I could trample him. I stood and stretched, went to my bathroom and started my day.
A half-hour later I came out to the kitchen, but it was empty. No Angelo, no Penny. Odd, I thought and saw the patio door was open. I went out and stopped by the ugly Greek God statue that still occupied the patio, reached down into the can at the foot of the statue and pulled a handful of feed, throwing it into the Koi pond in front of the statue. The huge goldfish devoured the pellets and I ventured on past them. I could smell food cooking and went to the backyard and found Angelo and Penny at the incinerator, which is what we called our BBQ.
"Smells great, what’s cooking?" I asked.
"What are you doing up? I thought you wanted to get some sleep?" Penny asked.
"Willy kept waking me," I said with a grin.
She walked over and gave me a kiss, then said, "Sure, blame the pup. You just couldn’t sleep in on such a beautiful day. Angelo decided to make breakfast burritos and he asked if he could cook on the grill for the meat, onions and peppers."
"Good morning Mr. R. I’ll have these ready shortly," Angelo said as he was flipping the foods on the skillet.
"Thank you Angelo, it smells great." I turned my attention to Penny and continued, "I hope Lynn and Deacon are enjoying their honeymoon," I said, talking about our friends finally getting married a week ago, it was a good ceremony, then Penny and I sent them to Hawaii for their honeymoon. "I checked the online weather in Hawaii and they have no monsoons or volcanic activities."
"And as long as there are no murders, they should be happy," Penny offered as we sat on the picnic table watching Angelo do his magic with food.
"What are we planning on doing today?" I asked.
"I was reading in the Review-Journal that there was a carnival in town, I haven’t been to one in years, shall we go there?" Penny said with a hopeful look.
I thought back to my hometown in Michigan and the carnival that would set up every year behind my parent’s home. "I used to go help get the side show games set up when the carnival came to my town years ago. It was fun to be around and they would give me tickets to go on the rides free. I think it’s a good idea."
"Good, because I already invited Angelo to go with us."
"Sure of yourself, eh? What if I said no?"
"I would have taken Angelo and went anyway." She stuck her tongue out and stood as Angelo said the food was ready.
We gathered our soft shells and spooned on the ingredients, rolling them to eat. "Angelo, you’re Italian, where did you learn to make Mexican food?" I asked.
"When I was young, mom had a cook on the estate that was Mexican and she taught me," he said with a laugh.
"Your grandmother had a restaurant and taught you to cook, now you tell me you learned to make Mexican treats. You should open a restaurant and call it ItaliMex. It would be something different," I said.
"Angelo, how is Francis doing?" Penny asked.
"Mom still calls me every couple days. I miss her but I had to get away from the family life. Being a enforcer for the mob was not something I wanted to do all my life. I like it here and as we talked about, I may still open a restaurant."
"What about the bodyguard work you’re doing for Buck?" I asked.
"I like that but I need something more creative, food has always been a passion of mine," he replied.
"Thankfully for us," Penny whispered to me.
"Yes dear, I’m very thankful you don’t have to cook." She whacked my arm, I was getting used to it by now.
We finished our breakfast and went in to finish getting ready for the day. My cell phone buzzed and Penny gave me an evil eye.
"If that’s a murder case, forget it," she said.
"The caller ID says it’s Earl," I told Penny and answered it.
"What’s up chief?" I said and put it on speakerphone.
"Just wanted to see what you guys are up to, we haven’t gotten together very much since Paula and I have been out here," he said.
I looked to Penny and she said to me, "Ask them if they want to go to the carnival?"
Earl heard her and said, "Carnival? I love carnivals. Where is it?"
"Out south of the strip in the area where they are doing all the new construction. The property is still open desert land and the thing is being sponsored by some community group to give a good family spin on Vegas. Interested?" Penny said.
"Sure, shall we come meet you at your place?
I spoke, "No, go to the office, it’s just up the road from where they are set up, we can meet there."
"Sounds good, how soon?"
"We’re getting ready to go now, see you shortly," I said and hung up.
We gathered everything we would need to start our journey; Angelo met us in front by the van.
"Gee, Mrs. R. I haven’t been to a carnival in years. Last time, we had to run out because the Feds were after my late father."
Penny was trying not to laugh, and got in the van and buckled up. We were all seated and I drove to the office on Industrial Road. It was about three miles from the desert area that would soon be a luxury complex of condos for the rich, now inhabited by the carnival.
I pulled into the parking lot of the office and saw Earl talking to a man and woman. I pulled in and parked. Earl waited until Penny, Angelo and I got up close, and then introduced the people.
"Jim, this is Mr. and Mrs. Walker, they just pulled in before you and they told me they have a problem."
The man came forward and held out his hand to shake, I took it. "Mr. Richards, we need your help. The police can’t help us right now. Our boys are missing, they were supposed to be camping in our backyard, but early this morning we found they were gone. We don’t know where they could have went to, but we found this in the tent." He handed me a folded yellow sheet of paper.
I opened the folded sheet and read the announcement about the carnival coming to town. I had a feeling this was going to be interesting.
*
Chapter 2
I hadn’t planned on opening the office, but invited everyone in. I had them all sit in the waiting area, mainly because the couches were more comfortable than the chairs in my office and because there were too many people.
I said hi to Paula, I hadn’t seen her in since Lynn and Deacon’s wedding and then asked everyone to sit.
"Mr. Walker, you said the police can’t help?" I asked.
"They told us it was too early to have them classified as missing; they could have just wandered off. But our sons would never just wander off. We are concerned, this is not something they would do."
I thought back to all the crazy things I did without telling my parents. "I can understand your concern, do you think they might have gone off to this carnival?"
"We were hoping it was just that, but we went by the carnival and didn’t see them anywhere. We showed pictures of our sons to a couple of the carnival people, but they said they hadn’t seen them. We went to the police then, but where told to wait till later to see if they return."
"Maybe they will, but tell you what, we were planning on going to that carnival today, so maybe my associate and I could do some snooping and see what we can find, how’s that for now?"
"We’d appreciate that, Mr. Richards, I don’t have a lot of money but we could pay you for your efforts."
"No you won’t, we’re just happy to help. We’ll go take a look and let you know what we find. If we could borrow the pictures of your sons, that may help also." He pulled out a picture of the two boys together and handed it to me. I studied the faces of the two boys, they looked halfway intelligent. "What are their names?"
"The older one is Keiran and the younger is Douglas," the mother said.
"Good this picture will help. Now I think you should go back home in case they come back and find that you aren’t there."
The father looked shocked at the thought there was no one at their house. "Oh God, I didn’t think of that. Thank you." He stood and took out a business card and handed it to me. "We’ll wait to hear from you." They left as I looked at the card.
"He’s a furniture salesman. Maybe we can get a discount on some new office furniture," I said with a laugh.
Penny came over to me and said, "I hope you can find the boys; that’s so sad when children disappear."
Earl came up and said, "They’re probably just exploring the carnival, then they went home and found that their parents had ran off on them."
"Either way, we need to be on alert," I said as I made copies of the picture on the office copier and gave one to Earl and Paula, then one to Angelo. "Keep your eyes open."
We all went back out to our vehicles and I led them out on Industrial Road, and then snaked the way down to Tropicana, cutting over the freeway to Las Vegas Boulevard. I turned south and drove past McCarran International Airport. I had always loved watching the huge passenger planes coming in low across the highways landing from destinations unknown. I drove down the two-way divided highway past the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign across from the airport; which was technically the end of the Vegas "Strip" of casinos and hotels, just south of the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
I continued down South Las Vegas Boulevard passing small malls and restaurants, then past the mammoth Las Vegas Premium Outlet Center where Penny dragged me to a couple times a month. Although I did enjoy visiting this huge mall, there were plenty of adult toy stores for me to explore.
I drove on, Earl was keeping up with my van and then about four miles from the end of the strip we came up on East Silverado Ranch Boulevard and the Cinemark Century 16 movie theatre, so I knew we were close.
I drove a little further south to where the land was getting more open and less populated by businesses. I could see ahead just past W. Frias Road, where the cars were turning on to the desert land and up to the carnival. It was a bit crazy for parking; they had no system for lining up the cars, so people just parked where they could. Earl and Paula pulled up next to me and they got out. Penny, Angelo and I got out and went to our friends.
It was hot on the dry, dusty desert land, there was no breeze, just dry heat. Penny had a two of those little handheld battery operated fans and gave one to Paula.
"None for me?" I asked.
"You can stay hot, I may need it for later," she said with an evil smile.
"Sure, that’s all I’m good for, keeping you warm," I said as we headed for the midway.
We entered the edge of the layout of rides and walked down one row watching all the people, mostly kids, screaming as they were flying or hurtling through space on an assortment of high-powered amusements. When I was a kid I always enjoyed the Tilt-a-whirl, but as I got older I discovered I would suffer from extreme motion sickness. So spinning rides were out for me.
We arrived at the end of the row of rides and I said, "Angelo, would you escort the ladies around the grounds while the super-spy and I go see if we can find the missing boys."
"It’d be my pleasure, Mr. R.," he said with a grin.
Penny gave me a kiss and said, "Don’t go getting yourselves kidnapped."
"I won’t, that’s your job." Earl and I left our group and went in the direction of the sideshow tent. We stopped outside the main entrance as I said, "When you were a kid and went to the circus, how did you get in to see the show?"
Earl laughed and said, "I snuck in under the tent in the back."
"Good to see your childhood wasn’t wasted," I said and he followed me off to the side to see what we could find around the back.
It was deserted and dusty behind the tent looking out to the vast flat property only to see the freeway in the distance with cars whizzing by.
"The boys had to cross over the freeway to get here from the subdivision on the other side. Let’s see if we can find any footprints in the sand." We walked away from the tent and did a sweep but there were a number of prints in the sand, probably from the carnies working. I did see a couple smaller prints that came in from the freeway and headed straight for the tent, I pointed them out to Earl and we followed them back.
We were just up to the back of the tent when we heard a voice, "I hope you two aren’t thinking of sneaking in?"
We looked over to see a fairly tall man in a black topcoat, wearing a tall top hat. He reminded me of pictures of Mephistopheles, one of the chief demons of European literary. He was holding a flap to an opening in the tent, where the footprints led to. "May I help you gentlemen?" he inquired smoothly.
He took both of us by surprise; he made no sound to warn us of his presence. I reached back and pulled my P.I. ID wallet with the auxiliary LVMPD police badge that Lynn gave me back when Weber had her deputize me during the search for a dirty bomb last year, they never asked for it back.
I held it out briefly so he got a glimpse of it, not saying that I was police, and then said, "We’re investigating the disappearance of two young boys." I took the photo out of my pocket and went to him, holding the picture up where he could see.
"Sorry, I see hundreds of boys, after a while their faces all blend together. But I’ll remember these faces and if I see them, I’ll call the police."
He stepped back in, pulled the flap closed and was gone. "That was strange," Earl said. "He looks like a character from a Marvel comic, you know the evil type."
"Yeah, someone from a kid’s nightmare." I went to the flap but it was somehow secured from inside. "I’d like to see in this tent. Think they’d get upset if we broke in?"
"Well, you started it and he never said we couldn’t come in," Earl laughed.
I was able to reach in the flap and found a strap holding it closed. I managed to release it and pull the flap back. "Okay, now we break and enter."
It was dark but there was a little light from above, there was a narrow walkway with wall of canvas all along the back of the tent with boxes and crates piled along the row. There were narrow openings between what I presumed were stages built off the ground. We went to one opening and found ourselves staring at faces staring back at us. It was the sideshow and we were between the bearded lady and a rubber man. I looked to Earl and laughed, then we went through the opening to where the audience was standing. All along the back of the tent were small platforms where geeks and freaks performed for the delight of the patrons.
Earl and I were standing watching some geek stick sharp rods through the skin of his chest, I was cringing when I felt someone standing too close behind us. Earl and I both looked back into the chest of a very tall and well-built man, he stood about two heads taller than us.
The giant looked down to us and growled, "You two need to leave. Now!"
*
Chapter 3
The huge man grabbed both of us by the necks, his giant fists clamping almost all the way around them. Earl went into his black ops mode, grabbed the thumb of the man and tried to bend it back. The man was strong but Earl used leverage and managed to force the giant to release him and twisted his arm back enough to cause the giant to fall back to the ground. He had released me and I pulled my Glock out and stuck it in his face.
"Physical assault, not a nice thing," I said to him. He just laid there not moving as Earl released his thumb lock. People around us weren’t sure if this was part of the show but started to applaud. Earl and I took our bows and went out the exit of the tent. As we went out, the man in the hat stood before us.
"Gentlemen, while I have every respect for law enforcement, you must not break laws either. You have to pay to gain entrance like everyone else."
I pulled a five from my pocket and stuck it in the top pocket of his coat. "Here, keep the change. We’re looking for two missing boys, and we will do what it takes to find them. So don’t get in our way Mr. what-ever-your-name is."
He tipped his hat and said, "It’s Dark, Jacob S. Dark. I own this show, and I’ll cooperate with you in finding the boys, just consult with me first." He replaced his hat, scowled at us and sped off.
"As Alice said, ‘curiouser and curiouser’." Earl said to me.
"I didn’t know you knew the classics?"
"I’m a reader, everything but your books. They bore me to death," he said with a grin and walked away.
I yelled, "What?" then I followed.
We walked around the midway watching for the boys and showing the picture to people we passed. We hit every ride and showed the photos to the carnies who operated the rides, we got nada.
"Okay this is turning out to be a bust," I said and pulled my cell phone and the card that Walker gave me. I dialed his home number and he came on after the first ring. I could tell he was on edge.
"Mr. Walker, it’s Jim Richards, I don’t suppose the boys came home?"
"No, have you found out anything?"
"We’re still at the carnival and haven’t found anyone who recognized them. Could they have gone somewhere else besides the carnival?"
"I really don’t know, they have never gone off on their own before. It’s not something they would do. Oh God, I hope they weren’t kidnapped from their tent," he said with a shaky voice.
"I would think by now that kidnappers would have called you, so let’s rule that out for now. All we have is that they wandered off from their tent and could have come here. We aren’t finished searching so sit tight and I’ll get back to you." He thanked me and I hung up.
"I really hate not knowing where someone or something is. Like trying to find your keys, you thought they were on the table but now they aren’t," Earl said as I put my cell phone away. "Well, where to now?"
"I don’t know, maybe we could look around all the trucks that brought the carnival here," I said.
"Works for me, I’d like to meet that giant again without the public around."
"You’re so macho aren’t you?"
"Hey, it’s been way too long since I killed a man with my bare hands."
"Or overthrew a government, yeah, yeah," I laughed.
We went to the area were all the big rigs were parked and wandered around listening for any sounds that might be boys locked in a truck. We heard no banging or Morse code to give away their location and stopped at the end of the row.
"Short of breaking in a few of the enclosed trucks, we got nothing. I don’t want to incur the wrath of LVMPD by breaking and entering locked vehicles, if we got caught. So now what?" Earl asked.
"Maybe we should talk to Lynn and see what LVMPD can do for us," I said.
I pulled my cell phone and called Penny, "Where are you?" I asked after she answered.
"We’re in the beer tent having a few cold ones," she replied.
"Save one for me, we’re on the way." I hung up and we went back to the midway and over to the beer tent. I saw Angelo first; he was easy to spot in a crowd because most people just moved away from him. He just screamed Mafia from his looks, kind of like the Sopranos on TV. Earl and I got a couple beers at the counter and went to the picnic table where they were seated.
"No luck?" Penny asked.
"We got to meet the owner of the place and a very huge giant that we wrestled to the ground," I said.
Earl spoke up, "I wrestled him to the ground, you just stood peeing your pants after he grabbed your neck."
"I did no such thing. I had my gun on him while you were rolling around holding hands with him, did he give you his phone number?."
Penny and Paula both were laughing and then Penny said, "Great, so you didn’t find the boys?"
"No, I think we may have to call Lynn in on this, it may be too soon for missing persons, but they are seriously gone and may need police intervention to get into the inner sanctum of this place. I still believe they came here," I said.
"Mr. Dark seemed too cool about the picture you showed him, he’s hiding something," Earl said and took a big swig of his beer.
"Yes he did, no concern or sympathy from a man who entertains children of all ages," I said.
"And he’s spooky," Earl added.
"Problem is, Lynn would need some facts before she can get a warrant in to investigate. I think I may have an idea," I said and took a swig of my beer; it was chilled and tasted good in the hot tent.
"Okay, what is your idea?" Penny asked after I said no more.
I smiled and said, "I’ll tell everyone after I talk to Buck."
We enjoyed the festivities and then stopped for the day. It was getting too hot to be out of reach of an air conditioner.
We all left the carnival, I watched it in my rearview mirror, it started to look evil. I drove back to the agency, Earl and Paula went to the lobby couches to watch TV followed by Angelo, as I went to my office to call Buck, explaining to Penny that there was little time to waste to find the boys, she agreed.
Buck answered after a couple rings and I told him who I was.
"Jimmy, how’s your day going?" he asked.
"Well, it could be better; I need your help if you aren’t doing anything?"
"Maria is sleeping, she has to work tonight and I’m just sitting here watching monster trucks on TV. Whatcha got going?"
"Can you come into the office and I’ll explain. Also if you could see if Mac is free, I’ll need both of you."
"I’ll be in shortly after I call Mac," he said and hung up. I sat back in my office chair and smiled to Penny.
"How are you going to use Buck and Mac?" Penny asked.
"Tell me what you thought of Buck, since the first time you met him during the classmate murders?"
"I thought he was a big biker and tough, he was scary at first but I grew to know how much of a teddy bear he is."
"Yes, but that teddy bear can become a grizzly if poked. That’s what I need right now."
"You’re going to send him into the carnival, him and Mac as undercover, am I right."
"You are one smart babe," I said with a smile.
We went out to where everyone else was relaxing in the cool air of the office. Penny went to sit next to Paula as they were watching Saturday cartoons on the wide screen television. Educational TV, I guess.
About thirty minutes later Buck came in followed by Mac, Lacey and their adopted teenage daughter Jessie. I cringed that Lacey came in, it meant having to explain to her that I needed her husband for a couple days. I invited Earl, Buck, Mac and Lacey to my office, asking Jessie to sit with Penny and Paula to watch cartoons, she liked that.
They were sitting around my desk while I was still standing. I put the photo of the missing boys on the desk in front of Buck and Mac.
"These boys went missing early this morning, we think they went to the big carnival south on Las Vegas Boulevard by Silverado Ranch Boulevard. Earl and I explored the carnival and didn’t find them, but we suspect there is more than what the people who work there are telling. We met the owner, a real evil kind of guy and he wasn’t very helpful. We couldn’t do much in the way of searching the place without breaking the law. I had an idea that may help, but it involves going undercover." I paused for it to take effect.
Buck was mulling it over and said, "So you want Mac and me to join the circus?"
"Carnival, but same difference, yes. I need someone inside to see what evil is in the place," I said. "Just to be on the safe side I want to send both of you in, they may take one or both of you."
It was quiet for a moment, then Lacey asked, "Do they get overtime?"
*
Chapter 4
I smiled at Lacey and said, "I glad that you’re worried about your husband’s safety over money."
"Crap on that, we need finances to take care of bills," she replied.
I thought about it and said, "Do you need a raise, Lacey?"
"It would help us, Jessie is a teenager now and she needs things, women things."
"Okay, we can discuss this Monday. I’m open for a raise," I said knowing that we had the money to give her more of it. I wasn’t greedy, ask my wife.
"Now can we get back to the case at hand? I need you two to go in and get a job with these people and let us know if there is any criminal activities going on and see if you can find the boys."
"I like it," Buck said and looked to Mac, "How about you?"
"I’m game, when do we start?"
"We need to get you two out there as soon as possible. The longer we wait, these boys may be in more serious danger. Earl and I both think there is more going on and we can’t drag Lynn in without some proof. You’ll have to dig something up. Now we have to build a back story for you to tell them."
Buck spoke, "I worked one summer at the old Bob-Lo amusement park south of Detroit. So I got some experience."
"I remember Bob-Lo, the island between Detroit and Canada. I went there one time years ago on the boat. That’s good, Mac you have anything?"
"I did three weeks at a State Fair in Kansas City working all the rides. I can pass any test they throw at me," Mac said.
"Okay, now you have to have a place to tell them you are living, preferably nothing permanent."
"How about my pick-up truck and camper, we can tell them we are living out of that." Mac offered.
"Perfect, now other than the giant we ran into, there were no other carnies that I saw who would be able to take on either of you, so I don’t think there will be any trouble." I knew Mac and Buck both being over six feet and very muscular would be able to whip the ass off of any of the men we saw. "But carnies can be viscous if cornered, from what I’ve heard. So tread lightly."
"I’m not worried, we’ll get in and find out what’s going on," Buck said confidently, giving me hope.
"Okay, you two get your act together and I’ll give you directions to the site." We were finished for now and everyone left the room except Lacey and me.
"I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to give you a hard time about money," she said.
"Lacey you’ve worked for me for over a year and you’ve always kept everyone in line and put up with all the bull the guys threw at you, so you deserve a raise and you’ll get one. So beginning Monday start yourself at double what you are making now, we have enough business to keep up. Does that work for you?"
She looked shocked at the offer and gave me a hug. "Thank you so much. Jessie is now getting to the age where she needs things that she didn’t need before. This will help with everything."
"Okay, get going and give Mac a good-bye kiss; he’s running off to join the carnival."
She laughed and we went out to the lobby. Mac turned and said, "I’ll run Lacey and Jessie home and come back with the camper." They left and Buck was on his cell phone explaining to Maria what he was going to be doing. He gave me a thumbs up and hung up.
An hour later Buck and Mac had the camper looking like two macho men were living out of it. We put in plenty of beer cans and tossed clothes around to give it a homey look. They were dressed in bluejeans and cutoff t-shirts with their muscles bulging, looking all the part. I gave them the directions to the carnival and who to see.
"Act like you’re just needing a job for extra money and that you can travel. You both know how to bullshit, but if you get caught don’t kill anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary."
They got in the truck and drove off. Angelo, Penny and I stood with Earl and Paula watching them go.
"Think this is going to work?" Earl asked.
"I’m hoping on it. Buck and Mac both look like bikers and rowdies, they shouldn’t have any problems. Now if you and I went in for a job, they’d carry us out on a rail," I said smiling at him. "All we can do now is wait. I need to call the Walkers and let them to know they have to wait too. It’s going to be a rough night for them." I went back to my office to call.
~~*~~
Mac drove into the carnival parking and up near the tent. It was late but the crowd was still at a busy level. Buck and Mac got out and wandered around the place to get familiar with the rides again, it had been a long time for both to have been away from that kind of work.
They spotted the huge trailer that held the office and went up the stairs to the door. Buck knocked and heard someone yell to come in, they entered. There was a small counter with a rather rough looking woman behind the grill that separated the entrance from the rest of the truck.
"Can I help you mugs?" the woman growled.
"We’re looking for work," Buck growled back. The woman smiled, Buck had that effect on women, even the ugly ones.
"What kind of work?" she said nicer now.
"Carnie work, we’ve both got experience running the rides." Buck was trying to sound like a low life.
"What makes you think we need help?" she fired back.
"Carnivals always need help. You gain people, you lose people from quitters to those going to jail. We just figured maybe you had a couple holes to fill."
"Maybe we do, what are your backgrounds, criminal I mean?"
Buck grinned, he had a troubled youth and could prove it, "I’ve had a few run-ins with the law, back in Detroit, nothing near murder, mostly petty crimes, drunk driving, a few high speed chases. Never killed anyone I would admit to."
The woman looked to Mac, he smiled and said, "I was a choir boy in Kansas, maybe a few small infractions bending the law but I’m clean."
"No major warrants out for either of you? I will check, so don’t bullshit me."
Buck said, giving her his famous walrus smile, "We be good boys now, ma’am."
She sat staring at them, then said, "You’ll have to talk to Mr. Dark, the owner, but I’ll put in a good word. We need two big guys like you, now days we can only seem to get scrawny druggies and burnouts. Hang on and I’ll call him" She picked up a two way radio and called for the man. He came back to her and she told him that there were two men looking for work. "I think you need to take a look," she said with a smile.
Buck and Mac stood in the small lobby of the office and waited. Then the door flew open and in walked the strange man in the top hat. Buck could see what Jim had told him about how the man looked evil.
He strutted around Buck and Mac sizing them up like cattle. "I’m impressed, do you have any background in carnie work?"
Buck went over his resume of the Bob-Lo island work then Mac explained what his qualifications were. Dark just paced.
"Either of you into any criminal activities, anything that you wouldn’t do if asked, if you know what I mean."
"If you mean would we be above doing something shady? Anything short of murder wouldn’t bother us. If you know what I mean."
"Where are you from?" Dark asked Buck.
"Detroit, all around, I moved a lot."
Dark smiled and asked, "Did you know Piper Davis?"
Amazingly, Buck did, "Greasy little creep, into theft and kiddie porn, rode with the Vigilantes bike club. That Piper Davis?"
Dark smiled and told the woman, "Martha, get these men on the payroll. You two can start on the round-up. Can you handle that?"
"We’ll have people stuck to the walls," Buck said with his grin.
"Just don’t kill anyone... yet," Dark said with a smirk and went out of the trailer.
Buck smiled as the woman pulled the paperwork for them to fill out. They had to lie as to their addresses, luckily Buck still carried his Michigan driver’s license and showed it to her. Mac just said Buck was driving their truck and he had his license taken away. She accepted that, Buck was sure she didn’t really care.
They finished up and the woman called on the two way for some person named Skeeter to come to the office. About ten minutes later a man entered, he was introduced as Skeeter Lynn. He was about half the size of Buck and looked like he hadn’t bathed in a few weeks.
"Yeah, Martha what’s up?" he spoke with a toothless grin.
“Dark said to get these mugs started on the round-up. Watch them for a while to make sure everything is good.”
“You got it sexy woman,” he said with a cough. He led Buck and Mac to the midway and over to a corner where the massive ride sat. Its job was to spin fast, forcing people against the walls as it lifted them off the ground. It was centrifugal force that held the victims to the wall.
Skeeter set them up with the ride and watched for a bit. Luckily the round-up was a standard ride so Buck and Mac both had experience with it.
Skeeter smiled and said, “Yeah you know what you’re doing. Have fun.” He walked away as Buck pulled his cell phone to call Jim.
*
Chapter 5
I was in my office and picked up the desk phone and dialed the Walkers. The husband came on and asked right off if we found them.
"Mr. Walker, please be patient, we have two men now inside the carnival and they should be able to find out what happened, you just have to wait now. I’ll keep you informed as soon as we have something. This is our first priority and I’m going to be bringing the police in shortly. We are doing our best."
He was silent, then, "I guess we will just have to depend on you, thank you and we’ll be here." He hung up but I could tell he was upset, I didn’t blame him, now I really had to find the boys. I went back out to the lobby and was standing behind the couch when my cell phone buzzed.
I grabbed it from my pocket and read the caller ID, it was Buck. "Can you talk?" I asked.
I could hear a loud amount of noise and he yelled into the phone, "Yeah, we got the job, this Dark guy looks evil as you said. We just started, will fill you in later," he said and hung up.
I looked to the expectant group sitting in the lobby, "They’re in." Everyone gave a sigh of relief and Earl said, "Now it’s up to them."
"Yeah, but I’m going to call Lynn to let her know what we’re up to and to be ready." It was just after five in the afternoon, I didn’t know if Lynn was in the city or still on her honeymoon, I hated to interrupt if they were, but I called. She came on after three rings.
"Now what do you want?" she laughed.
"I wanted to see if your honeymoon is still going on or are you back to work?"
"Hell, we just got into the airport in LA and were just heading out to find our car. I hope you don’t have a major crime to report?"
"No, just missing boys, two, ages ten and eight and we’re suspicious of a carnival that rolled into town this week. Long story, I’ll fill you in when you hit town, call me."
"Okay, we have a long ride back to Vegas so it will be later tonight or tomorrow, if it’s not a priority."
"As of right now we have the situation sort of under control but will let you know more later. Enjoy your ride," I said and hung up.
"I hate waiting," I said and sat next to Penny on the couch. "Lynn and Deacon have a couple hours before they are settled back home. Buck and Mac probably won’t find much on their first night, but I hope they do some snooping. We may as well go home; I’m worn out from running around in the heat today."
"And you missed your nap," Penny added.
I looked at my watch and said, "We could still snuggle when we get home."
"Forget it, you can’t snuggle without fooling around," she snickered.
"Fine, let’s just go home then."
Earl and Paula got up and said they were going to get something to eat and left. I asked Angelo how he enjoyed the day at the carnival.
"I liked it, well not the missing kids, but the whole thing was good. If you need any of my contacts in the family to help finding the boys just let me know."
I thought about bringing in Angelo’s whole family and have them attack the carnival and put Dark in cement boots. Of course, Lynn would have a fit, so I may need what the mob could find out for me without murdering anyone. Penny gathered her things and the three of us went to the van.
We arrived home and I took Willy out from the kitchen to do his business, as Angelo went to his guesthouse. Penny was nuking a couple pasties and I settled on the couch. We ate our meal and then watched TV with our beer and chips.
Around eight, there was a loud knocking on our front door. I wondered why the alarms hadn’t gone off then realized that I hadn’t set them. I peeked through the little hole in the door and saw a big nose. Then I saw teeth, they were attached to Deacon. The goof ball was smiling in the peep hole, I opened the door and let them in.
"Should we be honored that you came right here from your honeymoon?" I asked.
"Don’t flatter yourself, we went home and changed, then came here. Now what is this big case you have?" Lynn asked.
"Well, it may not have anything to do with you; it’s a missing person case."
She shrugged, "I can handle it; we all share now since they’ve been cutting back on departments. Is it missing or a kidnapping?"
"Not sure, but the boys have been missing for a day now. If they might have just wandered off, but they should be back by now."
"Talk to me Sherlock," she said as she and Deacon sat.
I explained the whole day from the early morning tent departure to Buck and Mac getting a job.
"Carnie Buck, I love that. I need to go take pictures tomorrow," Lynn laughed.
"I’m sure he’d appreciate that. Now can you do anything?"
"Nope, not until we have probable cause or some evidence that the boys went there in the first place. No judge would sign a search warrant on conjecture. Now if Buck and Mac can find something that would allow us to go in and search. Of course, we could go in and ask nicely if we can look, and maybe they’ll give us permission to look see, but I doubt it. From past experience, carnivals aren’t too cooperative with us. In the morning I’ll do a background check on this Jacob Dark, maybe he’ll come up dirty and we can harass him."
"I thought about having Angelo bring in his family but I knew you’d never approve that."
"Damn skippy, I don’t want to see any wiseguys near this. Or just don’t let me see them." She grinned and asked, "We’ve been here for twenty minutes and still haven’t been offered a celebratory wedding drink, are you getting cheap as well as senile?"
"Are you able to drink being pregnant?" Penny asked.
"In moderation and small amounts, it’s still early in the term and I don’t drink much."
I went to the kitchen and opened the brandy we had for special occasions. I poured the liquor into four glasses and put them on a tray. I handed out the glasses and sat.
I held up my glass, "Here’s to a long and happy marriage and a happy baby." We drank, Lynn sipped.
Deacon told us all the details of their honeymoon in Hawaii and left not much out, much to Lynn’s dismay. She had to hit him a few times.
We sat talking for a while and then they said they were tired from their trip back and we finished up the evening.
At the door Lynn said, "I’ll get on this in the morning. I can understand what the parents are going through, especially now that I’m going to have a child myself."
"I’ll be in touch," I said. They left and I set the alarms and pulled Penny to the bedroom. She was dragging, but short of carrying her, I got her to bed.
~~*~~
Around midnight, Buck and Mac had finished the shift of getting people on and off the round-up. The crowd had thinned and then finally went home. Buck and Mac closed down the ride and secured it, then they turned to see Mr. Dark approach.
"Men, I watched you both and you attracted a lot of nice young ladies to this ride. Women like big strong men like you, I think you can be handy. Are you open to making a lot more money?"
"We don’t have to kill anyone, do we?" Buck said with a grin.
"Oh goodness no, just convince a few nice ladies to join our traveling show, that’s all. Not hard is it?" Dark said with an evil smile.
Buck leaned towards Dark and said, "I get what you are saying, we don’t really need to convince them do we?"
"You understand, fantastic, we have a deal?"
"As long as the money is good too."
"Oh, it can be if you deliver the goods."
"We can do the job," Buck grinned.
"Fantastic, you can go off to your little camper for now, but I think maybe we can arrange better quarters for you. Oh and I called my friend Piper Davis and he remembers you too. He said to say hi and gave a glowing report of your past, I like it." He turned and walked away. Buck looked to Mac and smiled.
~~*~~
The next morning, Sunday, Angelo was preparing his famous sausage, eggs and cheese biscuit sandwiches and the smell pulled me from my sleep. I hit the bathroom and quickly went to the kitchen before Penny ate everything.
I had my fill since Angelo made extras and even Willy had his treat. Penny was making a piggy out of herself and I joked to her that her butt was getting bigger. Big mistake.
She finished her sandwich, stuck her tongue out at me and stalked off to her bathroom.
"Mr. R., I think you may be in trouble, women don’t like being told their asses look fat," Angelo said.
"Angelo, you are wise beyond your age. I knew as soon as it slipped out of my mouth. The thing about Penny is that she holds it in until the right moment then she lets loose. So I’m in terror all day," I said with a laugh.
I finished up my meal and then my cell phone buzzed, it was Buck. "Talk to me," I said.
"I think we got him," was all he said and hung up.
*
Chapter 6
I figured Buck was in the middle of something or he would have said more, so I just had to wait, but the news was encouraging. Penny came back out from the bathroom, all dressed and ready for the day. I wondered if my fat ass comment had settled.
She kissed my cheek and pinched my butt. "Hmm… getting a bit cheeky there, lard ass."
I just had to hold in the laugh and hope that was it. Then she said, "Angelo we need to get Mr. R. a bigger stool so his butt can fit on it." Angelo held his laugh also.
Penny leaned down to pick up Willy and said to him, "Be careful baby, so daddy doesn’t sit on you."
"Okay! I apologize for my insensitive remark, can we drop it now," I pleaded.
"All right blubber butt, it’s over." She kissed me again and took Willy out the sliding patio door to the backyard.
I just shook my head and Angelo laughed aloud. I stood and went through the patio door to the back and found Penny standing on the lawn with Willy running around the yard like a mad dog.
"He’s getting his exercise, we need to make him walk more instead of carrying him all the time," she said.
"I agree, but he’s so small he’s liable to get stepped on," I said just as my cell phone buzzed. I pulled it out and the caller ID said it was Deacon. "Hey big guy, is the honeymoon over yet?" I said.
"Not yet, we are just getting started. Just called to see if you’re going to that carnival again. Lynn did a quick check and could find nothing on Jacob Dark. She has Warren checking on the city permits for the carnival to set up and see what that says. Otherwise, he’s not on the radar, no criminal past that she can find. Heard from Buck yet?"
"As a matter of fact, he called about ten minutes ago and cryptically said that we got him and hung up. I suppose we’ll have to wait until he can talk. Are you and Lynn thinking about going to the carnival?"
"If you guys are, Lynn wants to see carnie Buck as she’s calling him now."
I turned to Penny and quickly told her what Deacon said, she replied, "I’m all for going to see carnie Buck too."
"Okay, tell Lynn that you guys can meet us at my office in an hour. Bring a couple of fans," I said and hung up.
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