Dark Carnival Murders (3 page)

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.