So Over My Head (16 page)

“Bella, you know the routine. You stay out of it and let the professionals do their job.”

“But I’m on the inside. Your professionals are sitting behind desks thinking they’ve got their man.” I back off when I see his fierce scowl. “Just relay my information to whoever’s in charge. I think this case is deceptively simple.”

“That’s the only kind you stumble onto, isn’t it?” He blows out a breath, briefly shifting his eyes to look at something over my shoulder. “I’ll pass on your information, but they’re really tied up with a series of gang incidents in Tulsa. Your job is done. If you’ve got a burning in your heart to be a clown, that’s your freaky business, but otherwise, I think you better consider retiring from the carnival life.”

“And miss all the satisfaction I get from spreading joy and happiness to circusgoers?”

Officer Mark snorts as he steps away. “Butt out, Bella. I mean that.”

When I return to the group, I see Luke has joined them. As Dolly talks about homeschooling, Luke doesn’t take his eyes off her. But I know he knows I’m there. It’s that whole magnet thing. I think we could find each other in a dark tunnel, even if we were on opposite ends. I don’t know that I like being that aware of someone.

“I hear Jake had another great night last night,” Mickey says, his voice laced with pride. “I’m going to fly out to Seattle and see him next week.”

“How’s your mom doing?” Dolly asks, her eyes sharp and knowing.

“I guess she’s struggling with him being gone so much. Seems to be stressing everyone out.” And when I say stress, I mean as in the kind of pressure that can fracture something. Like a marriage. “Jake says he’s still trying to find his balance. I hope he finds it soon.”

Dolly smiles. “He’s a smart guy. I have faith he’ll figure it out.”

“Sometimes it’s easy to take your family for granted,” Mickey says, his expression guarded as he looks at Dolly. “And sometimes it takes doing without to see what you had.”

At this, the conversation lapses. Around me I hear the sounds of families making their way to vehicles, the roller coaster still zipping, and carnival workers calling for someone to take a chance for a buck.

Dolly wraps her arm around Cherry and kisses the top of her head. “You did so good tonight, girl. Ready to go home?” She heads toward the south parking lot.

I turn to Luke and motion for him to follow. “My car’s out this way too.”

We all walk together and say our good-byes for the evening next to Dolly’s Jeep.

She unlocks the vehicle just as Cherry squeals. “Peg!” Cherry points through the crowd, and I see the collie tearing toward her. “Oh, my gosh! You came back!” Cherry drops to her knees as the dog pounces, running into her outstretched arms like a lost child. She licks her cheeks, her nose, her chin. Cherry giggles and pulls her closer.

“I can’t believe it,” Dolly says. “Where in the world has that dog been?”

“It’s a miracle.” Tears glisten in Cherry’s eyes. “Dolly and I said a little prayer for you, Peg, and you came back. It’s a miracle, isn’t it, Dolly?”

I walk around the Jeep and run my hands through the dog’s fur. “Where ever she was, they didn’t extend bathing privileges.”

“Dolly?”

I feel my blood drain at Red Fritz’s scratchy voice. “Go! Distract him!” My whisper comes out in a frenzied rush, as I push Cherry toward the other side of the Jeep. Toward Red.

Red’s voice grows a bit stronger. “Cherry, it’s time you came back home. I know the loss of Betty was a shock, but as we say, the show must go on. Your home is with us.”

“She’s thriving with me,” Dolly says, just as I slink into the back of the Jeep, scooting along the floorboards.

Luke picks up the dog, and she gives a little bark.

“What was that?” Red demands.

Luke shoves the dog at me then throws back the seat. “Just smashed my finger in the door.” I watch Luke shake out his hand as he shuts me inside the Jeep.

Where the dog goes crazy.

“What’s going on in that car?” Red asks.

I stick my head up. “Just me! I’m changing clothes!” I make swirly motions with my one hand and hold down Peg’s head with the other. “No peeking!” Omigosh.
God, please don’t let this dog bark
again
.

“We’ll talk about this later, Red.” Dolly says. “I’ve got to get Cherry home now. She needs her rest.”

“This isn’t over, Cherry. You know where you belong. Stewart and me—we’re your real family.”

My whole body jerks as seconds later the door is flung open.

The first person I see is Luke, staring into the floor. He’s surrounded by Dolly, Cherry, and Mickey.

Luke’s mouth quirks. “If you smother the dog, Bella, you’re the one who’ll have to perform mouth-to-mouth.”

I look down to see I’m completely rolled on top of Peg, with all four limbs wrapped around her like a vice, both hands clamped on her snout.

“Not a word, Luke Sullivan. Not one word.”

chapter seventeen

A
s I drive to the carnival after school Tuesday, I punch the button on my phone with as much consideration as one would give the command for a nuclear bomb.

“Bella?”

“Hey, Hunter. It’s me. I know, surprise, right?” Never thought I’d be calling my ex-boyfriend, pond-sludge sucker that he is. “Yeah, I’m good. Um, there’s kind of a reason for my call.”

“Missing me?”

Boys. Do they
all
think they’re God’s gift to the planet?

“No, I do
not
miss you.”

“Give it time. You will.”

Yeah, like the flu. I turn down my stereo as Hunter Penbrook prattles on about changing, turning his life around, mending his ways. Blah, blah, blah. Heard it all before. Even fell for it once. But never twice.

“Hey, Hunter I hate to interrupt your dissertation on your virtues, and I think your new vegetarian diet is very noble, by the way, but I need your help.”

Silence.

“The last few times I’ve been to see Dad things have been pretty weird.” I explain my odd Christina moments. “There is definitely something going on there, but I can’t be in two places at once. Time is of the essence because Dad’s getting married in June. So if Christina’s not on the up-and-up, and I strongly suspect she isn’t, then I need to get proof of that soon. I can’t just go to him with suspicions.”

His deep voice fills my ear. “So what do you want me to do about it?”

“Remember the last time you were in Truman—you know when you were pretending to be someone you weren’t because Jake’s reality show was paying you?”

His excuses and apologies come in sputters.

“Save it. I do recall, though, in one of your crying fits that one of the things you said was that you’d do anything for me. Remember that, my little dumplin’?”

His sigh blows into the phone. “I didn’t cry.”

“Okay.” I guess now is not the time to bring up his sordid, teary-eyed past. “Well, I need your help.”

“Name it.”

Nice. If only Luke were this biddable. “I need you to find out who’s staying in that hotel room.”

“What’s in it for me?”

“I’ll send you a Christmas card this year.”

“You sent me one last year.”

“I promise not to stick my tongue out in this one. Can you just help me out here?”

“How’s the new boyfriend?”

Um. “Fine.”

“That didn’t sound fine. Trouble in nerd paradise?”

“Luke is not a nerd.” Only
I
can call him that. “He’s brilliant, stu-dious, while also being conveniently buff.”

“So you two are happy?”

“Every day is another twenty-four hours of bliss.”

Hunter laughs. “Bella? Our maids play poker together. I know you broke up with that guy.”

“Can you find out who’s in room 857 or not? I’m not asking you to save the world here—just do a little snooping around, a little stake-out in front of her door.”

“Did I ruin you for anyone else?”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Yeah, your cheating ways are so hot, I can’t bear to be with anyone else now.” If I were standing in front of the guy, I’d have to gouge out his eyes just on principle.

“No. I mean you were already leery of trusting anyone. And then I pushed you over the edge with all the crap I pulled.” His voice is strangely sincere.

“Twice.”

“Twice.” More silence. “You know, even after two years of dating, you always did hold back.”

“If this is about that night at your parent’s lake house, I
told
you I had my boundaries.”

“He’s not me, but I thought that Luke character was a pretty good guy. You should’ve seen the way he looked at you at prom. And when he saw you hurt—” Hunter expels a ragged breath. “Never mind. What do I care?”

I pull into my spot at the carnival and turn off the Bug. “Hunter, you’re the last person I’m going to take relationship advice from. Are you going to help me or not?”

“I’ll do it. Because I really am a better person these days.”

“Uh-huh. Well, keep me updated. And . . . thanks.”

“Bella? Give the guy a chance. Anybody who’s saved your life a couple times can’t be all that bad. What are you afraid of?”

The line goes dead, and I sit there with my head on the steering wheel. Hunter Penbrook just went all love-doctor on me. Oh, the irony. It’s like taking advice on conservative attire from Britney Spears.

When I walk into the big top, there’s a small crowd beneath the trapeze.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Melvin, the fire-eating midget, points toward the ceiling. “Red’s making Stewart and Cherry do the Praying Mantis.”

“Since when does Stewart know the trapeze?”

“He was raised on it. Trained by Cherry’s parents. He just took a few months off to try his hand at managerial duties. But his dad has put him back on as an aerialist starting tonight.”

“So what’s the Praying Mantis?”

His brown eyes darken. “It’s the routine that killed Cherry’s parents.”

Dolly is gonna freak. “Is it incredibly dangerous?”

Melvin shakes his head. “It’s not impossible. That night her parents died, there were equipment malfunctions. And her dad removed the nets—he insisted. He wanted to take the trapeze team to a new level. He thought it would put our carnival up there with the best of them.”

I watch Red yell at Cherry and sigh. “And then the Fritz Family Carnival became memorable for all the wrong reasons.”

“You got it. But Red wants to change that.”

Cherry misses Stewart’s outstretched arm.

“You idiot!” Stewart hisses. “Do you need glasses?”

“Pay attention!” Red yells. “This isn’t a game.”

“I know!” Cherry stands in the nest. “I—we just haven’t worked together in a while. Can’t Rusty and I do this? He’s been my partner since March.”

“No.” Red curls his mustache between his fingers. “You are both of Fritz blood—circus royalty! It must be you two. Take a ten-minute break.” Red claps his hands at Cherry and Stewart like he’s a lion tamer.

I do a quick turn when a hand latches onto my shoulder.

“Jumpy today.” Luke stands there, an arrogant smile tugging on his lips.

“I was watching Cherry and Stewart.” I take a few steps away from the dissipating crowd. “Cherry talked Dolly into taking the dog home, by the way.”

“Didn’t Dolly want to know why they weren’t returning it to Red?”

“Cherry explained it’s what Betty would’ve wanted. Told her she’d heard Red was done with the dog, and his idea of retiring an animal wasn’t too pretty. That’s all it took for Dolly.” I pause. “Luke, um, I need a little favor.”

“I’m not going to like this, am I?”

“Would you mind getting my flashlight where I left it?”

“I guess.” He shrugs. “Where’d you leave it?”

“In Alfredo’s trailer.”

“
What
?”

“Shhh!” I clamp my hand over his mouth. “It was an accident.”

Luke pries my fingers from his face, keeping my hand hostage. “An accident that you were in there or that you left it?”

“Yes.”

“Bella . . .” His growl is scarier than my clown routine. “How did it get in Alfredo’s trailer again?”

“I might’ve dropped it a few weeks ago when I was digging around.” I rush on to explain. “There hasn’t been a single chance to get it. I’ve tried.”

His left eye twitches as he rolls this through his oversized brain. “Would this be the flashlight I got you? With your
name
on it?”