Strolling Into Danger (A Seagrove Cozy Mystery Book 6) (4 page)

Sadie turned to find a wild-haired man with an equally wild beard towering over her. Her heart beat a little harder and she breathed deep to calm herself.

“But it’s them who are enchanting me,” she said.

“I was just watching them and they came over to me. Surely they do that to everyone?” He shook his shaggy head.

“No, they do not,” he said.

“You have enchanted them.” He scowled.

Sadie was a bit bewildered. She couldn’t possibly be the only person these elephants had ever made friends with. The baby wound her trunk around Sadie’s arm and tugged, so Sadie rubbed behind the baby’s ear. She kept half an eye on the man, not wanting to upset him further. Mamma elephant tickled her ear.

The elephant trainer held his stick in the air and both elephants backed away from her.

“I wasn’t hurting them,” she said. “We were just saying hello.”

“They could hurt you,” he said. “You should not approach animals you do not know.”

He moved so that he was standing between Sadie and the enclosure, making her step away by towering over her. She moved away reluctantly, she liked the elephants and she was quite sure they were not going to hurt her.

She walked past the horses stabled in a barn made of canvas. It was quiet in the barn and she would have liked to go in and see the horses, but she felt the eyes of the elephant keeper on her and she went on by. She did catch a glance of a pitch black miniature horse with a plume of scarlet feathers on its head and decided she’d go back for a look later.

She passed the kennel full of dogs in all shapes and sizes and then four dancing bears. She knew they danced because she’d seen them perform the day before. After the bears was a large circular cage with a man and two lions inside. The lions were perched on large stools and the man stood between them, whip in hand. He cracked his whip once and the lions leaped over his head, passing each other in mid-air and landed on the stool the other lion had been occupying.

Sadie realized she’d stopped breathing and sucked in a breath. She’d never been so close to living lions and she thought it was unlikely anyone could convince her to get in a cage with them. The trainer snapped his whip again and they repeated the performance, only this time one of the lions caught the trainer’s shoulder mid-air. Sadie thought he was going to collapse under the weight, but the lion kept going and the trainer didn’t so much as move a foot.

She was waiting to see what the trainer would do, clearly the lion was not supposed to use him to push off on mid-flight, but Zack came up and claimed her attention.

“Did you hear anything?” he asked as they skirted the big top and headed for the parking lot.

“Not in a language I could understand,” she said. “Mostly I was befriended by the elephants and chased off by their trainer.”

“Why did he chase you away?” Zack asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sadie said.

“He said they were dangerous, but clearly they weren’t. The baby kept snuffling my face with her trunk.” She spotted the fortune teller’s tent on the midway.

“Look,” she said, “the midway is open. I want to go get my fortune told.”

“Good idea,” Zack said. “Just remember when she talks about a tall, dark stranger, she means me.”

Sadie laughed and ran to the midway. The fortune teller’s tent was open and no one was waiting so Sadie went in. Nothing about the tent had changed. It looked the same as it had when she’d been in here with Zack. The woman at the table didn’t look like Pabelin’s daughter to her. She didn’t know if it was the makeup or if it really was another woman. Sadie sat down and slid a twenty-dollar bill across the table.

“Do you want the cards, the crystal ball or a palm reading?” the woman asked. Her accent was odd and Sadie had to decipher the words in her head.

“Crystal ball,” Sadie said.

The lights in the tent dimmed, the fortune teller said some words in what Sadie thought might be Romanian, and the crystal ball began to glow. The mist inside the ball swirled and a smoky figure formed in its interior. Sadie was impressed. She thought it looked like a bear but supposed it could represent a human.

“There is danger in your future,” the woman said.

“You should beware of dark-haired men. You will travel and a four-legged creature will shape your life.” She went on in that vein for a few minutes and then pretended to come out of her trance.

“Do you have questions?” she asked.

“No,” Sadie said. “No questions. Thank you.”

She left the tent disappointed, how could she have questions about something so vague it could be about anybody? She joined Zack at the edge of the midway where he was tossing balls at a stack of milk bottles. He apparently had knocked over more than a few because when Sadie walked up he asked her to point out the prize she wanted.

Sadie pointed to a giant stuffed elephant and the attendant pulled it down and handed it to her.

“For me?” she asked Zack as they walked away.

“You bet,” he said. “I was just making sure the games weren’t rigged. How was your fortune?”

“So generic as to be useless,” Sadie said.

“Although the crystal ball was very cool. I’d rather she’d made up some fantastic tale about a bear in the woods. She told me there was danger and I would travel and very little else. And I don’t think it was Pabelin’s daughter. It didn’t look or sound like her at all.”

“Interesting,” Zack said. “I think I’ll check on her when I come back tomorrow.”

“You are coming back tomorrow?” Sadie said. “Can I come?”

“We’ll see. I’m afraid I’m going to be stirring the hornet’s nest tomorrow and I don’t want you to be in danger. Especially not after that fortune teller forecast your doom.”

Sadie snorted. “Yeah, because fortune telling is such an accurate science.”

Chapter Four

The next day found Sadie and Mr. B in the office with Betty. True to her word, Betty had entered the missing data so they armed themselves with handheld scanners and marched into the store to conquer the inventory. Sadie went straight to the last item she'd tried scanning and hit the sticker with the red beam of the Taser-like tool. It beeped and the correct information appeared on the screen.

"Eureka!" Betty said and danced around the room scanning things.

"We just have to be careful not to bury our lists when we add the new shipment."

"Actually, I think we should take the time to enter at least the basic information when we assign the numbers," Sadie said. "So we have some idea of what's what."

"That's a little on the efficient side for us, don't you think?" Betty asked.

"Fewer headaches for you," Sadie said. "I just want to keep you happy."

"Are you worried I'll go to work for John next door?" Betty asked. "It is a possibility."

"You just want to eat pastry all day," Sadie said.

"I eat pastry all day now. It's the unlimited caffeine and the hunky baker that draw me."

"There is such a thing as too much of a good thing," Sadie said. "But if you really want to be a barista..."

"I suppose you're right." Betty sighed, "but it was a nice dream while it lasted."

The bell over the door jangled as someone came in the shop and Betty said "Hiya, Chief."

Sadie hurried to the front of the shop, but Mr. Bradshaw made it there before her and had his paws on Zack's knee and was getting his head scratched.

"Mr. Bradshaw," Sadie said. "Get your feet off Zack's uniform pants, right now!"

Mr. B dropped to the ground and gave his mistress a reproachful glance.

"Don't look at me like that, you know not to put your feet on people." Sadie shook her finger at her terrier.

Mr. B flopped to the floor so Zack could rub his belly. He closed his eyes in doggy bliss. Zack squatted and tickled Mr. B’s soft white underside which caused the terrier to wiggle back and forth on the floor.

“He’d make a good inch worm,” Zack said scratching the inside of the dog’s armpit.

“What he makes is a spoiled rotten dog,” Sadie said. “But I’m sure you didn’t come here just to scratch Mr. Bradshaw’s belly.

"I need to go back to the circus," Zack said looking up at Sadie from where he was crouched next to Mr. Bradshaw.

"And all my female officers are working on a juvenile crime spree over at the community center. In fact, most of my male officers are there too. I need a woman with me to question Rupa. Want to come with me?"

"It's a good thing you are the boss," Sadie said. "Otherwise you might get called on the carpet for using a civilian to help with an official investigation."

"Civilians help with investigations all the time," Zack said. "Anyway, I deputized you a while back. Didn't I tell you?"

"Are you sure that was wise?" Betty asked from behind a shelf of antique books.

"She might go renegade."

"That's a chance I'll have to take."

He was trying hard not to laugh. Sadie could see the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Let me take Mr. Bradshaw for a walk and I'll be right with you," she said.

It was just another day at the circus, all the usual hustle and bustle and acts practicing in the big top. Sadie wanted to say hi to the elephants, but Zack led her in the opposite direction down past the semi-trucks and then between them to the residential area. They skirted trailers and RVs of all kinds before finding themselves at the office.

Roman was standing on the steps looking the other direction. A couple of Carney boys were horsing around, pushing each other and teasing. Sadie didn't see anything to be concerned about. They looked like normal teenaged boys to her. But Roman was scowling and Sadie thought he was about to yell at them when he either heard Sadie and Zack's footsteps or sensed them behind him and turned, his face morphing into a welcoming smile. A shiver went up Sadie's spine.

Before she had a chance to analyze why Roman was giving her the creeps Rupa came around the corner from one direction and Winston appeared from between two trailers in the other direction. Rupa’s green eyes flashed and she spat on the ground. Winston stopped short, looking from Zack to Rupa and back again. He looked as if he was about to take off running.

“You!” Zack yelled pointing at Winston, “Stay right where you are. Sadie, please go with Rupa back to her trailer. I’ll join you in few minutes.”

“Yes, boss,” Sadie said cheerfully, she was extremely happy to be escaping Roman’s presence, and walked to where Rupa was standing.

“Can you show me the way to your trailer?”

“It’s a motorhome, not a trailer,” Rupa said.

“Come this way.” She turned a stalked away.

Sadie trotted along after her. Rupa’s legs weren’t that much longer than Sadie’s, but she moved along at such a pace that Sadie thought she was going to have to break into a run at any moment. They wove between the assorted RVs until they reached Rupa’s non-descript little motorhome. Compared to some of the other rigs it was small and plain. But when Rupa led her inside it was clean and nicely kept. Not fancy by any stretch of the imagination but comfortable for one.

Sadie looked around, puzzled. There was no sign a second person lived here with Rupa. No ringmaster's top hat lay carelessly on the table, no man’s jacket, and no shoes.

“Does Maestro live here with you?” she asked before she could stop herself. She cursed inwardly and added ‘learn to be more tactful’ to her to-do list.

“Sorry, that wasn’t very polite.”

“Politeness is overrated,” Rupa said.

“No, we have our own homes. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to conduct his love affairs, wouldn’t it?”

Rupa picked up a small cup from the counter near the sink and hurled it to the floor. It was plastic and bounced anticlimactically and rolled underneath the table.

“Of course he said it was for my benefit. We used to share his trailer, but he was in meetings at all hours. He came to me, concerned for my wellbeing. You aren’t sleeping enough, Rupa. He said to me. We must take care of you.” She threw the salt shaker to the ground.

“I can’t stand for you to look so worn out, so drawn.” The pepper shaker followed the salt, leaving a trail of black specks across the floor.

“But that wasn’t the reason?” Sadie prompted.

“I wanted my home parked next to his, but no. ‘The activity will disturb you,’ he said. ‘Put your home with the single women,’ he said.” A plate hit the floor.

Sadie thought the lack of broken crockery either was a huge disappointment to Rupa, or it was part of her persona. If none of her things broke when she performed a tantrum scene, then she wouldn’t have to clean up glass and china – or buy new things. Either way, Rupa was quite the performer.

“He started sleeping with a contortionist the very next day.” A small frying pan hit the floor.

“Did he think I wouldn’t find out?” She threw the tea kettle the length of the room and the lid popped off. There wasn’t any water in it.

“The contortionist’s brother- the Strongman - told me while she was still in our trailer. Then he offered his services if I wanted to get revenge.” She put her hands on her hips and very purposefully didn’t say if she’d taken him up on it.

“Yes, I knew Maestro was sleeping with Pabelin. Everyone knew. So what?” Rupa jutted her chin.

“She’s dead and you had a motive,” Sadie said simply.

“What good would it do me to kill Pabelin?” she asked.

“Maestro will just take another woman. There is a new aerialist he hasn’t been with yet. To be rid of the women, I would have to be rid of Maestro.” Her face softened, tears threatening.

“I can’t live without him. I wish I could, but I can’t. There is nothing for me to do but suffer from love.”

She bent down and began picking up the items she’d thrown to the floor during her tirade, but Sadie noticed the side-eyed glance Rupa was shooting her. This was not a contrite maiden suffering from love, but a consummate actress.

“And who have you had affairs with?” Sadie asked.

“Me?” Rupa asked, widening her eyes in fake innocence.

“You don’t strike me as the kind of woman to sit back and let a man get the last word.” Sadie arched her eyebrows and Rupa bristled.

“Of course I’ve had lovers,” she said in a tone that said all circus people took lovers and Sadie was stupid if she didn’t know that.

“But I always put Maestro first. He always puts himself first too. We have that in common.” She scowled.

“Now go away. I did not kill Pabelin. I did not like her, but I did not kill her. I am tired of talking to you.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Sadie said.

She stood firm, ready to refuse to leave if she didn’t get the information she wanted.

“You want to know who I have slept with?” She sneered at Sadie.

“I don’t think there is a man between eighteen and sixty that I haven’t slept with. Oh, you are shocked, but Maestro did not turn a hair. Not one of them, or all of them put together could make him jealous. They did not make him want me more. Or less. He simply does not care. So now, the first thing I do when a man joins the circus is to seduce him. And they all fall. Married, not married, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes even openly gay men will sleep with me. It’s a rite of passage.”

Sadie left feeling strangely queasy. What must it be like to be the wife of one of Rupa’s conquests? Or the husband of Maestro’s? Maybe it was part of the culture, something that was expected and accepted. She was glad it wasn’t a culture she was born into. How unhappy it would make her to know her guy was running around with other women. Ugh.

She started back toward where she thought the business trailer must be, but she heard a woman crying from nearby and stopped. She followed the sound to a trailer very near to the one that Sadie thought belonged to the dead woman. She knocked lightly on the door.

The crying stopped abruptly and someone blew their nose rather loudly before the door opened. A dark-haired woman in her early thirties stood in the doorway, her eyes red and swollen.

“Yes? Can I help you?” She dabbed at her nose with her tissue.

“I was wondering if I could help you,” Sadie replied. “Are you alright?”

“No. How can I be alright? My sister is dead. She was all I had in the world.” Tears seeped from the corners of her eyelids.

“You also have a niece, and she will need you as much as you need her,” Sadie chided.

“Alena has never liked me,” a sob escaped her.

“And she is grown now. I will be alone.”

Sadie considered giving the woman a piece of her mind but remembered she had just lost her sister. Hopefully, she would pull out of it and come to realize the younger woman needed her.

“Do you know who would want to kill your sister?” Sadie asked. “There was a man fighting with her in her tent the day before, wasn’t there?”

“That man? Why would he kill her? He was upset, yes, but he was no killer. There are two men who would kill my sister. One in Maestro Street, who she insulted, the other is Win-,” She stopped talking, her gaze fixed on something behind Sadie. Sadie turned and looked. The Strongman stood leaning against the plywood fence watching them.