Murder At The Circus: A Witch Cozy Mystery (A Bluebell Knopps Cozy Mystery Book 2) Read online

“Why don’t you leave Tara with us?” she asked. “We’ll wait till the police come.”

  “Who are-”

  “I’m a voluntary sheriff’s assistant in Lledrith. I’ll calm her down,” Bluebell said. “Nolan, my friend, he’s worked as an EMT in the past. He’ll go see the body with you.”

  “Thanks,” Felipe said. “Thanks… I… I guess I have no idea what to do until the police arrive.”

  He and Nolan headed out, while Bluebell led a shaking Tara to a chair.

  “You all right?” Bluebell asked, patting her hand.

  “No! Of course I’m not all right! Oh, poor Alex!”

  “Was he a friend of yours?”

  “Hardly,” Tara said. “He owned the circus. He was my boss. Well, he was everyone’s boss except Felipe. Felipe is the diva of our circus.”

  “You don’t like him much?” Bluebell asked, observing the spark of anger in Tara’s eyes.

  Tara sighed, and bowed her head. “At least he stepped up and told us all what to do. Felipe is one of the most stoic men I’ve ever met in my life. No matter what the situation, he won’t allow something as wasteful as emotion to enter into it. It’s not so fun in normal life, but in times of emergency, we need men like him to lead us.”

  “But you don’t like him much,” Bluebell said. It wasn’t a question this time.

  “Of course, I don’t,” Tara replied. “How could I? After all, he’s my husband!”

  *****

  Nolan and Felipe entered Alex’s trailer, careful not to touch anything. From the outside, the trailer wasn’t much to look at, a black rectangle with Darwin’s Circus! painted on it. Inside however, it was like a luxurious cottage, complete with a patterned rug, a leather pull out sofa, and a small kitchen island. On one end was a door leading to a tiny room where Alex normally slept. In the living area, there was a rosewood desk, with an upturned chair next to it.

  Alex lay sprawled, tangled with the chair. His eyes were bugging out of his face. There wasn’t a drop of blood near him.

  “He’s dead, no doubt about it,” Nolan said, checking for a pulse.

  “Yes,” Felipe agreed with a sigh. “Pretty clearly, he is.”

  “Shall we..”

  “Yes. Let’s leave,” Felipe said. “We’ll close the door behind us, and guard it until the police come.”

  Nolan was about to stand up, then paused. “What’s this?” He stretched out his hand, trying to grab hold of a thin yellow fabric under the table.

  Felipe put a hand on his. “Stop,” Felipe said. “No contaminating evidence, remember?”

  “Right.” Nolan stood up. “Of course. Let’s go outside and wait.”

  *****

  In the big tent, Tara and Bluebell were talking.

  “I married Felipe a year ago,” Tara said. “It was a rash, impulsive decision… just the kind of decision I always make.”

  “A mistake, you think?” Bluebell asked.

  “Oh a big mistake,” Tara said. “But look at me, a man’s dead, and I’m telling you the story of my life.”

  Bluebell said, “I won’t judge.”

  “Thanks,” Tara said. “Oh, I feel sick. Poor Alexander!”

  “How old was he?” Bluebell asked.

  “Far too young to die like this!” Tara said. “He was… maybe twenty years older than me. In his early fifties. A man with a long life in front of him… why would anybody do this?”

  “Why indeed.” Bluebell nodded. “Can you think of someone who might not have liked him?”

  “Well… it’ll be easier to make a list of people who did like him,” Tara said. “Alex was an old fashioned boss. He believed in sticks, not carrots, you know? Just the other day he drove poor Nancy to tears when he yelled at her for an hour about not getting a routine perfect on the first try. And our announcer Trent - he withheld three month’s wages because Trent had gotten drunk and accidentally ripped a tent.”

  “How about you?” Bluebell asked. “Did you get along well with him?”

  “Me?” A guarded look came over Tara’s face. “I suppose I did. I’m of the firm belief that you should be nice to everybody, especially nice if they control your paycheck.”

  “I see,” Bluebell said.

  “Oh, look, I’m not saying either of them did anything! Nancy’s a mild, spineless sort, and Trent is barely out of his teens. I’m just trying to show that, well, Alex, he wasn’t anyone’s favorite.” Tara sighed. “It must have been… well, Alex must have annoyed someone terribly for them to do this.”

  “Annoying someone isn’t serious enough to warrant murder,” Bluebell said.

  “No,” Tara said. “Oh I can’t stand to think about it! There’s a killer here, or there was, and we may never find out who!”

  “The police will do their job,” Bluebell said. “Criminals never get away with their crime for too long. One way or another, life will punish them.”

  “Oh I don’t know,” Tara said. “Sometimes, I think criminals are trickier than cats, and probably have nine lives too!”

  With a start, Bluebell realized that the kitten she’d purchased earlier was gone.

  “What is it?” Tara asked, seeing Bluebell’s sudden disquiet.

  “It’s nothing,” Bluebell said. “Just…” The kitten must have slipped away in the chaos of the tent emptying. How could she have been so careless! She went back to where she had been sitting and began searching all over. When she found nothing, she visualized a spell, and muttered it under her breath.

  For once, the spell was useful - she could see a faint purple mist in the air. Following it, she raced outside the tent, and then towards the trailers, Tara following her.

  In one corner of the crowded trailer parking, Bluebell found the kitten, curled up on the chest of the boy she’d bought it from. Both were fast asleep. When Bluebell put out a hand to take it back, the boy jumped up.

  “Oh!” He looked scared.

  “What on earth…?” Before she could complete her sentence, the boy had bolted, taking the kitten with him.

  “Bluebell, what is going on?” Tara asked.

  “We have to catch him!” Bluebell said, preparing to give chase.

  “What, catch Joel?” Tara laughed. “Why? He’s a scamp, but he’s harmless. He’s Davis’ son, you know.”

  “He stole my kitten,” Bluebell said. “I just don’t understand why the kitten would…” She paused, suddenly realizing something. “He didn’t steal the kitten. Did he? It was a scam to get money from me.”

  Tara laughed. “He does it at least five times a day. Earns a decent amount. Did he threaten to shoot it or drown it?”

  “Drown it,” Bluebell said.

  “You rubes with your big hearts.” Tara smiled. “He loves that kitten. Won’t let anything harm it. The kitten seems to love him too - it always comes back to him in the end. Come on, I probably know where he’s hiding.”

  Tara led Bluebell to a trailer towards the back. She shot a glance towards the large black rectangle that was Alex’s trailer, and gave a little shudder. Then, brightening a little, she opened the door of the trailer and walked in. Joel was hiding under the bed.

  “Joel!” Tara exclaimed. “Don’t tell me you’ve been scamming people again. You were supposed to be studying. Come on out of there.”

  “No,” Joel said. “She’ll take Bobo away from me.”

  “He’s all yours,” Bluebell said. “I’ll just take back my money, thank you.”

  “I’m not coming out,” Joel said.

  “Come on,” Tara said. “There’s enough happening around here with Alex’s death, don’t act like a-”

  “Alex’s death?” Joel stuck his head out from under the bed, his eyes wide. His disheveled hair hung around him like a mop. “What are you talking about? Alex isn’t dead! I just heard him screaming a little while ago.”

  “Was that in your dreams?” Tara asked. “You were fast asleep.”

  “Well sure, once I got Bobo back, I thought I’d take a nap
, but I passed by Alex’s trailer.” Joel crawled out from under the bed. “Are you serious? He’s dead?”

  Tara looked uncomfortable. “I guess I should have waited for Davis to tell you. I just didn’t think.”

  “Wait, what did you mean Alex was screaming?” Bluebell asked.

  *****

  Chapter 4

  The Testimony Of A Liar

  Bluebell’s question hung in the air for a second. She saw Joel consider her words, and slowly, his face grew pale.

  “I’m staying right here.” Joel tried to crawl back under the bed, but Bluebell stepped up and placed a hand on him.

  “The police will want to talk to you.”

  “I’m not talking to anybody!” he cried. “Leave me alone.”

  “Come on out,” Tara said. “Or you’ll be in bigger trouble than you are already. Stop being stubborn.”

  “He’s not in trouble,” Bluebell said, trying to make her voice a little kinder. “He’s not stubborn either. He’s just afraid, right Joel?”

  “Right,” Joel said. “I’m staying put.”

  “You don’t need to come out,” Bluebell said. “You got a cat other than Bobo?”

  “No,” Joel said. “He’s just like me. His mom doesn’t want him.”

  Bluebell felt a sliver of pity for him. “Poor kitten,” she said.

  “Oh, please.” Tara laughed. “Joel here is the king of deception. He’s slippery as an eel. His mother’s alive and well and right here taking care of him. Nancy.”

  “She’s not my mother anymore,” Joel said, his face becoming red.

  “Just because she left Davis doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you,” Tara said.

  “She hates us both.” Joel went farther back, into the shadows.

  “Joel, I’m counting to three. You better come out.”

  “I won’t!”

  “Not even for ten dollars?” Bluebell asked, accurately guessing the shortest path to his heart.

  Immediately, Joel popped out. “Where is it?” he asked.

  “I already gave it to you earlier, when you scammed me,” Bluebell said, holding onto his arm. “Now tell me what you heard. Why was Alex screaming?”

  “Oh.” Joel grinned. “You scammed a scamster. Well done.”

  “Talk,” Bluebell said.

  “Well, I was walking by the trailer, and I heard Alex shouting,” Joel said. “That’s all.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Maybe an hour?” Joel said.

  “Interesting,” Bluebell said. “Tara, it’s been half an hour since you found him, hasn’t it?”

  “Yes. So?”

  “So that narrows down his time of death considerably,” Bluebell said. “Good. What else did you hear, Joel?”

  “Well, he was angry. Really angry,” Joel said. “He was talking to someone else. I only heard him say one thing. ‘Well so what if I used her? So what? You can’t expect me to marry every woman who throws herself at me!’”

  Tara and Bluebell exchanged glances.

  “That’s all you heard?” Bluebell asked.

  “That’s all I heard,” Joel said. “I promise. I just wanted to go to sleep, and Alex is always shouting at someone or the other. I didn’t think too much about it.”

  “Did you see nothing else?” Bluebell asked. “Do you have any idea who might have been in there with him?”

  Joel shook his head. But Tara was almost white. With her eyes, she signaled to Bluebell that she wanted to speak outside. They left the little boy alone, and Bluebell, taking pity on him, slipped him a ten dollar note.

  Outside, Tara took a deep breath. “I know who it is,” she said. “At least, I know who it could be.”

  “Who?”

  “Look, I don’t know why I’m even telling you this,” Tara said.

  “Maybe you want to air your thoughts out,” Bluebell said. “It helps to share them with a neutral observer.”

  “That’s it exactly,” Tara said. “A neutral observer. That’s what this situation needs. You can make some sense of it, as will the police. Well, if I’m going to tell them the story, might as well tell you too. You’ve been trying your best to help.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Davis, Joel’s father,” Tara said in a whisper. “He’s been working with Alex forever. Since they were kids, almost.”

  “Oh.”

  “Davis is a performer here. One of our best ones. He’s sort of an institution at Darwin’s. He has always been head over heels in love with Nancy,” Tara said. “They say that behind a clown’s painted on smile, more often than not, there’s tragedy. All Davis ever wanted really was to settle down. He’s been sick of traveling with us for years now. But he continues anyway, all because of Nancy.”

  “I don’t understand,” Bluebell said. “I thought Joel mentioned that Nancy left Davis.”

  “Nancy might have,” Tara said. “In fact, she officially left Davis two months ago. But as far as Davis was concerned, he hadn’t left her. He still loved her. He kept saying that they were family, and so he couldn’t leave her to work in the circus and take Joel away from his mother. I guess he thinks… thought… that there’s still hope for a reunion.”

  “But what did Alex have to do with..” Bluebell didn’t have to ask. It was fairly obvious.

  Tara nodded. “Alex and Nancy had a fling,” she said. “Truth be told, Davis and Nancy had a pretty happy life together before Alex came and swept her away. It was a mistake Davis was willing to forgive her for, but Nancy couldn’t forgive herself. She refused to go back to Davis. I guess Davis was heartbroken.”

  “Tara, why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” Bluebell asked.

  “I like Davis,” Tara said. “He’s always been a mentor to me. He’s a fundamentally decent guy - a loving father, a good husband. I didn’t want to… well, I didn’t want to say anything to discredit him.”

  “You had no problems discrediting Nancy, though.”

  “Well, Nancy did cheat on Davis,” Tara said. “I don’t take very kindly to cheaters. To be honest, it broke my heart when she left Davis. I thought they were one of the few couples who had it all - jobs that they loved, a sweet son, and a true love for each other.”

  “People make mistakes sometimes,” Bluebell said.

  “Sure they do.” Tara nodded. “But then, they should be prepared for the consequences! Davis is a good man, but ever since Nancy’s left he’s been drinking more and more. Sometimes even during a show.”

  “Bluebell! Bluebell!” Nolan’s voice had them both looking up. He was racing toward them.

  “Nolan? What happened?”

  “We’ve caught… we’ve caught the murderer.” Nolan said. “It’s a performer - name’s Davis.”

  *****

  Chapter 5

  An Affair To Forget

  “Felipe and I were keeping guard outside the door and making sure nobody disturbed Alex’s body,” Nolan said. “The police has some sort of issue, and are taking their own sweet time to arrive. So we were getting a little bored. I was almost nodding off, honestly. Then, to our horror, the door opened.”

  “Wow,” Bluebell exclaimed.

  “For a minute, I thought that Alex had come back to life.” Nolan shivered. “I’m not ashamed to admit I screamed like a little girl. Felipe was far more alert. Davis was coming out of the trailer, and Felipe grabbed him, and had him on the ground in seconds.”

  “Davis came out of the trailer?” Bluebell asked. “The trailer with Alex’s body in it?”

  “Yep. Not only that, he came out of the trailer, reeking of alcohol,” Nolan said. “I guess there’s not much more to say, is there? He was probably hiding in there, hoping to escape when he got a chance.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “Of course not. He claims he’s been asleep all along. He said he went on a binge last night, stayed up drinking all night, then came to yell at Alex today. Davis says Alex calmed him down and put him to sleep in the little bedro
om inside his trailer. Davis said he must have slept right through the murder. But no-one’s going to believe that. Felipe told me that Davis has been angry with Alex ever since Alex had a fling with his ex-wife Nancy.”

  Bluebell nodded. “Tara told me so too.”

  “It’s tragic, isn’t it?” Nolan asked. “Davis clearly lost it. He went to confront Alex and then…” Here, Nolan frowned. “Well, then killed him.”

  “Why the frown?” Bluebell asked.

  “Well, it’s just that I don’t know how Davis killed him,” Nolan said. “There was no bloodshed. Alex was just… dead on the floor. Strangulation, probably, except… Alex was tangled up with the chair. If he’d been strangled to death, he would have struggled. There would have been some scratches on Davis, surely. Only there weren’t. Almost like magic.”

  Bluebell felt ice suddenly travel down her spine. “What?”

  “Oh, I’m sure forensics will figure it out,” Nolan said. “As soon as the police sort out their jurisdiction issues and actually arrive, that is. Davis will be arrested, and it’ll all blow over.”

  “Don’t say that.” Felipe appeared, a cigarette hanging between his teeth. “Davis is innocent.” Tara was accompanying him.

  “Where is he?” Nolan asked.

  “Trent and Mark are watching him in the main tent,” Felipe said. “But I’m telling you, Davis is innocent!”

  “Felipe, I know you like him, but we have to face facts. Especially after what Joel told me and Bluebell. I don’t see how you can think he’s innocent. Davis was arguing with Alex, things got out of hand, and… well, a tragedy occurred.”

  “You told me what Joel said.” Felipe nodded. “Doesn’t change a thing, as far as I’m concerned! Why half the men here had a girl stolen from them by Alex. Didn’t they, wife?” He shot Tara a look of absolute disgust.

  “Felipe...” Tara shook her head. “I never did. I never cheated on you, I promise you that. How much proof do you need?”

  Felipe laughed. He took the cigarette from his mouth, and dropped it to the ground, crushing it with his feet. “What do I care if you did cheat? I never did care about you, Tara. All I know is, I saw you. I saw you leave his trailer at 2am. What did you want with him? Were you discussing world peace? Or angling for a raise?”