Chapter 10

Alfred P. Nightshade paced around the small hotel room he had rented in this dismal town like one of his caged lions. His fine Gucci leather shoes were wearing a trail through the appallingly thin carpet, but he didn't notice. His mind was working overtime on the wonderful opportunity that awaited him. Time was going to be the limiting factor. He couldn't make his move until after his show had been gone for a couple of weeks, at least. He needed any link to his show to be laughable at best, to keep the cops from looking to closely at his show. In addition, there was going to have to be someone to keep an eye on their movements while he was away. That Sara girl was coming along nicely. A few more meetings and she should be willing to do anything to get rid of the Sylvie girl. I wonder what it is between the two. He shrugged it off as unnecessary for his plans.

A soft knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in." he said eagerly. He had been waiting all day for him to arrive.

A bear of a man sidled through the door, silently closing it behind him. Big John, as the performers called him, was his right-hand man. A former Special Forces agent, he had been thrown out for liking his job a little too much. Nightshade had found him and installed him in his show for the seedier side. He appeared to glance around the room, but Nightshade was sure he had noted every detail, layout, and possible escape route in that quick look. Nightshade prided himself on noting every detail that he saw, but still Big John outstripped him in everything he saw. Nightshade was glad of his abilities, and his loyalty. He knew that he could implicitly trust this man, as his loyalty had been proven time and time again.

"You made good time." He said warmly.

The man shrugged. "There was little traffic." He said brusquely. Nightshade didn't take offense. Big John was a man of few words, another asset in his work.

"I brought you here to asses a job." Nightshade stated calmly. His heart raced faster. If he gave away the prize before showing them to him, Big John might think him mad, or worse. Big John might even decide to do away with him. He could not let that happen.

"What's the job?" asked Big John.

"A couple of girls who have sparked my interest. I want them for the show; you'll see why when you see them." Big John simply shrugged, unfazed by the request. "I don't want suspicion to fall too much on the show, however. I want them taken a week, or better yet two weeks, after the show leaves this dump to grab them. I have a contact in town that may be able to help us. A jealous rival of one of the girls…" as Nightshade continued to lay out his plan; Big John simply listened and interrupted occasionally to offer some advice. Relief filled Nightshade. He hadn't realized how worried he had been that Big John would take offence. His pulse slowed to normal and he continued speaking. Now if the girl in town was malleable enough to bend his way some more, this caper would go off without a hitch. He had a plan. It just remained to see if he could get away with it.

When he finished laying out his plans, he leaned back in the single chair that was provided. Big John was resting comfortably on the bed. He stretched his arms over his head, and Nightshade heard the tendons snap and pop like popcorn.

"An interesting idea, Mr. Nightshade." He rumbled. "I do have one question, however."

Nightshade already knew what was going to be asked, it was so obvious. It was going to make explaining to him tricky, as he dared not reveal too much just yet. "what is it?" he asked carefully.

"Why do you have me taking the girls in a truck and horse-trailer? The trailer will be painfully obvious, not to mention slow us down. For the escape, we should use a moonshiner."

It took Nightshade a moment to place the reference. A moonshine car was a vehicle camouflaged to avoid detection by blending in, or looking too old and worn to be a threat. If threatened, however, the vehicles were turbocharged and could outrun pursuit. "I understand why you think a moonshiner would work better." He said. I have to work carefully now. This is going to be difficult. "However, you'll understand my reasoning soon enough. You have, of course, free leeway in choosing the type of truck and trailer that you can use. Are there any more questions?" Big John just shook his head. "Good. Then let's show you our future performers."

Going to the roughly paneled closet, Nightshade pulled out his overcoat and top hat. The badges of his office, he continuously cleaned and polished them to a wonderful shine. He carefully pulled on the coat and buttoned it up. The days had gotten chilly, and he dared not catch a cold. Setting the hat firmly on his head, he swiftly turned around and marched out the door. Big John didn't even twitch at the theatrics. He simply followed him out the door and down to the parking lot. They took the stairs to avoid the cameras that were inevitable in this electronic day and age.  Fortunately, the people in this flea-speck town were too trusting. They placed cameras along the entrances and in the lot only. A child could slip in and out of the building undetected. Shaking his head at the idiots that ran the place, he went to his rented car and got in. Big John slid into the passenger seat next to him. Turning the car's ignition, he slowly pulled away. A minute later he disappeared among the back alleys of the town. As he drove he allowed a sly smile to creep across his face. He would soon have those two beauties under Big John's tender care. They were going to make him rich. Very, very rich indeed.

People waved and greeted Sara Kendall as she made her way through town. They seemed to perk up at the smile on her face. Calls for best wishes and better luck next years followed her. If only they knew. She sneered disdainfully inside. If all went well, Sylvie would be gone, Taryn would be HER friend, and the town would finally acknowledge her greatness. Everything would be better with her gone. Wherever she seemed to turn, Sylvie had always been there, mocking her. She had pushed her down for the last time. If Nightshade held up to his end of the bargain, Sylvie would soon be removed from the picture. Sara could just imagine what her life would be without Sylvie. She would be the most popular girl in school, be captain of the soccer team, and have the handsome Jason Longarm all to herself.

Chuckling, she came upon DeWent street. This was supposed to be where she would meet Nightshade at three. She checked her wristwatch. Two hours to go. However, there was nowhere else she had to go. Walking up to a deserted building, she debated on whether or not to go inside. The faded sign above declared it to be Al's Hardware Store. The decrepit condition of the store showed that no one had been in there for quite some time. The door gave easily when she pushed on it, a sign, she supposed, that drifters and squatters had used the building. Hyper alert, she scanned the filthy room for signs of life. Satisfied that it was empty, she found a fairly warm corner and sat down to wait.

She was jolted awake by the sound of a car motor pulling up to the store. Crap. Is it Nightshade, or cops? Easing to the window, she peeked through a knothole in the plywood covering. A small, red sports car pulled up to curb. She gave a tremendous sigh of relief as she watched Nightshade get out of the car and stand up. He scanned the street, looking for her. Stepping out of the door, she called him in. He gave a nod of acknowledgement when he saw her and hurried to the door. She stepped back to let him in, brushing his coat clean of debris blown by the light wind.

"Good, you're here." Sara said nervously. Now that he was here, he looked twice as scary as before. His lean features, reminiscent of a predatory wolf, were sharply focused. His smile was warm and friendly however, as was his voice as he thanked her again for meeting with him. Her initial fears were allayed for the moment.

"Have you given any thought to my proposal?" he asked blandly.

She could feel him perking up, straining to hear her answer. She debated whether or not to keep him hanging, but thought better of it. "I've given a great deal of thought about your proposal." She said equally blandly. "In fact, I investigated some last night. You were right. She is a beast. You should have seen her cavorting in their yard like…like a horse! It just isn't right." She rushed a little at the end, with her voice making a little girl squeak. She found herself wanting to impress Nightshade. Stop that! She scolded. You're acting like some dumb freshman on her first date!

"You're absolutely correct." Nightshade said gently. "It isn't right that she always stood above you. Always pushed you aside, pushed you down. You have a lot to offer this town, and she was always in your way. Now, she has gotten her rewards. She has been turned into a beast. It is fitting."

His voice was so smooth, like honeyed molasses to her ear. Before she could catch herself, she was nodding in agreement. "Yes. Exactly what she deserved."

"It isn't enough though." He said firmly, startling her. "Even as a beast, she may yet find a way to bring about the towns opinion against you. She will absorb the spotlight for weeks and months, consigning you to the shadows." His voice dripped with sympathy.

She had a sudden vision of her standing alone, in the corner of the school field, watching Sylvie take another medal using her greater speed and stamina. She could never match her. The crowds were chanting SYL-vie, SYL-vie, as they swarmed around her. She would be alone. She gasped at the horror of it all.

"Unless." He started.

She clung to that word like a lifeline. "Unless what?" she asked desperately. I don't want to be consigned to the shadows! God help me, I don't!

"Unless we have her step back and let you take over. We can convince her to leave behind this town forever and come with me. She'll never bother you again, she'll be performing for me while you..." He stepped back and gestured grandly, puffing up with importance. "You'll become the diva of this town. As your worth and greatness are recognized, people will forget they ever even heard Sylvie Mathison."

Sara felt her heart flutter slightly. The world he presented to her was…seductive. He continued to weave his words around her. She dimly realized that she was being ensnared by his words, but she didn't care at all. The world he described was so vivid, so compelling, that she felt ready to do anything to make it real. "How can we? Make her step back I mean. She's more stubborn than a mule. I don't know how we can convince her to give up everything."

Nightshade paused a moment before replying. "She has already given up much. She can't come to school currently until she is ready. We must move before she is ready to return. That will give us some time. With your help, we will be ready for her."

"What would you need?" she asked cautiously. If he asked for too much, she would have a problem delivering.

"Simply for you to keep an eye on her. I want to know if they move her out of town, and if so, where they would go."

That didn't sound like much. She knew there had to be a catch in there somewhere. For the life of her she couldn't think of one. "That doesn't sound so bad." She said. She waited to see what else he would say.

"I agree. It really is a trifling thing. However, you may find reaching me to be more difficult. I will have to end my show rather quicker than I had expected." He sounded slightly vexed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "Unfortunately, I have an appointment with the mayor of another town in less than a week. I will have to pack up my show after just a few days here. Even despite the money this town has."

She began to panic. If he left before the task was completed, how would she fare? For one thing, Sylvie would come back. She knew that witch would not miss captaining the teams for nothing, and having their newfound speed and strength meant that she would be removed as a competitor. Sylvie's beauty was now enhanced exotically with the horse body. It would continue to fascinate the captain of the football team, and that was something she could not tolerate.

Evidently, some of the fear showed on her face, because Nightshade smiled. Why was he smiling? Didn't he see the disaster looming? "Don't worry." He told her. "I have selected an able assistant to help us persuade Miss Sylvie to come with me. He'll bring her round to our way of thinking. Once he does, he will follow my show with Sylvie in tow. You will have your enemy removed, and your love returned to you, I'd wager."

Sara blushed. The thought of Sylvie spending the rest of her life juggling balls in a flea-bitten circus appealed to her. She felt it would be worth the risk to get the insufferable loser out of her hair. Raising her eyes, she met his blue stare levelly. "Let's do it." She said firmly.

"Good." Nightshade smiled broadly. "If that is everything, I think it would be best to go our separate ways now. You can call me day or night. However, I believe it best not to meet up again, just in case others more jealous of you get the wrong impression."

She instantly saw his point. If Sylvie left with the circus, and people saw her chumming around with the ringmaster, they might suspect her of coercing Sylvie to go. It would be best to insulate herself as far as possible from the circus. Nodding to show her assent, she then tilted her head as a new thought came to her. "Calling could be extremely dangerous." She said. "These days they can track numbers and things from cell or home phones. How am I going to reach you then?"

She saw him smile and dip into his pocket. "Take this." He said carelessly. He lobbed an object through the air at her. Snatching it out of the air, she brought it down to her level so she could see it better. It was a cheap, disposable phone. "I've taken the liberty of purchasing two phones that are linked to one another. The number for this phone is already in there. When we are finished, we can simply throw the phones away, and no one will be the wiser." Sara was impressed with his ingenuity. This man intrigued her in so many ways. She wondered what his interest was in Sylvie. Oh, well. It didn't matter. He was helping her make Sylvie go away so she could be with Jason. He would easily succumb to her charms, once she was out of the way.

Glancing at her watch, she noticed that she had been there for two hours, talking. She would have to leave now in order to be home in time for dinner. Looking back up at him, she saw him quirk an eyebrow at her. Giving him her sauciest grin, she said "I love the idea." Pocketing the phone, she promised herself to take a closer look at the phone. Just in case. "However, if I'm going to make it home before supper, I need to leave right now." Nightshade claimed to understand fully. Sweeping his hat off his head, he gave her an elegant bow. Giggling, she quickly dipped in a curtsy before scurrying out the door.

Nightshade watched the silly girl hurry up the street and turn the corner. He felt, more than saw, the shadow that detached itself from the back wall and come stand beside him. He had no idea how Big John had managed to get in to the single room without anyone seeing, but it was exactly this skill that made him so invaluable to him. "So. What do you think of our young friend?"

Big John gave a small grunt. "Gullible fool. Wouldn't take much to lead her on or take a fall." He said it levelly, as if it would matter to him one way or another whether Nightshade wanted to insulate her.

Nightshade didn't hesitate. "If there is a way, make sure that she is insulated. She is a useful tool. However, she knows too much right now. If she should tell anyone, we could lose everything."

"Do you want me to make her disappear?" asked Big John stoically.

Nightshade shook his head. "No. I've never killed a child, and I don't intend to start now. I believe she has a man she loves. However, this Sylvie is a rival for his attention, something she cannot stand." His voice took on a wistful, musing quality. "It's funny what a person will do when emotions such as jealousy and love enter in. Things that normally would be anathema to them, become a viable solution." Seeing Big John's unimpressed expression, he cut off his musings short. The man really needed, he decided, to get a sense of humor. "In any case, I think we can simply play on her jealousy a bit more to ensure that she remains in our power. Don't you?"

A slow smile touched Nightshade's lips. Everything would fall into place. He was confident that this would be done.