Chapter 14

Ben Gardner sat at his desk in his office, twirling a pen between his fingers. To any of his subordinates that looked in, he appeared to be only mildly bored. Nothing could be further from the truth. His mind roiled with all the possibilities of mischief that man could do in his town. That traveling show of his could hide a thousand and one crimes and he'd never know it. Already Sergeant Mark and Officer Terry had mentioned that the gangs seemed to be congregating around the show. He doubted that it was simply to spend coin in rigged games of chance. No, something was going on in that man's show, and Ben intended to find out what and shut him down. His hand twitched towards the pair of gleaming metal cuffs he had on his belt. All that would be needed was some hard evidence. Evidence… Abruptly his hand shot out to his phone and yanked it off its receiver. "Molly!" he barked, a grim smile emerging on his face. "Get me Ralph over at the 31st precinct."

An hour later he left the precinct in his patrol car, heading towards the fair. His old buddy Ralph in the 31st promised to look in on Mr. Nightshade's operation and see what he could dig up. Impatience burned in him like a hot poker. He wanted, no needed to rattle Mr. Nightshade's chain and keep him honest. It chafed him that Greg had hauled him aside earlier. His mind reeled at the conjuncture the mayor had given him a week before this craziness had begun.

"Ben", he had said, "I'm going to need you to do something for me."

"Sure." He had replied cautiously. Something in the mayor's voice gave him warning. Whatever the other man was going to say, it was a cinch he wasn't going to like it.

The mayor looked out the window of his modestly appointed office over the town. "Business has been so bad lately." He murmured, not appearing to be speaking to him at all. "Already many of the shopkeepers have left. The others survive on internet sales alone. And they all blame me for their troubles." His mouth quirked in what might have been a smile. "At least they all agree on something." His laugh held no humor in it.

The hairs on Ben's arms stood straight out when he laughed like that. "So what is it you want me to do?" he asked. What could he want him to do?

Greg took a shuddering breath and looked at him. "Ben, we need a draw here, something that will bring people here and convince them to spend."

Ben held his tongue, although inside he was more bewildered than ever. What did "needing a draw" have to do with him? Surely there was nothing he and the rest of his police force could do to generate the kind of pull he was talking about!

"I've invited a Mr. Nightshade to come to the city." The other man blurted, as if trying to get bad news out of the way first. "He runs a large circus and we could use the kind of pull that would bring."

Ben nodded his head. It was a sound plan. People liked circuses, and because they were rare enough these days that it would generate a lot of business. More people would mean more patrols though, enough to discourage any pickpockets and thieves from using the circus as a cover. He looked up with a smile. "It's not going to be a problem Greg. I'll get on the duty rosters right away. I'll have the area secured so everyone can have a good time." Something about Greg's look kept him there though, and he realized something else. "That's not all you needed to tell me, was it." He said quietly. The other man jumped slightly and stared at him. "How did you…?" He began wonderingly then shook his head. "I should have known better than to try this with politics." For once, he sounded like his old friend.

"Well, to lure the man here, I had to promise him money. A lot of money." The man looked positively grim and a chill came upon Ben. "The deal was that if the circus was not a success, then the town would have to pay for the expense of moving the circus here in the first place. There were several other agreements, but that was the main one."

"Which means," said Ben, hearing the note of dread creep into his voice. Strange, how calm he sounded when inside he felt like the knife was about to slide home.

"Which means," Greg said apologetically, "That the county is not going to have enough to put up the circus and pay for your force this time. There's going to be some major cutbacks in what we can do this year, and one of them is reducing your force." Then he suddenly smiled, totally at odds at what he had just said. Ben wanted to strangle him for that smile, until…"Fortunately, the date for the reduction will not be announced for three weeks. I've talked Nightshade into moving his circus in here by one week. With luck, the first two weeks will bring in enough cash that we can forgo the reduction of your force. But in order to do that, there can't be any suspicious activity around the circus. If Nightshade decides to pull out, then the town will file for bankruptcy."

Ben had seen alright. The town desperately needed the money lest it die of starvation over the next couple of winters. The state had helped out as best it could, but Governor Maryson was strapped as well. What funds that could have been given had already been promised to other counties by the time Red Leaf had asked. Now it was too late.

The streets blurred past as Ben grimly analyzed Nightshade's motives. Yes. It made perfect cold hearted sense. The town was clearly desperate, probably willing to do just about anything to bring in extra coin. Nightshade could squeeze the town dry while absorbing all the cash that they had. A fine bloody set up! And he couldn't do a bloody thing about his suspicions! Until now.  He was sure that Nightshade had seen either Sylvie or Taryn in the window of that deserted shop. His very surprise had betrayed him. Curse the man for his calm though. It had only been a heartbeat long at best and he had recovered. The mayor hadn't even noticed it seemed. However, Ben would bet anything that Nightshade was figuring out how to turn this information to his advantage. His worst fear would be that Nightshade would use this to squeeze them dry. That thought made him more afraid than anything else. Greg loved those two girls like nothing else, and so did Ben. He would give in just to protect them.  

Taking a deep breath, he rolled his shoulders to ease the sudden tension in them. A yellow sedan trundled up the road, its passengers no doubt already on their way to the circus. Pulling himself out of his musings, he glanced around. It seemed that the mayor's plan was working. Many of the vehicles on the small road were not those he recognized as belonging to the natives. He suspected they were from the next county over. By tomorrow there would be some from some of the more distant counties and maybe even some from Oaksgrove, the largest city for a hundred miles or so. The bloody fools. Even without the threat of blackmail, Ben couldn't see driving that far and then paying a no doubt overinflated fee just to see a circus. It baffled him that others would chose to do so. And yet, here he was about to do the same just to keep an eye on a suspect. He was a bigger fool then they. Had any of those passerby turned to look in his cruiser's window, they would have seen him laughing and maybe wondered at the joke.

In the dusty parking lot of the old town fairgrounds, Ben stepped out of his police cruiser into pandemonium. Cars of every size, shape and color imaginable jockeyed for spots in the already full lot while families and couples streamed excitedly to the entry gates, chatting and laughing until individual words were lost and all that could be heard was a muted roar. Mothers pushed strollers or held leashes or hands of children as they walked, while fathers tended to carry packs of food and whatever as they strode through the gates. Younger couples held hands and kept mostly to themselves as they held hands even tighter than mothers.

All this Ben saw in a blur as he walked towards the gate. His mind began noting details on everybody. The packs got an especially hard look. Anything could be hiding in them, from concealed weapons to dope and cash. When he realized what he was doing, he gave himself a firm mental shake. Jesus. He thought. I thought I had left all that behind me. His two tours in Iraq had taught him to view everyone with suspicions. The sneaking Taliban had enjoyed using average looking people to get close to a man and…best not think about that!

The bored looking circus usher simply scooped up the cash that he offered and made it vanish. He then produced a ticket for him and he entered the circus. It was a good thought to buy the ticket. If asked later, he could always claim he had come on his lunch break. Inside the circus was even worse than the parking lot, as the crowd jostled for position at the latest rides. The chances that anything shady would be happening there would be slim at best, too much chance of being overheard or seen. The less frequented rides and sections of the park would be best. A few discreet questions from park-goers told him one of the roller-coasters was not yet put up. An oddity for sure, they said. Ben privately agreed with them. All rides should have been put up by now. The fact that they weren't was suspicious at best.

Strolling casually through the throng, he kept his eye out for a sign that mentioned closed. The crowds thinned the farther he went from the entrance, from a milling mass to simply busy. This was fine in his book; shady deals would be much more likely in this section of the park. Humming a carefree tune, he ambled his way to the closed ride, carefully checking his backtrail for any sign of followers. Satisfied that there were none, he made a beeline for the roller coaster. The sign advertising it was a big gaudy thing with purple paint and gold trim. It boldly advertised the Lion to be the finest roller coaster around. Now, why would a ride that would sure to be popular be closed? He slithered past the barricades blocking access and began prowling around the platform. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, only that it there had to be a reason for this ride to be closed, and he didn't think it was because it was not ready to put up yet.

Disappointment seemed set up for his day however. Despite as thorough a search as he could manage, there was no sign of anything on the platform. Damnit! He knew the man was up to something, but there was nothing here. His fist abruptly stung and he looked down, surprised to see it laying against a post where he had hit it. "That was dumb." He muttered under his breath. His time back here was up however. Time to get back to wandering the crowds before anyone noticed he was here.

Easing into the crowds turned out to be easier than he had expected. He soon joined the throng, pretending to gape in wonder at the strong men and acrobats that wandered the crowd, spicing interest in the show. Barkers near the tents bellowed to be heard over the gentle roar of the crowds. He thought one or two glanced at him suspiciously, but he shook it of as simply his imagination. There was no way anyone could have seen him slip out from there. However, just to be safe, he kept an eye out for signs of pursuit.

Sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He bit back a salty oath. Someone was following him, and doing a good job of it too. That barker had been way too casual about stopping at the blue tent he had just passed. He was keeping an eye on him. Chortling softly, he feigned interest in the sign announcing the show inside the paisley tent. Though he thought it mentioned something about dancers. The attendant there simply waved him through with little fuss before turning the family behind him.

Inside of the tent he was nearly overcome by the strong smell of perfume, some spicy stuff that assaulted his nose and nearly made him gag. What the hell? He quickly scanned the crowd and was surprised to find the entire population of the tent was male, all with their gazes locked on the central stage. An uneasy feeling swept through him. Something was terribly wrong here. Then the first dancer came on stage and he completely forgot about the men chasing him. She was barely wearing any clothes! No, he dimly analyzed, she was wearing the traditional Hollywood belly dancer outfit, with sheer veil, thin gauzy bolero pants that showed her panties, and a top dripping with coins and beads that clinked as she moved. Behind her came a bevy of additional beauties. They all started writhing on the dance floor, the bells attached to their fingers tinkling a seductive tune. Ben felt his face flame from the dance and he began edging towards the exit. Bloody hell, how did he even get into this situation? It was not easy suppressing an even more pungent oath when he spotted his stalker near the exit. He was scanning the crowd, looking for him. Easing back until he felt the stiff canvas of the tent wall behind him, he eased the other way. Fortunately, the crowd was too absorbed by the show to pay his jostling any mind.

Ducking out the entrance and around the corner, he strode quickly away. He heard the barker shout something at him, but he didn't pause. He did his best to melt into the crowd. After pausing at a few more booths to make sure he lost his pursuers, he began ambling towards the entrance. A nagging feeling persisted that he was missing something under his nose, but he could not think of it. Then it came to him. Where was Nightshade? Surely the man would be walking amongst the crowds, trying to be the center of attention and wring a few more dollars from the people. That he wasn't sent alarm bells ringing through his head. Where could the man be? His office! Of course, how could he be so stupid! He felt like kicking himself, but decided not to. The man was sure to be guarding his office much more thoroughly than the empty amusement park. If he was caught, then he would most likely not be able to plead a lousy sense of direction. Tonight would definitely not be the best time. They would be on guard, looking for him. He would have to lie low a couple of days before making his move. Drifting through the crowd, he made his way out the gates and back to his car. Putting it in drive, he pulled out of the parking lot and smoothly drove away.

Nightshade watched the patrol car pull out of the parking lot and drive away, with the meddling cop inside. Stepping back from the window, he let the drapes fall shut. Behind him, the soft hum of computers gave a comforting hum. The problems seemed to be piling up wherever he turned. Moving back to the security center, he stood watching over the myriad of television displays that showed the happenings of everything in the park. He was very proud of his command center. The rush of power he felt when he was here more than justified the expense. The magic of his hidden security cams had prevented more than one mishap in his shadowy dealings. Such as snoopy cops. He grunted sourly. That cop had almost bumbled into what could have been an embarrassing deal. He thought the local tough would have the good sense to stay away for now, but he couldn't be sure. This town did not impress him with intelligence. However, that cop could be irritating. He smacked of the kind of cop that would dig until he found something. While he was all for that when investigating his…competitors, he could not abide that in his own home! Perhaps a way to silence the cop might be in order? But no. Such activities would not be beyond him of course, but there was always the annoying possibility of an investigation should he disappear. Besides, he wanted to keep as low a profile as possible. Some other way of keeping an eye was needed.

He pondered the matter for only a few minutes before a slight smile came to his face. There was the answer. He spotted the mayor in the camera, walking and smiling amongst the crowds. It would be so easy to sway the buffoon into seeing things his way. He smiled unpleasantly as he reached for his intercom.

"Sally," he called, "Would you please invite the mayor to my office. He is near the Ferris Wheel. Thanks. Tell him, one of his people breached my security this afternoon." His second in command didn't bother with niceties as she left to do his bidding. A taciturn woman, she was strong enough to make the lions stand up straight, and as mean as an old bear when riled. Strangely, she was a pleasant armful in bed though. She would see the mayor to him, and the mayor would see to the snoopy cop. What was his name again? Ben something or other. It didn't matter. Soon he would be out of this flea-speck town and staying warm in Mexico for the bitter winter that was being trumpeted. With two new additions that would guarantee his name in the spotlights. A low, menacing laugh filled the office at the thought.

Officer Michael was working at his desk when the Sherriff walked in, steaming mad about something. The furious tilt of his face showed the Old Man had been hounded by somebody, or, he unhappily reflected, some ganger had given him the slip. In either case, now was definitely the time to tread lightly. Around the office, the others bent their heads to their tasks or hurried out to the patrol cars from the break room. Wise of them, avoiding his temper like that. Of course, he wasn't able to do so since he fell off the breakroom ladder and broke his right toe. He was desk bound now for a few weeks and unable to get away. Heaving a small sigh, he noticed a scrap of paper he had written earlier. He longed to put it off till tomorrow, but he knew he didn't dare. Grimacing, he picked up the phone.

"What?" Barked the voice on the other end.

"Sir," he started, "that phone call you were waiting for? It came in while you were out."

"Why didn't you say so, Mike!" A hungry growl came through the line. He had his hooks in somebody now. Mike almost felt sorry for the bastard. "I'll take it in here."

"Of course sir." Mike said smoothly as he gave Sherriff Ben the number and then hung up. Soon he was buried in reports on gasoline expenditures and bullet costs.

In his office, Ben picked up the receiver and dialed the number. He waited impatiently as the other end began to ring. "Hello?" answered a cheerful, aged voice. Ben's face split in a wide grin. "Captain Barnsworth! You old flat-foot! It's about time you called. I thought all that New York living had softened you!" he cried cheerfully. A snort answered him. "It would take a lot more than that to soften me! It's you who should be worried about going soft with that small town living of yours!" Ben laughed, picturing his commander and friend on the other end of the line, with a twinkle in his blue eyes and mind as sharp as a knife. Barnsworth had shown him all the ropes when he was fresh from the marines. It had been a bit of a culture shock, to go from Marine cop to plain cop, but Barnsworth had made him change.

A few niceties later, Ben got straight to the point. "Captain, we've got us a two-bit operator in town, by the name of Nightshade. The man owns and operates a circus by the name of Nightshade's Circus of Wonder. He's set up now, but says he doesn't intend to stay long, which means he'll lose a lot of money, but then so would the town." A hint of anger crept into his voice. "I've been warned by the mayor to stay away from Nightshade while he is in town to prevent him from pulling up stakes and taking a lot of our money with him. But the whole thing smells like a scam. Every instinct I've got says this man is dirty but I've got nothing to even warrant suspicion yet."

There was silence at the other end of the line for a moment. Then the voice of the captain came back. "This Nightshade, does he be around six-foot-two, a-hundred-and-ninety pounds, and distinguished features?"

Ben felt a thrill of excitement and gripped the phone close. "Yeah, that's him to a tee alright. He struck me as a snake-oil salesman the moment I saw him."

The voice sounded grave now. "Listen Benny, you be careful around this one. Nightshade is a smooth operator, stays off the radar. Rumor has it that when his circus goes through a place, the dope, crack and a dozen other street drugs skyrockets. There's never any connection with the circus however. Several undercover agents have been fired for "just causes" or have simply vanished trying to investigate him."

Ben was silent, chewing on the information available. "Are you saying," he said finally, "that this one might be too big to handle?"

"I'm saying," the old voice said gruffly, "to be careful. This one's smart and cautious. Never an arrest or even a hint of suspicion. He's careful. I know a lot of precincts and cities that would love to get a jacket on this guy. If you do find anything, let me know. And Ben?" There was a moment's pause before, "good luck."

The line went dead and Ben hung up the phone. He leaned back in his chair and let his mind race. All his earlier suspicions, it seemed, had been dead on. This guy was extremely dangerous. However, like the Captain had said, there hadn't been any solid evidence that would point the finger of suspicion on Nightshade. Certainly not enough to convince Greg and the City Council to boot his circus out of here. Besides, with the terms Nightshade had given, there would be almost no chance of them revoking his license. There had to be a solution to this riddle, but what? Ben could find no answer as the night went on slowly around him.