A Fool and His Money Read Free Page B

to start our enquiries. After all, they’ll be gone again soon and then it’ll be too late. I thought I’d take a couple of men up there this morning – see if we can find out anything.’
    â€˜Right you are – I think I’ll come with you.’
    Within the hour, Bartlett and Boase were at the recreation ground and, together with Constables Coad and Eddy, were talking to some of the circus troupe. Boase went inside the Big Top where the trapeze artists were practising. He watched in amazement, almost afraid to look up at their antics on the high wire. He walked over to the group and spoke to a young woman.
    â€˜Excuse me, miss. My name is Constable Boase, from the police station. I was wondering if you could help me, please?’
    The girl called out to the other members of the group who stopped what they were doing and came over. The girl, speaking in Italian, introduced Boase.
    â€˜My name is Allegra. This is my sister, Rosa, my brother, Angelo, and my father, Giovanni Marziani. If you want to speak to my father, I’m afraid I will have to interpret – he doesn’t speak any English … well, only a very little.’
    Giovanni shook Boase’s hand and said, ‘Very little, very little.’
    Boase told the family his business and about the break-in at the church. When Allegra explained to the father, he made the sign of the cross across his chest and spoke hurriedly.
    â€˜My father says he is shocked that someone could do this. We attend church as often as we can if we are not working. This is a terrible crime, constable.’
    â€˜Yes, it is, miss. And none of you can offer any help? You haven’t heard anyone around the circus talking about it?’
    â€˜No, I’m so sorry – nothing.’
    â€˜I’m sorry to have troubled you all – thank you for your help.’
    Boase walked towards the entrance to the tent and turned for one more look as the trapeze artists carried on rehearsing. As he left the tent, he saw Bartlett walking in his direction.
    â€˜Any luck, Boase?’
    â€˜No, sir, afraid not.’
    â€˜Have you made an account of who’s here?’
    â€˜Yes, I spoke to the ringmaster, Chester Martin – he seems to be in overall charge. He says everyone here is well-behaved, never seem to cause any trouble – well, not outside the circus.’
    â€˜What does that mean?’
    â€˜He said that there are often altercations amongst the people who work here – you know the sort of thing, squabbles about the acts or money, but these things are always resolved.’
    â€˜So, who’s here? I’ve just been speaking to the lion tamers – Pearl and Arthur Wayland. They’re a strange pair … they were actually talking to me with three enormous lions roaring right next to me. I could barely hear a word.’
    Boase laughed.
    â€˜Well, aside from them, there’s, let me see … there’s the trapeze artists I’ve just been talking to – the Marzianis; they’re very good, sir. Irene will love their act. Then, well, then there’s the fire eaters, they’re called Howard and Gregory Smith, father and son those two.’
    â€˜Have all these people been spoken to, Boase?’
    â€˜Yes, looks like it, sir. Where was I? Right, three sisters, surname Warner, nice girls. Also, erm … here we are, yes – there’s a high wire act, they’re the Beauchênes … French, I suppose they are. And there’s a married couple called Edward and Molly James.’
    â€˜What do they do?’
    â€˜They do tricks on ponies or something I think, sir. Nearly at the end, wait a minute … oh, how could I forget the clowns – the lead clown is called Clicker …’
    â€˜Real name?’
    â€˜It doesn’t say here, sir.’
    â€˜You’d better have a word with those two constables.’
    â€˜What? Coad and Eddy?’
    â€˜Yes