Dark Carnival Murders Read Free Page A

us of his presence. I reached
back and pulled my P.I. ID wallet with the auxiliary LVMPD police
badge that Lynn gave me back when Weber had her deputize me during
the search for a dirty bomb last year, they never asked for it
back.
    I held it out briefly so
he got a glimpse of it, not saying that I was police, and then
said, "We’re investigating the disappearance of two young boys." I
took the photo out of my pocket and went to him, holding the
picture up where he could see.
    "Sorry, I see hundreds of
boys, after a while their faces all blend together. But I’ll
remember these faces and if I see them, I’ll call the
police."
    He stepped back in, pulled
the flap closed and was gone. "That was strange," Earl said. "He
looks like a character from a Marvel comic, you know the evil
type."
    "Yeah, someone from a
kid’s nightmare." I went to the flap but it was somehow secured
from inside. "I’d like to see in this tent. Think they’d get upset
if we broke in?"
    "Well, you started it and
he never said we couldn’t come in," Earl laughed.
    I was able to reach in the
flap and found a strap holding it closed. I managed to release it
and pull the flap back. "Okay, now we break and enter."
    It was dark but there was
a little light from above, there was a narrow walkway with wall of
canvas all along the back of the tent with boxes and crates piled
along the row. There were narrow openings between what I presumed
were stages built off the ground. We went to one opening and found
ourselves staring at faces staring back at us. It was the sideshow
and we were between the bearded lady and a rubber man. I looked to
Earl and laughed, then we went through the opening to where the
audience was standing. All along the back of the tent were small
platforms where geeks and freaks performed for the delight of the
patrons.
    Earl and I were standing
watching some geek stick sharp rods through the skin of his chest,
I was cringing when I felt someone standing too close behind us.
Earl and I both looked back into the chest of a very tall and
well-built man, he stood about two heads taller than us.
    The giant looked down to
us and growled, "You two need to leave. Now!"
    *
     

Chapter 3
     
    The huge man grabbed both
of us by the necks, his giant fists clamping almost all the way
around them. Earl went into his black ops mode, grabbed the thumb
of the man and tried to bend it back. The man was strong but Earl
used leverage and managed to force the giant to release him and
twisted his arm back enough to cause the giant to fall back to the
ground. He had released me and I pulled my Glock out and stuck it
in his face.
    "Physical assault, not a
nice thing," I said to him. He just laid there not moving as Earl
released his thumb lock. People around us weren’t sure if this was
part of the show but started to applaud. Earl and I took our bows
and went out the exit of the tent. As we went out, the man in the
hat stood before us.
    "Gentlemen, while I have
every respect for law enforcement, you must not break laws either.
You have to pay to gain entrance like everyone else."
    I pulled a five from my
pocket and stuck it in the top pocket of his coat. "Here, keep the
change. We’re looking for two missing boys, and we will do what it
takes to find them. So don’t get in our way Mr. what-ever-your-name
is."
    He tipped his hat and
said, "It’s Dark, Jacob S. Dark. I own this show, and I’ll
cooperate with you in finding the boys, just consult with me
first." He replaced his hat, scowled at us and sped off.
    "As Alice said, ‘curiouser
and curiouser’." Earl said to me.
    "I didn’t know you knew
the classics?"
    "I’m a reader, everything
but your books. They bore me to death," he said with a grin and
walked away.
    I yelled, "What?" then I
followed.
    We walked around the
midway watching for the boys and showing the picture to people we
passed. We hit every ride and showed the photos to the carnies who
operated the rides, we got nada.
    "Okay this is