The Mystery of the Circus Clown Read Free

and a mustache. Cam asked him if he’d seen a clown leave.
    “It’s too early. The circus isn’t over yet,” the guard said.
    “This wasn’t a circus clown,” Cam told him. “This clown is a pickpocket. He was putting his hand into women’s handbags and taking their wallets.”

    “That’s some story,” the guard said, and smiled. “But I didn’t see any clown leave. Now you better hurry, or you’ll miss the rest of the circus.”
    Cam and Eric walked to one of the benches. “You can go back inside,” Cam told Eric, “but I want to find that clown and those wallets.”
    Cam and Eric sat down on the bench. They were quiet as people rushed past them to get back into the arena. Then Eric said, “Maybe what you told that guard was wrong. Maybe that pickpocket is one of the circus clowns. Maybe he went back inside and he’ll be in the second half of the circus.”
    Cam said, “That’s easy to find out. All the clowns’ pictures are in the program.” Then she closed her eyes and said, “Click.”

Chapter Five
    “Oh, there you are. I lose so many things I was afraid that I’d lost you,” Aunt Molly said as she walked toward the bench. “Let’s hurry back inside.”
    Cam opened her eyes and asked, “Did you find your wallet?”
    “No.”
    “Cam knows who took it,” Eric said. “It was one of the clowns, the one who bumped into you after you bought the tickets.”
    Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click.”
    Eric whispered to Aunt Molly, “She’s looking at the pictures she has in her head of all the clowns in the circus program.”
    “Can she really do that?” Aunt Molly asked.
    Cam said, “Click,” again.
    Eric whispered, “Now she’s looking at another page in the program.”
    “Amazing.”
    Cam opened her eyes and said, “He’s not one of the circus clowns.”
    “Well, he’s not a clown, I can tell you that,” Aunt Molly said as she sat down. “He’s just a man dressed as a clown. Let me tell you something. If you see a flower in a garden, it’s beautiful. If you see it in the middle of a green lawn, it’s a weed.”
    “Aunt Molly, we don’t have time now to talk about flowers,” Cam said.
    “I’m not talking about flowers. I’m talking about people. I’ve been to a great many places. In Scotland a man wearing a kilt wouldn’t surprise me. A kilt is like a skirt, you know. But in Chicago I would turn to look at him.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean that if the clown is smart, he’ll just take off his makeup. That way he doesn’t even have to hide at all. He’ll look like everyone else.”
    “But I checked the men’s room,” Eric said. “And I didn’t see anyone wearing funny clown shoes or a costume or standing in front of the mirror taking off makeup.”
    Aunt Molly pointed to a man leaving the circus. He was carrying a large brown shopping bag. “Did you see him?” she asked.
    “Let’s go,” Cam said, and she ran toward the man. Eric followed her.
    “Why did you do it? Why did you take Aunt Molly’s wallet?” Cam yelled as she ran.
    The man stopped.
    “We know who you are,” Eric said. “You’re the Bumping Clown. And you’ve got your costume and Aunt Molly’s wallet in that bag.”
    “I’m not a clown. I sell hot dogs.”
    The man reached into the bag and took out a red and white striped apron and a hat. The sign on the hat said, “Hot Dogs.”

    Cam and Eric apologized to the man. Then, as they were walking back to Aunt Molly, two other men walked toward them. They were both carrying shopping bags.
    “Do you sell hot dogs?” Cam asked one of them.
    “No, cotton candy.”
    “And I sell popcorn.”
    Cam and Eric went back to the bench. Cam sat down. Then she said, “Click,” and closed her eyes.
    “That clown had a lot of makeup on,” Cam said with her eyes closed. “It would take a long time for him to take off all that makeup and his costume.”
    “Well, he didn’t take it off in the rest room,” Eric said. “Maybe he’s