The Corpse at the Carnival

by Grace York

  "We'll get them back to the carnival in plenty of time for their show," said Kendall Short, who was filling out paperwork on the other side of the counter.

  Addison noticed Constable Diaz sitting at a desk in the back of the station. He couldn't stop laughing, and she had to admit the sight of the two fully made up clowns in the station was pretty funny.

  "Is Detective Wilcox in?" Addison asked. The door to his office was closed, the blind on the interior window drawn.

  "He is, but he's just about to interview these two," said Short. Addison suppressed a giggle as she heard the word 'clowns' in her head at the end of that sentence.

  Corey and Luc, though, were in no laughing mood.

  "This is ridiculous," said Luc. "We've got a midday show. You could have come got us later, so we wouldn't have had to come in dressed like this."

  He had a point. "What are they here for?" Addison asked Short.

  "That's between them and Detective Wilcox, Mrs Lake," she said with a frown.

  "Can I see him before he gets the interview started then?" Addison asked. She held up the coffee tray. "Just quickly, to deliver this."

  Short sighed, then lifted the barrier. "Two minutes," she said, as Addison knocked on Isaac's door.

  "Come in."

  "Special delivery," said Addison as she entered and closed the door behind her. She handed him his coffee, then pulled the pecan and cinnamon scroll out of her handbag. "Sorry it's a bit squished."

  "It'll still taste the same. Thanks." He accepted it from her and wasted no time wrapping his mouth around it and taking a huge bite. Half the scroll disappeared instantly.

  "You really like those," she said, taking a seat in front of his desk.

  "I really do," he said, swallowing the mouthful. "I have an interview to do, sorry. Did you need something?"

  "Well, yes. It pertains to your interview with Corey and Luc, as a matter of fact. Corey, at least." Addison explained how she'd come across Corey and Nabil on the beach earlier while Isaac finished off his morning tea.

  "The Ferris wheel operator is the secret boyfriend?" he said.

  "Yes. But they're very keen to keep it quiet." Addison told him about Nabil's family not being supportive, and if they found out they might not let him continue working with the carnival. "It would be a shame to separate a young couple like that, don't you think?"

  "It would, as long as they're innocent. But this puts some of our evidence in a whole new light."

  Addison sipped her coffee. "What evidence?"

  "We've had a busy morning," said Isaac. He took the lid off his coffee, pulled a couple of sachets of sugar from a desk drawer, and proceeded to dump their contents in the cup. Then he searched around for a spoon but couldn't find one. The best he could do was a letter opener.

  Addison became impatient with his coffee-sugar ritual.

  "What evidence, Isaac?"

  He wiped the letter opener on a napkin, took a sip of his coffee, then finally focused on Addison.

  "We've got forensic evidence that those two bozos out there were inside Frankie Hammond's bunk. Recently. It was enough to call them in here for a little chat this morning."

  "What's that got to do with what I just told you?"

  "We've also been told by the lab guys that the Ferris wheel was definitely sabotaged. Someone rigged it to stop." Isaac leaned forward. "Now you're telling me one of the few people who could have rigged it is in a secret relationship with one of the few people who could have committed the murder."

  Addison shrugged. "That could be a coincidence," she said, although she wasn't even convincing herself.

  "I don't believe in coincidence where murder is concerned," said Isaac.

  Addison sighed and sat back with her coffee for a moment. It was no use jumping to conclusions. Yes, these recent findings made Corey and Nabil look guilty. Perhaps even with help from Luc. But it was just circumstantial – they'd all been in the right places at the right time. Or the wrong places at the wrong time, rather. But did they have a motive? They did if Frankie knew about the relationship and threatened them.

  "Who else could have sabotaged the Ferris wheel?" Addison asked.

  "Two mechanics, who we've already ruled out. Then basically all the Hanley's – Owen, Jake, Hugh, Harriet, even old Morris – and Nabil."

  "How long before it stopped? I mean, how long did whoever caused it to breakdown tamper with it before it actually broke down?"

  "The technicians said it could have been done anywhere within a twenty-four-hour window. The belt was sheared to the point where it would run for a while, then break. They also said whoever did it probably knew the safety mechanisms of the ride would cause it to just stop dead."

  "So they knew no-one would get hurt," said Addison. Her ordeal in the cage at the top of the Ferris wheel came flooding back. As good as it was to know whoever caused that anxiety hadn't meant to harm her or anyone else on the ride, she was still angry they'd done it at all.

  "That's right. Which means it was almost certainly a diversion, as I suspected."

  Addison was still having trouble believing Corey and Nabil could have perpetrated such a crime.

  "So the sabotage probably happened overnight, while everyone else was sleeping," she said.

  "That's what we suspect, yes."

  "Meaning the same person could have created the diversion the previous evening, and then hung around close to Frankie's quarters and killed him while everyone else was headed to the Ferris wheel."

  "It's possible, yes."

  "So when we cross-check the names on the list of people who could sabotage the Ferris wheel with the list of people who were close enough to Frankie's bunk at the time of the murder, who do we get?"

  Isaac plucked a piece of paper from his desk and read from it. He'd already come to the same conclusion.

  "Owen Hanley, Jake Hanley, Hugh Hanley, and Harriet Hanley."

  "Wow," said Addison. "A real family affair."

  "But I'm not ready to rule out a joint effort between Corey and Nabil," said Issac. "And the other clown has some explaining to do as well. We found both their fingerprints all over Frankie's bunk."

  Addison finished her coffee and threw the paper cup in Issac's bin. He did the same, then used a napkin to wipe his mouth.

  "Thanks for bringing in morning tea," he said. "And your information. Very helpful, as ever."

  "You're welcome. I'll leave you to it, then."

  She opened the door, then noticed the twinkle in his eye.

  "What?" she asked.

  He nodded in the direction of Corey and Luc. "On your way out, ask Constable Short to send in the clowns."

  25

  When Corey and Luc had marched their big red boots into Isaac's office and closed the door behind them, Addison turned back to Kendall Short.

  "How are things going with you and Jason?" she asked.

  Kendall smiled. Well, it was a half-smile at best, but that was a lot for the normally straight-faced senior constable.

  "Things are good, thank you for asking. We're thinking about taking a trip together. Just a long weekend, actually. But it'll be nice."

  "Oh? Where will you go?"

  "Probably just down to Brisbane to see a show. I miss the city sometimes."

  Addison missed the city too. Born and bred in Sydney, she'd lived there her whole life before coming to Getaway Bay three months ago. She didn't regret the decision for a second, though. The city would always be there for a visit.

  "That sounds lovely," she said, keen to get on the officer's good side. "And will the two of you be joining us for the barbecue this Friday night?"

  "I believe so," said Kendall. She focused her attention back to her desk. "I really have to get on with this paperwork," she said.

  "No problem," said Addison. "Oh, Isaac said you were looking into Harriet's bank accounts. Did you find anything that might indicate Frankie was blackmailing her?"

  "Mrs Lake, you know I can't tell you that. A person
's bank details are confidential."

  "Kendall, you've been to my house a number of times now. Please call me Addison. Mrs Lake makes me sound so old."

  "Okay, Addison. But I still can't tell you."

  "No, of course you can't." Addison lifted the barrier and stepped into the public side of the station. "Do you know if Isaac has interviewed Dot Hanley yet?"

  "He's heading over to the carnival to do that as soon as he's finished here."

  "Okay." Addison raised her hand in a wave. "Look forward to seeing you on Friday."

  Back out in the street she was at a loss for what to do next. Isaac was tied up with Corey and Luc, then he was going to the carnival to interview Dot. Olivia was at the carnival on a date. Adam was holed up in his room editing his novel, only surfacing for food and beer, and Layla had just started a new painting.

  Addison checked her watch; it wasn't too far off lunchtime. She looked over to Hazel's cafe, but her friend was swamped with customers.

  It was the last day of the carnival. It was a beautiful sunny day, and breakfast had been hours ago. Suddenly a hot dog for lunch sounded divine.

  When she arrived at the show ground Addison briefly entertained the idea of going to see Dot Hanley herself. The talking to from Isaac she knew would result was enough to put her off, though, and she went in search of Holly instead. They'd be packing up and leaving tomorrow, so this might be the last chance Addison would get to see the young woman.

  Addison started at the fairy floss stand, but Holly wasn't serving there. She checked out the rest of the food stalls, buying herself a hot dog at one of them, but there was still no sign of Holly. She continued walking around the carnival, enjoying her lunch and keeping an eye out. She was about to ask one of the other staff if they'd seen her when she came across Hugh Hanley talking with an older man who could only be his father. They weren't arguing, but it certainly didn't seem like a friendly father-son discussion. They didn't care who was listening, either.

  "I don't understand why you're wasting your time on that mumbo-jumbo," said Morris. He pointed to the tablet in Hugh's hand.

  "It's not mumbo-jumbo, Dad. It's social media. Marketing. Surely you understand marketing."

  "We go from town to town for eight months every year. The same towns. The same families. They come back, they bring their kids. It's generational, Hugh. All we have to do is show up, and the people are waiting."

  "The people are waiting because of this," said Hugh, waving the tablet in his father's face. "I tell them we're coming. I get them ready. I post about the show, and they share the posts with their friends. And they share it with their friends. It's all online, Dad. The carnival wouldn't have half the people here if it wasn't for me."

  "Rubbish," said Morris. He folded his arms across his chest. "They come because they've always come."

  Hugh looked exasperated, and Addison felt sorry for him.

  "I came because my daughter saw it on Facebook," she said without thinking.

  Hugh spun around to face her. "Thank you," he said. "See, Dad. There's one person I brought in with this rubbish."

  "Two, if you count my daughter," said Addison. "Actually make that four – we brought my son and his fiancée as well."

  A small crowd had gathered to watch what was fast becoming a spectacle.

  "Anyone else come here today because you saw a post on social media?" Hugh asked. A few people raised their hands.

  Hugh turned back to his father, eyes begging the older man to finally get it.

  Morris shook his head. "You should be looking after your staff, not playing computer games," he said. "Why can't you be more like your brothers? Maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe Frankie wouldn't be dead."

  "Maybe you should never have hired Frankie in the first place!" Hugh yelled. He threw the tablet to the ground, the screen smashing on impact. Addison stepped back, shocked at the outburst. The crowd parted as Hugh stormed off, leaving the shattered tablet on the ground.

  Morris Hanley shoved his hands into the pockets of his overalls, turned on his heel, and walked calmly away.

  26

  Addison stood there for a while longer, unable to get Hugh Hanley's fury out of her mind. That wasn't just a heated discussion between father and son, or even business partners. It might have started that way, but it escalated way beyond that. At least it did on Hugh's side of the fence.

  Morris Hanley had barely reacted. In Addison's experience of family dramas, that either meant he didn't care, or he'd seen it all before. She wondered which applied in this case.

  Hugh Hanley was the one person on the suspect list Addison hadn't given much thought to. He had no motive, as far as she could tell. Or rather, all the other suspects had more of a motive.

  Paolo and Gianna stood to lose lead billing in the show, or at worst their jobs, if Frankie had succeeded in getting bumped up to the headline act. That was enough motive, but with the Ferris wheel break down also to consider, they'd lost some of their appeal as lead suspects. It was unlikely the magic duo knew how to sabotage such a large piece of equipment.

  Bob Carter and Harriet Hanley had a secret they didn't want exposed. If Frankie had found out about it, he could have been blackmailing them – although she had no idea if this was true because Constable Short refused to share her research of Harriet's bank account.

  Jake Hanley had gambling debts. If he owed Frankie money, perhaps that was sufficient motive for murder.

  But what about Hugh? What motive did he have?

  He certainly had a temper. But Frankie Hammond's murder had been planned. From the distraction of the Ferris wheel breakdown, to stabbing him in the back as he took his regular nap before the show, whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing. It wasn't a heat of the moment attack.

  Addison realised she needed to know more about Hugh Hanley. And the best person to ask was Holly.

  But where was she?

  Addison made her way back around the carnival to the food stalls. This time she asked each of the vendors if they'd seen Holly, but all she got was head shakes and a lot of 'no, sorry,' or 'haven't seen her all day'. Her concern was only heightened when she spoke to the girl operating the fairy floss machine.

  "No, but if you find her tell her I'm not happy," said the girl. She twirled spun sugar around a stick and handed it to a small boy, before taking money from the boy's mother. "It's supposed to be my day off, but Holly never showed."

  "She didn't turn up for work? Are you sure?"

  "I'm standing here instead of lying on the beach, aren't I?" said the girl.

  Addison persisted. "Is it usual for Holly to miss work like this?"

  The girl shoved the money in the cash drawer and sighed. "No, not really. I checked her bunk, thought she might be sick, but she wasn't there. I don't know where she's got to, sorry. She's not answering her phone, either."

  "Aren't you worried?" Addison asked.

  Another shrug. "She's a grown up. Why would I be worried?"

  "Because there was a murder here less than a week ago?"

  "Oh. Yeah, right. Well now I'm worried. Thanks, lady."

  Addison walked away before she said something she'd regret. She needed to raise the alarm. She had a bad feeling about this.

  She pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket and called Isaac. He was at the carnival, just finishing up his interview with Dot Hanley. They agreed to meet by one of the food trucks.

  "Have you asked anyone else about her?" said Isaac when she walked towards him. "Harriet, maybe?"

  "I've asked everyone I could find," said Addison, "but I haven't spoken to any of the Hanleys."

  "All right. Let's not panic. We'll take a look around together before we raise the alarm. Does Holly have a mobile phone?"

  "Yes, but I don't know the number. Oh, the girl selling fairy floss does."

  "I'll get Kendall onto it," he said, firing off a quick text message. "Right. Which way have you been?"

  Addison looked up and down the mai
n thoroughfare of the carnival. She'd been up and down here a number of times. "She's not around here, I've checked. Let's go over to the staff area. They'll let you in."

  As they walked in that direction Addison asked about his interview with Dot to keep her mind off the growing feeling of dread in her stomach.

  "She admitted Bob and Harriet had a fling five years ago that resulted in young Henry," said Isaac.

  "A fling?"

  "Yes. Apparently, it's not ongoing. But Harriet was honest with Bob about the boy from the start. Owen, too."

  "Owen Hanley knows his son is not his? Biologically?"

  "That's right. Owen is unable to have children. When Henry was born, Bob wasn't too keen on the idea of having a child. So they all agreed Henry would be raised as Owen's, and Bob would see him once a year when the carnival came to Getaway Bay."

  Addison didn't see that coming.

  "So what was the argument about? The one I overheard in the pub? If Bob didn't want the boy, why is he now saying Henry should stay here to go to school?"

  "Dot says Bob's opinion on the matter has changed in five years. He's grown fond of the boy, and fond of the idea of having him in his life. Five years ago, according to Dot, Bob thought he was going to settle down and have a family of his own. Henry didn't play a part in that scenario. But now he's realised what he's missed out on and wants to have more of a say in Henry's life."

  "Starting with his schooling," said Addison.

  "Correct."

  "Wow, that all sounds complicated."

  "Dot says they're trying to work it out, and fortunately they all seem to be in agreement about doing what's best for the boy. But as far as I'm concerned that's their problem. The important thing for me is Dot confirmed they were all together at the time of the murder. Dot, Bob, Harriet, and Owen."

  "And you believe them?"

  "I've no reason not to, now that she's explained it. Plus, there's no evidence Frankie was blackmailing Harriet."

  They reached the staff area, and both stepped over the low chain separating it from the main carnival. It was mostly deserted, and Addison realised most of the staff and performers would be at the matinee show. It gave them a chance for a good look around. She kept her eyes peeled for Holly.