by Cindy Bell
“That might be enough motive to make him want to get rid of Rocco.” Brenda looked out through the small window in the trailer. “Is he still here? Where is his trailer?”
“He doesn’t stay in a trailer, he stays in a tent.” Cecilia frowned as she looked through the window as well. “I hate to think that he could be responsible for this, but I guess we do need to consider it.”
“I should call Detective Crackle, he’ll want to know about Joey’s history with Rocco.” Joyce reached for her phone.
“No, not yet.” Cecilia placed her hand on Joyce’s shoulder. “Please?” She looked into her eyes. “Joey is practically my brother. I just want the chance to speak to him, face to face.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Brenda shook her head as she gazed at Cecilia. “You may think he wouldn’t harm anyone, Cecilia, but if he did kill Rocco, and he thinks that you know the truth, he might just attack you. I’m sure he could do quite a bit of damage.”
“Come with me then.” Cecilia looked between them. “He was helping pack up the circus, but he should be finished by now. He can’t attack all three of us. Besides, I’m sure he didn’t do this. I’m sure that there is some kind of explanation.”
“What do you think, Joyce?” Brenda looked over at her.
“If we do go, we might be able to find some evidence in his tent. Detective Crackle might not have the chance to get near him, but if we go with Cecilia, then Joey has no reason to suspect us. I think it’s worth a look.” Joyce held Brenda’s gaze. “But only if you think so, too.”
“I do.” Brenda sighed as she looked back at Cecilia. “I’m so sorry that this has happened, Cecilia. I can’t imagine how torturous it must be to have to suspect people that you consider to be family.”
“It’s difficult. But Rocco was my family, too.” Cecilia pressed her hand against her chest. “I loved him very much. Whoever did this has to pay, even if it’s someone I love.”
“Then it’s agreed. We’ll go together to speak with Joey and take a look at his tent.” Joyce tipped her head towards the door of the trailer. “Lead the way, Cecilia.”
As Cecilia stepped down out of the trailer, her right foot slid in the loose dirt a bit. She grabbed her hip and gasped, then stumbled.
Brenda caught her by the arm to steady her. “Are you okay?” She scrutinized the wince on Cecilia’s face. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“Oh no, it’s an old injury. Sometimes if I step the wrong way it bothers me.” Cecilia sighed and gave her hip a light slap. “It’ll be better in a minute or two.”
“Take your time.” Joyce eyed her for a minute. “How did you hurt it?”
“It was a long time ago.” Cecilia waved her hand. “Oh no!” She gasped as she pointed across the fairground towards a police car.
“Detective Crackle is arresting Slappy!” Brenda’s eyes widened as she watched the clown duck down to fit into the police car. He tugged in his large shoes just before Detective Crackle slammed the door of the police car shut.
“We have to stop him.” Joyce started towards the police car.
“No, Joyce, don’t.” Brenda caught her friend by the arm. “This is even better, actually.”
“Better? We’re pretty sure it wasn’t Slappy. Now he’s going to go to jail. How could that be better?” Joyce pulled away and headed in the direction of the police car.
“It’s better because Joey will think the murderer has been arrested, and if he is the real killer, he will think that he’s gotten away with it.” Brenda caught up to her. “It’s the perfect time to speak to him.”
“Because he’ll be overconfident.” A slow smile crept across Joyce’s lips. “Yes, Brenda, you’re a genius.”
“Thanks.” Brenda winked at her. “But that’s only if it works out. We’d better get to Joey before he has too much time to think about this.”
“His tent is this way.” Cecilia gestured towards a long path. “It’s a bit of a distance. He likes to be alone.”
“Let’s hurry.” Joyce followed after Cecilia, with Brenda only a few steps behind. Joyce glanced over her shoulder at her friend to make sure that she kept up. Was it the best idea to confront a possible murderer without the detective present? Joyce guessed that if her husband had been there, he would have been livid at the thought. But at the moment it sure seemed like the best way to find out what really happened to Rocco. After hearing that story, Joey must have been very disappointed. Was he disappointed enough to kill Rocco? But if he had done it, and Cecilia was trying to protect him, why was she leading them right to Joey? Her heart skipped a beat as they reached the large tent. What if they had just been led into a trap?
Chapter 16
Brenda stepped up beside Joyce, gazed up at the large tent and wondered if she wanted to step inside. Joyce caught her by the arm and pulled her a few steps away from Cecilia.
“We need to be careful,” Joyce whispered. “If Cecilia really wants to protect Joey, this could be a trap.”
“She didn’t really have time to set up a trap.” Brenda looked back at the tent as Cecilia turned to look at her.
“Ready?” Cecilia looked between the two of them.
“Yes.” Joyce answered for both of them. “Let’s go in.” She slipped a hand around Brenda’s arm, leaned close, and whispered, “Stay near me.”
Brenda nodded as her heartbeat quickened.
“Joey?” Cecilia shook the front flap of the tent. “Joey, are you in there?”
“Yes, I’m here.” His deep voice called out. “Come in, Cecilia.”
“Joey, I brought a couple of friends with me.” Cecilia stepped inside, then held the flap open for Brenda and Joyce to step in as well.
“Why?” Joey sat up from a large, flat bed that stretched half the span of the tent. “I wasn’t expecting company.” He grabbed up a few threadbare t-shirts from the ground. “Sorry for the mess.”
“It’s okay, Joey, don’t worry about that.” Cecilia waved her hand and smiled. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “Are you ready to go? All packed up?”
“I’m getting there.” Joey sighed. His shoulders drooped. “It’s so hard to think of moving on without Rocco.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Brenda gazed at him.
“Thank you.” Joey smiled. “He was such a good friend. He always wanted to help me. Who is going to train me? Who is going to help me out now?”
“Don’t worry, Joey, I will help you. It’s okay, you can be honest about Rocco with us. I know how hard he was on you sometimes.” Cecilia sat down on the bed beside him.
“Rocco could be hard on everybody sometimes. But it was only because he cared about us all. He was so careful after your accident.” Joey looked straight at Cecilia. “He always felt so bad about it.”
“There’s no point in talking about it now. I always felt so terrible about the way that he teased you.” Cecilia wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned close. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Thanks.” Joey eyed her for a moment, then shrugged. “Rocco didn’t mean to tease me. I know that. We talked about it. He was just having fun with me. He always showed how much he cared for me by buying me food and clothes.”
Brenda swept her gaze around the tent. It was large, but its contents were sparse. There were a few small trunks, but other than that there was only a large table with one large chair, and the large bed that Joey and Cecilia sat on. She noticed that a mug rested on a large shoe box beside the bed. If Rocco had been the one buying clothes and food for Joey and helping him out in his career, why would Joey have killed him? Was Rocco teasing him and leaving him out of the show enough motive? Was there more conflict in their relationship that hadn’t been revealed?
“Joey, are those your shoes?” Brenda gestured to the shoe box.
“The most amazing thing happened today.” Joey smiled so wide that it revealed deep dimples in his cheeks. “Slappy, and a local named Rowan, showed up at my tent today. They gav
e me a brand-new pair of shoes.” He moved the coffee cup to the side, then lifted the lid of the shoe box to show off the shoes. “Isn’t it amazing? They fit so well. It was perfect timing, because someone stole my shoes.” He scratched the top of his head as he gazed at the new shoes. “I don’t know what anyone would want with those ratty old things, but they’re gone. But then Slappy and Rowan showed up with these.” He looked back at Brenda with tears in his eyes. “People can be so kind.”
“Yes, they can.” Brenda felt her heart soften as she watched a single teardrop trail down his cheek. Was this man really a killer? He shed tears over a gift, and he spoke in forgiving tones about the man who had once teased him, but was he a murderer, too? She fought the urge to reach over and give him a hug as she thought about how his life had begun. Abandoned by his own father and left to be raised by strangers. Yet, he’d found a family, one that he loved. Would he really risk all of that just to get rid of Rocco?
“You’re such a good person, Joey, but I know that Rocco got under your skin.” Cecilia sighed. “Sometimes in families, we don’t always get along.”
“Like when Rocco hurt you?” Joey looked at her with wide eyes. “I know that still bothers you.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’m fine.” Cecilia smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist again. “Joey, it’s okay to be angry. It’s okay if you felt like Rocco deserved to be hurt.”
“What?” Joey suddenly stood up. “No, Rocco didn’t deserve that.” His hands balled into fists at his sides. “He didn’t. He didn’t have to die. Why did he die?” As he became more upset, his shouts became louder, so loud that Brenda jumped at the sound of his words. The calm man she’d been looking at a moment before, had completely transformed. His reddened cheeks and tight fists made him look explosive, and added to his size, his tremendous voice created a deep fear inside of her.
“Please try to calm down, Joey.” Cecilia stood up, her own hands tightened into fists. “You shouldn’t get so angry.”
“No. No. No.” Joey shouted. “You’re wrong, Cecilia. Wrong. It’s all wrong. I loved Rocco. I would never hurt him. Get out. Leave me alone.” He jerked back the flap of the tent so hard that some of the material tore.
“We’d better go.” Cecilia shot a fearful look at them both. “He gets very angry sometimes.”
“Please leave,” Joey pleaded.
Brenda grabbed Joyce’s hand and pulled her out through the open flap. Cecilia stepped out right behind them.
“I’m sorry, he’s not usually like this.” Cecilia looked back at the tent as it shook again. “I guess all of this really does have him wound up.”
“If he gets so angry that easily, there’s a good chance he got angry at Rocco, too.” Joyce eased a few steps farther away from the tent. “We’re going to need to tell Detective Crackle about this.”
“Oh no,” Cecilia gasped. “Joey’s such a nice guy, he really is. I wouldn’t want him to get into any trouble. But then.” She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “If he really did hurt Rocco, I don’t know that I could ever forgive him.”
“What did Rocco do to hurt you?” The question popped out of Brenda’s mouth before she thought it through.
“What?” Cecilia blinked.
“What did Joey mean when he said that Rocco hurt you.” Brenda gazed back at her.
“Oh nothing, Joey gets confused sometimes. You saw how easily upset he gets. I’d better make sure that everyone stays away from him for a little while.” Cecilia hurried off towards the area where the circus tent had been.
Joyce looked over at Brenda, who met her eyes.
“I don’t know what yet, but she’s lying about something.” Joyce narrowed her eyes.
“I think we should go to Detective Crackle and tell him what we’ve learned about Joey, at the very least it may take some of the suspicion off Slappy.” Brenda frowned. “Maybe Joey really did lose it with Rocco.”
“Maybe, but I have one question. If Joey was the one that sabotaged the ropes, how is it that no one saw him?” Joyce raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t exactly blend in.”
Chapter 17
Joyce drove into the parking lot of the police station as she tried to prepare what she would say to Detective Crackle. She would mention the fact that Joey’s shoes were stolen, and that Cecilia seemed to be hiding something. Would that be enough to turn his attention away from Slappy? Was it enough for her to believe that Joey was involved in Rocco’s murder? She wasn’t sure, yet.
Brenda pulled open the front door and held it open for Joyce.
As Joyce stepped inside, she spotted Detective Crackle not far from the front desk.
“Ah, here for a visit, are you?” Detective Crackle crossed his arms as he stared at both of them. “To what do I owe this honor?”
“We want to talk to you about Slappy. Did you arrest him?” Joyce took a step closer to him as her heart pounded.
“Actually, I was about to. I brought him in for questioning and fully expected to be sending him to jail. He even admitted to sending the letter to Rocco. But would you believe he pulled out an alibi at the last minute?” Detective Crackle shook his head. “I didn’t see that coming. I really thought this was a case of a father overreacting. But as it turns out, I guess it wasn’t.”
“What alibi?” Brenda moved closer to him as well. “Are you sure it’s valid?”
“As valid as it can be, until we’re able to prove otherwise. He claims that he was with Rowan, the guy from the shoe store. He said that he and Rowan were together in Joey’s tent getting the measurements for Joey’s shoes. Then after that, he was with Cecilia, having an argument about the two men that Rocco was dealing with, then he was on the other side of the tent with the clowns. As of now, Cecilia, Rowan and two clowns have corroborated Raphael’s alibi.” Detective Crackle paused, then cleared his throat. “I mean, Slappy’s alibi.”
“Cecilia never told us about that.” Brenda frowned.
“Not to worry, I’m about to head out and pick up the killer.” Detective Crackle snapped his fingers. “Case closed.”
“What?” Joyce stared at him. “Are you certain?”
“Let’s just say, I have enough evidence to make an arrest. I’m just waiting for the arrest warrant to come through.” Detective Crackle pulled his notepad out of his pocket. “Earlier, on a tip, I had a few officers search Joey’s tent. They found that his shoes were missing, shoes the same size as the shoeprint. He claimed they were stolen.” He chuckled. “Can you imagine someone stealing shoes that size? When we asked him where he was during the time when the trapeze could have been tampered with, he said he was unloading some equipment from one of the trucks, then he was at Cecilia’s side to deal with the two criminals that were looking for Rocco, then he said that he was alone in his tent after that. Aside from the time he was with Cecilia no one can corroborate his whereabouts.”
“That’s not nearly enough evidence to arrest him though. Is it?” Brenda looked between the two of them.
“That alone is not, no. But they also found a red wig, and the results are preliminary at the moment, but it does appear that the hair from the wig matches the hair found on the rope. It’s possible that other wigs are made from the same material, but there is still enough reason for me to arrest him. Not to mention his tense history with the victim.” Detective Crackle narrowed his eyes as he looked over his notepad. “Rocco was making promises to Joey about being in an act with him that he didn’t keep. He was always teasing him about his size. That’s the kind of stuff that can create a deep-down hatred.”
“A wig? Did you say you found a wig?” Joyce blinked. Her mind traveled back to the wig she had found in Cecilia’s trailer. Was it possible that both Joey and Cecilia had the same type of wig? She imagined it was.
“Who told you about the tense history with Rocco?” Brenda’s voice grew sharp. “Was it Cecilia?”
“Uh, well yes.” Detective Crackle looked up from his notepad. “She didn’t want to talk about
it too much, but she said enough to make me believe that there was quite a lot going on between them. Joey might have been planning this for some time.”
“Did she also tell you that Rocco paid for Joey’s clothes and food?” Brenda’s voice raised an octave. “He supported him.”
“She mentioned it, yes.” Detective Crackle shrugged. “That doesn’t mean Joey wouldn’t still have committed the crime. My guess is maybe he had a bit of a crush on Paisley and was jealous over Rocco spending so much time with her.”
“No, something doesn’t feel right about this.” Joyce shook her head.
“That’s what you said about Slappy.” Detective Crackle crossed his arms.
“And he has an alibi. Part of that alibi is that he was in Joey’s tent measuring his shoes. Shoes that went missing shortly after. Which means Joey would have had to go in his tent, get his shoes, sneak into the circus tent and remove the nuts, then hide his shoes, all before Rocco fell.” Joyce stared at Detective Crackle. “Surely you don’t think that someone of Joey’s size would go unnoticed climbing up the ladder with a bright red wig on?” She raised an eyebrow.