Maximus: A Harvey Nolan Thriller #1 (Harvey Nolan Thrillers)

by Abbey, S. C.

  “Did you say circus?” Katie perked up at the mention of that word. Finally, a glimpse of hope. “Does it happen to go by the name Maximus?”

  Harvey frowned at the recognition. “It does. You’ve heard of it?”

  “I think we might just have hit the nail on its head. Time to go, Harvey. Time to visit your friend Mr. Novak.” Katie announced as she walked toward the entrance of the apartment. Gillian did not seem comfortable. “Miss Lee, we thank you for your time. The authorities will get in touch if we have news about your sister. Have a nice day.”

  “Wait a minute. If this is about my sister, I insist on tagging along. Long have I placed blind hope on the authorities to get my sister back, no way am I letting you brush me off anymore.” Gillian said as she stood and wrapped a green cashmere scarf around her neck.

  “Miss Lee, this is not a game, it might be dangerous. I cannot–”

  “When you are done talking, my car is downstairs right by the street. I’ll be happy to give you a ride.”

  Chapter 42

  “SIR, IT IS Nolan. He’s escaped.”

  Detective Frost stepped on his brakes so hard the sound screeching tires filled the street. It also earned him an equally loud car horn from the vehicle behind him. “What the hell?”

  “Harvey Nolan.” Agent Darrow continued. “He’s escaped from custody.”

  “I know, what I am saying is how did it happened?” Frost barked. His voice increased in volume as he ignored the consistent horning from the back. “Who was on duty?”

  “Today’s Brown’s shift. I haven’t spoken to him yet, he was rendered unconscious. I am watching the surveillance cameras as we speak. You wouldn’t believe what I am seeing.” Agent Darrow sounded amazed. “A man in a mask broke in and got Nolan out.”

  “A masked man? He’s got help from outside? What’s going on?” Frost said. “Why did anybody see them walk out?”

  “There was a false alarm on the 2nd floor, a fire alarm. I’m sure they created the commotion.”

  Frost hammered his steering wheel with his left fist, miffed with the situation that arose. Never in his entire policing career have he ever come across any criminal who was capable of escaping an FBI lock-up, much less a University professor. And who was the masked man? It all sounds so ridiculous. The baby blue Prius at the back had given up horning and chose to overtake him instead. The driver flashed his middle finger while he passed Frost.

  “Get the arrest warrant out. I want every acquaintance of his questioned. Get Miller, Taylor and all the other boys together. I don’t care if it’s a Sunday. Turn the city upside down if you have to, your number one priority now is to look for Harvey Nolan. I want him back in custody, immediately.” Demanded Frost as he weighed his options.

  “Yes, sir. Right away.”

  “Don’t bother going to his house first, he won’t be there. Get a search warrant though, we need to get more evidence to nail him.” Frost added. “He’s guilty for sure. Why would he escape otherwise?”

  “I’m on it. I’ll keep you updated, sir.” Darrow said before he ended the call.

  Detective Frost threw his phone on the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel with both his hands till his knuckles were white.

  Chapter 43

  THE STEEL GREY Mini Cooper cruised along the Interstate 95, the traffic surprisingly a breeze on a Sunday evening. The usual lush forest shrubs and oak trees on the side of the highway were compelled to be barren and bald by the early winter. Naked tree branches like contorted skeletal remains of fingers stretched out spookily against the darkening sky. The 3 occupants in the car sat in silence, neither of them wanted to break the tranquility for the fear of what came next. The calm before the storm. It had been 40 minutes since they left the apartment on west 19th street. Katie was sitting in front at the passenger seat while Gillian was in the driver’s. Harvey was left alone at the back seat. He could feel every gravel, every pebble, every bump and indentation on the road. The old Cooper was an uncomfortable ride – it was not optimally designed for a fully grown man. Harvey, being Harvey, could not take the silence anymore.

  “Nice car you have, albeit a little small in the interior.” Commented Harvey. “When is it from? The 80s?”

  “Late 70s.” Gillian replied. “It belonged to my father. Anything after the early 80s isn’t worth the metal it was built with.”

  “Oh.”

  “This was completely overhauled a couple of years back though. Everything you can see and feel on the inside is brand new. The engine too, of course.”

  Harvey fell back into the reticence that consumed the party, he really wasn’t good at small talk, and neither was Katie.

  “You’re a car guy, professor?” asked Gillian.

  “No, I’m afraid not.” Said Harvey with a grin. “I am not endowed with the best motor coordination, I am better suited as a passenger.”

  “That, I can ascertain.” Added Katie. “Unless one is into rollercoasters.”

  Gillian eyed Harvey from the rear mirror. “Are the two of you–?”

  “No–” replied Harvey and Katie at the same instant. Harvey then looked at the back of Katie’s neck, he could swore he saw goose bumps.

  “If you say so.” Whispered Gillian, smiling from her eyes.

  Gillian comment was not rebutted, but it did not go unnoticed by the other two persons in the vehicle.

  “There. Thomas A Edison Service Area.” Said Katie, changing the topic as she pointed at the blue sign hanging from a rusted frame in front of them. “We should be there in 20 minutes or so. What do you intend to do Harvey? It isn’t exactly wise to walk up someone’s front porch and accuse him of being a drug trafficker and a serial kidnapper. And if he really is what we think he is, it could be dangerous too.”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t exactly have a concrete plan, we just have to make it up as we go.” Sighed Harvey. “Honestly, I don’t like the feeling of this.”

  “What about it?” Katie asked with a frown.

  “I don’t know. It’s just intuition. It feels like I’m about to enter the Minotaur’s labyrinth, if you know what I mean.” Added Harvey.

  A sudden jerk in the car caused Harvey to bounce from his seat and hit his head against the ceiling of the car. “What the–”

  Bump!

  The second impact came must harder than the first before any of them could react to what was going on. Katie turned her head with an extremely peeved expression on her face, trying to see what had hit them. “What the hell is going on?!”

  “Son of a–” Gillian cried. “It’s that jeep behind us. It’s intentionally running into us. My paintjob, god damn it. He’s so going to pay for this.”

  Harvey slowly turned to look through the rear windscreen, it was not good. The Mini Cooper did not offer much allowance for a collision to not reach the rear passenger as it was effectively a hatchback. The glass had cracked along the whole piece from right to left, it wouldn’t take a few more bumps for the entire thing to fall off. Harvey could see the driver from where he was seated. The man was wearing a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses shielded half his face, the exposed portion was lean and weathered. The man gripped the steering wheel with both hands in a steel conviction as he locked gazes with Harvey.

  “Step on it!” shouted Harvey. “I think he’s planning to run us off the road.”

  “Hold on tight.” Said Gillian as she stepped hard on the accelerator and the Mini flew ahead. She weaved in and out of traffic, almost causing a few collisions but always pulled back in time. The jeep was not deterred in its pursuit, it followed them as close as it could.

  “It isn’t giving up!” yelled Gillian. “I don’t think I can keep this up. Look! He’s coming closer!”

  “Shit! Hold as still as you can!” Katie cried. “I’m going to send him to where he belongs.” Katie unbuckled her seat belt and took a good look through the almost shattered rear windscreen as she unholstered her gun. “Harvey stay as still as you can and
when I ask you to duck, you duck. Do you understand me?!”

  “Are you sure that is a good idea, Katie?” stuttered Harvey with a nervous tinge in his voice.

  “Trust me!”

  Harvey nodded his head obtusely as he watched Katie drew her gun and pointed toward him. He knew he had to obstruct the driver of the jeep from seeing this till the last minute so that they had the benefit of surprise.

  “Steady, Gillian, steady.” Katie said. “Now! Harvey, duck! Duck!”

  Harvey laid flat toward the rear seat as low as he could, as soon as his head had touched the leather surface, he heard the sound of a firearm discharged in the car. The confined space caused it to be even louder than he had expected it to be. He looked up to see Katie slowly lowering her gun as she was looking intently through the rear windscreen. The sound of a car crashing into the concrete divider followed.

  Chapter 44

  IT WOULD BE the second time in the past 2 days Harvey walked through the bannered entrance of Circus Maximus under the moonlight which shone through the clouded skies along the Raritan River on a cold winter’s night. The proximity to the huge body of water meant that the breeze was even chillier than norm. Harvey folded up his collar in an attempt to save his neck from the onslaught of the cold as he tucked his exposed hands under his armpits. He wished it was summer.

  A familiar caravan stood anchored, half obstructing the entrance of the circus, with a short line of visitors leading from an opened little window from the side of it. This time it seemed, there was somebody manning it. Harvey and his two companions joined the queue, it didn’t take long for them to reach the caravan.

  “Three adult tickets please.” Said Katie.

  The sour-looking man at the ticket counter did not acknowledge Katie. He tore three tickets from behind the counter and stuck them out of the little window with his left hand, using his right index finger to point to a sign on the right side of the window which stated the prices of the tickets.

  “Say, excuse me mister.” Harvey said. “May I know where can I find Deacon Novak?”

  “He’s busy. Always busy. Very busy.” Croaked the old man. “What’s your business with him?”

  “I am a friend of his.” Lied Harvey.

  “He’s somewhere around. Just walk around, you will bump into him.” Dismissed the old man. “Next.”

  Harvey and his companions strolled along the chalky sandy dirt as they entered the circus grounds. It was fairly crowded as it was a Sunday night, there were families with little children running about and young couples holding hands, enjoying the rides and game booths.

  “What’s the plan?” asked Katie.

  “I’m not too sure.” Harvey frowned as he realized he didn’t had a clue what to do. “Let’s take a walk. I did bump into Deacon Novak by a campfire when I was here a few days back.”

  He led them along the rows of game booths which he had walked by before, and as they neared the end of it, Harvey caught the sight of a familiar gypsy old woman he had spoken to days ago. The old fortune teller standing back facing him outside her tent, watering her plants that seemed like weeds to Harvey. She turned around as if she had eyes on her back and had realized that Harvey was staring at her. Her expression was that of between cold and unsurprised as she glanced at Harvey first, and then to the two ladies which was accompanying him. Harvey smiled mildly at the old woman but his greeting was not reciprocated as the old fortune teller clumped back into her tent.

  “Who was that?” asked Gillian.

  “A gypsy fortune-teller.” Harvey replied as he contemplated the use of questioning the old lady. He took a step forward but was interrupted by an announcement from a nearby sound system.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. The last show at the Big Top would be commencing in 15 minutes. I repeat, the last performance would be commencing in 15 minutes at the Big Top. Those of you who have not purchased tickets to the main event of Circus Maximus, I implore you to hurry as it is the final show of the day. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance of the Big Top. Hurry! Don’t miss a minute of it!”

  Harvey looked around him, the crowd was thinning out and filtering toward the Big Top as the announcement played. He tried to spot Deacon Novak among the people and hope he could catch him before the show just as he did before. Luck was not on his side.

  “Harvey, if Deacon is the ringmaster of this circus, he is bound to be at the Big Top for the performance.” Said Katie as she traced Harvey’s line of sight.

  “I know. I was hoping to be have some private time with him instead.” Harvey replied with a dejected look on his face. “It’s too crowded.”

  “Fancy a show?” asked Gillian, raising her eyebrows.

  “Looks like we have no choice.” Said Harvey.

  They followed the stream of flowing people as the crowd gathered outside the Big Top, like ants drawn to honey. The children he had seen playing at the campfire were standing around the entrance of the huge tent now, helping out with the ticket sales. It was an interesting sight, seeing young children passing amused adults tickets in exchange for dollar bills which they hastily stuff into their pockets. A muscular man stood among them with his arms folded in front of him with a dangerous look, daring anyone to sneak past him without purchasing a valid ticket. Harvey shivered at the recognition of the man.

  “What is it?” asked Katie as she passed some money to a nearby blonde kid and got ticket slips from him in return.

  “Nothing.” Replied Harvey. “Just a déjà vu.”

  They entered the Big top through a sheltered tunnel, pushing their way through the bottleneck and the head space cleared as they emerged inside the tent. The interior of the Big Top was much larger than Harvey had expected and it looked amazing. Pink neon lights illuminated the circular rows of seats which surrounded the main floor in the middle. A red curtained portion broke the ring of seats at one end, leading directly into the middle floor, with a live band above it. Star lights filled the entire tent with small and large shapes of stars, moons and suns. They found a row of 3 seats right in the front row and settled down, awaiting the performance to begin. As soon as they had sat down, the lights dimmed. A gymnast somersaulted out of the curtains and breathed fire toward the front, illuminating the whole tent. The crowd wowed in response. Harvey could almost feel the heat from the flames. The gymnast repeated his act, breathing fire toward different directions of the crowd. The crowd wowed every time the flames appeared. In the finale of his act, the gymnast raised his head to look toward the ceiling of the tent as he breathed the biggest cloud of flames the audience had yet to see, and bowed as soon as he finished his performance. The applause was deafening. The gymnast back-flipped into the curtains and disappeared behind them. Total darkness followed.

  “Welcome to Circus Maximus!” a deep voice filled the tent as a spotlight shone straight on to the middle stage. And there he was, Deacon Novak, standing with his arms wide open in the middle of it.

  Chapter 45

  “TOP OF THE food chain! Nobody to bow to and no one would stand in its way! May I present, the apex predator and the largest cat of the jungle! Behold, the tiger!”

  Deacon Novak took a side step back as he turned and faced the curtains, the spotlight directed its focus on them. Half a minute passed with no movement to be seen from the slightly waving red velvet cloth as the star lights ran by carelessly across the drapes. Out of a sudden, a loud roar came from behind the shroud, immediately accompanied by a huge Bengal tiger pouncing out into the open of the middle stage. The crowd grasped in awe and apprehension. A child could be heard crying from behind.

  The tiger swaggered around the stage, tracing the inner circumference of the round platform with its paws as it glanced around at the audience with its head tilted slightly upward. It was a proud and ferocious animal, quite a sight to behold. The only person in the entire Big Top who was looking positively comfortable with the situation was none other than the ringmaster, who was certainly beaming with the
thick density of the scene he had engineered, as he knew that he had trained the animal well enough to trust it to not do anything stupid. Well, at least it hadn’t so far, yet. The child continued to yell in horror from the back, its parent could be heard shushing it in gentle whispers of console.

  “Fear not my friends!” Deacon bellowed, interrupting the otherwise silent circumstance. “Little was he, when I held him in my arms and fed him milk from a bottle with my own hands. And as my grey hairs increased while the seasons passed, he got too large for me to carry. He will not harm any human being, as far as I am concerned. Unless of course you try to touch him, and then he might take a finger or two.” Deacon winked at the audience.

  Harvey begged to differ, remembering his first encounter with the magnificent beast during his short-lived career as a burglar not too long ago, though he was not exactly intending to steal anything. It was not the first time his curiosity had almost gotten him into trouble, and most likely it would not be the last. He just had a penchant to always get out of them unscathed eventually, but one cannot count on that luck to not run out sooner or later.

  The tiger finished its round of inspection and settle by the side of the ringmaster, gently snuggled Deacon’s side with its nose before giving out another slightly softer roar. “For the next act, I would require a brave volunteer! Someone who has no fear in them! Someone who would share the stage with us! Anybody!?”

  Surprisingly, or not, nobody raised their hands or made a sound. By this time, the crying child had finally decided to quieten down and the only sound Harvey could hear was that of his own breathing.

  “Nobody?” asked Deacon as his eyes washed across the sea of audience, a mock look of disappointment on his face. The crowd remained still.

  “Perhaps a young brave man? Anybody with a lion’s heart?” The ringmaster continued his search for his volunteer. He glanced from the far end of the crowd all the way to the front and his eyes settled on a familiar sight, a well-dressed academic. A smile crept up from his lips to his eyes. “Professor! I wasn’t expecting you! Would you care to honor my stage with your assistance please! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please give a warm applause for Professor Nolan!”