mystic caravan mystery 02 - freaky lies

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Ugh.” Raven made a disgusted sound. “Would I have yelled for help if I knew who did it? Of course not. I would’ve sought revenge on my own. I wouldn’t have called for you. Good grief.”

  “Hey, I’m trying to help,” Kade snapped. “There’s no need to be a pain in the ass.”

  Raven had the good sense to look abashed. “I’m sorry,” she said, adopting the pleasing tone I was used to hearing when a man was in her general vicinity. “I’m out of sorts. It’s a busy day and … this is my attraction. I’m understandably shaken.”

  Luke and I snorted in unison as Kade’s expression softened.

  “It’s okay,” Kade said. “I understand you’re worked up.” He’s such an easy mark. He hadn’t spent enough time with circus folk yet to know when they were shining him on.

  “She is so transparent,” I muttered, causing Luke to offer me a sympathetic hand squeeze.

  “I heard that,” Raven hissed, narrowing her eyes.

  I ignored her and knelt down, resting my fingertips on one of the glass shards. It was cool to the touch, the edge jagged, but it didn’t emit any malevolent energy. “I don’t understand how this happened.”

  “Oh, gee, someone alert the media,” Raven deadpanned. “Poet doesn’t understand something. Someone call Ripley’s Believe it or Not. This is surely a watershed moment. Someone snuck in here and broke my mirrors. What’s to understand?”

  I fought the urge to pull her hair, and remained focused on the glass. “That’s not what I meant, you whore,” I seethed. Okay, maybe I wasn’t that focused. “How did someone get in here without tripping the dreamcatcher?”

  “Don’t call me a whore!”

  “All right, that will be enough of that,” Kade said, stepping between us and extending a hand to keep Raven from attacking. “We shouldn’t turn on each other. We’re a unit. We’re in this together.”

  What a load of crap.

  “You’re right,” Raven said primly, smoothing the front of her sparkly tank top and jutting out her boobs so Kade would have no choice but to look at her impressive cleavage. “I’m sorry. I’m just … out of sorts.” She rested her hand on Kade’s forearm. “I’m frightened. This has been a shock for me.”

  “And I’m going to puke,” I said, brushing my hands off on my cargo pants as I stood, and shooting Raven a warning look for good measure. Apparently testosterone-fueled men aren’t the only ones with territorial issues. “If something supernatural crossed the dreamcatcher we would’ve known it.”

  “What about someone human?” Kade asked.

  “The dreamcatcher can alert in some cases,” Raven explained, her hand still touching Kade’s arm and causing my temper to flare. “They have to be really evil, though … like soulless evil. Poet generally senses when an evil human crosses the borders. Of course, she’s been distracted lately, so she’s not exactly on top of her game.”

  Distracted my ass. She definitely wanted me to yank her hair.

  “And you didn’t? Sense anything, I mean?” Kade shifted his eyes to me as I shook my head. “Are you sure? You said you were restless last night. Could this have been why?”

  That was an interesting question – and would make a convenient excuse – but guilt kept me up the previous evening. I didn’t sense danger, not even when the figure was almost on top of me in the cornfield. “I didn’t sense anything,” I said. “The corn husks obviously tie whatever happened here to the field, though. Perhaps it happened when that … thing … chased me.”

  “You mean the scarecrow, right?” Kade was adamant the scarecrow attacked me. I still wasn’t sure.

  “Sure,” I said, opting to avoid a fight. “The dreamcatcher alerted when the thing in the field followed me over the boundary. Maybe something else crept over the line at the same time.”

  “Is that possible?” Kade didn’t look thrilled with the prospect.

  I shrugged. “Anything is possible,” I said. “I can’t get any psychic flashes off this stuff, though. I don’t … sense … anything.”

  “Someone was obviously here, though,” Kade said. “Someone broke the mirrors.”

  “I said I couldn’t sense anything, not that anything wasn’t here,” I reminded him. “I don’t know what to tell you. Whatever was here is gone now.”

  “We need to double the wards,” Raven said. “We have to do it before we open the circus.”

  Because she refused to increase the distance between Kade and herself I wanted to disagree with her. The safety of the circus was more important than my petty insecurities, though. “We’ll do it after lunch,” I said, nodding curtly. “Until then … I don’t know what else we can do.”

  “I guess I’ll clean up then,” Raven said, heaving a frustrated sigh. “I’m still uneasy, though. I don’t suppose … .” She bit her lip as she regarded Kade with wide eyes. “Would you stay and help me for a little bit? I can’t quite let go of my nerves, and I know I would feel safer if you were around.”

  I wanted to punch her.

  Kade didn’t hesitate. “Of course,” he said, casting an uneasy glance in my direction. “I’m head of security. That’s my job.”

  Okay, now I wanted to punch him, too.

  I AM not a jealous person.

  That’s what I kept telling myself as I set arranged my tent during the next two hours. I am not a jealous person. So why did I want to rip Raven’s stupid hair out of her stupid head and shove it down her stupid throat?

  Yeah, I’m starting to think I’m losing it, too. I cleaned my tent in a flurry, channeling my anger into dusting the chairs and unpacking my props, including my crystal ball, Ouija board and tarot cards. In my head I knew that being angry with Kade for doing his job was unreasonable and petty. In my heart I still wanted to punch Raven in the boob and make her cry.

  Raven and I have never had the easiest of relationships. She feeds off the attention of men while I prefer taking care of myself. Sure, Luke and I have an unbreakable bond, but I don’t thrive on his attention because he’s a man. I bask in his love because he’s the best friend I’ve ever had. There’s a difference.

  Before Kade, I never focused on one man for more than a few dates. I simply wasn’t interested in risking my heart. After losing my parents I let only a select few people into my world – mainly Max and Luke – and I was happy living my life that way. If you don’t take a chance, you can’t ever face a broken heart.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’m close to quite a few of the Mystic Caravan performers. Nellie, Seth, Naida and Nixie are particular favorites. Those bonds formed slowly, over time, though. My connection with Kade came out of nowhere and hit me like a hockey player going after the puck along the boards. I didn’t know how to explain it.

  Because I had trouble wrapping my head around the relationship – and the ramifications of lying to him – I struggled to admit Raven’s hijinks irritated me. She wasn’t acting any differently than she usually did. The difference was me. I didn’t like her flirting with Kade. She could flirt with any other man in the world and it wouldn’t bother me. He was a different story … and it killed me to acknowledge my weakness where he was concerned.

  I was so lost in thought, my dust rag practically a blur as I wiped down the legs of the chairs, that I didn’t notice I wasn’t alone until the sound of a throat clearing drew my attention to the open tent flap.

  Percival was dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt as he stepped in my direction, his brow quizzically furrowed as he watched me work. “Am I interrupting something?”

  Just an emotional snit only a teenage girl could be proud of. “No,” I replied, forcing the unkind thoughts out of my mind. “I was just … cleaning.”

  “Like a madwoman, too,” Percival said, his accent smoothing my frazzled nerves as he moved closer. “Do you always clean with such … purpose?”

  That was a loaded question and I couldn’t help but momentarily wonder whether Percival was trying to feel me out regarding the circus. It wasn’t the first time my susp
icious nature pinged where he was concerned. I pushed the thought out of my head, though. I had no reason to be suspicious. He hadn’t done anything to warrant it.

  “You have to be efficient when you live on a timetable,” I explained, returning to my dusting as I watched Percival approach out of the corner of my eye. “Are you excited for tonight? It will be your first show with us, although it obviously won’t be a big one.”

  “Yes, I’m curious about that,” Percival admitted, running his hands over the top of my wrought iron table. “Why are we having a soft opening tonight? I would think you’d want a big opening to take advantage of higher profits.”

  “It’s not that simple,” I said. “We make the bulk of our money off the midway and through liquor sales. We can’t always get a liquor license. It depends on the location. We don’t have a liquor license for this location, which happens a lot in some of the Midwestern states, so offering a hard launch won’t bring in more money.”

  “Because liquor boosts how much people will spend,” Percival supplied.

  “Exactly.” I bobbed my head up and down. “Don’t worry, though, you’ll be able to put on a full show tomorrow. You only have to entertain kids on the midway tonight.”

  “I’m actually looking forward to it,” Percival said. “What about you?”

  “Oh, er, I’m looking forward to it, too,” I lied. I would rather watch professional golf on television – which I hate – than clown performances.

  “Not that,” Percival said, chuckling. “I was asking whether you are performing this evening.”

  Oh, well, that made more sense. “My tent will be open,” I confirmed. “Fortune tellers are big draws whether liquor is involved or not.”

  “And … what do you do?”

  That was an odd question. “I tell fortunes.”

  “I know that, but how?” Percival pressed. “Are you psychic?”

  This was a sticky situation and I wasn’t sure how I wanted to handle it. “I see things through the cards, board and ball,” I finally answered. “You know how it goes.”

  “We didn’t have a psychic at my other jobs,” Percival said. “I have no idea how it goes.”

  His attention made me nervous. It was as if he suspected me of lying – which I technically was – and wanted to back me into a corner so I would have no choice but to admit the truth. If he thought he was smart enough to do that, he was in for a rude awakening. “Then I guess you’re going to have to watch me perform one night this weekend,” I said, forcing a bright smile. “That way you’ll be able to see how everything works.”

  “Uh-huh.” Percival’s expression was thoughtful. “I look forward to seeing how you work your magic.”

  I shifted my focus back to my chores as my heart hopped. That was an interesting choice of words. “I’m glad,” I said. “It’s always fun when you get to see something new.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  13

  Thirteen

  “Are you ready for tonight?”

  Kade appeared in my tent opening shortly before six. He was dressed in jeans and a simple button-down shirt, his eyes bright as they roamed my body. On non-performance days I dress down in shorts or cargo pants. When I have to play to the crowds, though, I have to dress the part. Today I opted for a bohemian ankle-length skirt with pink sequins and a billowy white blouse. I tied my long hair up in two loose buns on either side of my head before securing a brightly colored scarf over my hair. Kade always gets a kick out of my costumes, and even though he won’t admit it, I think they kind of turn him on. Of course, that could be wishful thinking.

  “I’m always ready,” I said, flashing a small smile. I hadn’t seen him in hours. “Did you get everything cleaned up in the House of Mirrors?”

  Kade nodded. “It was only three mirrors, and we’ve already replaced them. I guess it’s good we keep spares in storage. I stayed with Raven until we got everything in order.”

  “I’m sure she insisted on that,” I said, tightening my waist sash and letting the strings – which were topped with small bells – fall in front of me. I made small tinkling noises when I walked, which is great for my act but terrible when I want to go incognito.

  Kade surprised me when he closed the distance between us and tilted up my chin. “You look cute,” he said. “I’m a big fan of the bells. I’ll be able to hear you coming for a change. You generally surprise me when you pop up out of nowhere.”

  My cheeks flushed under his studied gaze. “Thanks. You look cute, too.”

  “I prefer being called handsome, but I’ll take that,” Kade said, pressing his lips together as he looked me up and down. “Do you want to tell me why you’re angry or would you rather stew for the next few hours and then pick an unnecessary fight?”

  I stilled, surprised by his fortitude. “What makes you think I’m angry?”

  “Well, I’m not blind, for one thing,” Kade replied. “You’re … standoffish.”

  “I’m standing right here,” I protested, although I couldn’t help but avert my eyes. I knew I was being petulant, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. Ever since Kade arrived I found myself going through the teenage romantic hijinks I thankfully managed to avoid when I was an actual teenager and struggling to survive on the street. “Everything is fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I am worried,” Kade said, carefully tucking a flyaway strand of hair beneath my scarf. “Does this have something to do with Raven?”

  Of course not. That would be undignified. “She’s a total whore!” Wow. Where did that come from?

  Kade chuckled, amused instead of annoyed. “She knows how to push your buttons and you let her do it every single time,” he said. “She didn’t really need protection this afternoon. She simply wanted to mess with you.”

  “You’ve got that only half right,” I clarified. “She didn’t need protection. Her act wasn’t for my benefit, though. It was for your benefit. Irritating me was a side bonus.”

  “And do you think I’m going to fall for that act?”

  “I have no idea,” I replied, opting for honesty. “I don’t know you all that well. I would like to think you’re smarter than that, but … well … I watched you try to figure out how to level the trailer for two straight hours when we got here the other day. Your intelligence has been called into question. Not by me, mind you, but others think you might be a little slow.”

  Kade snorted. “I see you like to get your digs in whenever possible, too,” he said. “Fine. I guess I deserved that. For the record, though, I’d never seen a leveling mechanism like that before. It was a learning experience. I’m generally not that incompetent. It wasn’t my fault.”

  “Duly noted.”

  “Also, for the record, I’m not interested in Raven,” Kade said. “I only have eyes for one woman here, and she’s really cute tonight … and jingles when she walks.”

  The last vestiges of irritation washed off of me as the corners of my mouth tipped up. “You make it impossible to have a go at you sometimes. You know that, right?”

  “On the contrary,” Kade replied. “I always want you to have a go at me. It’s important that you realize you’re the only one I want to have a go with. No matter what show she puts on, I’m not interested in Raven.”

  I blew out a sigh. “Fine. I’m sorry for being pouty.”

  “That’s okay. You’re cute when you’re pouty.” Kade pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before glancing over his shoulder and scanning the fairgrounds. “They’re opening the gates in ten minutes. I need to get down there.”

  “Do you want to have a late dinner with me? I have steaks marinating in my refrigerator.”

  Kade smiled, the expression causing my heart to warm. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  “Good.” I rolled up to the balls of my feet and brushed a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “You will,” Kade agreed, gathering me close for a brief
hug. “And then you can tell me about these photographs of you dressed as a cheerleader. I can’t wait to hear that story … and search your closet to see if the costume is still around.”

  Well … crap.

  TWO HOURS later I managed to push the cheerleading costume discussion dread from my mind (well, mostly) and focus on my work. Because the daylight hours this week in Lincoln were sweltering and miserable, people seemed excited to take advantage of the sundown respite, and arrived in droves to check out the fair.

  We were packed, which meant we were busy. The line snaking outside of my tent was long and the young couple making their way to my table didn’t appear to be keen on hurrying things along. I forced a smile for their benefit all the same.

  “Welcome to Mystic Caravan Circus,” I said, adopting a theatrical tone. “Are you interested in hearing about your future?”

  The girl nervously played with the ends of her long blond hair as she sat across from me. Her skin was tan, her eyes bright, and she exuded nervous excitement as she got comfortable. “My name is Debbie.”

  “Hello, Debbie,” I said, shuffling the tarot cards as I studied her boyfriend. While Debbie seemed open and friendly, the man accompanying her was another story. His smile was forced, as if he was putting on his own show instead of enjoying a night out with a loved one, and his aura was dark. I frowned as I reached out with my mind, my senses brushing against something cold … and unnatural. I hadn’t seen an aura this dark on a regular human in quite some time. That generally signified I was dealing with a sociopath. They are exceedingly dangerous, because they know the difference between right and wrong and don’t care. “Who is your friend?”

  “Don’t you know that already?” The man flashed a smile most would call charming. I recognized it for what it was, though. He was hiding behind a mask.

  “Don’t be rude, Dakota,” Debbie chided, giggling as she playfully slapped his hand. “You don’t have to ruin my fun. I know you don’t believe in this kind of stuff, but I do.”