mystic caravan mystery 02 - freaky lies

by Amanda M. Lee

  “You’re cooking for me, too,” Luke said. “If you don’t, I’ll recite the cheer.”

  Nixie’s eyes widened. “You remember it?”

  Luke was smug. “I memorized it.”

  “This story is the gift that keeps on giving,” Kade grinned. “This is so much better than Luke’s bad breakup story.”

  Not for me it wasn’t. “I want you all to know that I’ll never forget this moment. This is when you all turned on me, and the betrayal is … bitter.” I have a flair for the dramatic. I can’t help myself.

  “You’ll survive,” Kade said. “Can you cook some potatoes with the steaks? I’m really hungry.”

  “Sure. Why not? My entire life is ruined. I might as well add potatoes to it.”

  “That sounds great,” Kade said, refusing to give in to my potential fit. “I’ll see you in forty-five minutes.”

  I WAS so lost in thought – and in intriguing ways to punish Luke – when I got back to my trailer that I almost forgot the other evening event on my agenda. I let myself inside and gathered my dinner ingredients before returning to the small outdoor cooking area between my trailer and Luke’s. Rewarding my traitorous friends with food seemed the wrong way to go, but I was hungry, too. Hey, the steaks were expensive.

  I began peeling potatoes, muttering to myself as I imagined the best ways to embarrass Luke into keeping my secret. Unfortunately for me, Luke doesn’t embarrass easily. It’s annoying, especially when you’re someone who tends to take mortification to new heights whenever possible. Still, there had to be something I could do to force his hand.

  “You ruined everything. You know that, right?”

  It took me a moment to register the new voice. It was menacing, despite the low volume. I shifted my eyes to the man standing on the other side of the picnic table. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Dakota, but in my discombobulated state I’d almost forgotten what I saw in his head.

  “I’m glad to be of service,” I replied, my hands busy as I continued peeling potatoes. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer sociopath.”

  “You ruined everything,” Dakota repeated, his eyes dangerous dark slits as he scorched me with a hateful glare. “Debbie took off. I can’t find her.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” I explained. “This way you won’t spend the rest of your life in prison after murdering three people.”

  “That wasn’t going to happen.”

  “It was.”

  “It wasn’t!” Dakota’s cool veneer finally slipped as he slapped his hand on the table. If he expected to frighten me, he found nothing but disappointment when I didn’t so much as flinch. “How did you know about the cat?”

  “I’m a fortune teller,” I replied, setting an unpeeled potato on the table before reaching for another. “I can see the future and the past. It comes with the territory.”

  “Do you honestly expect me to believe that?” Dakota was incredulous. “Did you have someone spying on me? Is that how you knew?”

  “Yes, I often send people to spy on asshats in various towns before we arrive,” I said. “That’s how I knew you killed a cat six months ago.”

  “How can you possibly know that?” Dakota was losing it, his face reddening as his frustration and anger bubbled. “It’s impossible for you to know that.”

  “I know about the cat the same way I know about the murders,” I replied, finishing off the last potato and placing it next to the others before getting to my feet. It was almost time. “You’re a sociopath. Do you know what that means?”

  “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

  He was right about that. I figured he deserved an explanation before … well … it happened. “A sociopath knows right from wrong but simply doesn’t care,” I supplied. “He attaches no meaning or emotion to anything in his life. He’s incapable of love. He mimics love but doesn’t feel it.”

  “That’s not true,” Dakota argued. “I love Debbie.”

  “No, you decided to marry Debbie to keep up appearances,” I corrected. “You don’t even like Debbie, let alone love her. You like sex. You like power. You want to get ahead at work. You’ve heard the whispers, though. They know there’s something wrong with you, and you’re under the mistaken impression that you’ll get ahead if people see a softer side of you. You’re stuck as long as they continue to think you’re emotionally distant.”

  Dakota’s mouth dropped open. I’d clearly hit a homerun with that gleaned tidbit. “How can you possibly know that?”

  “The same way I know you’re about to attack me,” I said, exhaling heavily as I leveled my gaze at Dakota. “You might as well get it over with. You’ve already made up your mind. Your future is set.”

  Dakota balked. “I have no intention of hurting you. That’s not who I am.”

  “That’s exactly who you are,” I countered. “I saw everything. I saw the things you’ve done and those that are yet to come. You’re sick, and there’s no fixing you. It doesn’t matter what you say or do from here on out because you’re already broken.”

  This time the look Dakota shot me was pure venom. “Who says I want to be fixed?”

  I opened my mouth to answer but didn’t get the chance because that’s when the angry young man launched himself in my direction. I wasn’t expecting it. Not quite yet, at least. I managed to step to the side and raise the only weapon I had at my disposal. I couldn’t get my hand on the shovel under the picnic table in time to protect myself. The peeler would have to do.

  I lowered my eyes and plunged the short steel into the right side of Dakota’s chest, purposely missing any vital organs but using enough force to make him scream. I didn’t want to kill him. Death would be a release for a man like him. I wanted to punish him, and the only way I could do that was by ensuring he would be locked up until someone else killed him. One way left me with a guilty conscience. The other left me sleeping like a baby.

  “Omigod! You stabbed me!”

  Dakota’s wail surprised me and I took an involuntary step back, accidentally leaving the peeler – and a potential weapon – in his chest. I gasped as Dakota reached for the peeler and yanked it out of his chest, brandishing it like a knife as he turned in my direction.

  “I’m going to kill you!”

  Whoops. Apparently there was one little flaw in my plan. Kade and Luke were going to be ticked.

  15

  Fifteen

  “I should’ve stabbed you in the heart,” I grumbled, shaking my head as Dakota gripped the peeler hard enough that his knuckles whitened. The sun had slipped almost completely beyond the horizon, but the murderous intent was evident on the young man’s face. “I wanted you to suffer, though. I’m such an idiot sometimes.”

  Blood seeped from the wound in Dakota’s chest and covered his fingers as he reflexively squeezed the peeler. “Now I’m going to make you suffer,” he hissed.

  “You’re not strong enough to do that,” I said. Despite the surreal nature of the situation I didn’t fear for my life. The peeler wasn’t my only weapon. I also had my mind, should I need it. “You’ll never get close to me.”

  “Don’t bet on it!”

  I wasn’t in a wagering mood but if I had extra money I would certainly throw it down on this. “I’m right.”

  “You’re dead.”

  Dakota lunged at me again, causing me to lash out with my mind. I used enough force that his body stiffened, going ramrod straight as I took control of his central nervous system. The effect was so jarring I knew he would have whiplash when I released him. I left his mind intact, relishing the fear coursing through him when he realized he couldn’t move.

  “What’s going on?” Dakota’s head was immobile but his eyes darted from left to right. “What’s happening?”

  “I told you not to do it, but you didn’t listen,” I said, wiping the leftover potato juice on the knit shorts I changed into upon returning to my trailer. Kade loved the skirts, but I didn’t want to risk ruining one. “Th
is really is your fault. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

  “What’s happening?” Dakota howled. He fought the mental binds I used to enslave him, but he was weak of spirit and mind. He wasn’t a threat.

  “You’re going to jail,” I replied. “You’re also a schmuck. I hope you understand that this isn’t how I wanted things to go. You had a choice in this … and you made the wrong one.”

  “I’m going to kill you!” Dakota kept singing the same refrain even though the melody had soured.

  “Yes, you’re truly terrifying,” I said, glancing at the potatoes. “Crud. I forgot the rosemary. I guess Luke and Kade are going to have to go without.”

  “I will kill you!” Dakota may not have been a threat, but his voice carried. Most of the guests were on their way to the parking lot and couldn’t overhear the sociopath’s fit. That didn’t mean he was going unnoticed.

  “What’s going on?” Nellie asked, curiosity getting the better of him as he rounded the corner. I wasn’t surprised to find his emerald evening dressed hiked high enough to show his knees – or an ax in his hand. He always goes for the ax.

  “My friend here has some issues,” I replied, reaching for the box of aluminum foil on the picnic table. “I’m glad you’re here, though. Can you go inside and grab the fresh rosemary from my refrigerator? It’s in a baggie. I’m cooking dinner for Luke and Kade, and I want to give the potatoes some extra flair.”

  “Maybe in a minute,” Nellie replied, his eyes busy as they roamed Dakota’s frozen body. This wasn’t the first time I’d unveiled this particular trick, so Nellie wasn’t alarmed by the situation – or Dakota’s growing panic.

  “Help me,” Dakota pleaded. “She’s crazy. She’s going to kill me.”

  “You probably have it coming,” Nellie said. “What is he?”

  “Human,” I replied. “His aura is black.”

  Nellie does a lot of reading, so he knew exactly what that meant. “Ah, a sociopath,” he said, circling the man as if ready to close in on his prey. “Did he come into your tent tonight?”

  “His girlfriend wanted to know whether they were going to live happily ever after,” I explained. “For the record, they weren’t.”

  “My fiancée,” Dakota corrected, flustered. “Let me go, bitch!”

  “Use your words,” Nellie chided. “It’s not nice to call people names.”

  “No one asked you, faggot!” Dakota was so worked up spittle formed at the corners of his mouth.

  “I’ll have you know that cross-dressing doesn’t necessarily denote homosexuality,” Nellie said. “I like a pretty dress. I also like a pretty lady. You should be careful who you malign, especially if they carry an ax.” Nellie lifted his weapon for emphasis. “What’s with the blood on his chest?”

  “He attacked quicker than I expected,” I answered. “I had to improvise. I couldn’t lock him up with my mind in time, so I had no choice. I made sure to avoid any major arteries or organs.” Did he not hear me when I asked him to get the rosemary? “Where did we land on you getting me the ingredients I need?”

  “Why can’t you do it?” Nellie asked, annoyed. “I don’t like cooking.”

  “I’m not asking you to cook.”

  “I don’t like fetching ingredients for cooking either,” Nellie said.

  “Yes, but I can’t leave the area because he’ll unfreeze,” I said. “Do you want that?”

  Nellie didn’t look bothered by the prospect. “I’m fine with it,” he said. “I’ll take him off your hands. I always get bored when we’re stuck in these flat states in the middle for long stretches.”

  That sounded like a terrible idea. “You can’t kill him,” I said, shaking my head hard enough that one of my buns came loose. Great. Not only were the potatoes going to go without rosemary, now my hair looked ridiculous. This so wasn’t my night. “The cops are already suspicious because of the body in the field. We can’t have someone go missing here. That wouldn’t look good.”

  Dakota’s eyes widened. He clearly didn’t like where this conversation was going. I didn’t blame him.

  “How are you going to explain this when the cops show up?” Nellie asked. “He’s bleeding.”

  “He attacked me.”

  “Yeah, but you stabbed him,” Nellie said. “That’s going to look bad, too.”

  “I stabbed him with the peeler,” I said, pointing toward the utensil in Dakota’s hand. “That’s clearly self-defense.”

  “Oh, nice,” Nellie said, cracking a smile. “That makes it more fun. You should’ve peeled him a little bit for good measure. This guy must be pretty bad for you to risk doing this to him.”

  “He was going to kill his baby … and wife … and a teenage girl.” Even saying it was distasteful.

  Nellie made a face. “You are a douche, huh? I guess you got what’s coming to you.”

  “I’ll tell the police everything,” Dakota screeched. “I won’t be the one in jail. You will.”

  “Oh, that’s not going to happen,” I said brightly. “I’m going to fix your memory as soon as I get these potatoes on the grill. I can’t do that until Nellie gets my rosemary, though.”

  “Fine,” Nellie said, dragging himself away from Dakota. “You owe me, though.”

  “I’ll cook a steak for you, too.”

  “It’s going to be a good night,” Nellie said, grinning as he hopped up the stairs leading to my trailer. “I want a potato, too.”

  “You got it.”

  “I DON’T understand what happened.”

  Detective Lance Brewer didn’t look happy to be back at the circus. Given the lateness of the hour – and the way Luke kept smiling at him as he ate his steak and potatoes – I could understand his frustration.

  “I already told you what happened,” I said. “I gave this … man … a reading earlier. He didn’t like what I had to say and stormed out. I came back here to cook dinner while everyone else was closing up shop and he attacked me.”

  Dakota, his arms cuffed behind his back, looked mildly dazed as a paramedic worked on his chest. He sat at a nearby picnic table and stared into nothingness. I might’ve dosed him a bit too much with the memory mojo, but it’s not as though he didn’t have it coming.

  “And you stabbed him with a potato peeler?” Brewer asked, wrinkling his nose. “How did that happen?”

  “He took me by surprise and I just reacted.”

  “Uh-huh.” Brewer obviously wasn’t convinced. He shifted his eyes to Nellie, raising his eyebrows as the dwarf gnawed on his steak bone. Ever the gentleman, Nellie affixed a napkin to the front of his dress before eating. “And you saw all of this?”

  “Most of it,” Nellie replied, using his fingernail to dig between his teeth. He stared at whatever he found for a moment and then popped it back into his mouth, earning a disgusted glare from Brewer. “I didn’t see his initial approach but I heard him screaming and saw him jump at Poet. I was on my way to help when she stabbed him. I helped her wrestle him down, and we called you.”

  “And then ate steaks while you waited for us to arrive?” Brewer prodded, glancing at the empty plates.

  “They were good steaks,” I said, earning a dark look and curt shake of the head from Kade. He was angry when he found Nellie and me holding a future murder suspect captive. He was even angrier when I explained about the potato peeler and having to modify Dakota’s mind. I was pretty sure he hadn’t put together the part of the story where I knew there would be an attack before it occurred. When that happened he would pop a vein or something.

  “We did everything right,” Kade said, wiping the corners of his mouth with his napkin. “It’s not our fault this guy attacked Poet. He was obviously stalking her. He waited until she was alone to approach.”

  “I understand that,” Brewer said. “It’s just … does he seem stoned to anyone else?”

  “It’s probably the loss of blood,” Luke replied smoothly, winking at Brewer. He has a thing for cops – and a recurring dream in
which he can convert a straight one if he puts a little effort into the seduction. Unfortunately for Brewer, Luke’s dream world was about to collide with his real world if he wasn’t careful. “That always makes people wonky.”

  “Are you around people who lose blood often?” Brewer asked, tilting his head to the side.

  Luke realized his mistake too late. “No, but I watch a lot of television. Everything you need to know about life you can learn from watching Grey’s Anatomy.”

  That was a good answer. He made me proud with that one.

  “I especially like the hot doctors who can’t keep their shirts on but manscape a lot,” Luke added. “I’ve learned that no matter how bad the plot is, it’s worth it to keep watching for that alone.”

  Ah, pride is fleeting at times. “We only restrained him long enough for you to get here,” I said, drawing Brewer’s attention from Luke and fixing it on me. “Did we do something wrong?”

  “I … no,” Brewer replied. “It just seems coincidental that there would be an attack out here so soon after a body was discovered.”

  “That’s why we called you right away,” I said, flashing my best “I’m cute and you have to believe me no matter what” smile in his direction. “He could be a murderer.” I knew that wasn’t true, but if Brewer believed I was a histrionic female that could only work in our favor.

  “Oh,” Brewer intoned, realization dawning. “Of course you would think that. That didn’t even occur to me.”

  “He took me by surprise and terrified me,” I said, adopting a little girl voice. “I probably won’t sleep tonight.”

  “You need a massage,” Luke said sagely, winking at Kade. “It’s a good thing you cooked a big dinner for your boy toy. Now he has no choice but to rub you down and make you purr.”

  Brewer looked horrified by the suggestion. “Okay, well … we’re going to take the suspect to the station and process him. If you could write up what you saw and email it into our office tomorrow this will probably be pretty cut and dry.”