by Peggy Dulle
I smiled fleetingly, a polite, mouth-only smile. Then remembering what I’d seen the other clowns wearing, I said, “Don’t I need a special badge to do all that?”
“Absolutely.” He reached into the top drawer of his desk and handed me an orange badge. “Just keep it out of sight until you need it. I don’t want any of the other participants to know we’re giving you any special privileges.”
It was a great opportunity for me to keep an eye on the kids, check out where the video cameras are, see if I could find out about the adult films being made, and get some information on Jessie. I nodded toward the picture behind him. “Is that your daughter?”
He glanced back, frowned and sighed. “No, that’s my niece.”
“She looks really familiar.”
“She was kidnapped ten years ago. It was in all the papers.”
“Jessie something, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, Jessie McGowan.”
“They never found her?”
“No.” He leaned forward.
“Wait. Wasn’t there something about clowns related to her abduction?”
“Yeah. Somebody dressed up like one of us and took her. I think that’s why she wasn’t afraid of the guy who grabbed her. She’d seen me in my clown suit a hundred times. The week before was the Spring Festival in Gainsville. I’d spent the whole week there and Jessie had wandered around with me and helped pass out balloon animals. She loved that I was a clown and was looking forward to coming to camp again.”
“She’d already been here a few times?”
“Oh yeah, it was her favorite summer vacation spot. Sometimes she’d spend the entire summer here. It was certainly better than staying at home,” he spat bitterly and with more anger then you’d expect from an uncle, then continued. “I loved that little girl. My wife did, too. We never could have children, so when Jessie was here it was like we had a daughter. After Jessie was taken we adopted a daughter of our own.” He smiled broadly and pointed to the wall behind me. It was filled with pictures of another girl. “Her name is Lori. But we all still miss Jessie.”
“I’m sorry. Losing a child like that is terrible. So many bad things happen to kids these days, don’t you think?” I scowled. I’m sure he thought it was because I saw so many abused and neglected children rather than because of what he did to them.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “That’s why I let a group of kids who’d never be able to afford it come to the camp each session. It makes me feel like I’m giving something back. I do it in memory of Jessie.”
“That’s a great thing to do.” I stood up. “Is your wife involved with the camp?”
“Yeah, she does all the administrative stuff and I run the program.” Carl put his hand on my arm. A faint crease of concern marred his brow. “We really need you, Liza.”
“Okay, I’ll help you with the kids.”
“Thanks, Liza.
I turned and left his office. What the hell? Frustration boiled in my veins. How could he talk about Jessie, his daughter, and other kids with such concern, and also be responsible for the pornography? It didn’t make sense. He knew about the clown costume being the same as his own organization but he never shared that with the police. Wouldn’t that have helped in the investigation? Carl certainly was the spokesman for the Uptown Clowns but did he know about everything else? I seem to be accumulating lots of questions and very few answers.
I was only a few minutes late to my balloon class. It was great fun. I learned how to make a poodle, cat, butterfly, giraffe, two different kinds of hats and even swords. Of course I’d never make the swords for the kids in my class. I have a rule about no “weapons of destruction” in my classroom. It kept the kids from making guns, bombs and swords out of all my Legos and building blocks.
After the balloon session we had a few hours to rest until dinner. I checked on the kids. They were all strapped up into safety straps and were having fun trying to walk on the tightrope and swing on the trapeze. Screams of delight and laughter filled the auditorium. The kids were okay. A few saw me and waved. I waved back and smiled.
Tony came over as I was walking out the door. “Liza.”
I turned. “Yeah.”
“I really appreciate you helping out,” he said with a faint smile.
“It’s okay, Tony. I don’t mind and I get to go to clown camp free. It’s a win-win situation for both of us.”
“I really do appreciate it. If there’s anything you need, let me know.” He pointed to himself, emphasizing his words.
“Okay, where does someone get a diet Coke around here?”
He smiled. “Follow me.”
He led me through a set of double doors to another door that read, “Staff Only”. Inside were several refrigerators. Tony opened one that was packed with soda. He stepped aside and pointed. “Help yourself, any time.”
I snatched a diet Coke, opened it, and took a big drink. “Thanks, Tony.”
“No, thank you Liza.” Tony waved and left the room.
I opened the other refrigerators. One was filled with fruits and vegetables, another with meats and breads, and the last had all types of desserts in it. I bet this food doesn’t have any drugs in it, I thought. I took a piece of cheesecake, sat down, and ate it with my diet Coke. Life didn’t get any better than this.
A few clowns came in and started to say something to me until, I flashed them my employee badge. They backed off. Power was good.
When I finished my snack, I took another diet Coke and left the building. When I got back to my room, Tina was asleep with her headphones on. There was also a set of headphones lying on my bed. I pushed the play button on the tape recorder and put in one of the earphones. Along with rhythmic pounding music was Carl’s voice. He was spouting the same crap I had been hearing for the last two days.
Tina looked up when I sat down on my bed. She pulled off her headphones. “Hey, Roomy.”
“How are you, Tina?” I asked.
“Great!” She pointed to my bed. “They delivered your headphones.”
I held them up. “I see that.”
“You’re supposed to listen when you’re napping or resting. It enhances the camp experience.”
“I’m sure it does.” I set them back on my bed. “I need to use the restroom first.”
Tina nodded, put her headphones back on, and fell fast asleep.
I went into the bathroom, got my nail clippers and slid them into my pocket. When I lay down in bed, I clipped the wire in two different places so they’d stay together but I wouldn’t be able to hear the stuff on the tape. It was easy to counter with a saying when I was awake, but it would be impossible while asleep. I pushed play and put on the headphones. The tape moved but there was no sound. Perfect. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
Tina jerked me awake, grabbing and pushing on my shoulder. “Liza! I know the tape is great but we’re going to be late for dinner.” She handed me a clown outfit. “Besides, tonight we get to dress up.”
“Oh great.”
Tina went into the bathroom and I examined my costume. It looked like all the others. How could the members tell the difference between the participants and themselves? The mask was missing. The members all had face gear to protect them from the drugged gas. We didn’t.
Tina came out of the bathroom dressed in her costume. “Hurry up. I’ll wait for you and we can walk over together.”
“Okay.” I went into the bathroom and changed. I checked my reflection in the mirror. I looked ridiculous. I didn’t even get this dressed up on Halloween.
When I came out of the bathroom Tina screamed with glee, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the auditorium. The evening was fairly similar to the last one, except people danced and acted crazier, sooner. I slipped away and ate some food from the staff lounge. I made sure I drank plenty of water, but I was still feeling the effects of the drugs in the air. I saw Tony standing by the door and went over to him.
“Tony, I feel weird. I’m not sure I’m going
to be able to help you with the kids.”
He took off his mask and handed it to me. “This filters the air. It should help.”
I put the mask on and within a few seconds my head was clear. But Tony’s eyes were fully dilated and he was starting to dance. I handed him the mask. “Why does this work? What’s in the air?”
“Stuff to help everyone relax.” He rocked his head back and forth to the music. “It’s harmless.”
“Should the kids be breathing this?” I said quietly.
“I said it’s harmless,” he bellowed back. “They told me so.”
Idiot! This man believes everything people tell him. “Who told you?”
“One of the top level clowns.”
“Carl?”
“No, his boss.” He handed me back the mask. “I’m going to go party. You take care of the kids.”
I put the mask on and kept an eye on the children the best I could. They were all running around, riding the bikes and having a great time. Some of it was the drug-induced euphoria but most were just kids being kids. Without the drugs in my system the entire Evening Extravaganza was laughable. It was just a bunch of adults acting foolish.
Most of the members had removed their masks and had joined in on the fun. I only saw four or five who still had their masks on. They were standing, arms crossed, in front of the exit doors. Like unmovable objects they barred anyone from escaping into the fresh air.
Several hours later the kids started to slow down. A few sat at the tables, and I found one little girl asleep under a table. Was I supposed to round them all up myself? No way. I went over to the four-clown statue at the door. “I need your help.”
They stepped forward. “What do you need?”
“Start rounding up the children. Tell them I need them to meet me at the front door.”
“Okay.” They split apart and went in search of the kids.
I waited at the door. Every few minutes they’d bring a few of them to me. A few were screaming and being carried, but they brought them anyway. I took off my mask so the kids would see me when they came over. Then I thought of something. I had no idea how many kids there were. In school I’d count them in and then count them on the way back.
“Kids!”
They turned and looked at me.
“Sit down, right here.”
They did it, probably due to the drug.
I left one of the clowns in charge and went in search of Tony. I found him all over Tina.
“Tony.”
They kept dancing. If you could call it that.
“Tony!”
He snapped his head toward me. “Yeah, Liza.”
“How many kids are there?”
“Huh?”
“All together, how many kids?”
“Thirty-six.”
“Thanks.” I went back to the front door and Tony went back to Tina.
I started counting. Only twenty-six. I sent the clowns out again. They found a few more. I kept sending them back until we had thirty-six kids. Then another arrived. Thirty-seven? Oh damn it! I went back and found Tony again. He and Tina were still bumping and grinding to the music.
“Tony!”
“Yeah?” His eyes were so dilated I wasn’t sure he was even on the same planet as me.
“Tony. I just got my thirty-seventh kid.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about little Cindy. She was added on at the last minute. Thirty-seven, yeah, that’s the number.” His words were slurred.
I shook his shoulder. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure this time.”
I went back to the kids and re-counted them. Exactly thirty-seven. Okay. I pointed to two of the clowns. “You and you come with me.”
They nodded and helped with the kids. As soon as we got out of the building, they removed their masks. I recognized them as the two men I’d seen loading the boxes of videotapes in the back of the kid’s dorm this morning. I took off my mask too. I wanted them to know that I was the one in charge. That way if they saw me again, they’d think twice before telling me I couldn’t do something.
They both looked at me. The surprise on their face was obvious. I’d forgotten I had on Tony’s mask. They’d thought it was him giving orders the entire time. They wouldn’t have been able to recognize my voice because of the drug-filtering system on the mask.
“Hey!” he shouted. “When did you become in charge of the kids?”
“Carl put me in charge this afternoon.”
“Oh.” They nodded and we walked the kids to their rooms.
“You two go and help the boys get settled into their beds. I’ll help the girls.”
Getting nineteen girls ready for bed took a while. They all needed a shower but it was just too late to do it tonight. Besides, they were wandering around like zombies. I supposed it was the drugs wearing off. I tucked each of them into bed. They went to sleep immediately.
When I went over to the boy’s room, I stuck my head in. They were all asleep, too. I didn’t see either of the two men who’d helped me walk the kids to the dorm. I wanted to thank them. Bad guys or not, I still appreciated their help. I wouldn’t have been able to get the kids all over to the dorms by myself.
Then I went in search of the cameras. They had to be somewhere. If they were taking pictures of the kids without clothes on, chances were it was happening in the bathroom or shower area. I needed to check there, but how would that look? If they were taking pictures or videos of the kids, they’d have me on tape, too. I’d look like a snoop, which I was, but I didn’t want them to know that. Should I act like a mom? I wasn’t one, but I’d been with kids for the last ten years. It was enough experience to pretend. Mother Clown? Here I go!
Chapter 15
How does someone find a hidden video camera? I wandered through both the boy and girl dorms, pretending to check on the kids. There weren’t any obvious blinking red lights or video cameras sticking out of the wall. Next I went into the girl’s bathroom, walked to the sink and washed my hands. Glancing around, I thought, what would my mother have done? The place was a mess. She’d start cleaning. I grabbed some paper towels and began wiping off the counters. That way I could look around the place while I cleaned.
The stalls were worse than the counters. I flushed a few toilets. They weren’t clean, but I wasn’t about to take this cleaning disguise that far, not without gloves anyway. As I worked I didn’t notice anything obvious, other than several room deodorizer units attached to the walls. There seemed to be two or three in every room.
Every shower stall had a deodorizer unit. The camera had to be behind the rectangular cover. They’d notice if I went over and took one off of the wall. Besides the rooms really did smell nice. Maybe they were just what they appeared to be – room deodorizers. I went back to the girl’s bathroom. If I stood on one of the toilets I might be able to get a better look at them. Close up, each had a little red light inside. Did that light indicate the camera was working? While I balanced myself on the toilet, trying not to fall in, I heard the footsteps.
“What the hell are you doing?” An angry voice shouted from behind me.
I kept fiddling with the deodorizers as I lied. “I was curious about what brand these are. They make these rooms smell so nice. We need these at my school in our bathrooms.”
“Get down!” he said coldly.
I turned toward him. He was one of the men who’d helped me with the kids earlier. Out of his clown costume, he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “I just want to know who makes them.”
“Get down, lady.” He reached his hand toward me.
“Not yet. There’s got to be a name or phone number up here someplace.” I was trying desperately to pull the cover off of the thing and see what was behind it.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me down, almost knocking me into the toilet. “I can get you the name and phone number of the company, lady. All of the boxes are tied together. If you mess with one it throws the whole deodorizer syste
m off.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just that they do such a great job. You should smell our bathrooms at school. Yuk! It’s an old building in serious need of remodeling and the bathroom tile is old. I think it’s absorbed the smells of thirty years of kids.” I rambled on. I tend to do that when I’m nervous or lying through my teeth.
He put his hand up. “It’s okay lady, really.”
“Thanks. By the way, these bathrooms are filthy. Who’s in charge of cleaning them?”
“I don’t know. I’ll find out and make sure they clean them up, okay? Will you go now?”
“Sure.” I stretched my hands over my head. “It is late and I’m exhausted.” I waved as I left the room. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
That had been close, maybe too close. I kept forgetting that I wasn’t some hotshot PI, just a kindergarten teacher dealing with mind-controlling clowns, pornography, drugs and a child’s kidnapping. I laughed out-loud. When my friends ask what I did over Spring Break, won’t they be surprised?
I really was exhausted. It was time to go to bed and figure out what to do tomorrow. At least, I think I might have figured out how the pictures of the kids were being taken and the drugs and mind-control was obvious. Tomorrow I’d turn my attention to Tina. Following her should lead me to the adult videos.
But what about Jessie? I was no closer to finding her than I had been two days ago. If I wanted to learn what happened to her, I would have to work my way up the clown organization. What level were the two clowns that had helped me tonight? They never participated in the drugs during the Evening Extravaganza that I could see. Could someone elevate up to that level without being involved in the pornography, drugs or mind-control? Probably not. But I only had two more days of camp to find out.