April's Fool

by Robbie Cox

  She smiled with a slight dip of her head. “That sounds wonderful.”

  He gestured in the direction of Black Hollow Academy, and the two of them started walking down the quiet sidewalk. Wyatt wanted to reach out, took her hand in his, but worried how odd that would be after only meeting her a couple of days ago. Besides, why begin something that would have to end when the circus left town? His life was on the road, no place for a dating life there, not to mention a relationship of any kind. April had a life here, and he wouldn’t disrupt that for anything. He chanced a sideways glance over at her, her green eyes sparkling in the moonlight, his body telling him he really wanted to disrupt her life right then, regardless of what his mind told him.

  “So, why a clown?” April asked as they walked, her arms over her chest as the cool April wind blew against them.

  “I’m sorry?” he asked, feeling his brows furrow, not sure what she meant.

  “A clown. You’re the grandson of the ringmaster, in line to inherit the circus sometime in the future; so, why did you choose to become a clown? Shouldn’t you be training to be ringmaster one day?”

  He took a deep breath, shaking his head. “That’s never been something I wanted,” he admitted. “And up until my father died, it wasn’t anything I needed to worry about anytime soon.” He shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. “I guess I kind of need to start thinking about it now, huh?” He sighed, feeling the anxiety grip his chest. “I swear, I thought I had forever, you know? Grandfather is still strong, so full of life.” He stopped, the sounds of the circus camp in the distance, the smoke from the flickering flames of their fires slithering up into the air. “I have to discover who’s trying to kill him.” He glanced over at April, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “And I like being a clown, a court jester really, which fits, since my grandfather is kind of like the king of this place. Kids laugh and get all excited when I act the fool around them, leaking water out of the flower on my lapel, tripping over my huge feet, acting the buffoon for their enjoyment. I can’t shift like true korrigans, only being half of one myself. They can turn into anything, true shapeshifters. I can only adjust my appearance; so a clown seemed natural.”

  April nodded as they continued walking, her arms down at her sides now. “You were kind of funny during the show yesterday,” she said, laughing softly.

  Wyatt took a deep breath, reached out, and took her hand in his, braced in case she pulled away.

  She didn’t.

  Instead, she turned, smiling at him as she squeezed his hand back, saying nothing.

  He smiled back at her, and together, they continued to walk toward the circus camp at the academy, his mood a little lighter even though the experience they just faced still loomed over him. For now, he would enjoy the peacefulness of being with April.

  Of course, that peacefulness waned when they stepped onto the asphalt of the school’s parking lot, his family stretched out before him. Some played cards, some sat around campfires telling stories and laughing, and others just wandered around. These people, paranormals of all kinds, were his family, the family of life on the road, anyway, and yet, one of them wanted his true family dead. He would find whoever it was, one way or another.

  He glanced back over, squeezing April’s hand once more. “You ready to meet the rest of the family?”

  “Taking me home to meet the parents, so to speak?” she said with a slight giggle, a twinkle in her eyes.

  However, the question made more than his heart throb.

  Seventeen

  The next couple of days things remained on edge but quiet. The circus reopened Tuesday morning, but it took half a day for the big top to be put back up and for the shows to continue. There was enough there without the tent to keep the people of Black Hollow occupied and entertained, however. April continued to go to the circus every day, watching each of Wyatt’s shows and doing her best to keep an eye on Chester. The older man returned to the center ring Tuesday morning, refusing to put anyone else in harm’s way, daring the bastards who caused the accident to try again with him there. Wyatt, of course, spent most of his days near his grandfather’s side, watching for anything out of the ordinary, and then once his grandfather returned to the camp with Patrick and the others by his side, Wyatt would take long walks around Black Hollow with April, hand-in-hand. She told him about the kids in her school, the challenges of teaching paranormal beings, and he shared with her about life on the road, each laughing at the other’s stories, and April finding herself falling for the fool of the circus. This Thursday night would be no different as April waited near the candied apple cart for him to clean up after his last act.

  As she stood there, she watched the people basking in the final few minutes of enjoyment, the lights, sounds, the thrilling rides, the animals that roamed freely among the people. April stood there, laughing as kids raced from their parents’ grasp, darting all over the place, and the parents doing their best to keep up. The roundabout never seemed so alive.

  “Reina told me I’d find you here,” Brandie Underwood said as she approached, startling April out of her voyeurism. “I wanted to tell you what Sebastian and I found—or rather, didn’t find—at the accident spot a couple of days ago.” She stopped a couple of feet away from April, her hands slid into the pockets of her jeans. “Seems once the wreckage was sorted through, one of the supports that was supposed to hold up the bale ring was nowhere to be found.” She shrugged. “It should have been in the middle of the pile with the main part of the center pole, but no one came across it.”

  April felt her brow furrow. “Are you sure? There was debris scattered in different places. Did they check under the stadium seating? Along the edges of the tent? From what we were told, when the center pole collapsed, pieces went flying everywhere. The support could have landed under the bleachers or even on the other side of the tent.”

  Brandie nodded. “You’re right; it could have, but it didn’t. They searched every inch under that tent and pieced everything together like a jigsaw puzzle and still nothing.”

  “Any ideas as to what happened to it?” Where could a giant piece of wood go?

  Brandie shook her head. “Haven’t a clue. The only real explanation is someone walked off with it, which if that was the case meant there was something on it that would lead back to them. I can imagine how chaotic the inside of that tent was at that point. It would have been easy for someone to either sneak it out or hide it until they could have gone back for it later.”

  April tried to think back to that night. There were a lot of people moving broken pieces of timber as everyone tried to uncover Spence and Maver. Any one of those pieces could have been the support Brandie described. There just wasn’t any real way of knowing. “So, what do we do from here?” April asked the detective.

  “To be honest, I’m not really sure,” Brandie told her. “Kerry pulled all the names associated from with the circus. Your Wyatt is next in line to inherit after his grandfather, so normally he’d be the prime suspect. There are a few other family members who would benefit if the circus sold: Spence Compton, who’s now dead, Marion Hodges, Sedwick Compton and his father, Ingram, even though he’s no longer with the circus, and Chuckles, the Clown.” She laughed at that last part. “That’s actually his legal name, Chuckles, the Clown.” She shook her head. “God, I hate clowns. They’re so....creepy looking.”

  A howling whirled around the edges of the circus causing people to shudder as they wrapped their arms around themselves, gripping upper arms, rubbing their flesh to warm their bodies. If one listened carefully, they could almost hear moans drifting along the sudden breeze.

  Ignoring the phantoms howling, April grinned as she dropped her gaze to the grass. She knew one clown who wasn’t creepy at all, in or out of costume. She felt her blush heat her cheeks as she wondered more about the out of costume part. She grew close to Wyatt since she approached him Saturday, but she also knew he was destined to leave Black Hollow. There was no
future with Wyatt; the circus was his life. That she came to understand very well over the past couple of days, and she didn’t want to do anything to push him from his current life. Of course, she had every intention of enjoying every minute while he was in town.

  “Thank you,” she told Brandie. “And tell your sister thanks. I appreciate what you’ve found out so far.”

  Brandie nodded. “We’re not done yet, but I wanted to give you an update. The missing piece of wood pretty much shouts attempted murder. Sebastian is on it, as am I. Hopefully, we can figure it out before the circus leaves town. Otherwise, I don’t know what to tell you. They’ll be gone as will the killer.”

  April felt her muscles tighten at the thought of Wyatt leaving before they found out who was after his family. “Can’t Sebastian make them stay until his investigation is over?”

  Brandie shook her head. “I don’t see how to be honest. It’s not an actual investigation. Except for the missing piece of the pole, everything looks like it was an accident. You can’t hold people for an accident.”

  April sighed. The circus left Sunday morning. That only left them two days to figure out who wanted Chester dead before they packed it all up and headed for the next town. She wasn’t sure it was even possible, considering they hadn’t found anything in four days.

  “I’m sorry,” Brandie said, her lips down-turned into a frown. “I know it’s not what you wanted to hear. I’ll keep digging. Promise.”

  “Thanks,” April said, doing her best not to sound so defeated. “I appreciate it.”

  Brandie nodded before walking away, her hands still in her pockets.

  April wrapped her arms around herself, staring up into the trees lining the roundabout. She couldn’t blame Brandie for not finding anything. The circus was full of paranormals, most of whom could hide anything they didn’t want found. Yet, somehow, they need to discover the indiscoverable.

  A pair of black eyes blinked at her from one of the tree branches overhead, startling her out of her thoughts. They blinked once more before a capuchin monkey swung to the next branch and then down to the litter-covered ground. He snatched up an empty popcorn container, hurling it into the nearest trash bin as he scampered over to where April stood. She just watched the monkey approach, his head swiveling as if he searched for something—or someone.

  You’re the banshee who warned Wyatt about his grandfather, right? a voice sounded in April’s head. And before you ask, yes, it’s the monkey talking to you. I’m Barnabas Stillwell, a shifter obviously. I heard your conversation with the detective woman. She said a piece of support was missing?

  April cocked an eyebrow at the monkey, not sure why she was surprised that it wasn’t an actual monkey in this circus, but a shifter. “Yes,” she replied. “Something that held the bale ring in place. They’ve pieced everything together, but can’t seem to find that part to the puzzle. Any idea how it could have just disappeared?”

  The monkey shook his head. No, I don’t. Of course, around here, anything could sprout legs and walk away. Although, I’m sure someone would see a piece of wood scampering out of the tent. He stood up on his hind legs, hands rubbing around each other in nervous circles. You should ask Patrick. He’s in charge of setting up the place. He would have an inventory before and after the accident. He could tell you how it might be missing if anyone could. In the meantime, I’ll look around the circus and see if I can find it. Whoever took it may have thrown it in the bushes somewhere. No one would notice a piece of timber among a bunch of branches and shrubs. It’d seem normal.

  April nodded. “They could also have taken it to the camp and tossed it into one of those firepits.” She took a deep breath, frustration filling her at the dead ends they seemed to run into constantly.

  The monkey bounced his head up and down. True. True. We can only hope they didn’t. For Chester’s sake.

  “Agreed.” April turned to the back of the tent, looking for Wyatt to appear. She only had a couple of days left with Wyatt, and as selfish as it sounded, she didn’t want to spend it tracking down a killer. She wanted to see how it would feel being wrapped up in Wyatt’s arms under the moonlight.

  Barnabas scampered off toward the tent as the lights around the edge of the roundabout started shutting off, casting the circus into darkness. However, April knew darkness had swallowed Professor Compton’s Phantom Circus a while ago when someone started killing the Comptons, a darkness that would only grow darker unless they caught the person spreading it.

  Eighteen

  Wyatt stared around the interior of Thirst Bar, still amazed at how the residents of the community could be who they were without fear of being hunted down and destroyed. Here he saw all sorts of paranormal beings—leprechauns, brownies, ogres, dwarfs, even a couple of elves from the circus—huddled around the bar and perched in booths, sipping drinks, and laughing as if they had no care in the world. It boggled his mind.

  “You sure you don’t want to give karaoke a try, Wyatt?” Reina asked as she stirred her drink. “I’m sure Nunk and Ruck over there could use a stand-in for Gerst, who’s working at the bank tonight.” She glanced up, grinning. “Might be fun.”

  Wyatt shook his head. Singing wasn’t on his list of things to do even when he wasn’t worried about his grandfather; he definitely wasn’t up for it now. He just shook his head as he lifted his whiskey to his lips.

  Reina giggled as she copied the motion, sipping her rum runner.

  April rolled her eyes when her friend wasn’t looking, but Wyatt saw it and bit down on the inside of his lip to keep from laughing.

  Wyatt met April outside of the tent shortly after Barnabas left, and she quickly filled him in on everything the capuchin monkey and the detective told her. He admitted none of it made sense to him, but he made a mental note to talk to Patrick about the equipment before tomorrow morning’s show. He would have done it right then, but he knew the man quite possibly already had half a bottle of whiskey in him and wouldn’t do anyone any good for the rest of the night. With that task tucked away until morning, Wyatt then decided to allow April to show him one of her nightspots, since he showed her his camp a couple of nights ago. He would have much rather played another version of “you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine,” but he’d take what he could get. Thus, he found himself seated around a table in a dark corner of Thirst Bar, sipping a whiskey as April’s friend insinuated herself into his night with the fiery redhead.

  “So, Wyatt, what do you do for fun out on the road?” Reina asked, holding her glass a few inches above the table with her fingers, barely around the rim.

  “Well, tonight, I’m at a bar with the two of you,” he answered, grinning. “I mean, this is technically ‘out on the road’ for me.”

  Reina bobbed her head up and down, her lips twisted in a thoughtful grimace. “I guess you’re right, but I mean, other times, not like right now. Or do you always take women to bars like this?” She cocked her head a little as she stared at him. “You’re not some player, are you? Cause, I won’t permit you toying with my girl’s affections like that.” She shook her head. “Nope. No fly-by-night Romeo is going to make a mark of my girl.”

  Wyatt noticed April squirming in her seat, the blush warming her cheeks. He glanced over at her, smiling as he tilted his head a little. “I don’t think anyone could make a mark of April. She seems quite capable of taking care of herself.”

  April’s blush grew redder as she ducked her gaze to her drink.

  Wyatt smiled even more as he watched her.

  This time, Reina rolled her eyes as she dropped back into her seat, both hands now holding her near-empty drink. “Mush. Yuck. Are there no Vikings left in the world?”

  April and Wyatt both laughed. “You want a Viking?” April asked, disbelief in her tone as she glanced over at her friend. “What? You want someone to knock you over the head, drag you to their bed, and take you?”

  Reina grinned, leaning back over toward April, a salacious grin pushing up her cheek
s. “Are you interested? I promise to fight. A little, at least. Well, in the beginning.” She hopped in her seat a little, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “So, are you up for it?”

  April shook her head, her dark red hair brushing along her shoulders. “You’re a mess. Why don’t you go haunt the people at Daydreamer Inn and leave me alone? I’m sure the guests would be a lot more fun. You might even find your Viking.”

  “Viking? I can be a Viking,” a voice said from behind them.

  Wyatt turned, glancing over his shoulder as Sedwick, Patrick, and Barnabas walked up to join them at the table. A smile crept across his lips as he saw his friends.

  As Sedwick drew nearer, he shifted, his body growing taller and thicker, his shaggy brown hair stretching down his broad back as his beard grew to the middle of his chest, and a helmet materialized on top of his head with two horns curling up into the air on each side. His clothes even shifted, his top and jeans shifting into the thick furs and tunic of a Viking warrior ready to go off to battle. When he finished, he stared at Reina from under bushy brows. “See? A Viking?” He curled his arms to show off his thick biceps. “Now, why did you want a Viking?” he asked, bouncing his brows at her.

  Reina raked him with her gaze, her brows arched over her dark eyes. “And does everything on you grow like that?”

  Wyatt chuckled as he shook his head. Why is that always one of the first questions they ask? He glanced over at April who met his gaze and shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. She mouthed the words, “I’m sorry,” as she shrugged. He just shook his head, laughing.

  Sedwick shifted back to his normal korrigan size, and Reina sighed, her shoulders slumped. “It never lasts,” she said, her bottom lip pushed out.