“What lineup are you talking about?” I asked.
“Well, for starters, I know you have a trapeze crew,” he started. “I want to make sure the costumes aren’t too skimpy. I was thinking a nice sparkle bodysuit that completely covers the bosoms would be appropriate.” He moved his hands over his chest for emphasis.
“You don’t want boobs hanging out,” I noted. “That’s what you’re saying? Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Our costumes are chaste and cover everything.”
“That’s good.” He beamed happily. “I would also like to talk about your fortune teller.”
Instantly my antenna went up. “Excuse me?”
“I understand you’re the one who reads fortunes, correct?”
“Yes.”
Clearly sensing trouble, Kade moved closer to me. He looked as if he was ready to jump between Larry and me should I decide it was time to kill him.
“Well, we’ve been discussing that in the committee meetings, and we think it would be best if you only delivered happy fortunes.”
“Do you?” My temper was bubbling hot and threatened to grab me by the throat.
“We thought about canceling the fortunes altogether because we don’t believe in promoting hocus pocus, but, surprisingly, many of the committee members were against that. They said the fortunes were a popular draw. Of course, they were all women, so that explains that.”
“Oh, so women believe in hocus pocus and men are rational and only believe in the real?” I challenged.
“Yes.” He didn’t seem bothered by the change in my tone or the aggressive stance I’d adopted. Clearly, he wasn’t afraid of me. That probably had something to do with the fact that I was a woman.
“Now you listen here ... .”
Kade extended a hand and pressed it to my chest to keep me from throwing myself on Larry and expressing my out-of-control rage. “Mr. Wilcox, the thing is, Poet is truly gifted. She doesn’t decide between what’s happy and sad. She volunteers the readings she gets in a truthful manner. You’re not saying you want her to lie, are you?”
Larry’s face was blank. “I don’t believe in psychic powers.”
I was so furious I considered putting on a display to silence him, but even through the haze of red I saw that was a bad idea. I was never going to bring Larry around to my way of thinking. He was a narrow-minded individual and that would never change. I should simply agree and send him on his way. Besides, I had other things to worry about.
I couldn’t quite make myself do it.
“I’ll do my absolute best to make sure my customers are satisfied,” I gritted out. “That’s the promise I make at every venue.”
“And she’s good,” Kade interjected quickly. I could tell he was worried, but he really needn’t be. I was already over Larry and his ridiculous attitude. I wanted to move on ... and get him away from us. “She’s always our biggest draw.”
“I would’ve assumed the games were the biggest draw,” Larry argued. “I mean ... isn’t that where you make most of your money?”
“I meant outside of the games,” Kade said quickly, cringing when I murdered him with the darkest look in my repertoire. “Personally, I think Poet’s show is the best thing we have to offer, far and away better than the games.”
“Yes, well, people like all different types of things,” Larry drawled. “I happen to be a game person.”
“I’m sure you are.” I managed to rein in my temper, but just barely. “Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”
“That’s it for now. Just make sure you don’t allow those ... urchins ... out in public. We don’t want homeless people on the fairgrounds during the festival. That means you have to get them out before we open. We’ve spent a great deal of time and money cleaning them out of here already.”
To him it was a simple statement. To me, it was something more. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Just that. We hired security to keep the homeless from squatting on this property. They’re unsightly. Normal people don’t like seeing them because it creates an atmosphere of discomfort.”
I would show him an atmosphere of discomfort when I shoved my foot up his ... .
“We’ve got it,” Kade snapped. His good nature had been completely eradicated. “You don’t have to worry about your precious festival. We’ll make sure the girls are taken care of. If that’s all, you really should go. We have things to do.”
“That’s all.” Larry graced Kade and me with his smarmiest smile. “This was a productive meeting. I’ll be back tomorrow with further tweaks. Keep up the good work.”
With those words, he was gone, happily waving and calling out to people as he exited the grounds.
“Get Nellie,” I hissed. “Tell him to bring his ax.”
“You know we can’t do that.” Kade sounded practical, which only served to tick me off more. “You just have to ignore him. He’s hardly the first jerk we’ve met in recent months. Don’t give him the satisfaction of riling you.”
He was right, and I hated it. “I have work.” I disengaged from Kade. Wisely, he made no move to follow me. “I’m going to set up my tent and prepare myself for happy fortunes. It would probably be best if you didn’t follow me for a bit. I’m ... upset.”
“I gathered that.” His lips curved up. “I’ll check on the girls. You know where to find me if you need to talk … or have someone talk you down from a ledge.”
The only thing I needed right now was to vent ... and I knew exactly where to go to do it.
13
Thirteen
I checked on Cotton and Michelob and found them diligently working. I took a moment to observe them when they weren’t looking and found their conversation interesting ... mostly because Michelob seemed soft-spoken, as if she couldn’t speak above a whisper. Her voice was ragged. She was slow and deliberate in choosing her words.
“Hey.” I pushed back from the wall to approach them. It was rude to eavesdrop, after all, and I wanted the girls to trust me. “How are things going?”
“We’re making our way through all the benches like good little girls,” Cotton offered with a sassy salute. “We’re holding up our end of the bargain.”
“I never had a doubt.” I moved to Michelob and sat on the bleacher bench next to the one she was cleaning. She was an enigma, and I felt sorry for her. “How are you doing?”
The girl’s eyes widened. She was clearly surprised to be addressed. I had a feeling that Cotton served as their official spokeswoman.
“She’s fine,” Cotton replied. “She’s working hard.”
“That’s not what I asked.” I pinned a pointed gaze on Cotton, one that warned I meant business. “I was talking to Michelob.”
I didn’t want to make the quiet girl nervous, but I was curious about her voice. “Do you mind?” I tentatively stretched my fingers toward her throat. “I just want to see what’s going on in there.”
“Are you suddenly a doctor or something?” Cotton snapped. “If you’re not, we don’t want you doing no witch doctor magic on her.”
“Quiet,” I ordered, mustering a small smile for Michelob’s benefit. “It’s okay. I just want to see.”
Michelob appeared uncertain, but she hesitantly nodded.
I was gentle when I touched her throat, frowning when my fingers brushed against a set of the most inflamed tonsils I’d ever felt. “How long have they been like this?” I asked.
“It’s just a cold,” Cotton interjected. “She’ll be fine.”
I ignored her. “It’s okay. You can tell me.” I nodded to prod Michelob. “I want to help.”
“Mostly since I was a kid,” Michelob finally rasped. “A doctor said they needed to come out, but my mother didn’t have the money. It’s okay. I’m kind of used to it now.”
I caught a fleeting glimpse from inside her head of what her mother needed the money for. It looked to be crack. I was momentarily overtaken by a wild impulse to track down the woman and g
ive her a piece of my mind. That wouldn’t help Michelob. It would only make me feel better.
“I think we can help you,” I offered. “Do you trust me to try?”
Michelob looked to Cotton for confirmation. The chattier girl was mired in suspicion.
“Is this where our payment comes in?” she asked darkly.
“No. This is where I try to help. I used to be just like you. I understand about struggle. I think we can fix this.”
Michelob immediately started shaking her head. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“You don’t have to. We have an alternative medicine practitioner here.”
Cotton snorted. “See. I told you they’re witch doctors.”
I fought the urge to strangle her. The kid had a mouth ... which probably had kept her alive to this point. “She’s not a witch doctor. She’s really good. She’s fixed me numerous times. I think she can fix this ... and for good. You won’t need surgery and this problem won’t pop up again.”
Michelob’s eyes went wide. “For real?”
“Yeah.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Just trust me and her. Can you do that?”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
NIXIE’S HAIR WAS LONGER AND orange today. She changed the way it looked often — sometimes daily — and I had to admit the cut she’d picked was flattering to her sculpted face.
“Hi.” Nixie was the chirpy sort. The pixie was more than a century old and yet was blessed with eternal enthusiasm. When I called her on my cell phone she was happy to drop what she was doing to help. She was a giver, and I was almost certain she would be able to help Michelob.
Michelob moved closer to Cotton, obviously afraid.
“It’s okay,” I reassured her, internally cursing myself for not warning Nixie to come in with a more muted personality. Bright and shiny people were always something to worry about on the street because woe was the currency they traded in there and happiness was a limited commodity. “She’s good at what she does. I promise you that.”
Nixie isn’t often effective when it comes to reading a room. She sees what she wants to see. Today, though, she picked up on the fear coursing through the girl and allowed her smile to fade. “I am good,” she agreed. “I just need to see. Can I see?”
Michelob, still mistrustful, finally nodded and opened her mouth at Nixie’s prodding. The pixie used a small flashlight to stare at the back of her throat and then shook her head.
“Good grief. How can you even swallow?” Nixie was horrified. “I guess that’s why you’re so thin. You can’t eat more than soup.”
“That leaves more bread for me,” Cotton said jovially.
“Not for long.” Nixie opened her bag. It looked like a standard doctor’s bag, but it was filled with powder packets and potion vials. When she finished rummaging around, she tugged out a bottle of green liquid and handed it to Michelob. “Drink this. In about eight hours, you should be all better.”
Michelob only stared at the green liquid.
“That looks like poison,” Cotton announced. “She ain’t drinking no poison.”
I wanted to shake Cotton until sense started filling her head. In truth, I didn’t blame her. I remembered what it was like to be suspicious of everybody. It was a necessity on the street, because if you trusted the wrong person, you could literally die. Cotton was just being pragmatic.
“It’s not poison.” I took the vial from Nixie and opened it, downing a sip. “See. I’m fine.”
Cotton narrowed her eyes. “And you just expect us to believe that this is going to fix her? If that potion is real, why didn’t the doctors offer it when she was a kid?”
“Because it’s not from this world,” Nixie replied without thinking through her words. “It’s from another world.”
Cotton rolled her eyes. “See. They’re witch doctors.”
“Stop saying that.” I extended a warning finger. “I swear we’re not trying to hurt you. We want to help. This can help, Michelob. You’ll feel like a different person tomorrow morning. We’re here to help. I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true.”
Michelob looked caught. She was clearly in a lot of pain. Still, she trusted Cotton with her life. If the girl continued to fight the effort, Michelob wouldn’t drink the tonic. I had to entice Cotton to believe if I wanted to gain traction with Michelob.
“Do you want your friend to be in constant pain?” I challenged Cotton. “Winter will be here in a few months. With tonsils like that, she could get sick enough to die. We can fix it and then she can start eating more and get hardier. This will be good for her on every level. That means it’s good for you, too.”
Cotton pursed her lips. “I ... .”
“It’s worth a shot,” I supplied before she could come up with an excuse. “You have nothing to lose.”
She let out a resigned sigh. “Fine.” She nodded at Michelob, who almost looked eager when she stepped forward to accept the vial. “If she dies, I’ll murder you in your sleep.”
It was clear she meant it.
Michelob made a face as she downed the potion. When she finished, she looked to Nixie expectantly.
“Eight hours,” Nixie instructed. “You need a good night’s sleep. When you wake up, you’ll feel like an entirely different person.”
“Do you think you could make her a celebrity so we can live in a mansion?” Cotton asked.
“Not with this potion.” Nixie winked at her before reclaiming the vial. “I’ll check on you in the morning. You’re sleeping in here, right?”
“They are,” I confirmed. “They’ll be joining us for dinner.”
Surprised, Cotton cast me a sidelong look. “You don’t have to feed us.”
“We’ll have plenty of food. It’s part of the service.”
“Well, if you insist.” Cotton’s grin was impish. “I’m starting to think you’re a fairy godmother instead of a witch. I think it was lucky we ran into you ... but I’ll change my opinion if my friend dies in the next ten minutes.”
I chuckled. “You’ll both be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” It was a promise I couldn’t make and yet now that I’d uttered the words, I wanted nothing more than for them to be truthful. Once we left the area, though, it was out of my hands. I had no idea how I could fix this for them, but I was determined to find a way.
DINNER WAS A FESTIVE AFFAIR. Cotton had managed to charm much of the staff. Dolph doted on the two girls as if he was their long-lost father and Nellie gave them fashion tips while whispering and gossiping about everyone at the table. Luke kept flirting with them — in a completely sexless way, of course — and it was obvious they found him entertaining. It was Kade who Michelob kept sliding her eyes to, and I was certain she’d developed a crush on him. I found it cute.
“How are you feeling?” Raven asked as she took the seat next to Michelob. Obviously word had gotten around about her ailment.
Michelob didn’t immediately answer, so Raven put her hands to the girl’s throat without asking. I opened my mouth to admonish her, but Michelob seemed so in awe of the silver-haired lamia that she didn’t put up a struggle.
“They’ll be better by morning,” Raven announced, her eyes hard to read. “After you guys finish in the big top tomorrow, you should come to the House of Mirrors. I have some work for you there.”
Raven wasn’t known for being giving of spirit. Out of nowhere, though, she was offering help to two girls she’d never met. I couldn’t fathom her motivation.
“Sure.” Cotton nodded enthusiastically. “I went to a House of Mirrors once when I was a kid. It was cool.”
“I’ll pay you. And I also have some clothes that have basically moved with me for years now. They’re nothing fancy, but you’re welcome to anything you want.”
“It’s like a circus miracle,” Luke whispered, leaning closer to me.
Even though Raven was across the table from us, it was obvious
she picked up on his remark. She shot him a dark look that promised retribution later. I had no idea what had gotten into her, but I was thrilled with the way the girls seemed to be warming to her. They clearly sensed she was a straight-shooter — which was true — and were eager to work with her.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Kade enthused. “I’ll make sure you guys get blankets and pillows.”
“I’ve got some bedrolls tucked away,” Dolph offered. “We’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”
Pride — and something else I couldn’t quite identify — washed through me. These people were my family, and yet I’d never been this proud to claim them. They’d fought monsters and saved countless people. The way they insisted on adopting two street kids caused me to choke up. I focused on my plate so nobody would notice.
Kade, obviously sensing the change in my mood, moved his hand to my back and lightly rubbed his fingers over my spine. His smile was small but heartfelt. He understood what I was feeling.
I wanted to say something, find the right words to thank everybody. But for once, I was speechless. I had no idea what to say. Even as I opened my mouth to blurt something out, the intention died on my lips when the dreamcatcher alerted.
Everyone hopped to their feet and started scanning the perimeter for an enemy. Only Cotton and Michelob remained seated ... and stunned.
“What’s wrong?” Cotton asked. She’d gathered her plate close because she didn’t want to lose it if something bad was about to happen.
“It’s the security system,” I replied without thinking.
“What security system?” Cotton looked bewildered as she glanced around. “I don’t hear anything.”
“It’s something only we can hear.” There was no way I could explain the dreamcatcher in any detail that she could accept. “You guys need to go inside right now.”
Cotton looked as if she was ready to bolt, plate or not, but Kade was calm as he helped Michelob gather her food and inclined his head toward the trailer we shared.
“Come on guys,” he prodded. “I’ll put you in the trailer and you can eat in there. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
Freaky Reapers (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 8) Page 13