The Case of the Quizzical Queens Beagle

by B R Snow

  “No, I think I’ll stay up here for a while.”

  “That’s your plan?”

  “Well, I really wouldn’t call it a plan,” I said. “It’s barely a strategy.”

  “So, what’s your next move?” Bubs said, unable to contain his laughter.

  “You mean, before or after I pee my pants?” I said, peering down into the dim light.

  “Just come on down,” Chuckles said. “We just want to have a little chat with you.”

  “Yeah, and I’m Tinkerbell,” I said. “No, I’m fine right here for the moment.”

  Then I remembered my phone. I fumbled for it, almost dropped it, then placed the call. He answered on the first ring.

  “Suzy,” the Chief said. “I was just about to give you a call. You’ll never guess what happened.”

  “You found a syringe in Claude’s work bag then arrested him for Pontilly’s murder.”

  “How the heck did you know that?” he said, stunned.

  “Lucky guess,” I said, glancing around in all directions.

  “Suzy,” he said, going fatherly on me.

  “I’ll tell you later, Chief,” I said. “Right now, I need a favor.”

  “Oh, crap,” Chuckles said, staring up at me. “She’s on the phone.”

  “Okay,” Bubs said. “Let’s go get her.”

  “I need you here, Chief,” I said.

  “Where are you?”

  “At the circus. I need you now.”

  I hung up and glanced down at the two clowns who were slowly working their way up the ladder. Then I spotted a figure in the shadows climbing the ladder on the other side of the netting. I squinted into the darkness but was unable to identify who it was. Then I glanced down and thought about attempting a jump from the platform. But I was close to the edge of the net and wasn’t sure I could hit it. And if I missed the net, I’d be giving a whole new meaning to the term, stuck the landing.

  “Suzy,” a man said through a heavy lisp from the other platform.

  “Miguel?” I said with a frown. Then I glanced down and noticed that the two clowns were halfway up the ladder.

  “Grab the trapeze that’s right next to you,” Miguel said.

  “And hit them with it when they get to the top, right?”

  “No, grab the trapeze and swing out,” he said. “I’ll catch you.”

  “Yeah,” I said with a snort. “Like that’s gonna happen.”

  “I’m serious,” he said, grabbing the trapeze on his side and swinging out to the middle. Then he pulled himself up and hooked his knees over the trapeze and hung upside down. “Just swing out and let go when you get to me. I’ll catch you.”

  “Are you out of your freaking mind?”

  I squinted at him as his trapeze stopped swaying and eventually came to a stop.

  “Can’t you just swing over like Tarzan and grab me like they do in the movies?”

  “If my trapeze went that far I would,” he said with some effort. His sister hadn’t been lying about the lisp. “Just swing out. Even if I miss you, you’ll drop right into the net.”

  “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t share your confidence,” I said, taking another look down at the two clowns who were closing fast.

  “You want to stay there and wait for those two to get their hands on you?”

  “It’s a little late in the evening for rhetorical, Miguel.”

  Then I glanced down again and saw another man climbing the ladder the clowns were on.

  “That was fast,” I said, staring down at the figure cloaked in shadows who was doing his best to climb while holding something in his hand. “Well done, Chief.”

  “You need to jump, Suzy,” Miguel snapped. “Now.”

  “Hold your horses,” I said, glancing back and forth at the two clowns and the guy hanging upside down about forty feet away. “I guess there’s not a third option.”

  I snuck another peek over the edge of the ladder and realized two things; the clowns had almost reached the top, and the man climbing the ladder behind them wasn’t the Chief. I frowned as I tried to process what was happening then felt a hand on my foot. I screamed and kicked at Chuckles’ hand. But he continued to reach for my leg. I waited until one of his attempts failed to connect then stomped on his hand. The clown screamed in pain and let loose with a well-practiced string of expletives that rolled off his tongue. But he pulled his hand back. Unfortunately, Bubs was able to use both hands to grab my foot, and he held on tight.

  I struggled to get my foot loose, then my running shoe came off in his hands, and Bubs fell backward momentarily, almost plummeting off the ladder. But Chuckles grabbed his shirt and pulled him back to safety. When both their heads appeared over the top of the ladder with huge grins, I kicked Chuckles in the face with my bare foot. I winced and began hopping around in pain. On my third bounce, I almost hopped right off the small piece of plywood. Officially out of options, I took a deep breath then grabbed the trapeze with both hands and jumped.

  I closed my eyes and let loose with a primal scream as I soared through the darkness. Then I slammed into Miguel hard and caught the metal trapeze bar he had his legs draped over with my forehead. I immediately began sliding down Miguel’s legs then his chest. For a brief second that seemed like a lifetime, I dropped like a rock but came to a sudden stop when a hand grabbed my left wrist. Seconds later, he grabbed my right arm, and I opened my eyes as I gently swayed back and forth suspended fifty feet above the ground.

  “Next time, trying doing it with your eyes open,” Miguel said through a loud groan.

  “Don’t nitpick,” I snapped, still terrorized. Then I softened. “Good catch.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” he said, grimacing in pain.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see what the two clowns were up to and watched as the man who’d climbed up behind them reached out with what looked a stick and jabbed Bubs in the back. In the darkness, I thought I saw a small spark just before Bubs began to twitch and spasm.

  Then the clown fell off the ladder and dropped like a rock. He hit the edge of the net that partially broke his fall, but he still landed with a loud thump on the ground.

  “Oh, that had to hurt,” I whispered as I stared down at the unmoving clown who’d landed face first.

  “Trust me,” Miguel said. “It does.”

  I looked back at the top of the ladder, and soon a spasming Chuckles fell from the sky and missed the net completely. But his fall was also partially broken when he bounced off the side of the ladder, and one of his legs went through a gap in the rungs. His body jerked and tried to change direction then I heard a crack I assumed was his leg protesting the sudden turn. Chuckles immediately confirmed my suspicion with a loud scream that filled the tent. His descent continued, and he landed hard on top of his partner in crime. Both men remained face down in the dirt unconscious.

  I still wasn’t sure who the other man on the ladder was, but I definitely needed to thank him. But that would have to wait. My arms were on fire, and I forced myself to look down. In the dim light, I saw Josie standing next to the net holding Queen B. in her arms. She was staring up at me shaking her head in disbelief.

  “Whatcha doin?” she called out.

  “Shut it,” I said, then glanced up at Miguel. “Are you sure I’ll hit the net?”

  “You have my word,” he said, adjusting his grip.

  Then in the dim light, I saw the needle tracks on both his arms. My neurons surged as I closed my eyes tight and he let go. I fell for what seemed like a week screaming the entire way. I landed with a soft plop, bounced a few times then came to rest. I slowly opened my eyes and shrugged.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” I said out loud to myself.

  “Okay, Ms. Wallenda,” Josie said, laughing. “Let’s get you out of there.”

  I made my way to the edge on my hands and knees, then tried to imitate the backward roll I’d seen Wanda and Miguel use during their performance to exit the net. But my foot got stuck, and I ended up ha
nging upside down with my hair brushing the dirt as the net gently bounced up and down.

  “Smooth,” Josie said, unable to stop laughing.

  “Yeah, definitely not my best work,” I said, finally getting my foot loose then landing hard on the ground.

  “What on earth happened to your forehead?” she said.

  “I hit the trapeze bar,” I said, gently pressing my fingers against the bruise that was already starting to throb. “Am I bleeding?”

  “It doesn’t look like it,” she said, examining the wound. “But it’s definitely dented.”

  “Funny,” I said, climbing to my feet. “You found her.”

  “She was saying hello to the elephant,” Josie said, rubbing the beagle’s head. “I think they’re buddies.”

  “I’m so glad she’s okay,” I said, brushing myself off. “Jill would have killed us.”

  I flinched when I heard Miguel land in the net behind me. Seconds later, he was standing next to us.

  “Thanks, Miguel. I think you might have saved my life.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he said, glancing at the two unconscious clowns sprawled out on the ground. “Who the heck hit them with the cattle prod?”

  “I have no idea,” I said, staring at the back of the man who was climbing down the ladder.

  “I need to go help Wanda with the packing,” Miguel said, extending his hand. “Maybe we’ll see you in Vegas sometime.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I said, returning his handshake with a blank stare. “Thanks again.”

  I watched him walk away then focused on the man who was heading down the ladder. When he reached the bottom rung, he turned around, and my mouth dropped open.

  “Bob?”

  “Hey,” Robert Tompkins said, tossing the cattle prod on the ground. He took a quick look at the unconscious clowns, then walked toward us.

  “What on earth are you doing here?” I said.

  “I came to see the show,” he said, shrugging. “But when I got here, I found out it had been canceled. Somebody killed the old man, huh?”

  “Yeah, they did,” I said, studying him closely. “But why are you still here?”

  “I was hunting those two down,” he said, nodding at the clowns. “You think they’re dead?”

  “No, I’m pretty sure they’re still breathing,” I said. “Why were you looking for them?”

  “I was sitting at home last night after I finally got Bella settled down.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  “Not well,” he whispered.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Yeah, it’s sad,” he said, exhaling audibly. “Anyway, I was sitting there thinking about Sammy when I remembered something she said in her last letter.”

  “Okay,” I said, frowning.

  “She was talking about wanting to come home if she could make it,” he said.

  “Yeah, I remember you saying that.”

  “Then she made a comment about how she was desperate to get away from these clowns. When I first read it, I thought she was just making a general reference about all the people who worked in the circus. Then I got the idea that she might have actually been specifically talking about those two. It looks like I was right.”

  “Smart,” I said, nodding. “You’re pretty good at this stuff.”

  “I was about to say the same thing to you,” he said. “How did you figure it out?”

  “The dog told us,” I said, rubbing the beagle’s head.

  Bob frowned then shook his head.

  “If you say so,” he said. “Look, I really need to get going. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me, and I have to take Bella to the doctor first thing in the morning. Tell the cops if they need to talk to me about what I did, they know where to find me.”

  “And you’re not going anywhere, right?” I said. “At least, not while she’s still alive.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Okay, I’ll explain everything to the Chief when he gets here. He’ll need to speak with you at some point.”

  “I’m sure he’s got my number,” Bob said, extending his hand. “Thank you. Maybe it’ll help her out a bit knowing that Sammy’s killers were caught.”

  “I hope it does,” I said. “Take care of yourself.”

  “I’ll do my best,” he said, then headed out through the back of the tent.

  “That guy deserves a medal,” Josie said.

  “He certainly does,” I said, glancing at the entrance where Chief Abrams was striding toward us.

  He came to a stop in front of me then glanced around and spotted the two clowns who were slowly regaining consciousness. Then he noticed my forehead, the dirt in my hair, and the fact that I was only wearing one shoe.

  “Sexy,” he deadpanned. “You want to catch me up?”

  I did.

  When I finished, he placed a call to Detective Williams, then hung up and handcuffed the two clowns to each other. He walked back to us then glanced around the tent again deep in thought. I waited for questions as I petted the beagle who remained tucked under Josie’s arm.

  “The dog told you it was those two who threw them off the boat?” he said.

  “She did,” I said.

  “Yup,” Josie said, nodding.

  “I really need to learn how to speak dog,” he said. “And your escape plan was to climb that ladder?”

  “Well, it really wasn’t much of a plan,” I said, shrugging. “It was more of an evasive maneuver.”

  “I imagine it was,” he said. “Then you did a header off the platform into Miguel’s arms.”

  “It wasn’t as romantic as it sounds, Chief.”

  “Just a little more of that circus love, right?”

  “There you go,” I said, grinning. “I take it you haven’t gotten a confession out of Claude yet.”

  “As a matter of fact, we haven’t,” he said. “But we will.”

  “No, you won’t,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Because?” the Chief said, raising an eyebrow at me.

  “Because he didn’t do it,” I said without emotion. “I wish he had, but he didn’t.”

  “But you know who did?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” I said, tearing up.

  “Are you going to tell me?”

  “Eventually,” I said. “I need to have a chat with somebody first.”

  “Suzy, don’t start,” he snapped.

  “It’s okay, Chief,” I said. “Nobody’s in any danger.”

  “That’s really not your call, young lady.”

  “Good one, Chief,” I said, laughing. “You’ve almost got it down.”

  “Who do you need to talk to?” he said.

  “Wanda.”

  “The aerialist?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why the heck do you need to talk to her?” Chief Abrams said.

  “Good question,” Josie said.

  “Thanks. I thought so too,” the Chief said.

  “I just need a quick word with her about her plans for the future,” I said, glancing over at the two clowns who were struggling to sit up. “Has Freddie had a chance to take a look at the syringe you found in Claude’s bag?”

  “Actually, he has,” the Chief said.

  “Did he find any traces of what was in it?”

  “He did,” the Chief said, nodding. “And you’ll never guess what it was.”

  “Insulin,” I whispered, staring off into the distance. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “How the heck did you know that?” the Chief called out.

  I kept walking toward the curtains that led to the performer area.

  “I suppose the dog told you that too?”

  Chapter 27

  I found Wanda in a small makeshift structure near the area where the animals were held. She was packing two suitcases and seemed to be in a hurry to get it done. She was surprised to see me but waved me inside.

  “Hey,” she said. “Miggy was just catching me up on what happen
ed. Wow, that’s a nasty crease you’ve got on your forehead. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said.

  “I hate to tell you, but I don’t think I see a circus career in your future.”

  “I don’t think Miguel would survive long trying to catch me,” I said, managing a small laugh. “Where is he?”

  “He’s outside packing. We rented a truck today.”

  “You’re driving to Vegas?” I said.

  “We thought it would be fun,” she said, brushing her hair back from her face. “Neither one of us has ever driven cross-country. At least on our own.”

  “Give yourself lots of time,” I said. “It’s quite a hike.”

  “We’ve got a week before we start the new job,” she said, glancing around for other items to pack.

  “I need to talk to you, Wanda,” I said. “And it’s a conversation I wish with all my heart that I didn’t need to have.”

  “This sounds serious,” she said, sitting down and gesturing for me to do the same.

  “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re always checking with Miguel to make sure he’s eaten,” I said. “And asking him how he’s doing.”

  “What about it?” Wanda said, frowning.

  “At first, I thought it was cute the way you were looking after him,” I said. “And it’s obvious how much you guys mean to each other.”

  “We’re brother and sister,” she said, shrugging. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

  “Of course,” I said. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there?”

  “Take the marbles out of your mouth, Suzy,” Wanda said, staring at me.

  “Miguel’s diabetic, isn’t he?”

  “As a matter of fact, he is,” she said. “How on earth do you know that? He never talks about it.”

  “It came to me tonight when I hanging in mid-air and I saw the needle tracks on his arms. At first, I thought he might be a druggie, but he’s not the type. He takes such good care of himself. And then I put two and two together.”

  “Two and two?” she said, confused. “I’m not following.”

  “Pontilly was killed by an injection behind the ear,” I said.

  “What?” she said, stunned. “Is that how Claude killed him? The cops wouldn’t talk about what happened. I couldn’t believe it when they handcuffed him and dragged him away earlier.”