Cirque Macabre #2: The Vanishing Act

By CS Patra

The adventure continues for the Gallati Family Circus as they head down to Vegas. After their leader, Dante, has been found murdered, the police try to keep them safe and out of harm's way. Unfortunately, that's not the case when their 'friend', Triple Zero, shows up with more messages. To make matters worse, Dante's mother also gets in the picture and takes control of their assets. Many new secrets start to surface. Will they be able to find out who killed Dante? Or is there more to this case?

• Language: English
• Publisher: CS Patra
• Release date: Jan 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310646744

CS Patra

Grace Templeton has been writing for a long time and is the author of many series. Her books include the Operation: Genome series, The Reaper's Apprentices series, Cirque Macabre series, The Portman's Creamery Mysteries, Patterns and Parallels series, and the recently added Ghosts of Burning Inn. She currently lives in NC.

Book preview

Cirque Macabre #2: The Vanishing Act

CS Patra

Also by CS Patra

Cirque Macabre #1

The Show Must Go On

Operation: Genome #1

The Warriors Awakened

The Reaper’s Apprentices

#1 Awakened

#2 The Contracts

The Patterns & Parallels Saga

#1 Hearts Under Ice

#2 Paper Hearts

The Portman’s Creamery Series

Wrapped in Death and Chocolate

Four of the Usual Suspects

The Dangers of Art

Black Paradise Circus Arc

For Rora

She knows why

Cover By pixelstudios

Editing by mbayleea

Prologue

New York City was a city that never slept. Tonight, down at where the circus grounds were, it was awake with the sounds of police sirens and detectives swarming the area. The area was filled with the smell of dirt and murder. One of the worst crimes had taken place here and no one knew what happened.

The circus grounds were busy but for a very different reason. Instead of the performers roaming about, it was mostly police. Yellow tape was everywhere and no one could see what was going on. The only ones who knew what was happening were the police and the members of the circus itself. It was a case that had been going on for some time and there weren’t many leads. It wasn’t a typical crime scene and there were far too many suspects to question. However, there was one thing that was clear; someone had been killed and the killer was still on the loose.

It had all started only a few weeks ago. The Gallati Family Circus was celebrating the end of a show when Dante Gallati, the ringmaster, made an announcement. He had decided that he was going to stop the current tour and go straight into a new show. The show was supposed to start the next day. He had named this one Cirque Macabre and that had unnerved everyone. They weren’t sure if they could pick up the new tricks so soon. Dante wasn’t known for springing surprises on them like that. Once everyone had a moment to express their feelings, they all went their own ways and said good night. It was also the last time any of them would see Dante.

The following morning, everyone was surprised to see that Dante was nowhere to be found. They were supposed to begin Cirque Macabre’s practices yet he had left nothing behind. They even looked inside his trailer but found nothing to help them with that. Instead, there were many bills and IOUs that hadn’t been taken care of. The animals were also acting spooked around the circus grounds. Within a few hours, everyone agreed that they needed to file a missing person’s report. Dante had left without giving a reason why.

Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that Dante had never left the circus grounds. Police had been called over after a piece of a human being was found. DNA confirmed that it belonged to Dante and everyone feared the worst. Dante Gallati had been murdered on the circus grounds and no one knew why. Detective Alex Rodriguez had been assigned to their case and was keeping an eye on all of them. The ones that he was most interested were Dante’s most prized performers. There were nine of them and he cherished their abilities greatly. The group was made of trapeze artists Spencer Lowe and Rosalie Ducard, tightrope walker Tracey Wei, animal trainer Harry Patel, acrobats Lisa Caviness and Nick Packard, clown Jonny Fine, bareback rider Alana Miller, and stuntman Andrew Roth. They were the ones who seemed most upset over Dante’s murder and it also made them the biggest suspects.

We would never kill him. Alana had told Rodriguez. Dante could be a difficult man sometimes but he cared about us. We were a little stunned when he chose to change our show’s theme but we accepted it. After all, the show must go on, right?

Indeed, the show had to go on but Rodriguez wasn’t comfortable with keeping everyone around. It got even stranger when they began to receive strange notes from someone who always signed their messages with the following: 000. Everyone had dubbed the mystery messenger as Triple Zero. They couldn’t tell if Triple Zero was the killer or someone trying to warn them. The one thing their mystery person liked doing was using quotes from Shakespeare’s plays. Even more shocking was the fact they always used from the same three plays: A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Henry V, and Othello. They had picked a comedy, a history, and a tragedy. No one knew why Triple Zero had picked these particular plays but there had to be a connection.

Spencer had spent the last two nights rereading as many Shakespeare plays as he could. He was halfway through Othello right now and was trying to find connections between it and Dante’s murder. The only thing that he could see in common between them was that they were both tragedies. However, Othello was filled with betrayal and death. Everything from it had stemmed from the main antagonist, Iago, and his plotting. All he wondered was who Iago could be at this point.

Rodriguez decided that he needed to protect the rest of the circus. As long as the investigation was still going, he needed to keep them safe. It had been his decision for them to leave the area and stay somewhere more crowded. The best place that he could think of was Las Vegas. Everyone had been there before but they had no complaints about it. They were anxious to leave the crime scene behind because they could feel Dante’s spirit around them. They were scared to move on without him but they knew they had to. They would never get over it if they stayed put.

The night before they were to go, Rodriguez met up with them once more. It’s about time for you guys to go. How do you feel right now?

He turned to Spencer who had been catching up with his Shakespeare. He wanted to help the police but had no connection between the plays and what happened. Spencer? Are you okay? Spencer looked up at him and put away his book. I was just asking if you were ready to go.

I guess I am. I’ve finished packing already. I just hope Vegas will be better for us. I know we’ve been there before and we’ve never had issues but… He trailed off. God, if this was another tour, I’d be okay. The fact that we’re in the middle of a murder investigation makes every day feel like it’s lasting forever.

It’s been a long week for all of us. Alana agreed. I still feel like it’s a bad idea to leave and go to the other side of the country.

I’m not fond of it either but I see what they’re trying to do. They want to keep us safe. Spencer said. "They don’t want our friend, Triple Zero, to come after us. The only problem is if Triple Zero is one of us. Then we’re screwed no matter where we go."

That’s another thing. If you’re right and Triple Zero is one of us, then who could it be? She asked. Who would hate us enough to torture us? Who hated Dante enough to kill him? I know it’s not me. I had nothing against him or anyone.

Detective Rodriguez had asked them to focus on something other than the circus. The problem was that they didn’t have anything else to focus. The circus was everything for them. They didn’t want to stray far from it nor did they have other hobbies to focus on. Even if they did, it was too hard to concentrate on anything but the murder.

I appreciate your concern, Detective, but we’re circus folks. Lisa had told him. For the last few years, all I know is how to please the audience with my act. I know that’s the same for all of us. We can’t just stop doing what we love.

Rodriguez let out a sigh. I get that. I’m not asking you to give up the circus. However, you might have to lay low for a while. We’re sending you to Vegas so you can be hidden from Triple Zero’s view. This act that we’ve put together should keep you busy. It’s a short tour that lasts the weekend but you’ll still be able to do what you love. Now I need to know if you have any place to stay over there.

We usually stay in our trailers when we go to Vegas. Alana said.

That might be a bad idea. Triple Zero knows where you normally stay so I think we might have to get you rooms somewhere. If there’s a hotel in particular that you like, we can get you set up there. We’ll have people check up on you at regular intervals. I know it might feel like a lot but you’ll thank me in the end. Your safety is the number one concern right now.

So we’re going to be treated like children. Jonny realized. That’ll be fun.

Please try to bear with us. You don’t like it but this was the best choice. I promise that you won’t have to worry about money or_

Actually, we will. Spencer cut in. Now that Dante is gone, we don’t know how we’re going to fund this circus. We have to figure all that out. We don’t even know where Dante kept anything.

I’ll look into that. I mean it when I say I don’t want you to worry about that part. Rodriguez held up his hand. Just pack your things and wait for me in the morning. I’ll tell you when you’ll leave and when you’ll come back. I’ll have your hotel reservations and will find a way to get your animals and equipment across the country. Your job is to think of who would want to hurt Dante and stay clear of danger.

But we’re always risking our lives. Andrew pointed out. Danger is what we do. You can’t expect us to perform and not throw our lives on the line.

I’m aware of that too. Try to go easy on yourselves. I can look you and see that you’ve put your bodies through so much. He looked down at Rosalie’s hands and saw how cracked and worn out they were. Those were the wounds that were visible to him. As hard as it may be, I want you to get rest. It’ll be good for you.

They all tried to fight against this but it was no use. Rodriguez and the rest of the police had made their minds up. The Gallati Family Circus was going overseas and they had to follow certain rules. Everyone now had a regulated bed time, much to the dismay of the whole group. They all had to be back at their hotel by midnight and in bed by one in the morning. No one was allowed to bring alcohol back into their room for some reason. They were not allowed to bring strangers to their rooms until the bodyguards checked them out. They were to eat three square meals a day and needed to spend a few hours to themselves. Everyone had been given $2000 to spend as long as they didn’t waste it all on gambling. The list of rules was growing each day and no one liked it.

So far, the money is the only good thing about this change. Jonny muttered. Too bad I can’t waste it all on gambling.

That might be a good thing. Spencer said. We are circus performers. We have acts to practice and perform. I’m not fond of some of the rules either. If they keep us safe though, then I’m willing to do anything. We’ll get through it, guys. It’s only for a weekend. I think we can afford to dial back our acts a bit.

And how far should we dial them back? Nick asked.

Not too far. We need to make sure our equipment is checked before we use it. We might have to cut down on some of the more life-threatening ones for our sake. Don’t worry though. We’re still going to put on one hell of a show for the audience! He exclaimed and everyone agreed with enthusiasm. For the first time, they all seemed to be relaxed and happy. Dante’s death lingered in the back of their minds but they wanted to move forward. They needed to keep their minds occupied on something.

Rodriguez was glad that they had all come to their senses and agreed to the terms. He had made them a hotel reservation over at Mandalay Bay in Vegas, making sure their rooms were close to each other. Dante’s best performers would be there while the others would in the other hotels nearby. They were all good choices and they would be safe there. Vegas was a loud and bright city and the Strip was where all the action would be. Triple Zero would have a hard time pulling off their stunts here.

Have you ever stayed in Mandalay Bay before? He asked them the day before they were going to leave.

Yup, it’s great! Rosalie nodded. I think I can get used to staying there. We usually don’t stay in hotels while on tour so this will be a nice change.

Be careful with the animals. Harry added. They are usually very docile but can get agitated if you handle them wrong. I can stay behind to help if you want.

No, we’ve got help for that. A lot of animal trainers and experts have agreed to help take them across. They will get there just fine and on time for your act. Rodriguez promised. One more thing; I want you to keep up with me. I’ve given you my home phone number as well as my cell number and email. I have some things to take care of here or I’d follow you.

We’re going to be okay. Tracey waved this off. If Triple Zero is dumb enough to try anything, we’ll be ready for them.

Are you sure about that? Lisa asked. You make sound like we’re ninjas or something. We’ll never be able to take a killer down on our own.

I don’t want you to do that either. Rodriguez said. If you feel like you’re being followed, let the police know.

We got it. Alana said. We will be careful.

I mean it. I know I sound like a parent with all these rules but this is to protect you. I fear that if you linger here, the killer might come after one of you next. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.

Well, everything is packed up. All we have to do is head get on that plane and head to Vegas. Harry said. I wonder if we should withdraw any money.

"It’s okay. We’ve got some money for each of you and we’ll wire you more if you need it. This money is for you to use how you want; however, you must be careful when gambling. We will not wire you anything if you want to gamble. Remember to follow the rules at