Cirque De Slay: Cirque de Slay Cozy Mysteries, #1

By CeeCee James

If you like fast-paced mysteries with memorable characters, one click here! 

Claudette Barbarosa, the beautiful bearded lady and rumored girlfriend of the Ringmaster, has been murdered and suspects are everywhere. 
Trixie is desperate to catch the villian before she is caught herself. Even more, she wants an explanation for what she saw the spooky, rainy night that Claudette died. 
Were her eyes lying to her…or was everyone else lying?
"Just finished love this !!! Refreshing heroine!"
"Fast, fun read!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: CeeCee James
• Release date: Jul 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201701635

Book preview

Preface

Concello Circus is crowded with unforgettable characters- trapeze artists, sword swallowers, clowns, not to mention the famed Ringmaster.

Working at the circus is exactly what Trixie expected. What she didn’t expect is to find a dead body…with a dark apparition rising up from it.

Claudette Barbarosa, the beautiful bearded lady and rumored girlfriend of the Ringmaster, has been murdered and suspects are everywhere.

Trixie is desperate to catch the killer before she is caught herself. Even more, she wants an explanation for what she saw the spooky, rainy night that Claudette died.

Were her eyes lying to her…or was everyone else lying?

1

I’m small. I’m so small most people never even notice me. That’s how I got my start here at the circus just over a year ago. No, I'm not officially a small person. Nature stole that from me by making me two inches too tall. But just one look at me showed I’m much too short for an average woman.

Everything about me was odd. I have a big nose and big ears, little eyes. A very round bottom, lumpy in some ways. It matched my thighs.

But whatever, It was my hair that’s my shining glory.

I loved it and it was worth every bit of the hassle to keep it maintained. It hung in a nearly black sheet past my waist to my bottom. I swear, it didn’t even hurt to brush any more, my scalp was so tough.

The Ringmaster liked to parade me around during the middle of the show, where I rode the circle of the arena in the tent, standing on top of one of the ponies. Ladies and gentlemen! The world’s smallest Lady Godiva! he’d shout.

Luckily, unlike the real Lady Godiva, I didn’t ride in the nude, although the Ringmaster probably would have loved that. Mothers of small children, however, would not. Instead, I wore a flesh-colored bathing suit with a wreath of flowers that hung over my shoulder like a sash, and my nose and mouth covered with a silver mask.

It was the strap of my bathing suit that was giving me some trouble now, and here I was due to perform in five minutes. I couldn’t very well go out there and flash the audience.

Backstage was unbelievable crazy at this time of night, with all the shouting clowns (they were never as funny behind the scenes), lost props, and feathers floating in the air. With everyone bustling to get to their places, there was no one I could really ask for help. People raced by, but no one dropped their eyes low enough to see me.

I swear that desperation was starting to become my middle name as I hung onto the strap. Finally, I stopped one of the backstage roadies. His name was Bill and he was one who helped me up on my horse. He was also my least-favorite worker, and I was always on pins-and-needles around him.

I’m going to be a few minutes late. I need to fix this. I pointed to my strap.

His lip curled as he looked down at me. Little mouse having a wardrobe problem? It’s not like you have enough up there for anyone to notice.

I shivered and tried to hide it. I’ll be right back, I whispered and ran.

As time ticked down, I tried to think of the fastest way to get this fixed. I remembered, I’d heard about a dressing room nearby, unused for ages now that we had the attached section in the tent. Still, I expected it would have the traditional sewing repair kit.

I hurried behind a curtain fold and entered the dark. Immediately, the noise of the audience became muted. The costume tent was just behind, with a flap that led to a tunnel tunnel that edged the tent.

It’s back here somewhere. I walked with one hand trailing the side of the thick canvas. It was nearly pitch black in here. Eyelets in the canvas gave me a tiny peek inside.

The muffled roar of applause grew, and my heart sped up. I need to hurry.

I felt a little surprised at how long the tunnel wrapped around the costume tent. No wonder they quit using it. The air felt stifling.

Was that scuffling behind me? I spun around.

The darkness felt thick as my eyes strained to see.

Nothing.

Slowly, the hair on the back of my neck prickled. Something was off. I could feel it. In fact, I was one second from deciding it was worth the chance I might accidentally flash someone just to get out of here.

The truth hit me like a bomb. I couldn’t lose this job.

Swallowing hard, I hurried forward. I have to be almost there. Finally, I saw the flap that I thought led to the dressing room. I pushed it open.

There was a tiny bit of light filtering through the grommets into the dark room. Immediately, my gaze clapped onto a body on the floor, and my blood froze.

I could see the lump on the woman’s head and the unnatural pose of her body. She was dead, I was sure.

Someone had killed Madamoiselle Barbarosa, the world’s most beautiful bearded woman.

I wanted to scream, I really did. But who would hear me? Not the shrieking children or the applauding parents. Not over the roars of lions and the screams as the acrobatic fell into the net below. Not over the cat caller, the Ringmaster, and the pounding calliope music.

Back here, in this dark room that no one ever used, not a soul would hear me.

Near my foot was a white object and I mindlessly scooped it up. Maybe it was a clue. Still staring at the body, I began to back up into the tunnel.

Suddenly, there before me was something before me much worse than a dead woman. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I stared at the body.

It couldn’t be real…could it?

A glowing apparition rose over her and disappeared into the black bowels of the ceiling.

This time I did scream and covered my mouth. Turning, I ran from the room as fast as I could.

Was that thing behind me? I didn’t dare check. Instead, I moved as fast as these legs of mine could.

I burst into the big tent as another act ended. The crowd roared with cheering. Trembling, I crouched against the wall. I had never felt so alone, even amidst all this laughter and clapping.

Think, Trixie, think! What do I do?

I was new here, at least by carnie standards. Circus people were clannish, and I just knew I’d be the first suspect. Even if they didn’t think it was me, I was the easiest one to blame. I didn’t know who to tell, Even worse, I didn’t think anyone even realized Claudette Barbarosa was missing. Her act had already come and gone. It might not be until the end of the show when we all took our bow.

Someone ran towards me. I spun around to look, nearly tripping on my own feet in panic.

It was our backstage coordinator, Becca, who made sure that all the acts were on time. Her eyes were wide, and she beckoned me frantically.

Trixie! Where have you been? Come on! You're up next. Bill’s furious! she hissed.

I shivered at the sound of Bill's name and ran for the thick, velvet-curtained area where my horse was kept hidden and waiting for me.

There’s nothing I can do for Claudette, now, I thought. The show must go on.

When had I last seen her alive? It must have been sometime yesterday, after dinner. Meals around here were served at odd times around here, and