Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 01 - Death Is Clowning Around Read online

  Tina wasn’t in bed when I went into our room. I wasn’t surprised. I took the bag out from under my bed and had a diet Coke and a handful of Peanut M & M’s, the perfect bedtime snack. I skipped the stupid headphones, climbed into bed and fell asleep quickly.

  In the morning, I covered Tina with a blanket, changed into my jogging suit and went running. I saw the two men in the back of the kid’s dorm. We waved to each other and I kept going. Things were pretty much the same as yesterday. The workers were filling up the air-conditioning unit with their bottle of purple liquid. We waved to each other, too.

  A few people were wandering out of a set of cabins located on the right perimeter of the compound. There were about ten of them. I wondered if that’s where the adult videos were made. The people looked hung over. They were walking slowly and holding their heads. Morning meditation was in less than an hour. They probably all had the same “wake-up” vitamins that Tina used.

  Another two trips around the compound revealed nothing new at clown camp. Back in my room, Tina was already in the shower. She came out dressed in her clown costume.

  “Did you have fun with Tony last night?”

  “Oh yeah. He’s the bomb.”

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “Remember much from last night?”

  She shrugged. “No, not really.”

  “Do you think it’s wise to have blackouts like that?”

  “I always wake up and I’m fine.” She smiled wistfully. “What’s the problem?”

  “You’re losing whole sections of your memory,” I said, pointing out the obvious, even if she couldn’t see it. “Don’t you want to remember having fun?”

  “Maybe.”

  “How long have you been coming to this camp?”

  “I came in the kids group when I was twelve. I had so much fun that when I turned eighteen, I could come as a participant rather than a kid and I signed up. This is my second year as an adult.”

  I wanted to tell her that being nineteen didn’t make her an adult, but I knew she wouldn’t agree. These clowns were careful. “Over eighteen” meant consenting adult, not statutory rape. I learned that from TV.

  “Do your parents pay for the camp?”

  “No. Since I came as a child, I get to come free until I’m twenty-one. Then I’ll have to start paying.”

  First they exploit her as a child by taking pictures of her and then they let her come back free so they can make videos. These clowns were going down and I was going to be there when they did!

  I went into the bathroom and put on my clown costume. I still had Tony’s mask from last night, so I carried that with me. Tina and I walked to morning meditation. Tony was waiting outside with his hand out. I knew what he wanted.

  “You have one of these for me?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’m not giving this one up.” I pulled it back. “I have to go and get the kids in an hour or so. How am I supposed to do that if I’m not wearing a mask during morning meditation?”

  “I don’t know.” He took his mask out of my hand. “But, I’ll go ask.” He turned and left.

  Tina went into the auditorium while I waited outside. I wasn’t going in without a mask. The doors shut and I could hear the meditation starting.

  Several minutes later, Tony came back. “I couldn’t find the boss, so I borrowed one of the other worker’s mask.”

  “The boss? Isn’t Carl inside?”

  “Not him,” Tony said with a grin. “His boss.”

  “Who is his boss?”

  “Who else? His wife.” Tony laughed and went into the auditorium.

  I put on the mask and went in. The morning meditation was in full swing. Music pounded, lights flashed and the blue fog flowed. I felt like one of the guard clowns as I stood in the back and watched. The scene lacked its usual appeal. I guessed you needed to be high on drugs to really enjoy it, otherwise it was boring.

  Around eight-thirty, I went over to the kid’s dorm. A few were starting to wake up. When they saw me, they smiled.

  “Why don’t you go and shower?” Then I thought about what I was asking them to do. They couldn’t go another day without taking a shower but I didn’t want them to have their picture taken either. “Wait!” They stopped and turned. “You don’t really have time for a full shower. Just use some towels and clean yourself up a little bit in the sink.” I asked the older kids to help the younger ones and they agreed.

  Thirty minutes later everyone was ready to go. They were hungry so it was easy to keep them in line with the promise of food at our destination. I knocked on the door of the auditorium and Tony opened it.

  “Good morning, kids,” he shouted at them.

  They all shouted back, “Good morning, Tony.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and led the kids into the room and over to their mats. They got right to the food. I sat down and grabbed a piece of fruit, then tried to convince a few of them to have fruit instead of donuts, but they weren’t buying it. I could understand that. Who wants a banana when you can have a chocolate donut covered with sprinkles?

  I left the kids for a few minutes and went in search of Tina. She sat in her usual spot in the front of the room.

  “Hey Tina.”

  “Tony?”

  I took off the mask. “No, it’s me.”

  “Oh, sorry. Hi, Liza.”

  Tony was over six feet and I was barely five feet tall. And he had to weigh at least two hundred pounds. I put my hands on my hips. “Do I really look like Tony?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s just that you have on a mask and it makes your voice sound funny. Besides, the only one I really know around here who wears one of those is Tony.”

  “That makes sense. So, what classes are you taking today?”

  “Makeup and Mime.”

  “Can I join you?”

  “Sure. I’d love that.”

  “Great. I have to get the kids to their first activity and then I’ll meet you at the makeup session.”

  “See you there.”

  I went back to the kids. They were all just finishing up their breakfast. Tony stood next to their mats with his mask off. The drug fog must have been over for the morning.

  We gathered up the kids and walked them out of the auditorium.

  “What activity are they doing this morning?” I asked as we entered another building.

  “Magic tricks,” he said.

  “That’s perfect on a stomach full of sweets. They’re going to be very hyper. I hope you have a lot of magicians working with the kids.”

  “I think there are five.”

  “Five for thirty-seven kids.” I laughed. “Good luck!”

  I waved goodbye and left him standing there, wide-eyed and gawking. Who sets up these activities anyway? Obviously someone who has no idea what kids are like, especially ones high on sugar.

  The makeup session had already started, so I slipped in next to Tina. She smiled and then turned her attention back to the woman running the session. It was the first woman I’d seen as a member of the staff. She wasn’t dressed in a clown costume, either.

  I leaned toward Tina and whispered. “Who’s she?”

  “Her name is Rita.”

  “Okay, who’s Rita?”

  Tina shrugged her shoulders and focused on Rita. On the table in front of us were several bottles. Each contained a different color of thick greasy makeup. We spent the next hour putting it on and taking it off. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, so it was new to me. First we had white faces, blue eyes and red lips. Then we had blue faces, white eyes and purple lips. Tina and I laughed as we watched each other. It was the first time since I’d arrived at camp that I wasn’t thinking about Jessie, the pornography, mind-control or the drugs. I was just having fun!

  Until I heard the scream from the back of the room.

  Chapter 16

  We all turned around.

  “There’s a dead clown outside!” A young teenage participant screeched at the top of her l
ungs.

  We all jumped up and ran outside like a herd of cattle trying to escape through one little gate.

  When I got to the front of the crowd, Tony was lying across the steps of the building. His throat had been sliced open and blood was everywhere. Seeing his body like that – someone I knew – made me queasy and lightheaded.

  Rita and the other members were busy trying to get everyone to go back to the class.

  “Have you called the police?” I asked.

  Rita looked up. “Yes. They should be here in a few minutes. Everyone needs to go back inside.” She bellowed in a tone that said she was in charge and I wasn’t.

  I don’t react well to that attitude. It’s something about being a teacher. I like to be the one in control. I stepped toward her. “Who’s watching the kids?”

  Obviously she hadn’t thought about that. She glanced sideways and then back to me. “We’ll assign someone else to them.”

  “If you need some help, let me know.”

  “Thanks,” she paused and then added. “Liza, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “I appreciate your offer.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Just then two ambulance attendants ran toward us. The police couldn’t be far behind.

  “Everyone go back to class.” Rita said, her voice commanding and strong.

  Everyone turned around and walked back to class. I followed Tina. All of the participants went back to their same seats. No one spoke. They just stared toward the front of the room. Was this another symptom of the mind-controlling drugs?

  Another woman was now running it. Strange. After not seeing any women clowns for two days, I’d met two in the past hour.

  The class wasn’t as fun after seeing Tony sprawled out on the steps. I couldn’t concentrate on anything the woman was saying. In fact, it’s hard to believe that the class went on as if nothing had happened. Tina’s eyes were glassed over and I noticed her hands shook when she picked up the bottles of makeup. Thankfully, they let us out early.

  Tina and I walked back to our room in silence. When I opened the door, she lay down on her bed and sobbed. I sat down next to her. She leaned on me and kept crying. I shed a few tears for Tony, too. He couldn’t have been more then twenty-two years – just a baby by my standards.

  What happened? Who killed him? He was supposed to be watching the kids. Was he coming to get me? Had something happened with the kids?

  I patted Tina on the shoulder. “Why don’t you put some music on the headphones this time and get some sleep? I want to check on something.”

  “Okay,” she mumbled.

  I waited while she took out the camp tape and put in one of her own music tapes. After she lay down, I covered her with a blanket. She smiled, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  First I checked the building where the magic classes were. No kids. They wouldn’t be serving them lunch yet, so I went to their dorms. All of the kids were inside playing video games. I recognized one of the men who’d helped me with them before. Maybe I’d ask a few questions.

  “How are the kids doing?”

  “They’re okay.”

  “You didn’t tell them about Tony, did you?” I whispered, not wanting the kids to hear.

  He shook his head. “We told them his mom was sick and he had to go home.”

  “Good. How was the magic class?”

  “A disaster.” His whole body shuddered. “We didn’t have enough magicians.”

  I thought about what I’d told Tony. It’s nice to be right. “So what happened at the magic class?”

  “In the beginning it was chaos, but then Tony went to see the boss and asked her to send some more magician clowns.”

  “Did she?”

  “Yeah.” He squinted. “But Tony was really weird, kind of preoccupied, when he got back with the other magician clowns.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He kept looking around.” He glanced around, as if trying to figure out what Tony was looking at.

  “Did you ask him about it?”

  “Yeah. He said it was nothing. But he had a fit when I suggested that we take the kids back to the dorms and have them take a shower. Some of these kids stink!” He wrinkled his nose and made a noise somewhere between a snort and a grunt.

  “What kind of fit?”

  “He started yelling about them not taking a shower and how they smelled just fine. Then he said he needed you for something and ran out of here.”

  “He was coming to see me?” I asked. My stomach was turning like a cement mixer.

  “Yeah.”

  “I wonder what he wanted.”

  “I don’t know. But I think they’re putting me in charge, so I might be coming to see you, too.” He stuck out his hand. “My name’s Henry.”

  I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Henry. If you need any help, please find me and I’ll be happy to help.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled, looking relieved.

  I stood back and watched the kids for a few minutes. Great. Tony was coming to see me when he was killed. What about?

  I needed to talk to Tom. I said goodbye to Henry and went back to my room. Tina was still sound asleep, so I grabbed my cell phone and my keys. I wanted to talk to Tom without using the lobby phone. It probably was bugged anyway. I snickered. Was I starting to sound a little paranoid?

  When I was clear of the canyon, I pulled over in the first fast-food restaurant I saw. In and Out Burger sounded great. After ordering, I ate in the parking lot and dialed Tom’s number.

  “Tom Owens.”

  “Hello, Tom.”

  “Hey, Liza,” he said somberly. “This isn’t the same number you’ve been using. Where are you?”

  “This is my cell phone. I drove out of the canyon so that I could use it.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve figured out how they’re getting the pictures of the kids, how they’re administering the drugs, and how the mind control works.”

  “You’ve been very busy, haven’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I hope you’ve been careful.”

  “Oh yeah. But something came up today and I need your help.

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  “One of the clowns was murdered today …“

  “What?” he bellowed, interrupting me. “Get the hell out of there, right now!”

  “Excuse me, but I don’t do well when people try to tell me what to do.”

  “Listen, Liza,” he said, lowering his voice. “If people are getting killed, then somebody knows something they shouldn’t. Maybe it’s you.”

  “No, I’m not the one dead, Tony is.”

  “Oh, that’s reassuring. You could be next.”

  “No.” I shrugged, uncomfortable with the thought that he might be right. “But I could use your help.”

  He sighed loudly. “Okay. What do you need?”

  “Would you look into the finances of the Uptown Clowns? I’d like to know who besides Carl McGowan is listed as an owner or operator. His wife is involved, but I don’t know her name.”

  “Do you realize you’re a kindergarten teacher without any training in self defense?”

  “You showed me how to shoot that gun. Doesn’t that count?”

  “Okay, where’s the gun?”

  “Locked in the glove compartment of my car,” I replied, irked by his tone.

  “Oh, that’s just great,” he groaned. “That will make it really handy when you need it.”

  “I have a roommate. It’s not like I can put it on the nightstand,” I offered by way of explanation.

  “Liza, I don’t like this. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but they’ve already killed one of their own people. They won’t hesitate to knock you off, too.”

  “I’m not leaving just yet. Besides I’m not any closer to finding out what happened to Jessie than I was when I first came here.”

  “You’ve learned enough about drugs, mind
-control, and pornography for one trip. Let me call in the Feds. You can look for Jessie next time.”

  “No, give me a little more time. I’m going to finish what I started.”

  “Even if it’s the last thing you might do?” he said softly.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” I frowned into the phone.

  “Okay. I’ll look into the Uptown Clown finances. But you must call me twice a day from now on.”

  “I might not…”

  He interrupted. “Then I’m coming there and dragging you out. It’s either call me twice or go home.”

  “Fine! I’ll call you tonight from the lobby phone.”

  “I should have your information by tomorrow, so you’ll need to call me on your cell phone again.”

  “An excuse to go to a fast food restaurant. I love it.”

  “What’s the matter? Is camp food bad?” he teased.

  “No, I’m just afraid it’s all tainted with drugs so I try to stay away from it.”

  I heard him gulp. “They put drugs in the food?”

  “I don’t know. I know it’s pumped into the air-conditioning. I’m just being cautious with the food.”

  “Please be careful, Liza,” he said slowly, obviously working hard to keep the exasperation from showing.

  “I am, Tom. Besides I need to lose a few pounds anyway.”

  “Don’t lose too much weight. I remember what you said about losing weight and cutting your hair. I like your hair the way that it is.”

  “I’ll talk to you tonight, Tom.”

  “Okay.”

  I finished my cheeseburger and drove back to the camp. When I got out of my car, two clowns grabbed me again and dragged me off to the auditorium. Doesn’t anyone just ask anymore? How about, Would you follow us please? No, it’s just lift me into the air and haul me someplace. They took me back to Carl’s office. I didn’t even try to get out. I just put my feet up on the desk and closed my eyes.

  When I heard the door open, I put my feet down and opened my eyes. It wasn’t Carl at all. It was a woman.

  “Hello, Liza.” She extended her hand. “My name is Beverly. I’m Carl’s wife.”

  “I was expecting Carl.”

  “My husband’s busy.”

  “Well, tell him his goons forgot to ask again. They just carried me in.”