The Case of the Circus Murder

XVI

I turned around in shock, expecting a murderer, but I was pleased to see instead the tall figure of Uncle Felix. No - I wasn't pleased, I was relieved. Uncle Felix would stop us from investigating, I knew he would - and this case had become my current life, even it was absolutely petrifying.

"These children are with me." Inspector Priestley responded calmly.

"I think you find that they are with me." Uncle Felix stated coldly, glaring at Inspector Priestley.

"It's true!" Daisy exclaimed. "What Inspector Priestley said, I mean. Uncle Felix, please let us investigate! We've been investigating for days. Well, two days."

"Who are you?" asked Inspector Priestley. 

"Felix Mountfitchet." said Uncle Felix, stiffly shaking hands with the Inspector.

"We had five suspects," I said boldly. "and now we have two. Please allow us to investigate, just this once."

Uncle Felix sighed. "Alright, alright, you have my permission to detect. I just want you to be safe, that's all. Daisy, you are my only niece, and I don't want any of you others getting hurt."

"We won't get hurt!" exclaimed Daisy. "Hazel and I have solved..."

"Four murder cases, I know." said Uncle Felix with an amused smirk. "No danger!"

"We wouldn't dream of it, Uncle!" called Daisy as he walked away.

"Right then." said Inspector Priestley. "Should we check Mr. Pierce's tent?"

We entered Mr. Pierce's tent. It looked normal at first, but then an over-sized rat came scurrying past us, and we all (yes, even Inspector Priestley and Daisy) stepped back in surprise.

"Beanie would love that." said Lavinia.

"Lavinia, don't." I warned. Beanie may love mice, but she has bad musophobia when it comes to rats.

"I'm going in!" declared Amelia. "No matter how many rats there are!"

"She's brave." whispered Inspector Priestley as Amelia entered the tent and began to look around.

"I've found something!" shouted Amelia.

"What?" the rest of us cried in unison.

"It's in morse code! I don't know morse code."

"I can read it." Alexander and I volunteered at exactly the same time. I went red.

Amelia passed it to Lavinia first. ("You can all read a bit each.")

"Friday 22nd November." Lavinia read. "Diary. Today was q-quite a normal day."

George took it. "We did a show, like normal, and went back to the Swann Hotel, like normal."

Alexander read next. "I did get a letter from my parents. That was good, as I hardly receive news from them."

"I took my knife to open the letter," read Inspector Priestley. "and I noticed something strange carved in it. It was written in morse code."

Daisy practically snatched the paper off of him. "It read 'the one to own shall be the one to die'. I thought nothing of it. I also thought of a new and exciting act."

She passed me the paper which I accepted with trembling hands. I read it with an equally trembling voice. "Lola will have to perform it. It is very dangerous and could possibly kill her. I think I will tell her just before the show on Sunday."

All of us gasped collectively and I dropped the paper. It floated gently to the ground - not at all matching the air of suspense around us all - and landed in a puddle. Normally, I would have been upset. After all, what was possibly the last thing that Mr. Pierce had ever written was now gone.

But I was simply too astonished to care.

And then we heard gentle footsteps tapping on the ground behind us, like a tap-dancer. I bravely turned around, seeing a slim and young woman who was wearing a short, pale pink dress that was coated in glitter and sparkles. I made an exclamation and grabbed Daisy's hand.

"What on earth are you doing reading somebody else's private, personal documents?" the woman asked us.