Circus of Shadows: A Deadly Performance

Chapter 7: Shadows of Suspicion

Detective Black made her way through the circus tent from Madame Hattie's trailer to the ticket booth hoping to speak with the ticketmaster.

Connie was hoping to speak with them to see if they could corroborate the account Jean Bellingham had given about seeing a suspicious person hanging around the ticket booth just before the show had began. Unfortunately as Connie reached the booth a handwritten notice was standing in front of the counter. "Gone for lunch back soon."

As Detective Black was just about to be on her way she could hear someone breathing heavily with loudening footsteps heading towards her. It was Jessica Delights who runs the confectionery stall, where she sells popcorn, candy floss and multi coloured glow sticks.

"Detective," Jessica could barely mutter, grabbing her breath once again. "I'm glad I caught you, I saw you leave Madame Hattie's trailer and wanted to share with you what I observed last night."

Detective Black walked Jessica Delights back into a spookily vacant circus tent and they sat on one of the stools on the front row. "Now gather your thoughts and please tell me all that you know." Connie said reassuringly to Ms Delights.

"Just before the final act, I noticed two shadows moving outside behind the tent," Jessica revealed. "Two? Are you sure there were two?" Detective Connie Black cut across Ms Delights.

She paused for a moment and carried on "Yes two, I'm certain of it, one was clearly a male, and the other looked more like a female."

Connie's interest was piqued. "Can you describe the shadows in more detail? Can you recall their movements Ms Delights?"

Jessica nodded eagerly. "I couldn't see their faces as they were moving quickly, like they didn't want to be seen. It struck me as odd, especially since most of the performers were inside the tent readying themselves for the finale at the time."

Detective Black wanted more and pressed for further information. "Do you recall anything else about them? Any distinct features or clothing? Did you hear anything?

Ms Delights paused for a few moments, while looking over her shoulder through the curtains leading back stage. She seemed deep in thought trying to remember if there was anything else she could recall. "I couldn't see much, as I was packing away my stalls, but the female shadow seemed to be wearing a long skirt, and the male was definitely wearing a hat as I saw him adjust it. They then vanished behind the tent and I didn't see them again after that."

Detective Black instantly connecting this with the information gathered from Madame Hattie about the Bauer twins. Could this of been them and the reason why Madame Hattie didn't see them preparing for their final act? She contemplated.

Could these shadows just be members of Havens townsfolk or were they genuine connections to the murder of Mr Ralph Ortiz? Or even the reason for Felix and Sofia's disappearance?

"Thank you for finding me Ms Delights, and sharing this information with me," Connie announced. "Your observation could be a crucial piece of the puzzle, if anything else comes back to you, then please feel free to reach out to me again."

"Please find them quickly Detective," Ms Delights said anxiously "I have known them a long while and become quite fond of them." Connie could see genuine concern and reassured Ms Delights that their disappearance was of equal importance.

As Detective Connie Black continued with her investigation, she knew that the identity of these mysterious shadows held great importance to shedding light on the darkness that descended over the circus. Whether they were the culprits of Mr Ortiz's murder or not, identifying the Bauer twins was top of her agenda.

Detective Black now believed identifying Mr Ralph Ortiz's murderer was very much becoming a cloak and dagger operation. It was time to change tactics, she wanted to find out more about Mr Ortiz, as this could unveil some clues as to how he came to his fateful death. Planning ahead Detective Black knew she needed to cast the net further afield, utilising the community spirit of Haven to help her catch the perpetrators. Recognising their help would be key as the tight bonds of the circus ensemble would be hard to crack until she had learned their past experiences.