Circus of Shadows: A Deadly Performance

Chapter 9: A Tense Confrontation

As Detective Connie Black was leaving the trailers behind her to head back into town, her attention, just as she had reached the victorian carousel, was suddenly cast, to a heated argument she could hear the other side of the red and white canvas of the big top. She slowly approached the tent being careful to make sure she wasn't heard.

Connie couldn't make out the voices at first but soon recognised the male's voice as Victor Miguel, the snake charmer, engaged in a loud and agitated conversation.

With her keen detective instincts, Connie knew she needed to witness this rather than trying to eavesdrop the conversation. She sneaked in and darted behind a tall stack of hay bales where she could conceal herself as she knelt behind them peaking through a gap between. The females voice Connie didn't recognise from outside was Miss Luna Alvarez, a juggling contortionist. Miss Alvarez failed to show for one of her acts last night, citing a headache and dizziness as her reasons, so was back in her trailer at the time of the murder.

Detective Black came in just at the right time to see Victor's voice erupting with anger and frustration.
"I don't care what happened, Luna! You were supposed to perform, and you left me hanging, again! This is unacceptable!" Victor's face was flushed with emotion as he shouted at Luna Alvarez.

Miss Alvarez, a fiery Latin American, who was a key member of the Carnival of Curiosity Circus as she was the talented and highly respected juggling contortionist. She had been with circus for nearly four years and was very close with Victor. They had formed a beautiful partnership that shone through in their act, and would always be seen rehearsing together.

"I know I let you down Victor, and of all people here, I hoped you would have understood the most." Luna screamed as she ran off sobbing after this quite passionate exchange.

Her absence had not gone unnoticed, she had fallen ill and didn't perform her act with Victor in the second half of the show last night. This was the second time this week she had pulled out and not completed a show. Her commitment to training had waned over the past couple of weeks and this behaviour hadn't gone down well with Mr Ortiz either. He had angrily raised this with Luna multiple times in front of Victor in their rehearsals.

Connie knew she needed to speak with Luna to gather more information, especially considering the argument she had just witnessed and her whereabouts last night. She was concerned for Luna, she looked distressed as she left the tent and wanted to find out what caused Miss Alvarez to miss some shows. She also wanted to unearth more about the troubling encounter with Mr Ortiz before his death between the pair.

Detective Black remained behind the hay bale for a little longer to observe Victor Miguel's behaviour. He was pacing back and forth, while grunting heavily, before slumping into a chair and buried his head into his hands. Connie then decided that this was the right time to discreetly approach Victor, she tried to unravel the hurt that was submerged in his angry rant towards Luna.

As Detective Black emerged from behind the hay bales, Mr Miguel looked slightly relieved to have someone to unload too as he bore a very solemn demeanour.

"Victor," She began quietly "I couldn't help over hear your conversation with Luna, what happened? What made you so mad with her?"

Victor couldn't lift his head to look at Connie Black, instead he was unmoved and maintained his stare directly at the ground as his frustration intensified. "Detective Black, Luna is an incredible performer, perhaps the best contortionist I know, and her absence during the show last night left us, well me, in a very tight spot."

Connie then pulled up a chair herself to try and regain eye contact, this was to aid her attempts to calm Victor down and to get him to open up some more. It worked as Victor looked back up and caught Connie's eye line. "Luna claimed to have had a bad headache and wanted to go and lie down. She hasn't been herself for a week or two now and I know, Mr Ortiz was also getting frustrated with her." Victor announced with concern, "She is so passionate about her work, that's why I can't understand this, or what is even going on with Luna."

Detective Black made some notes in her book before saying "Victor, do you think your angry, as you are concerned what she might of done?" Victor stood up sharply and turned away from Connie and walked towards a cage which had his snakes in. He paused glaring at his slithery companions and turned to Connie and bellowed "Not possible, I've known Luna for nearly ten years, she is the kindest and most loyal person I know. It's why I promised her mother before she joined the circus I would look after her." Victor appeared passionate and maybe a little too defensive, but understandable if someone he viewed as a daughter, was being accused of murder.

"But Victor," Connie began to say before Mr Miguel bluntly interrupted her "She is not your murderer, yes something is troubling her and she has not been herself for the past two weeks, but you are out of line Detective."

Connie realised she may of stumbled on something, especially knowing that Victor is so close with Luna, especially as he sees her as family. He might just do anything to protect her, like any doting father would do for their daughter. For now though she didn't want to show her cards to Victor, maybe the world of mystery and magic was rubbing off on Detective Black as she submerged herself into this world under the big top.

Detective Black realised that Luna Alvarez's sudden illness might have caused frictions within the circus beyond Ralph Ortiz and Victor Miguel. But Victor's tone and concern suggested there might just be more to this story. She decided to head to find Luna and speak with her to get her reasons behind her failure to perform last night and her confrontation with Mr Ortiz.

Connie knocked on the door of Luna Alvarez's trailer but as she did she realised the door was not fully closed, she peeked in to find the trailer was empty. As she wasn't their Connie used her better judgement and thought the conversation could wait, she knew how upset Luna was and concluded it might be for the best.

As she continued to uncover the intricate threads of the circus mystery, Luna Alvarez could very well be her trump card and she needed to play it wisely.