Iris Crowe sat on the oblong bed tapping her left foot impatiently. The nerve of that man telling her she could not leave! Did these people really think that she would just sit idly by as they plotted against her brother? If so, then they were sadly underestimating her. Folding her arms across her chest in a huff, Iris considered her situation. Where on earth was Justin? A slight frown played across her face as a traitorous thought leapt to her mind. Perhaps he had finally left her behind. So many times during this past year, she had feared his abandonment and now it would seem her fears had come to pass. But why now?
"No!" Iris shook her head violently to erase her doubts. If she wanted answers, and she did, there was only one person who could give them to her. She had to find Ben.
Iris walked to the door and took hold of the worn knob. Taking a deep breathe she turned it slowly and allowed the door to crack a hair. The light that flooded in from the tiny opening assaulted her eyes and Iris blinked rapidly. Her eyes finally growing accustomed to the brightness, she opened the door fully and surveyed her surroundings curiously. Everything about this place was foreign to her. Men and women with an array of oddities milled about while large tents were erected with seemingly little effort. As she walked though the tent aware of the stares her presence was generating, she recognized a couple of people from their impromptu visit to her home the night of the carnival. Most, however, were nameless faces who it appeared had made it their life's work to remain unobtrusive in the midst of chaos. And the scene around her would definitely qualify as frenzied. To her right, men worked feverishly digging a large ditch. Sweat poured forth from their bodies as they worked and joked using language Iris had never before heard in mixed company. To her left, two women were practicing what seemed to be a dance number but were moving in ways that caused Iris to feel flushed. As she walked around the camp, Iris was accosted by a myriad of sounds and smells that seemed to touch off within her a groundswell of emotion from some long forgotten memory.
She had just turned twenty when her brother insisted that they visit the traveling carnival that had stopped on the edge of town. That summer had been one of the hottest on record and she had resisted, preferring instead to stay at home. Justin had cajoled her into going with him with promises of caramel covered apples and time spent alone. It was the latter promise that had compelled her to go and to ride upon the Ferris wheel despite her fear of heights. He had found his own inimitable way of distracting her from her fears via searching hands and lingering kisses. The sound of a not too subtle clearing of a throat catapulted her back into the present.
Iris surveyed with critical eyes the woman who stood before her. She wore an ornate dress and Iris could tell instinctively she was a large presence in both size and personality. But it was her face that really set her apart. Try as she might, Iris could not help but look at the long strands of dark curly hair that flowed from the woman's chin.
"Never seen nothing like me before have ya? I'd imagine you're gonna be seein' a whole lot of new things around here." The woman stepped closer to Iris in a move Iris recognized immediately as one designed to intimidate her.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare." Iris hoped to disarm the woman with an apology but that hope was quickly dashed.
"Listen lady you can look all you want. What I'm interested in is what you're planning on doing around here." Despite her desire to increase the space between them, Iris stayed rooted to the ground and looked up at the woman
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"What she means is are you planning to shut us down or what?" The question seemed to come from directly behind her and Iris turned to find a woman with blonde hair wearing barely more than a slip glaring at her. With one arm on her hip, the woman ran her free hand through her hair, as she slowly looked Iris over. "Well," she continued, "you certainly aren't what I expected." That last comment elicited a grunt from the bearded woman and Iris could feel the anger building within her. Taking a step back so that she was facing both women, Iris decided to use the same tactic she often used on Justin's more irksome associates. She shielded her eyes from the sun with one hand and smiled disarmingly at both of the women.
"I am not sure what you've heard but I have no intention of staying here let alone becoming involved in this operation. In fact, I'd be very grateful if one of you could direct me toward Ben." Iris watched as both women exchanged suspicious glances.
"C'mon Rita Sue. I think I know a little runt who can give us more answers than she can." As they started to walk away, the woman with the beard stopped and turned to face Iris.
"I'd steer clear of Ben if I were you. It's your brother he hates but I suspect you'd do in a pinch. Take it from me. He ain't too particular when it comes to killing." The blonde woman grabbed her arm and the bearded lady went silent.
Watching them walk off whispering, Iris stood fuming. If there was one thing that made her incensed, it was being dismissed. She had learned a long time ago how to suffer fools gladly. Her work on Justin's behalf often put her in contact with people she found insufferable but these two women were in a class by themselves. As the weight of her circumstances finally bore down upon her, Iris took out her frustration on a lone pebble as she allowed a few choice Russian words to escape from her mouth.
"Don't mind them. They ain't happy unless they're causing trouble." Iris looked up to find a thin man leaning against a tree chewing on a twig. A bemused smile tore at the corners of his mouth and Iris was suddenly very self-conscious. It wasn't often that she allowed her temper to get the best of her and she certainly wasn't someone to have public tantrums. Yet, this man seemed more amused than shocked by her little outburst.
"Name's Felix Dreifuss, though everyone 'round here calls me Stumpy." He took the twig from his mouth and tossed it onto the ground.
"And what do you do around here Mr. Dreifuss?"
He tilted his head up slightly considering her question as a large smile spread across his face. "You might say I was a purveyor of worldly goods."
"A charlatan then." Expecting the man to be offended, Iris clasped her hands together and waited for his response. She was more than a little taken aback when he swiped at his mouth in a lazy attempt to stifle a chuckle.
"I suppose that's another way to put it." Stumpy ran both of his thumbs along the lines of his suspenders as the smile crept slowly from his face. Trying vainly to hide her discomfort, Iris held his gaze until the silence became too much for both of them and they each looked away.
Still looking out at the barren plains, Iris posed the question that had been lingering on her tongue for hours. "Do you have any idea where we are?" She hoped the question sounded innocent enough to belie her true motives but the slight hitch in her words made them sound desperate even to her. His silence caused her eyes to wander back to his where she saw pity mixed with understanding. Realizing she was not going to get her answer and humiliated by her clumsy attempt, Iris began to chew absently on her lower lip as she smoothed the wrinkled from her skirt.
He watched as her façade of nonchalance faltered. It was always interesting to Stumpy the ways of a woman. Most relied upon either histrionics or their sex appeal to get what they wanted. She had done neither choosing instead the direct approach. It was only later that he would realize that was the moment when she had won his trust.
"You know I think for a second there my manners just up and left me. Why don't you let me show you around this place? Might help you to get to know a few people. Make you feel more at home." He said the words with such forced happiness that Iris could see instantly the kindnesses that underlie each utterance. She smiled in spite of herself.
"Thank you but no. I am trying to find someone. Thank you just the same."
"Who you lookin' for?"
"A man named Ben. Samson told me….well, I just need to see him." Iris swallowed as she realized that she did not have the first inkling what she was going to ask this Ben once she found him. A sudden fear gripped her stomach as she realized that not only did she not know the appropriate questions but that the answers might alter her world in a manner for which she was utterly unprepared.
"Well now that's gonna be a problem. Ben drove out of here early this morning. Running some sort of errand for Samson I expect. I'm sure he'll be back directly."
It was impossible for Stumpy to read the look that briefly flashed across Iris' face. She looked up at him a small smile masking her true feelings. "Well, then I guess I'll wait. You wouldn't happen to have a bath around here would you?"
"Now there's a question I don't get a lot. We've got a shower of sorts but I'd suggest waiting till dark unless you'd like to give everyone a free show." A pink flame singed her cheeks and Stumpy found himself resisting the urge to laugh.
"Well I'll be. We don't get too many women blushing around here."
Scolding herself silently for being so obvious, Iris gave one more small smile. "I'm feeling a little tired. I think I will go back to the trailer. Have a nice day Mr. Dreifuss." Before Stumpy could say a word, she turned and left.
Kicking the dirt, Stumpy leaned back against the tree and watched as she made her way throughout the camp. Stumpy shoved his hands in his pockets and considered their brief exchange. She certainly didn't look like he'd expected. In a way, he was a bit disappointed. You'd think the sister of the anti-Christ would be a bit more imposing. Instead, she'd seemed downright conventional save for the way she carried herself. Stumpy had been around the block enough times to recognize false mannerisms and that smile was as fake as they came. But he had to admit she was good. In fact, he doubted anyone but him and maybe Samson would have caught its insincerity. She certainly was no rube. In his line of work, pretense often superceded truth. People always accepted a happy pretext. It saved them from dealing with many of life's harsh realities. But for the people who had to maintain the illusion, life could be lonely. This was something Stumpy had learned long ago and he had the odd sensation that Iris Crowe knew something about that isolation.
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She didn't seem afraid which was a good thing. In Samson's mind, there wasn't anything worse than an irrational woman. It still bothered him her reaction to the mention of her father but one look into those cerulean colored eyes-Management's eyes- and Samson reckoned he'd forgive her just about anything. She had his quiet grace, a quality he noted immediately as missing in her brother.
He stretched out on his bed lacing his fingers behind his head. If everything went according to plan, she would not be hurt. It would take a few days, but they would know more when Ben returned. Frustration challenged any sense of relaxation within Samson and he sat up in the bed drumming his right fingers on the windowsill. Everything depended on whether he could trust Ben to stay the course. One mistake and she might have to be sacrificed. The thought chilled his blood as Samson finally acknowledged the potential for mistakes. People were going to die and it was up to him to make sure that number was as small as possible.