The next twelve hours seemed like an absolute blur. Someone alerted the authorities, no one knew who it was exactly, but it was most likely a couple of the parents that were in the audience. A few of them left the show that night threatening to sue the circus for any therapy that their children might need after what they witnessed. Barnaby wasn't even listening. He hugged his father for what seemed like hours.
Then the police arrived and asked Barnaby to let go of the man. After some paramedics tended to his injuries, the investigators took him aside for questioning. The entire circus arena was roped off as a crime scene. The few remaining stragglers from the crowd were forced to leave the area, as an investigation was about to take place.
"I don't understand all the hullaballoo over this," said Barnaby to one of the officers. "Is this all really necessary? Someone attempted to kill my father, why is this being treated like a huge investigation?"
"Because," the man replied, "it is one." Barnaby gave him a puzzled look. Just then he heard someone else calling his name.
"Charles Barnaby, yes? Hi, I'm Detective Sloane, I'll be leading this investigation." Barnaby didn't even accept the man's extended hand.
"Detective Sloane, what is the meaning of all this?"
"Your father gets hanged from a thirty-foot-tall tightrope inside your own circus tent, and you ask what the meaning of this is? Don't you want us to help you find the person or persons responsible for this?"
"Frankly, I don't, Detective Sloane. Clearly this town isn't suitable for us, which is why we need to be on our way. We have a show in the city in a couple of days, we need to leave in a few hours if we are to stay on schedule."
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Mr. Barnaby. This entire area is under our watch and investigation until our guy is found. I'm afraid I have to halt your schedule. That train is not leaving until we've finished our search. And yes, we have the necessary warrants."
Barnaby was still confused as to how this turned into such a massive operation in such a brief time. Then the answer came to him in the form of a black van pulling up in the parking lot. "Of course," he murmured.
Victor stepped out of the vehicle and walked over to Barnaby and Detective Sloane. "Glad this case is going to be put to rest, huh, Barnaby?" Victor gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Barnaby quickly imagined giving Victor a reassuring smack on the back of the head. "Maybe the man responsible for the attempted murder of Sanguine is also the man responsible for the other murders taken place her, and perhaps even the disappearance of my son Jacob."
"That's what I need to address next, Mr. Barnaby," said Detective Sloane. "Victor Carson has informed us earlier today that you've been experiencing a bit of a… killing spree on your hands? Mind if I ask you a few questions about that?" Sloane took a pad out of his jacket pocket and flipped to a fresh, clean page.
He knows they're going to find Jacob when they search the train, thought Barnaby. Victor did this on purpose, that little bitch. "Certainly, Detective."
Detective Sloane informed Barnaby that the individual who attacked Sanguine was wearing a gas mask that was painted bright yellow, and a crown that appeared to be made of feathers. Sanguine nicknamed him 'The Birdman' for his unique guise. The mask and the feather crown were exactly what they were searching the train for. If the killer was in fact a member of the circus, which is very likely as this individual had access to the tent before the show started in order to rig Sanguine's noose, then these items would certainly help the investigative team track him down.
The ringmaster had never been so shaken in his life. But he was completely honest in his answers. He just wanted this whole thing behind him for good. The minute Barnaby left the interrogation, he spotted Lura sitting outside on the hay bales with Parker. He sighed before calling the farm boy's name.
"Oh, shit," murmured the young man. "I'm supposed to be out of here!" Parker got up and started to leave, but Barnaby held up his hand to pause him.
"Where are you going?" the ringmaster asked.
"I figured it's time I leave, just like you asked."
"Parker, you saved my father's life tonight. You thought light on your feet, you did something that no one else in a crowded room of people thought to do. Do you realize how truly indebted I am to you?" He placed his hands on Parker's shoulders. "You're not going anywhere. I forgive you for your little screw up earlier today. Saving Sanguine made up for that tenfold." Barnaby extended his hand, and Parker eagerly shook it. "Welcome back, boy." Barnaby stared at Lura, who was busy focusing on the animals during that whole exchange. When he realized she wasn't going to return the look, he went back to the train.
"Ouch, that was cold," said Parker, sitting back down next to Lura. "Something happen between you two?"
"You don't even know the half of it," she said, rubbing her eyes.
"I told you my story, Lura. Come on, I thought we were friends." He placed his hand on her knee. She glanced at his hand, not sure how to respond.
Carefully she picked his hand up and took it off of her. "We are friends, Parker. No more, no less." The farm boy blushed and looked at his feet while he waited for the awkwardness to subside. "Although… I might have an idea…"
Barnaby was lying on his front with his face shoved into his pillow. He didn't want to get up. He didn't want to ever get up. Maybe if I just lay here forever, everyone else will go away and leave me alone. No one wants me anyway. I've got a killer taking down my performers. I've got a psycho mayor looking to tarnish my business and incarcerate my father. I've got the love of my life wielding sharp objects every time I confront her. Who cares about me? No one. Not a single person.
Then, as if someone was responding to his musings, Athena quietly tapped on the door. "Charles, are you alright?"
"Not one bit, mother." Kicking into parent mode, Athena opened the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. Rubbing his back just as she did when he was a young boy, she asked calmly, "Why are you so upset, Barnaby?"
"Because everyone I know hates me. My life is being torn into a million pieces before my very eyes." He finally picked his head off of the pillow so she could audibly hear him. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Well, you started an entire circus from the ground up just to give your father an outlet for his heinous crimes. You do horrible things to people to serve either you or him. Think about Lura. You kidnapped her baby, and then staged his death, just to keep her a part of this show. How sick is that, Charles?"
He sat up now. "Why did you tell her about her baby? We were so happy together. You know what they say, ignorance is bliss."
"She had every right to know, Charles. You're a monster. How could you sleep at night knowing you did that to her? Now I know you love her, it's plain to see. But to go to such lengths just to keep her in your bed at night? That's downright cruel. No wonder someone's trying to kill you all." He gave her a scowl. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm horrified to even be sitting right next to you. My sweet boy, the child I loved through it all. Now that I know the truth about Lura, it pains me to look into your eyes, the same eyes that cried when you fell off the seesaw when you were six." Athena was practically blubbering at this point. "I don't think I can keep up with this charade anymore, Charles. It's gone on long enough. I stuck around all these years to protect you, to make sure you weren't doing anything heinous, and to keep your asshole of a father in line. But enough is enough. I'm about to go mad!"
"Don't rat us out to the police, mother!" Barnaby suddenly got frightened and held onto her arm. She used her free hand to smack his tight grip away.
"No. As much as I want to see your father rot in a prison cell for the few years he has left, I would never want to see you suffer the same fate. But I can't keep up with this, all of this. The lies, the crimes, the abuse, the torment." She held his hands in hers and looked into those big brown eyes. "I'm done." Then she let go, got up, and left.
Who cares about me? Barnaby asked himself. No one. Not a single person. Not even my own mother. He grabbed his pillow and started to cry into it.
Cassandra perked up as she heard a loud whistle crescendo near her head. She thought for a second that the train was moving, but when she woke up, she realized that they were still stopped, in the same place they've been in. She looked around and noticed that the whistle came from a teakettle, which Julius took off the stove and used to pour her a cup of tea. Cassandra accepted the mug and carefully took a sip.
"Th—thank you."
Julius didn't reply, but instead just sat down next to her and pet her scaly tail. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know w—what happened," she answered, setting the cup on the table beside her. "I thought I could do it. But it was so…"
"Surreal?" he suggested. She nodded, accepting that as the word she couldn't think of.
"Aren't we supposed to be moving? I thought there was another sh—show somewhere else."
"Not at the moment. The authorities halted our train. There's an investigation going on. You missed what happened after your part in the show last night. Someone tried to kill one of our clowns in the middle of the show. And apparently they've killed a few others too."
Cassandra didn't like the sound of any of that. "I don't feel… safe here." She grabbed her tea and took a bigger gulp this time. "I miss my home," she stated, clear as a bell, no stuttering or slurring. Julius wondered if she'd been rehearsing that line this whole time. "I miss Marcus."
"Cassandra, I thought we went over this. Marcus died, in that plane crash you were in." He did nothing differently, but Cassandra noticed that his petting got more sensual, more intimate. "I'm sure everyone else assumes you're dead. Do you really want to go back to that?"
She thought about it, and placed her hand on top of his, letting him glide her up and down her tail. "I feel like I'm home when I'm with you." She sat up a bit so she was just inches from his face. "Take me home, Julius." Then she leaned in for a kiss. Julius was about to go for it, but at the very last second, he pulled away. Cassandra was extremely hurt. "I thought you wanted that too," she said, diverting her eyes to anywhere else in the room but his face.
"Believe me, I do, it's just…"
"The fact that I'm part fish?" Julius didn't respond. "I get it. Sorry I wasted your time." She went back to her tea, but the lion tamer snatched the mug out of her hands and planted a big kiss on her. Cassandra was taken aback, but gradually got into it and accepted it.
"The fact that you're part fish isn't what's important," he said once he broke free from the kiss. "What is important is that you trust me, that you care about me just as much as I care about you." She flashed him a smile. "I would take you out to dinner, but unfortunately we're on lockdown," he said, suddenly killing the mood. He jogged over to the cupboard and pulled out a box of crackers. "Will this do?" Cassandra giggled and took the box from him, and they spent the night telling stories and sharing crackers.
Victor sat on the curb of the parking lot, flipping through his wallet. He found a picture of him and Ellen from their tenth wedding anniversary. He giggled as he remembered that was the night when Uncle Ollie got so drunk he fell right into the cake. Then as the memory faded, he tore the picture in half and angrily shoved it back in his wallet.
After doing that he noticed someone approaching the circus train. He rose to his feet and paced over to the woman. "Excuse me, you can't step foot on this property. There's an investigation going on. Can't you see the yellow tape?"
"That's none of my concern," said Ruuxa, shoving her bare hands in her robe to deflect them from the cold wind. "I need to see Charles Barnaby."
"Are you an employee of this circus?" Victor asked.
"Yes," she replied. "I'm here to collect my pay. Would you mind getting him for me? I've been waiting far too long for this, and I get very upset when someone makes me wait." Victor looked around for an officer to handle the situation, but while he did that, Ruuxa eyed him from head to toe. She felt a tingle in her extremities as she remembered holding Ellen's cold, dead hand in hers. "You're Victor Carson. I'm so sorry for your loss." He snapped his head to face her so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash.
"Wait right here. Don't move."
A few moments later, Victor asked a cop to take him into the train to speak to Barnaby. The cop complied and took him to the ringmaster's office. Barnaby was sitting there, half naked, somewhat asleep on top of his desk.
"Barnaby!" he shouted, waking him up. "Look out your window."
He did as he was told and saw Ruuxa standing there. Keep track of your staff, he repeated in his head. It was as if the mere sight of her caused that line to replay over and over again.
Victor stood next to him and looked at her with him. "Do you know her?"
"Yes," Barnaby replied, thinking up a quick lie to go with the story he originally told Victor. "I'm almost confident she's the one who killed your wife. She's the Birdman."
"It all makes sense," said Barnaby as he and Victor sped down the length of the train to get to Detective Sloane. "The gas mask, it's meant to represent the industries that are destroying her nature preserves. The bird feathers are obviously connected to nature, just like she is. I've had this suspicion all along, but now it all finally makes sense."
"I'm just glad we're finally getting to the bottom of this," said Victor, trying to keep with Barnaby, who was practically sprinting. "Hey," the mayor said, grabbing the other man by the shoulder and caused him to stop. "I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused you. Sincerely, I am. I was just looking for answers. Now that they're starting to come together, I can finally appreciate all you've done to help me out."
Barnaby almost felt like hugging the man. That was the first nice thing anyone had said to him in days. "Why the investigation, Victor? Why bring the authorities into this mess? Didn't the whole plane scheme scare you away?"
"I still wanted my son back, Barnaby. I knew you were just telling me you would look for Jacob just to get me out of your hair. Getting an investigative team behind me was the only way to get it done right." Barnaby shook his head, as if to say he understood. "You're not going to keep holding that over my head, though, are you?"
The fact that Victor was finally seeking a truce made Barnaby's cold heart melt. "No. But I'll never forget it. Don't think you can continue to cross me in the future, or I will use it against you." They both chuckled.
"I doubt we'll meet again, Mr. Barnaby. Once this Birdman is finally taken into custody, we'll let your circus people go on to your next stop, and that will be the end of your stay in our lovely town."
"It's almost sad that we're saying farewell, Mr. Carson." They exchanged a proper handshake before continuing the walk to Sloane's area. But when they got there, they noticed he was already talking to someone else: Athena.
"Gentlemen, is there something I can help you with?" asked Sloane.
"Yes, Detective. We think we've found the killer," said Victor enthusiastically.
"I have, too. You're looking at her." Barnaby and Victor both focused on the elderly psychic sitting in front of them.
"I don't get it," said Barnaby.
Detective Sloane got up and gathered his papers. "We found the gas mask and the feather crown in her possession. And she revealed exactly how she killed Jack Marshall, Diego Sanchez, and Ellen Carson, along with her clear motive to kill your father, Martin, her ex-husband."
"So that's it, then?" asked Barnaby, not taking his eyes off his mother. "What's going to happen to her?"
"We're going to bring her down to the station, get her full statement, arrest her, and then a trial will determine her sentence." Athena wasn't even looking at her son, but she knew his gaze was directly on her. Victor's too, apparently.
No, Barnaby thought. She's lying to him. She's covering up for the killer. And she knows who it is. She's fucking psychic. She knew all along. She wanted the Birdman to kill off Sanguine, and so she never said anything to anyone about it. Then she found the mask and the crown on the train and pretended they were hers. My mother isn't capable of murder. She wouldn't dare. This is all an act.
Barnaby didn't blink once as he watched a police officer handcuff Athena and walk her into one of the squad cars.
"I guess now we wait to hear about Jacob," said Victor. Barnaby didn't answer. He was stuck in thought about what just happened. "Goodbye, Charles." Victor waited for a response, but he wasn't getting one. He walked over to his van and drove home.
"Congratulations, Mr. Barnaby," said Detective Sloane as he and his team started to pack up. "You are officially un-halted. Go forth and knock 'em dead wherever you're performing next. Not literally, of course." The detective patted the ringmaster on the back, and within a half hour they were all gone.
Victor got home and stared at the fireplace in the living room. He knew what had to be done. Finally time to put that bitch where she belongs, he thought. After removing all the logs from inside, he used a small spade to scoop up all the ashes and collected them in a bowl. Then he carried it upstairs and into his room.
"Goodbye, Ellen. Good fucking riddance." He brought the bowl into the bathroom, dumped its contents into the toilet, and confidently flushed it all down. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
The next thing he did was take the family portrait off the mantle, the one of the three of them, the one that cost thousands of dollars to hire a professional artist to paint, and smash it on the ground. Once it was free of its frame, Victor ripped Ellen out of the canvas, so only he and Jacob remained.
He ended the night with a glass of wine watching painted Ellen burn in the fire. It was almost as enjoyable as watching the actual Ellen burn to a crisp just hours before.
Barnaby was about to call it a night when he noticed Ruuxa still standing in the parking lot. "Why are you still here, Ruuxa?"
"Why do you think, Mr. Barnaby? You owe me a large sum of money, do you not?"
"And you think I'm just going to give it to you?"
Ruuxa gave him a deadly stare. "I fulfilled my part of the agreement. I did what you asked me to do. I transferred the life from one individual to another, one that wasn't even wholly human. Now you pay me, or else."
"Or else what? You're going to kill my staff? Oh wait, you already did that!" In a bout of rage he punched the woman right in the cheek. "Jumpin' Jack!" He punched her again, this time causing her to fall to the floor. "Diego!" Ruuxa felt wetness running down her mouth and chin. Her nose was severely broken and blood was pouring out like a fountain. "And you almost killed my father!" He kicked her right in the stomach after that one. Once she caught her breath, she staggered to her feet and ran. She didn't know where she was running to, but she just ran away from the Barnaby Traveling Circus.
Barnaby considered this night overall a success. His father didn't die, even though there was an attempt on his life. Victor was off his back, seemingly for good. And Ruuxa, the Birdman, was probably bleeding to death in an alley somewhere. So what if Athena's going to jail for a crime she didn't commit? The pros definitely outweigh the cons tonight. For the first time in days, Barnaby grinned from ear to ear as he stepped into his bedroom.
That's where he found Lura riding Parker in his bed.
Lura locked eyes with him, and instead of jumping off the bed and covering herself out of shame like he expected, she just continued to stare at him while taking Parker inside her.
"What's the matter, Barnaby?" she asked, grabbing Parker's hands and forcing them to grope her breasts. "You don't care to join us, do you?"
Parker meanwhile was nearly about to shit the bed in fear. Lura talked him into this plan to get back at Barnaby, but all he worried about was having Barnaby rip his dick off or something in retaliation. He could see the fire igniting in the ringmaster's eyes.
Barnaby then began to stomp forcefully towards the bed, and this scared Lura enough to hop off of Parker's lap and crawl onto the other side of the bed. Barnaby grabbed the nude farm boy by the arm and flung him against the wall, pinning him there by his throat. Parker was shaking, not sure what exactly Barnaby planned on doing to him first.
In an unexpected twist, Barnaby crashed his lips into Parker's. Lura watched from the other side of the bed in utter shock. "Yes," Barnaby said, releasing himself from the kiss. "I do care to join you." He tore off his coat and shirt, tossed the boy down on the bed, and guided Lura to join in.