Author's note. Thanks to the reviews, I truly appreciate them.

Chapter Three

The Meeting

Rick had gathered the puppets and the remains of the diary Pinhead had found in Maclain's room back to the house, only after burying both Maclain and Hertz in the cemetery behind the Inn. The police would have only blamed him for their murders as they had done before. There was no time for anything like that now.

The next few days passed with Blade, Jester and the others telling him everything Hertz had told them and what Maclain had told him.

"The originals she called them," Rick asked Jester, as he sat on the couch of his home, the puppets sitting around him, "She's referring to the wooden puppets he talks about in the diary? The ones he left in Paris?"

The small puppet clad in a Jester's outfit nodded, his head spinning to reveal a frowning face.

He sighed. Toulon had discussed these puppets in his diary in great detail. How he had brought them to life using the formula the Egyptian man, named Afzel, had given him. How he had no choice to bring them with him when he and a young Peter Hertz escaped to American. Toulon had expressed extreme guilt after leaving them behind. As if he were a parent leaving his children behind. Rick knew it couldn't have been an easy decision. In the diary, he wondered whatever had happened to the puppets. But, he did mention he tried to find out later in his old age. Had hired detectives in Paris to try and find out who had bought them, what had happened to them. In the last entries in the journal he had stated that a small sideshow had bought these curious little wooden puppets which could move of their own accord. The last entry stating he had plans to go and retrieve them. Something that would never happen.

Walking into the room, Suzie grinned down at Jester, saying, "Hey there, no smile for me?"

Jester's head swiveled around to reveal a smiling face as she giggled, sitting down beside Rick.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked.

Shrugging, he replied, "I have to go, Suzie. I have to go get them before whoever got Decapitron and Torch does something else. Something tells me that is who is behind all of this. But, I want you to go stay with your mother. I don't want to risk them coming here looking for Blade and the others. Please."

He held her hand in his and kissed it. She never wanted to leave him, especially now. They had been through worse at the Inn and she held her own. But, unknown to Rick, she was four months pregnant.

"Okay." She said, nodding her head, "I'll go tomorrow."

He knew it wouldn't be cheap, but he took out the phone and began making reservations for a flight to Paris.

The flight was longer than he had expected as it landed in the Paris International airport some time later. After picking up the small trunk with the puppets inside, Rick made his way to the taxis outside and hailed one, insisting on putting the trunk in the back seat with himself.

When asked where he wanted to go, Rick gave the address he had found in the diary, the last known location of this side show. Not really sure if it would even be there, he hoped there would be some clue as to their whereabouts if it wasn't.

As the taxi pulled up, it was to Rick's great relief that a carnival was seen only a block away. It appeared to be a permanent part of this small town. Paying the taxi driver, he took the trunk out and, propping it on its back wheels, began to walk toward the entrance.

After paying admission and asking around to the few carnival workers that spoke English, he was directed to the manager of the carnival.

Walking inside the small building, he entered and asked to see the manager to the secretary behind the desk.

"What is this in regards to?" she asked in a French accent.

"I was told you had a side show act of living puppets at one time. I'd like some information about it and was told to come here."

She nodded before beginning to type on the keyboard in front of her and then pausing looking at the screen.

"I am sorry. We no longer have that attraction. It seems as though it was sold to a private collector some time ago. However, I do have his address if you would like it."

Nodding, Rick took the paper she had written the address on and quickly left, hailing another taxi and proceeding to the address.

As the taxi pulled in front of the apartment building, Rick wondered how someone who could afford to buy the puppets was living in such a run down building. This section of the city seemed to be the low level section.

Paying the driver, he got out, pulling the trunk behind him and made his way up the stairs and to the apartment number listed on the paper. Knocking once, he waited for one minute before knocking again. Sounds of shuffling feet coming to the door could be heard before the door opened slightly, the chain lock clicking.

"Yes?"

"Are you Dubois Mareau?" Rick asked, with high hopes.

"Who are you?" The grungy face man asked.

"My name is Rick Myers. I'm here because of the puppets you purchased from a side show about two years ago."

There was silence for several moments before the door shut and the chain lock was taken off, the door opening wide.

"Come in, Monsieur Myers."

Walking inside, Rick set the trunk by the door and waited as Dubois made his way past him and sat down on the couch, offering Rick the chair in front of it.

The apartment was surprisingly well furnished with what appeared to be a brand new flat screen TV, high end electronics and around a hundred DVD's, mostly pornographic littered around the floor.

Dubois himself was wearing a stained t-shirt and jeans with multiples holes in them. His eyes looked bloodshot, probably because of the numerous liquor bottles lying around.

"Now, what about those worthless puppets?"

"Worthless?" Rick asked, confused.

"Yes," he said, grabbing a liquor bottle sitting on the end table by the couch and swigging down several gulps, "Sure, they moved around for a short time and then stopped altogether. I ended up putting them on a shelf collecting dust. That is, until a few weeks ago."

Rick's stomach dropped, he had a bad feeling about this.

"What happened a few weeks ago?"

Dubois laughed heartily, "Someone else came looking for them. Paid me a great deal for them. I couldn't understand why anyone would pay that much for a bunch of wooden puppets, but he seemed to want them very badly. Horrible accent though."

"Accent?"

"Yeah," Dubois said as he took another gulp, "German."

He knew it. The same person who had taken Decapitron and Torch now had the retro puppets.

"Do you happen to have his contact information?"

Dubois looked at him for the longest time and then nodded, "I'll go get his number. He called me a few days ago."

Stumbling from the room, Rick had thought he had caught a break. That is, until Dubois came back in the room with a gun in his hand, aiming it at Rick's chest.

"What the hell?" Rick asked, standing and backing up, "What are you doing?"

"Funny thing about this guy," Dubois said, almost smiling as he twisted the silencer onto the pistol. "He told me someone else might come looking for the puppets. If I killed whoever it was, there was 500,00 franks in it for me. Looks like I'm going to be a richer man."

Aiming the pistol to Rick's head, Dubois only felt a sharp pain in his left ankle as he looked down and saw a tiny puppet in a trench coat, now covered in blood from the gash on his ankle. Next to the puppet with a knife on his hand, a larger one with huge hands grabbed his other leg and pulled, sending Dubois to the floor, the pistol sliding from his hands into Rick's who bent down and now held it at Dubois.

"Living puppets!" He shouted, while clutching at his ankle, "Like the others!"

"Where is his number?" Rick asked, aiming the pistol at Dubois' head.

Looking up at Rick, he muttered, "In the phone. The only call from the States." Before looking back at Blade and Pinhead.

Picking up the phone, Rick looked at the incoming calls and found one from the U.S. only three days prior. Pocketing the phone, he slammed the butt of the gun against Dubois' head as the man collapsed onto the floor.

"Come on." He told the two, "Back in the trunk. We need to find a place to stay."

Hours later, the puppets were sitting around Rick in the small hotel room as Rick dialed the number on the phone and waited as it rang.

Finally, it was picked up as a man's voice answered, "I told you not to call me Dubois." Came the voice in a pronounced German accent.

"This isn't Dubois," Rick said, "My name is…"

Before he could finish, the man on the other end answered, "Rick Myers, I presume."

Rick was silent for only a few moments before replying, "Yes. I believe you have some things that belong to me."

"Is that so?" Krauss replied, "I bought them and have the receipts for said purchases so I believe they belong to me now."

"They belong to Andre Toulon." Rick stated emphatically.

There was laughter on the other end of the phone.

"Toulon is dead so it doesn't matter anymore. However…I am interested in YOUR puppets. I'm sure we can make some type of deal between us. One that would be mutually beneficial."

Rick shook his head, his face contorted into one of pure rage, "I'm never giving you the puppets. Nothing you can offer me is worth it."

"Oh?" Krauss asked, "What about the footage I have from the security cameras at the Bodega Inn?"

"What?"

Krauss laughed once more, "I own the Inn now, boy. I had set up surveillance cameras just in case any of the other puppets were out and about. Yes, I know all about your puppets you have. I also have gone over certain recent video from the basement. A woman collapsing and dying, another man pulling a gun on someone and being shot, then you coming into the picture, holding a gun. Not good for you I'm afraid. Then video of you removing the bodies and cleaning the mess. Looks like an open and shut case of murder to me."

All of the air had left Rick. This guy was right. If the police got a hold of that security footage, well, they already thought he was a murderer at one point. This would just solidify their case.

"So, Mr. Myers," Krauss said in a calm voice, "It seems to me you have little choice in the matter. Bring them to me, here at the Inn in one week. I will hand over the tape as well as a substantial financial bonus."

Looking at the puppets who seemed to be listening to every word, Rick held a finger up to his lips before replying, "Alright. One week." And hung up.

"Ok," He said, " We have one week to prepare for a fight. I have no intention of giving any of you up and I'm going to get the others back as well."

Jester's head swiveled around to reveal a grin. Pinhead, Six-shooter, Tunneler and Leech Woman all nodded and Blade's eye sockets popped out their small daggers.

"Let's go home." Rick said.