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Back The Ringmaster Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. The Ringmaster
  3. Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. Epilogue
  72. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  73. Copyright

‘It hinges on the circus. If our murderer isn’t a member of the crew, then someone has gone out of their way to set them up, use them as a smokescreen. But who would do that and why? Is this something personal against the circus or a person in it? Did someone hate Terry Bennett, for example – enough to try and set him up for murder? Were all these victims random collateral damage for someone’s elaborate plan? Or is this about them as individuals, specifically targeted?’

I could see him mulling it over, his fingers tapping his lips. ‘I hadn’t thought about this being a personal vendetta against the circus. If it was, they’ve achieved results in spectacular fashion. It makes me want to look at some of those animal-rights activists a bit more closely.’

Me too. I’d heard of instances overseas where the activists had crossed the line from peaceful protest into wanton crime – the worst case involving desecrating some poor woman’s grave because her son-in-law bred guinea pigs for medical research. Could someone have gone so far as to commit murder – make that multiple murders – to get at a perceived animal abuser? That smacked of obsession bordering insanity.

He looked up at me, this time minus the sneer. ‘Is that why you’re in here this morning? To look at the Bateman case?’

‘Yes,’ I said, simply.

‘After everything that’s happened, and in your own time?’

‘Yes.’

He tapped his fingers against his lips some more. ‘What do you need?’

My God, was I actually going to get some support from the man? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. ‘Files on the investigation to date, access to the videoed interviews and transcripts of the ones that weren’t. Opportunity to talk to some of the parties involved.’

Seeing as all cards seemed to be on the table, I dared another direct question.

‘How do I know you’re going to let me get on with this and not withhold information or interfere? How do I know you’re not setting me up to fail?’

‘You’re just going to have to trust me,’ he said, deadpan.

‘Well I don’t, so that’s going to be a problem.’

The right side of his face twitched, but his voice remained even. ‘The feeling is quite mutual. I will give you the opportunity to prove my opinion of you wrong. But if, for any reason, you let me down, or make me look bad, no amount of help from above will keep your arse in this job. Understood?’

‘Perfectly.’

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