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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

‘Of course I do. Someone’s got to pay. My concern is that my circus gets trampled on in the process. Public image is a fickle thing. You’ve seen it yourself with the protesters and stupid bloody pranksters. The circus gets a bum enough rap anyway. We don’t need to give them any more ammunition. I just want to make sure we get the same courtesy as any other group of people in this situation. You know, innocent until proven guilty, which we won’t be. The last thing we need is any more bloody media attention to fuel the fire.’

25

‘The thick and smelly stuff has truly hit the fan this morning,’ Smithy said as I arrived in the squad room ready for another funfilled day at the office. It remained to be seen whether the office in question would be here or in a tent. ‘Your Mr Bennett’s going to be a bit pissed off.’

‘Why, what’s happened?’ I asked.

Smithy held up the front page of the Otago Daily Times and there, splattered across it, was the headline: ‘Circus makes a killing’.

‘Oh crap, that can’t be good.’ We had the paper delivered at home and I usually checked the headlines and laid claim to the cryptic crossword puzzle before heading off to work, but I’d been late back from my run this morning and missed the juicy bits.

I went over and grabbed the proffered paper to read some more. ‘Jesus, they’ve even said that the murder may be related to the string of unsolveds up the country. How the hell did they find out about that? I thought that information was top secret.’ This added to the twisting sensation in my gut that hadn’t resolved itself since I’d found a second note under my windscreen this morning. This one was the same paper, but blank. Somehow, that felt worse than being sworn at. I was considering having a quiet word to Smithy about it if the opportunity arose, but it still felt a bit wimpy to feel so fazed by such a little thing.

‘It was supposed to be,’ Smithy said. ‘Someone’s going to be very unhap—’

‘Meeting, first floor, now.’ DI Johns’ manner gave no room for discussion as he leaned around our doorway and roared. Even the big boys flinched. ‘Move it.’ That was all the instruction we got – and all we needed.

‘I’d guess that was the unhappy someone,’ I said, after I’d scraped myself off the ceiling.

We followed the stream of obedient CIB folk down the stairwell to the first-floor briefing room. The chairs were already taken, so we stood around the side. Looked as though everyone in the building had been summoned for this one. The lights, which were usually dimmed in here for presentations, glared relentlessly.