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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

My eyes flicked back and forth between the two, comparing features. Zarvo’s shaved head, his nose, chin shape, eyes and eye shape. Pad the face out with an extra ten or more kilos and add some hair, a suntan, and a smile and it was the same man.

‘Not called Zarvo, I take it?’

‘No. Meet Jason William McDonald. Reported missing from Tauranga in 2004. Missing, assumed dead. Left behind a wife and then four-month-old son. Went to work on Tuesday night, late shift at the hospital as usual. He was a nurse. Never arrived at work, never came home. His car was found, burned out near Te Puke. Police speculated he had been robbed and murdered, but his body was never found. Now we know why. DNA testing will confirm it.’

‘Wow, how do you go from being Jason McDonald to Zarvo the Clown? I’ve heard of people running away to the circus, but he seems to have gone to extreme measures to hide himself. Mind you, slathered in clown make-up, it would be like hiding in full sight. Did he have any form?’ Perhaps he’d run away to escape past crimes, and in his new life had resumed his old hobbies.

‘No, nothing, not even a parking ticket. Basically, your bog-standard, working-class family man. No priors, no known enemies, loved his wife and kid.’

He can’t have loved them that much if he’d run away and hidden in the relative anonymity of the circus. It did make you ask questions as to why, especially in light of the string of murders that had tailed this particular circus around the countryside. I couldn’t imagine boredom would drive someone to abandon their family and do something so extreme. This information certainly placed him firmly back in the running as a suspect in Operation Sparrow. It also meant there was a family in Tauranga that may or may not be thrilled to receive news of their lost loved one.

‘Thanks for that, Bruce. Can I keep this? I’m on my way to see the boss.’ Unfortunately, for me. ‘I’ll pass this on.’

‘That’s your copy. Well spotted.’ He hesitated a moment before adding, ‘Good luck with…’ He inclined his head towards my pending interrogation. ‘You know.’