A Fear of Clowns (The Greasepaint Chronicals) Read online

  Jay snorted back, his face a little sour.

  "She was accused, but no one knew for certain? That could mean anything. We should ask about it, before we toss her out with the bathwater. If she did it, maybe she needs a second chance? If she didn't, then she might just be ready for someone to give her a break. All of you did that for me." He wasn't loud about it, but three sets of eyes looked at him like he was a complete tool for a bit. Then Max held up his right hand and called out.

  "That's enough Felicity. Come on down and join us." She'd been up on the stage, but hadn't used a microphone at all. That meant good projection, since the space was decently large. It had to be, since the front half was filled with tables.

  She jogged over, here skirt flaring a bit as she went down the stairs. She was trim and cute enough that she fit, being up there on stage. As long as they could use her without all the silver going missing. The girl nodded to them, each in turn, spending the most time on Max, and then Carlos. Wendy wasn't ignored, but also didn't get a lot of attention, as if the girl knew she was a lost cause. That left Jay, who she didn't seem to know how to handle at all. Leaning in she put her hand out, for him to shake. First, before Max, as if he were the important one.

  "Felicity Maine, as you probably know. Pleased to meet you?" It was a question, which was a thing that made sense. He might just be some clown, after all.

  "Jason Hadley. So, I hear that there were some accusations of theft on your part, from a previous position? If we hire you on here, you'll want to make sure no one has opportunity or reason to accuse you of anything like that. It's too hard on the reputation. To that end, you'll be required to sign a contract, stipulating to such. Do you understand? We aren't saying that you did anything, simply that you can't. For that matter, no one here can. I don't want you to think that you're being singled out. Even, you understand, as we single you out." When people signed contracts, they were slightly more likely to follow their words with action. Of course she could also storm off angrily, insulted by the implications. Jay didn't really want that, since there was clearly a better than average chance that Sidney Hammer had sent the girl there on purpose.

  Probably to help with the cheating scam, or the clean up from it. Seriously, it was kind of obvious. All the other performers, at least ten of whom were in on the card counting scheme had been recommended by one person? Sending her away might be the point, but given that the man was a magician, he might well have forced the card on them. Making it so that anyone they chose of the three that were supposed to come would be working for him. Only one had, which made things even more certain. That was based on hints and hunches, so he sat there as everyone else looked at the young woman angrily.

  For her part, she just nodded.

  "I didn't do that. I can sign something to that effect, or saying that I won't do it here either. I haven't had any work in months, not since then. I'm out of money and about to lose my place." It was a sob story, but rang true. Not that Jay cared much. The world was full of bad people that still had compelling tales to tell that weren't lies.

  The "contract" was written out longhand, and in plain language. It wouldn't hold up in any court, but that wasn't the point. No one questioned it as he passed it around for everyone to read and initial, after the girl put her name on it.

  He smiled then, making it friendly.

  "I hope you really mean this, Miss Maine. I just put my new job on the line here to set this up. I've literally been living in a shed for nearly a year, so you can bet that I'm not going to be happy if you ruin this for me." There was more hardness to his words than he'd planned on, and his face felt like it had warped into a scowl. The girl looked at him like he was going to kill her, or at least wanted to. It was a thing that worked, with some kids. Even if they were lazy or "bad", they tended to think that other people were going to treat them gently all the time. Just being mean might not have gotten a good response, not from an entitled kid her age. Telling her that he was at risk too meant that she had to kind of suck up what he was saying. To do otherwise meant quitting, right then and there.

  "Yes sir, it won't be a problem. I won't be. Thank you." She looked at everyone else, but the only response from them was Carlos nodding.

  "No shit, Felicity. My first impulse was to dump you out on your ear, and I actually like you and want to believe you didn't take that cash. If you did, well don't do it here. You can't afford the consequences of that." It sounded sinister, even coming from a little person. Maybe especially then. If the girl didn't wonder if leaving right then was the better part of wisdom, then she was a lot braver than Jay was. Or dumber.

  "I understand. Thanks. I know that things are messed up, but it really wasn't me."

  Jason thought about that, and then shrugged.

  "The problem there is a very old one. You were accused, and in the minds of most people that's enough to have you branded as guilty. Now, no matter what else happened back then, you have to dig yourself out from under it. Fairness has nothing to do with it, but here's a shovel. It's all we can do for you." That was really more than they could get done, he knew, but having a good position for a while would at least let her pay her rent. Until she messed up again.

  Not that he knew she was guilty of anything. Really, she had a pleasant face and dark hair that just brushed her shoulders, hanging loose. It was shallow of him, but he wanted to believe that she was telling the truth. That she was a good person, and not the kind to do horrible things. That couldn't be proven yet, so they'd have to watch her, closely. Jay waited for Max to tell her what to do, but nothing came, other than a few sly looks at the girl, so he cleared his throat.

  "If you could meet back here tomorrow, at two o'clock? We can reset the schedule a bit. After that you'll need to be here for part of each day, acting as a greeter. We'll get you a costume for that part." She should have seemed upset, since that kind of thing was generally beneath a real performer, even if Joey the Clown had to do it. She however... lit up a bit. It was a subtle thing, but he noticed it. More, so did Carlos.

  "Sure, no problem. Two tomorrow?"

  They agreed on that time, and she left. The dining room crew came in, and looked at them, wanting them to get out of the way so they could get place settings out before they opened for dinner. There were six of them, four men and two women, all dressed in identical red frilly shirts, black vests and slacks. It made them seem like they belonged there. A lot more than he did.

  Max looked at him, and started to speak, only to be cut off.

  "Can I use your phone? Or you can, which might be better. I'd like you to see if Greg Michelson can have her followed when she leaves. I know, the security here isn't made up of private investigators, but she was a bit too happy to be getting placed on the main floor passing out fliers and chanting slogans." Plus, it was clear, he'd become a cynical a-hole, somewhere along the line. Not that he didn't know when that had happened exactly.

  The heavy man just shook his head a bit and then made the call. It didn't take long, but after listening to what was being said he covered the mouthpiece, instead of hitting mute.

  "This about earlier?"

  "Yeah. Not definite, but could be." It got repeated but for some reason Carlos and Wendy both stared directly at him. If he'd eaten at all he would have figured that he had something on his face.

  "What? Did you think I was just trying to get her in because she reminds me of my daughter? Which she does." The one that wasn't actually his. That... It was reasonable, he knew. Pain ran through him for a bit, but he didn't let it show. No more than it normally did.

  Wendy looked at the door that the girl had exited from as she stood.

  "I didn't know that she did. I'm just used to you seeming more... I don't know, passive. Not the kind of person to take charge really."

  That was true enough, so as Carlos nodded he got up too, and moved toward the back of the room, near the stage. It was time for him to get ready, since he was going to be up first, and had to be prepared. Ever
yone there understood that, so he didn't have to talk about it much or make excuses. All that was really needed from him then was following the script and making sure no one got too bored. Things went well on their end, but it was the second long day in a row. The big difference this time was that he was brought a sandwich between acts that Wendy had ordered for him. Along with a bottle of water. She always thought that he didn't eat enough. It was true, but felt weird, having anyone worry about him.

  At two in the morning he sent the remaining few people away, inviting them back the next day. Then, without saying much, he got to bed directly, because getting a full eight hours of sleep was going to feel nice. To his utter shock, he got it, nearly, being woken at ten-thirty by pounding on his door. It was the aggressive kind that made him wonder for a minute if he were going to be greeted by the police, or possibly the jealous husband. If so then the beating he was about to get was totally undeserved, but he doubted that he'd get a chance to explain that. The hammering happened twice more before he got there, dressed only in a pair of tan shorts, since the hotel was a little warmer than he liked it for sleeping.

  Pulling the door open nearly got him hit, as a small fist came down to slam him in the face. Or, more likely try to knock again. He leaned back to avoid it, and then smiled, still a bit blurry.

  The woman at the door was Rhonda, and she looked about ready to kill someone. Probably him, being that she was at his door, but she didn't press the attack. It left him standing there, mostly naked, with his door held open. He didn't invite her in, but she pushed past anyway.

  Looking around she sniffed the air, like a hound dog might, and then made a face at him.

  "Micki took off. We're supposed to meet for breakfast and go over set arrangements. I figured you'd have her in here. She isn't with Billy either. Can you believe this bull? This is my life. It's like trying to herd cats, most days. You'd think, grown women, how hard can it be? It's like pulling their teeth. Argh!" She grabbed her head, or pretended too, not wanting to mess up her hair.

  Jay nodded.

  "Thanks." He meant it, but moved into his room and grabbed a t-shirt. He'd started out the night in it, so it was sitting out. In a day or two he'd need to go and get the rest of his clothing, that or buy more. He'd collected up enough cash that he sort of wanted to put it in the bank, so that there would be less temptation to spend it.

  The woman stopped and dropped her hands, looking at him as if he'd said something funny.

  "Sorry? Thanks for what? Waking you up?"

  "That too. I meant for assuming that I'd have a hot women in my room. Next time you should think of that first. It still won't be true until you get here, but hey, it's always nice to be considered." There was a soft smile to go with it, and then he waved her away, back toward the now closed door.

  "Tell you what, give me ten minutes and then I'll go and help you look for her. We need to stick together and... whatever."

  It didn't take long, since Micki found them first, as Rhonda went out his door, just standing there, ready to knock.

  "Oh, hey! I was just getting some breakfast. I figured you'd be in here. That or with Billy. He's a bit of a jerk though. Joey is a much better choice." She waved at him through the door, not noticing that her friend was dressed for the day and he wasn't.

  Jay waved back, smiling.

  "See, there we go, done already. You two take care. I'll see you later." It was the literal truth, after all.

  He still got himself around for the day, and made a point of actually having something to eat, before going back and getting into his makeup. Today he felt like doing something particularly happy, so went full out with it, putting on the rainbow wig and his largest red shoes and brightest nose. In this incarnation Joey ran toward props, so he packed them along, loading his large bag. The morning was spent that way, and he didn't get a lot of tips, though a few were handed out, since people in casinos did that sort of thing for luck.

  At two, still dressed up, he went to the main stage area, to find Carlos and Max there, along with Greg from security. The large man looked at him and waved for him to come over.

  "Dr. Hadley! It looks like your tip paid off. At least my man gave me this earlier." It was a picture, and the man had a small electronic pad to display it on, being that he had the kind of job that it was probably useful for. Handing it over, Jay understood without the scene being explained.

  Right there, in one single frame, was Felicity Maine, standing right next to Ginger the aggressively helpful waitress and an old man that he didn't know at all. He was in a leisure suit, as if those hadn't gone out of style forty years before.

  Carlos tapped that image moving in beside him. "Sid Hammer. I don't know who the other woman is."

  Mr. Michelson grimaced.

  "One of our waitresses. Also the old main squeeze of a man that was part of a massive card counting effort. One of the most famous in history."

  Blowing out a deep breath, Jay looked at the picture. It was pretty clear that they seemed to know each other. Not that it meant they were the bad guys. It was just the most likely thing, that was all. Sometimes the how really was just that easy.

  Chapter six

  The little meeting they were having, Carlos, Max, Greg and himself, was a unique thing, if nothing else. For the first time in years people were looking at him for answers. Not that he had anything for them. The girl, Felicity, would be there at any moment, and these men wanted him to decide what to do about it. Did they kick her out, without trial or more evidence than the fact that she knew a few sketchy seeming people, or did they confront her, and try to force her to confess?

  In the end, thinking fast, Jason shrugged off all of those suggestions.

  "Why do any of that? I mean, this could be anything, and we don't have proof, just evidence. The easy thing would be to kick her to the curb, sure, but is that the right thing?" It was an ill formed idea, and not one that he could really place a finger on, to be totally honest. "You know... Why don't we call them all in and just talk to them about it? Not to blame or accuse, but they did kind of trigger an alarm, so... Yeah, give them all a chance to answer the questions."

  The three men looked at him with different expressions. Carlos, it seemed, was more on his side than not. That was probably more about his own kindness showing through, and the fact that he thought of old Sidney as a sort of mentor and friend, rather than anything else. It was the sort of spirit that he had. The kind and gentle heart of a man that understood being judged unfairly by the world. It hadn't beaten him down, but it had still left a mark on him, which was shown by a tendency to cheer for the underdog in most cases.

  Like he had with Jay.

  Max just looked uneasy. Shifting his weight back and forth, a thin sheen of sweat on his brow. Given that he was the one that had hired all the scammers in the last batch, and kept doing business with this Sid guy, that made sense. There was, Jason figured, a better than even chance that he was in on the whole thing, which might just come out, if they actually got the whole group in the pictures together.

  Jay could only pray that wasn't the case. He needed his current job, and while new, seemed to actually be doing all right at it. True, he was better at managing things than being on stage, but no one had booed him too much yet when he was on, which was better than some of the acts had going on. Even Rhonda and her crew had people that just walked out, looking bored, the night before. The audience had stuck around mainly, while he'd been up front. That would probably be the relative novelty of what he was doing, more than talent. They'd stayed to see what kind of things a hobo clown thought he could do on stage, more likely than not.

  Greg just wanted to bring the police in, and not handle it in house.

  "Look, I get it. These are friends of yours, and you don't want them hassled, but if they're really doing things like we think, then the cops are going to shut them down a lot faster than us playing nice with them." He sounded pretty certain of that, and likely wasn't wrong.

&nb
sp; Coming from his position, a security man in a field that had a reputation for leaving people in the desert, dead, for the very things they were discussing, it seemed pretty law abiding and pleasant. Jay couldn't fault him either, and shrugged.

  "They aren't friends of mine. I met the waitress one time, and the same with Miss Maine. I've never spoke to Mr. Hammer. It's just that I don't think we have enough to prove anything here. I mean, we've all met some of these people too, and that doesn't really mean that we're all guilty of doing this, does it? Just Max here." He looked at the man, deadpanned, as both Carlos and Greg nodded, having picked up on the same things that Jason had. It was sort of obvious.

  The man rolled his eyes at least, and spoke, his voice a bit harder than expected, but also a little nervous.

  "Screw you. It's just..." He looked over to the side and then hung his head, in shame. "The other day... Before the practice by a few hours, I told Felicity that I'd get her a job here... if she blew me. She was desperate and so... you get it? That kind of thing could ruin a career, if it got out, so... It was why the other acts didn't show, I called them off. So that I could get a little for a while."

  Jay tilted his head, it was either a really good deflection, and the man was part of the whole thing, or he was actually a creep that abused young women. Ones that looked a lot like Alex. Without thinking, he punched the man, right in the stomach, anger welling up inside of him. As the fat man doubled over, Jay winced, and shook his head. There went that job. He hadn't even kept it for a whole week. There wouldn't be a good recommendation either, he supposed.

  So he was surprised when the man just gasped a bit, and stood up as Felicity came through the door, her eyes wide. Carlos moved in and punched the man too, an odd looking overhand thing that still landed in nearly the same spot as what Jay had done. Greg didn't do it, but he growled at the man.