The Corpse at the Carnival Read online

  The Corpse at the Carnival

  Grace York

  Copyright © 2018 by Grace York

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organisations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  For more information about the author, including other books in the series, please go to graceyorkauthor.com

  Cover design by James, GoOnWrite.com

  Edited by Phoenix Editing, phoenixeditingandproofreading.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Note from the Author

  1

  "Come on, Mum." Olivia tugged on her mother's arm as if she were ten years old again, but Addison refused to budge.

  "You're not getting me up there," said Addison. Just looking up to the top of the Ferris wheel was making her legs wobble, let alone climbing into a little cage and letting herself be swung around up there.

  "She doesn't want to, Olivia," said Justin, and Addison smiled as her son leapt to her defence. Her happiness was short-lived. "She's too chicken!" he added with a laugh.

  Emily, Justin's fiancée, was the only one of the group siding with Addison. Justin and Emily were in Getaway Bay for Easter, and Olivia was home from university for the holiday. Addison was enjoying them all being together for the first time in – well, at all, really. She'd just met Emily for the first time when they'd arrived at the beach house last night.

  It had been a long day for Justin and Emily, who'd first flown from their home in Melbourne to Brisbane, where they'd hired a car, collected Olivia from her dorm room, then driven the four hours to Getaway Bay. They'd been exhausted by the time they'd arrived, but that hadn't stopped them tucking into the feast Addison had prepared for their arrival dinner.

  Joined by Addison's cousin, Layla, who was still staying at the beach house until her own home was rebuilt, and Adam O'Laughlin, Addison's only remaining boarder, the Lake family reunion last night had been a resounding success. Emily fit right into the family, and Addison could see why her son was smitten.

  "Leave your mother alone, you two," Emily was saying as Justin and Olivia physically pulled Addison towards the Ferris wheel.

  "Not going to happen," said Justin. He handed over four tickets to the ride operator, and before she knew it Addison was inside the cage surrounded by her family.

  Emily looked worried, but Addison gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm only a little afraid of heights, dear," she said. "If I really objected I would have put my foot down. I can still handle these two."

  The wheel moved along so the next riders could be loaded, and despite her reassurances to Emily, Addison tightened her grip on the edge of the cage. For a travelling carnival they had some imposing-looking rides, and the Ferris wheel was top of that list as far as Addison was concerned. By the time they reached the peak of the ride she was starting to wish she'd stayed on the ground.

  "Look at all the activity down there," said Olivia. "I didn't know there were this many people in Getaway Bay."

  Addison chanced a look over the side. Olivia was right – there were far more people here at the carnival than there were residents of Getaway Bay.

  It was Good Friday, and the carnival had been in town for a week already. Between Mrs Jones, Addison's elderly neighbour, and Hazel, the owner of the local cafe, Addison had been brought up to speed on most of the story of the Hanley Brothers Carnival and its annual visit to Getaway Bay.

  The Hanleys had been coming to the bay for Easter for close to twenty years, according to Mrs Jones. It was the last and longest stop on their tour before they packed up and headed to the family property west of Brisbane for the winter months. They always put on a good show, and as such they drew in the crowds.

  Getaway Bay, with its white sandy beaches and relaxed summer atmosphere, was a popular holiday destination for a good eight months of the year. The tourist season ended with a bang at Easter, when the Hanleys rolled into town. The carnival had all the usual rides and games, plus food trucks and colourful characters. What set them apart, though, was the nightly performance.

  The Hanleys had taken the traditional sideshow acts and updated them for the twenty-first century. They had acrobats, the flying trapeze, clowns, a knife thrower, and a magician, and the show all came together in a dazzling array of lights and sounds and a true festival atmosphere. It was a circus without animals, a circus without cruelty, a circus where fun was at no-one's expense. When Addison had first seen the show on opening night, she'd fallen in love with the circus all over again. She couldn't wait to share it with her family tonight.

  The popularity of the carnival and its nightly spectacular drew crowds from all around. All the accommodation in Getaway Bay was fully booked months in advance, and people drove from hours away to come and see their favourite performers. The Hanleys certainly knew how to put on a show.

  It was all thanks to the local publican, Bob Carter, according to Hazel. Bob had been in his early twenties the first time the Hanleys set up in Getaway Bay almost twenty years ago. He'd formed a tight bond with the patriarch of the family, Morris Hanley, and once Bob took over the Red Lion from his own father he and Morris had conspired to bring Hanley Bros. Carnival to Getaway Bay every Easter since. The Red Lion always drew a crowd, but patronage significantly increased at this time of year. In fact, all of the businesses of the tiny coastal town thanked Bob for the late influx of visitors before the winter set in.

  Addison took a few deep breaths and managed to keep her eyes open as the Ferris wheel spun and their cage slowly rose and fell. After a couple of minutes she relaxed, and even thought she might enjoy the experience.

  "There you go," said Olivia. "It's not that bad, right?"

  Addison smiled, but kept her eyes firmly fixed on the ground below. She spotted the area where all the caravans were lined up.

  "That must be where the staff live," she said, pointing.

  "Yeah. They have special trailers that are divided into tiny living quarters," said Justin. "They don't have much more than a bed and a space to store their things."

  "How do you know?" Olivia asked. "That area's off-limits to the public."

  Justin shrugged. "I looked into it when I left school," he said. "Thought I might run away and join the circus."

  Olivia lightly punched him in the arm "You did not."

  Another shrug. "I might have. How would you know?"

  "'Cause you're far too corporate," said Olivia.

  "She's right," said Addison, enjoying the banter between her kids. She worried they must miss each other, living so far apart now. It was good to see them getting on so well.

  Justin looked to his fiancée for support, but Emily just shrugged and gave him a half smile. He was on his own.

  "Yeah, whatever," he said, turning his back in mock disappointment. "You have no idea what I can do."

  "We have no idea what you do
at all," said Olivia with a laugh.

  "Yes we do," said Addison, joining in. "He's a spy."

  When Justin had first moved to Melbourne for work, he'd tried to explain his job to Addison and Olivia. He worked in IT, and the most Addison could understand was that he helped different companies to use the computer systems that ran their businesses. Olivia had decided that 'working in IT' was code for 'I'm a spy', and it had been a family joke ever since.

  "For the thousandth time, I'm not a spy," said Justin. He pretended to be exasperated by the gag, but Addison knew he found it just as funny as they did.

  "I don't know," said Emily, getting in on the fun. "That would explain a lot."

  "Like what?" asked Justin.

  "The size of the computer you have at home, for starters. That thing takes up half the study. And your trips to the US. You never tell me exactly what you do over there."

  Justin launched into a long explanation of his job, but everything he said they managed to explain away as part of the secret of being a spy. As the discussion grew more animated, Addison was having so much fun she almost forgot how high it was at the top of the Ferris wheel.

  Until a loud crunch sounded, and their basket came to a juddering halt.

  2

  "What the…" said Justin, peering over the side. The basket rocked as he moved.

  "Please stay still," said Addison. She'd been fine while they'd slowly moved around the circuit of the Ferris wheel, but that crunching sound was disturbing. She didn't think a sudden halt like that was part of the ride.

  "Sorry, Mum," said Justin as he did his best to steady the basket.

  "That's okay. Can you see anything down there?"

  Justin carefully leaned over the side this time. "The ride operator isn't sitting on his stool anymore," he said. "He's got a cover open on the mechanics of the ride. There must be an issue."

  Addison felt the anxiety rising in her chest. Of course, they were right near the top of the circuit when the wheel stopped. They couldn't have been in one of the baskets near the bottom, could they?

  "Try and stay calm, Mum," said Olivia. She rested a hand on Addison's leg. "I'm sure we're perfectly safe as long as we stay inside the basket."

  Emily was nodding away, and in her head Addison knew they were right. A mechanical fault on a ride like this would most likely just result in them being stuck for a while. But logic and reason weren't terribly comforting at two hundred feet in the air.

  "Let's play I spy," Justin suggested. "I'll start. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… T."

  "Trailers," said Olivia, pointing to the staff quarters they had noticed moments ago. Addison took a couple of deep breaths and looked down to where the trailers were lined up. She tried to focus on the shiny vans, and the people in red shirts coming and going amongst them. It helped to have something to watch.

  "Yeah. Your turn," said Justin.

  Olivia spied something, and Justin and Emily took turns guessing, but Addison stayed focused on the staff area. She counted the trailers, then she counted the people. Then she spotted the ropes strung between vans as clotheslines, but the basket they were in was too far up for her to be able to count the items of washing on the lines.

  She listened to the kids' voices, but it was too much to try and guess what they were spying. Counting things always calmed her. She looked over to the main thoroughfare of the carnival and counted how many stalls there were. One of the food trucks had a long line, and she counted how many people were in the queue.

  At some point the ride operator shouted something up to them, but Addison didn't catch it.

  "What did he say?" she asked, still watching the activity below.

  "There's a small mechanical problem," said Justin. "He says they'll have it sorted in ten minutes or so."

  "Ten minutes?" asked Addison. "I guess I can do that."

  "He says to sit back and enjoy the view," said Olivia. "Are you okay, Mum?"

  Addison nodded. "I've been stuck in worse places for ten minutes, I guess. Keep talking, all of you. It helps."

  They continued their game of I spy, and Addison continued to listen to the sound of their voices while she found things to count on the ground. Eventually the ride jerked back into motion and they began the descent. It took another couple of minutes before they were unloaded from their basket and Addison felt the sweet relief of the ground underfoot. It was then she realised how frightened she'd actually been, and her knees buckled.

  "Whoah there," said Justin, catching her just in time. The ride operator was quick to grab his stool and place it behind Addison. Justin guided her to it.

  "I think we'd better get you checked out," said Olivia. "I'll find someone."

  "There's an ambulance on the way," said a woman with a deep voice who appeared at Addison's side. She wore the Hanley Brothers uniform of red shirt and blue jeans, and she looked like a strong wind would blow her over. Her voice and her stance were at odds with that appearance, though. She issued instructions to the other staff milling around, and was clearly in charge.

  "Luc!" she called to a guy wearing clown makeup, but not much else. He looked like he'd come running halfway through getting dressed. "Get some bottles of water for these people. Davina, go wait for the ambulance and guide them in."

  The woman in charge stood protectively next to Addison as she continued to issue instructions. Addison started to feel better. "I don't think I need an ambulance," she said.

  The woman looked her up and down. "Probably not, but let's just be safe. You were up there for a while, and your daughter tells me you're not great with heights. I'm Harriet Hanley, by the way. Everyone calls me Harry."

  Addison hadn't heard any conversation between Olivia and Harry. She must be more stressed than she thought. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to get checked out by the paramedics.

  "Addison! Are you all right?"

  Addison noticed for the first time that quite a crowd had gathered at the base of the Ferris wheel. Pushing through them was Jason Sadler, the builder she'd had working on the beach house for the last couple of months. During that time Jason had moved well past contractor – she now considered the young man a good friend.

  "I'm fine," she reassured him, holding up a hand. "A longer ride than we expected, that's all."

  "What happened?" asked Kendall Short, Jason's girlfriend. Kendall was one of the local police officers, and Addison had had more than enough dealings with her in a formal manner than she cared for in her short time in Getaway Bay. In uniform, Senior Constable Short was an imposing force but off-duty Kendall was much more friendly.

  "We got stuck up the top," Olivia explained. "Mum's not great with heights, so we're just waiting for the paramedics to check her out."

  Addison was starting to get embarrassed at all the fuss. None of the other riders were bothered by the mechanical failure. Most of them had already wandered off, and the crowd was beginning to disperse. There were more red-shirted carnival workers there now than anyone else.

  She was about to suggest they walk it off and go find some food when the ambulance arrived. The worker named Davina guided the vehicle in through the crowds, and Harry told them where to stop. Now Addison was really embarrassed, but she couldn't leave. She figured she should at least let the paramedics check her out, if only so they hadn't had a wasted trip.

  Luc the half-dressed clown handed Addison a bottle of water, and at the instruction of the paramedics she took a few small sips. She let them fuss over her for a few minutes before assuring everyone the anxiety had passed, and she was fine. She even got to her feet and walked around a little to prove the point.

  "I'm happy if you're happy," said Harry to the paramedics. Addison was about to ask why Harry needed to be happy at all, when a stern look from the woman silenced her. Harry was obviously not someone to get on the wrong side of.

  After a few more questions and a second check of Addison's blood pressure, the paramedics were satisfied that she'd survived the orde
al unscathed. By that time Addison was more than a little embarrassed by the whole episode and was hoping for a diversion of her own.

  It came in the form of a blood-curdling scream from the direction of the staff trailers.

  3

  Kendall was the first to run off in the direction of the scream, followed closely by Harry and Jason. Addison and her children stared at each other for the briefest of moments, before they too set off to investigate.

  Luc the half-dressed clown did his best to stop the carnival patrons entering the staff area, but he was no match for such a surge of people. He gave up and went with them. The crowd stopped outside one of the bunks, where a woman dressed in a sequinned outfit was being comforted by a man in a matching sequinned suit. Addison recognised them as the magician and his assistant from the circus performance she'd seen on opening night.

  Kendall was at the door to the trailer, peering in, one arm held out behind her to stop anyone else from entering. Jason and Harry stood outside, Harry trying to see over Kendall's shoulder.

  "What happened?" Luc asked the magician. Addison remembered his name was Paolo, but she couldn't remember the assistant's name.

  "It's Frankie," said Paolo. "There's a knife in his back."

  Luc gasped, as did a number of others in the crowd. Paolo's assistant buried her head deeper into the magician's chest. More people in red shirts arrived.

  Addison couldn't believe what she'd heard. A knife in the back?