Kiss an Angel(123)

Daisy clenched her fists. “She’s done something terrible with him. I know it.”

Alex wanted to reassure her, but he suspected she was right. “I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out. Why don’t the two of you go talk to the workers and see if of them know anything?”

But no one did. For the next two hours, they spoke with everyone in the circus, only to discover that Sheba hadn’t been seen since the previous evening.

Daisy grew increasingly frantic. Where was Sinjun? What had Sheba done with him? She’d learned enough about the market for aging circus animals to realize that the chances of a reputable zoo taking him were slim. What was going to happen to her tiger?

The time came and passed for her to leave for the airport. Alex had insisted she go to her father’s until she decided what she wanted to do, but now there was no question of her leaving. She ignored the pearl gray Lexus with its Connecticut license plates—another of Alex’s guilt offerings—sat on the tailgate of the old black pickup that had carried her on her summer’s journey of the soul to this bleak October night. From there, she watched the lot.

The first performance ended and then the second. The last of the crowd filed out. This was the circus’s final two-night stay before they reached Tampa. Once again the workers had set off for town, taking along some of the showgirls and leaving the lot with a deserted feeling. She was cold, but she waited until Alex had changed out of his costume and gone to check on Misha before she returned to the trailer.

Her suitcase lay abandoned on the bed. She walked past it and removed his old gray sweatshirt from a wall hook. After slipping into it, she began to go back outside only to hesitate in front of the shabby, built-in chest where Alex kept his clothes. Squatting down, she opened the bottom drawer and moved his jeans out of the way so she could see what she knew was hidden behind them: a cheap blue plastic rattle, a yellow duck, a child’s box of animal crackers, a bib stamped with a picture of a rabbit, a paperback copy of Dr. Spock.

She’d discovered these things a few days ago when she was putting away some clothes, but Alex had never mentioned them. Now she touched the rattle with the tip of her finger and tried to understand why he had them. If only she could believe—

No. She couldn’t let herself think that way. She had too much at stake.

She shoved the door closed and was on her way back to the truck when she saw Sheba’s Cadillac parked near her RV and heard angry voices coming from inside the big top. Alex had also heard them, and they began running in the same direction. They met up at the back door.

“Maybe you’d better stay here,” he said.

She ignored him and rushed inside.

The big top was dimly lit by a single work light that threw shadows from the rigging over the arena while it left the periphery in darkness. She was enveloped by the familiar scents of sawdust, animals, and old popcorn. How she was going to miss this, she thought.

Brady and Sheba stood just outside the ring. Brady had her by the arm, and he was clearly furious. “Daisy’s never done one damned thing to you, but you still had to go after her, didn’t you?”

Sheba jerked away from him. “I do what I want, and no butcher’s son’s going to boss me around.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of being a bitch?”

Whatever response Sheba had been about to make died on her lips. “Well, well, look who’s joined the party.”

Daisy rushed forward to confront her. “What have you done with Sinjun?”

She took her time answering—playing her mind games, dangling her power over them. “Sinjun’s getting ready to leave for his new home. Siberian tigers are very valuable animals, did you know that? Even old ones.” She sat down on the front row of seats and crossed her legs in a posture that was almost too casual. “Even I didn’t realize how much certain people would pay for them.”

“What people?” Alex demanded, coming to a stop next to Daisy. “Who has him?”

“Nobody yet. The gentleman won’t be picking him up until tomorrow morning.”

“Then where are you keeping him?”

“He’s safe. Trey’s with him.”

Alex lost patience. “Cut the crap! Who did you sell him to?”

“There were several people interested, but Rex Webley offered me the best price.”

“Jesus.” The expression on Alex’s face sent chills down Daisy’s spine.

“Who’s Rex Webley?” she asked.

Before Sheba could reply, Alex interrupted. “Don’t say a word, Sheba. This is just between you and me.”

Sheba gave him a condescending look before turning back to Daisy. “Webley runs a hunting park in Texas.”

Daisy didn’t understand. “A hunting park?”

“Men pay Webley to hunt the animals he buys,” Brady said with disgust.

Daisy looked from Sheba to Brady. “Hunt them? But nobody can hunt tigers. They’re an endangered species.”

Sheba rose and wandered into the center of the arena. “Which makes them all the more valuable to rich men who’ve gotten bored hunting ordinary game and aren’t worried about legalities.”

As what she was saying sank in, Daisy’s voice caught on a bubble of fear. “You sold Sinjun to be stalked and killed?”