Maggie Taylor |
"But... it can't be. I mowed his lawn just today, he can't be dead, he was- he was fine... And I never saw him smoking..."
Two memories keep bouncing in Maggie's brain as she stares at the cinders, stunned. A handful of cigarette butts in Mr Wilkins' lawn, and a map with her block circled.
Holly Elton |
Watching the fire, not looking for me, probably don't even know I'm gone. Holly thinks, when she sees her parents on the lawn. She quietly tries to slip around in the shadows the fire casts, and slip back into her room.
if her mom and Ted were looking for her, then she's spotted. were they, and is it a roll if they haven't?
Holly Elton |
No, Me and Fatou and Maggie went to the circus together. we weren't over there at all. you know how he is with his lawn. Holly says
Fatou Seck |
Fatou feels her fake tears tip into a reality, and bites her lip. "Yes ma. I'm sorry. Of course." There was some part of her that did want to rebel: the part that lied, the part that would plot to sneak out, but she wasn't ready to contradict her mother to her face, although the the venomous jabs lay just below the surface.
Fatou Seck |
Overnight, Fatou has traced out a rough map of their street and the circus with Mr.Wilkin's house circled in red, and routes traced in green. As the others filter into the room, the little mathematician is hard at work making calculations.
I'd like to know if the firebreather had time to light the fire and go back to the circus grounds in time to catch us in his trailer. Is that obvious, does it need a roll, or would I need to trigger the Intuitive strength?
Steve Dimin |
That night, Steve had gone to bed with the lights on out of fear. He fell asleep very late, and he almost falls asleep in class.
When he realizes that he only had a few more minutes before class would start, he lifts his head from between his arms and leans back in his chair to where Fatou was sitting. "Me and Maggie saw the boy again, and he disappeared in thin air when she touched him. Of course you won't believe me, but you can even ask her. Let's see you explain that."
Maggie Taylor |
"It's true! He was like mist, he was screaming at nothing on the freeway! I'm telling you, it was weird! And he was cold, and Steve saw him too so he can't be an illusion!"
Maggie's speech is frantic, words jumbling one over another.
"Also Mister Wilkins! You saw our driveway was marked on the map, yes? And when I mowed his lawn, he looked pretty bad and there were cigarette butts ann over, but he never smoked, did he? They set fire to his place somehow!"
Fatou Seck |
"That trailer smelled of cigarettes, and he had plenty of time to light the fire and drive back to the circus. I think we should be less worried about some boy you thought you saw in the dark, and find out why the circus wanted Mr. Wilkons dead." Steve was trying to scare her, and Maggie had joined in, but they didn't have time for games. If she was right, they really had to do something. "Someone tried to kill our neighbor, and the police won't do anything because they think that it was an accident. Soon the circus will leave, and no one will know." She counts off points on her hand. "He had the opportunity. There is evidence placing him at the scene. He has the means. A fire breather would have things to start fires with. What we don't know is his motivation. Why did he do this? Maggie, he seemed a little slow, no? The way that he took that excuse about the cat, I think he was told to start that fire... and worse, there is a chance he may have burned the wrong house. He might be coming back."
Fatou Seck |
Fatou blinks back tears and buries herself in her books. On the day of the parade, she had seen a smoker under the bridge. There was maybe a real killer in their town now. Maybe her mother wasn't exaggerating. Maybe she shouldn't be wandering around alone... at least until the circus left.
Steve Dimin |
Steve snorts. If Fatou wasn't concerned with the ghost, he definitely wasn't going to be concerned with what she was talking about.
"Why do you think he came to the wrong house? Who would he have been trying to kill besides Mr. Wilkins? If he came to set a fire, he probably burnt the right house."
He collapses back on his desk to feign disinterest.
Holly Elton |
Maybe Fatou has a point. Holly says, finnally breaking her silence Most of the houses look the same on our street, except for the paint. it was dark. why would they want to kill Mr. Wilkins. She asks.
The fire, the map, the mysterious boy... something is very wrong in town.
Fatou Seck |
"Whether you are looking for your enfant fantôme or trying to find out the circus's motives, the circus grounds are a good place to look; However, if we are so sure he found the right place, you may have an easier time searching the burnt out house." Fatou doesn't look up from her book fort.
Holly Elton |
Like Mggie, I'm not sure, so I guess Wilkin's house makes sense
Alternatively, could Fatou recreate the map with any accuracy?
Meetch |
Fatou
You find so much stuff. So much. Research in the 80s was hard, but you're incredibly smart and you dig up so many articles.
Perkins has had a few incidents of arson over the last few decades, but nothing that immediately strikes out as relevant. There's an interesting Time magazine profile on a fire investigator that discusses some techniques for investigating arson. There's also a very sad story about Julio Gonzalez, a man who killed 87 people in a nightclub fire when he set fire to the stairs (and only exit).
Circuses are a little more interesting. There haven't been many that have passed through the town.
The last time a circus passed through it was about 30 years ago. The circus actually looks a bit similar to the The Circus of Earthly Delights (though it was called Circus Magnus. The microfilche from back then doesn't make for the best photos ever, but the ringmaster looks very similar to the current one.
There are shots from the parade with people in the crowd, clowns and animals. It looks like a fun time. The circus stayed around a week and then moved on. There are articles about the circus in each issue.
You make print outs of all of the issues to share with your friends.
Fatou Seck |
"We may be looking for something that happened thirty years ago. This other cirque, it looks like the ringmaster is related. An old vendetta? -and with this other article we may be able to learn something from the ashes... Where the fire started and what was used to start it." Fatou is very eager to check out the house as soon as possible.
Holly Elton |
i don't think Holly has seen the Boy either, so just Maggie and Steve