Page 18 of Monkey Business

“It was. I told her to find her way home, and she hired a man to take her across the border. He had her in the back of a van with some others. He parked that van in the Peak Wilderness area and left them. The doors were locked from the outside. They couldn’t get out.”

“I’m so sorry, Gus,” said Erin. “But I agree with Lauren. It wasn’t your fault.” Mary looked at the other women, hoping that Gus could help them figure some things out.

“Gus, were you trying to find out who killed your sister?” she asked.

“I knew who killed her. It was Hector. But no one would listen to me. They said he was an honest businessman, and I was just a slow-witted truck driver,” he frowned.

“Gus, I don’t think you’re slow-witted at all. What’s Hector’s last name?” asked Mary.

“It was Garcinez.”

“Was?” frowned Erin.

“Yes. He died about a year after my sister. Got what he deserved and was killed by a rival gang.”

“Then whatever was happening with you and your truck, with the O’Noth Circus, didn’t have anything to do with him or his gangs,” stated Faith.

Gus stared at her for a moment, then stood, pacing back and forth. He placed his hands on the side of his head and then turned back to them.

“I think I need to go now. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” he said quietly. And with that, he disappeared.

“Shit,” muttered Alexandra. “I thought we were getting somewhere with him.”

“Me, too,” said Mary. “I’m not sure if it’s all connected, but I would like to know more about his sister’s death and the murder of her husband. But his reaction when we spoke of the O’Noth circus was definitely strange.”

“I’ve got the death record here and the police report,” said Alexandra, staring at her computer screen. “It’s as he and Code said. She’s listed as a battered wife who attempted to escape from her husband in Mexico. The man she paid to get her across the border, along with five other people, left them in a van in the desert, locked from the outside. He claims he did as instructed and that someone else was to pick them up.

“Gus made multiple calls to the authorities blaming Hector, but they weren’t able to locate him in Mexico. Almost a year to the day, Hector was murdered in the streets by a rival gang.”

“Still, he had to have been devastated by her death,” said Erin. “I wonder if that event is what triggered his episodes of confusion. I mean, sometimes traumatic events can cause issues like that.”

“It’s true,” nodded Faith. She looked around the grove, almost hoping to see Gus return to them. “Still, of all the ghosts we’ve had here, he’s the strangest. His memory issues, behavior, all of it.”

“I think the guys need to find out the details of that tractor-trailer that held all those people. I don’t think any of us is naïve, but I don’t buy that Gus would have done that intentionally to anyone,” said Lauren.

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Mary.

CHAPTER TEN

“Code, can you give us any good news at all?” asked Ian.

“I’m not sure I can,” he said, shaking his head. “O’Noth Circus has been owned and operated by the O’Noth family for three generations. It opened in the 1930s with just a few small acts and then after WWII, they added animals and really started to become popular. They were never able to compete with the big circus companies, but it didn’t appear that they wanted to.

“They would target small towns, mostly in the Midwest and Southwest. They’ve been able to keep young, fresh talent and seem to be turning a damn fine profit according to their tax returns.”

“And Gus and his tractor-trailer?” asked Ghost.

“He was hired as a contractor when they needed him. Mostly, it appears he was transporting some of the equipment, tents, animal training equipment, cages, that sort of thing. He’s right. He never transported living things. No animals, no humans.”

“What about other customers?” asked Ghost.

“He had quite a few regulars. He had several runs from Phoenix to Las Vegas moving a large company, Lanier Systems. In fact, they opened two new branches in Ogden, Utah, and Denver, Colorado, and hired him again to help move merchandise and furniture.”

“Any problems?” frowned Ian.

“None. They rated him five stars on one of those consumer apps. He did a great job, was friendly with staff, even delivered first-aid to one of their employees who cut his hand on a metal desk. He hauled produce from southern California to northern Mexico and vice versa. He’s never had a traffic ticket, an accident, or been in trouble with the law.”

“This is not making sense,” said Ghost, staring at Ian. “This is a man who wasn’t in any sort of trouble at all. He wouldn’t just run off and do something so peculiar.”

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