Page 52 of Gabe

We’d been at the carnival for a few hours, and walked by all of the attractions at least once, when I noticed something familiar. At first, I didn’t know what I was seeing, but my subconscious was waving a red warning flag at me, which was definitely worth investigating.

I led Newt toward the back corner of the indoor carnival, near the wall that was painted black and draped in dark fabric to give the illusion of more space.

The larger attractions, such as funhouses and roller coasters, were stationed at the back of the building since they attracted the most people. Newt and I had to push our way through the crowd, but I eventually found what had caught my attention.

Ozias Wren.

The man I’d met at the charity’s information booth a few weeks ago, and if Lily’s information was accurate, a likely member of the pedophile ring we were hunting.

At least, I thought it was him. I only saw him for a moment before he stepped inside one of the funhouses. He was dressed in clown makeup, as many of the people working at the carnival were, so I couldn’t be certain of his identity. I needed to get a closer look.

“Newt, come on. Let’s go in there.”

“Are you sure?” Newt eyed the funhouse skeptically. “What would we even do if we caught up to him? He hasn’t done anything. At least, nothing we can prove. Won’t following him be suspicious?”

“What? No. This is a public event.” I led Newt toward the funhouse. “And we’re just two members of the public that have come to enjoy ourselves.”

Through the front entrance of the funhouse, which was shaped like a giant ice cream cone, we stepped into a world of swirling colors and shapes. The whole thing had a candy theme, like a cheap knockoff of Willy Wonka’s factory.

Newt and I stood out a lot more than I expected. Some parents had brought their kids inside, but most simply allowed their kids to run around alone. The contained structure of the funhouse probably assured parents that their kids couldn’t run off or get into trouble.

As the only adults without kids, we looked out of place.

“Let’s just find the guy and see what he’s up to. If he’s not doing anything bad, then we can leave.”

That was a lie, and Newt and I both knew it. There was no way we would be comfortable leaving a member of a pedophile ring alone with so many children, even if he wasn’t actually doing anything right that moment.

Stumbling our way through a spinning tunnel and a hall of mirrors, we eventually found the man we were looking for at the funhouse exit. There were two ways out of the building. A spiral staircase, or a slide. There was a man stationed at the entrance to the slide, helping each kid get situated before they went down.

I watched for a moment, making sure the man was who I thought he was.

Yes, it was definitely Ozias Wren. What I had originally mistaken for a clown costume, was actually a harlequin. He wore a pair of checkered pants, a diamond printed waistcoat, and a matching mask that covered half his face. There was also a surprising amount of jewelry to go with the costume, including several layers of necklaces, and rings on most of his fingers.

The overall effect made him hard to identify. If I hadn’t gotten a good up-close look at the man before, I wouldn’t have recognized him at all.

Each time Ozias placed a hand on a kid’s shoulder or waist as a way of helping them, a little more bile built in the back of my throat.

Yet, there was nothing we could do. Helping the kids was his job, and he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Whatever sick thoughts might be going through his head at that moment weren’t technically illegal.

“Are you going down?”

I jumped when Ozias addressed me directly. I’d been staring at him so long—probably glaring—that I hadn’t realized I’d gained his attention.

He didn’t say anything about Newt and I being the only adults present without kids, but just held out a hand toward the front of the slide.

“There are stairs, but this is definitely the more fun way down. Come on. Give it a try.”

Newt and I shared a brief look. We could decline and take the stairs, but it would definitely look suspicious.

Why else would a pair of adults come into the funhouse without kids if we weren’t even going to participate in the attraction?

“All right,” Newt said, and he stepped up to the slide.

I clenched my fists behind my back as I watched Ozias take Newt’s hand and help him sit down, and I didn’t breathe again until my friend disappeared down the tunnel.

Then it was my turn.

I avoided Ozias’s hand when he held it out to me and sat myself on the edge of the slide. Yet, the man still placed a hand on my shoulder, just low enough that I could feel the cool touch of one of his rings against my skin.

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