Page 8 of Promise Keeper

On an ancient table that looked like it crossed the ocean on the Mayflower, an engraved tablet read: Joseph Longo arrived in Metamora, Indiana in 1902 with his traveling circus. The townspeople were amazed with his troupe of acrobats, sword-swallowers, and jugglers. In addition to his performers, Longo procured a menagerie of freaks, such as, the siamese twins, Pip and Pong, the dwarf, Hilda, and the dog man, Clawtooth.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Steve asked, swooping back up behind us.

"Just reading about your great-grandfather," I said. "He must've been quite the showman."

"He knew how to put on a show, but wasn't a showman himself. He stayed behind the scenes, pulling the strings."

"Huh. Well, hey, did you see or hear anything lately that might be related to the body we found in the trash can this morning?" I had to pin him down before he scuttled away again after his patrons.

"That was something," he said. "No. I can't say I have any information about it."

"If you think of anything, will you let me know?"

"Absolutely." He shot us each a quick smile and took off again.

"Struck out again," Monica said.

I turned back to the display on Joseph Longo and gazed at the black and white photo of his circus. Above the entrance to the bigtop tent a sign read J.A. Longo & Friends Circus. "I think we're standing in this tent," I said, glancing around us at the canvas walls and ceiling.

Monica bent in to get a better look at the photo. "I think you're right. Look at those people. That guy's in a cage!" She pointed to the freak show outside the tent in the picture.

"It was very different times," I said, taking in the way they displayed human beings who most likely had no other way to make a living. "I hope he at least payed them well."

"I need to get going back to the station," Andy said.

"We'll walk out with you." I couldn't wait to get to the exit. I'd had enough odd and strange for one day.

"Where to next?" Monica asked as my cell phone chirped with a text.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and read the text from Irene. "Irene's. The Daughter's meeting is over, and she wants to talk to me about something."

"Sounds curious."

Where my mouther-in-law was concerned, curiosity did what it does best... unless you happen to be Spook.

4

Irene and Stewart lived in Brookville, the neighboring town. Spinning on top of their brick 1990's two-story was the weathervane from Ellsworth house. Even though Irene gave the family's ancestral home to Ben, she kept taking bits and pieces of it with her. Eventually, she'd have the entire house reconstructed in her backyard.

The front door opened on a breeze of lilac scented lotion. Irene stood there in her trademark pink skirt and jacket, her platinum blond bob perfectly coiffed, and her gray and white Devon Rex, Ellsworth, in her arms. She babied Ellsworth worse than Mia, and I didn't think that was possible. He was a sweet cat, though, even if he did look a little bit like an alien.

"Hello, Irene," I said. "What did you need to see me about?"

"Come in! We can't talk on the doorstep."

Inside, Mia sat on the couch scrolling through her phone. I hoped this wasn't about her. If she did something or said something against the Daughter's, I'd be blamed. Ever since I turned down their invitation to join their merry little band, I'd been on their list, and not the good list.

"Can Steph pick me up here?" Mia asked me. "We want to go to a movie."

"As long as you're home by your curfew," I said.

"I will be." Her thumbs moved one hundred miles a minute over her phone screen typing a message to Steph.

"Want a cup of coffee, Cam?" Irene asked, leading me into the kitchen.

"No thanks. I had one a little while ago at Soapy's."

She poured herself a cup, and gestured for me to sit down at the table. "As you know, Stewart and I are going to Florida next week, and I thought--"

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