Read Online Elaine Orr - Jolie Gentil 03 - When the Carny Comes to Town by Elaine Orr - Free Book Online Page A

time.  “Did you know his mother?”
    “Hard not to.  About once a month, maybe more, Penny’d sit outside the Sandpiper and sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” until the cops picked her up.”  George looked at both of us.  “Why?”
    “She came by today, and…”  I stopped as George got up. 
    “Damn.  That’s all Scoobie needs.  I’ll catch you guys later.”
    He was a couple feet away when I called to him.  “Don’t tell Morehouse I gave you the guy’s name.”  He didn’t acknowledge me, but I figured he would keep it to himself. 
    In cahoots with George Winters.  Who knew?
     
    AFTER RAMONA LEFT I walked over to the window and back to my chair a few times and finally decided I had to get out of the waiting room.  It was at least a half-hour before they’d let me see Scoobie so I opted for ice cream from one of the machines outside the cafeteria, rationalizing that I had decided to stay until about ten PM and needed nourishment.
    I found the vending area easily, but I only had a five and a ten.  I had just gotten the change-making machine to accept my five dollar bill when someone tapped me on the shoulder.  “Excuse me, miss.”
    He was a bit taller than I remembered, but I hadn’t stood next to the guy at the High Striker.  I was right about the Mediterranean features, and now that he was close to me they looked pretty menacing.  “Can I help you?”  I barely heard the clunk of quarters as they hit the change dispenser.
    “I think you know my friend, I saw you with him yesterday.”
    He was deliberately standing closer than people usually do.  “I’m not sure who you mean.”  I moved to go past him and he put a hand on my arm.
    “At the carnival.  Everybody calls him Scoobie.”
    My heart was pounding so hard I felt it in my temples.  “I know Scoobie, yes.  You must have heard he was hurt.”  He still didn’t move.
    “Yes, the police were at the carnival a lot today.  I thought I would pay him a visit.”  He smiled, revealing a mouth that had teeth placed only sporadically.
    “He’s in intensive care, and they’re only letting a couple of us wait up there.”  I pushed past him.  “I’m on my way back there.”
    He called to my back.  “Tell him Stefan was asking about him and I’m sorry I missed him.  We leave tonight.”
     
    I WAS STILL SHAKING when I got back to Scoobie’s floor and kept punching the wrong buttons on my cell phone when I tried to call Morehouse. 
    When I finally did get it right, Morehouse’s reaction really ticked me off.  “I got eyeballs on the guy since you think Scoobie avoided him, but I can’t question him tonight just because he told you to tell Scoobie hello.  And yeah,” he said, in response to my sputtering, “I agree with you.  He wanted you to know he knows who you are.”
    “If you had eyeballs on him that means you knew he was at the hospital.  Why didn’t you call me?” 
    “I said eyeballs, not a damn crystal ball.  One of the guys followed him to where you were.  You walked right by my guy when you left the vending machines.”
    I hadn’t noticed anyone in particular.  All I wanted to do was get away from the man Morehouse said was called Turk.  “Oh, he said his name was Stefan.”
    “Yeah, that’s what the carny manager said.  He also said he’s been with him for about four years and is one of his best employees.”
    “So now what?  Where’d the guy go after he left the hospital?”
    “I don’t report to you, you know.”  Morehouse sighed.  “It looks like he’s going back to the sleazy motel where the carnies are staying.  And Jolie.”
    “What?”
    “You left your quarters in the change maker.”
     
    IT WAS AFTER TEN when I got back to the Cozy Corner.  I’d been fighting sleep as I sat by myself or with Scoobie.  I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again, knowing that Scoobie would be okay at the hospital.  And nurse I had nicknamed Nurse Ratched, after the