Shadow in Serenity

two


That night, Jason slipped out the truck’s door and rushed away before Carny had even had time to pull into a parking space. Sighing, she watched him catch up to his friends entering the bingo hall like herded cattle. This Logan fellow was good, she admitted, cutting off her truck engine. She had to give him that. He had the town in a fever, and he could probably sell them Romania tonight if he tried. The fact that it wasn’t for sale wouldn’t even cross their minds.

That’s why she had come.

She slid out of the pickup.

“Hey, Carny,” Paul Dillard called across the parking lot.

She waved and waited for the man who’d had his eye on her since Abe died. “Not you too, Paul. You’re not buying what this guy’s selling, are you?”

“I don’t know what he’s selling,” he said. “Never hurts to listen.”

“Yeah, well, just don’t give him any money tonight, okay? No matter what he says, don’t give him any money.”

“If you’re so doggone sure he’s up to no good, why are you here?”

“Somebody sane has to be here. I think I’m the only one in town who’s thinking straight about this guy.”

“You’re not giving us much credit,” Paul said, opening the door for her as they reached the aluminum building. “We’re not stupid. But it doesn’t hurt to listen. Lighten up — you’re too suspicious.”

“There’s a difference between suspicious and savvy,” she said. “I’ve been around, Paul. I know when things aren’t right.”

“Well, maybe tonight he’ll prove to you he’s on the up-and-up.”

Carny caught Logan’s eye as she and Paul entered the packed room, and when he flashed her that devil-may-care smile, she shook her head. “I don’t think he can, Paul.”

She left Paul and wove through the towns people she had come to know well over the past nine years. She couldn’t believe how many of them had turned out for this. This definitely wasn’t the usual Saturday-night bingo crowd; they didn’t get this big a crowd at church on Sunday mornings, or at the Fourth of July picnic, or at the Christmas pageant. And the nervous, excited hum over the room was something she hadn’t experienced since she’d settled here.

But she had experienced it before.

It was the same anticipation that the marks had at the carnival. The same fervor that her father and mother inspired when they were setting up their own little scams. Carny had even been a part of those scams, years ago. Following her parents’ orders, she’d picked her share of pockets, created her share of diversions, acted in her share of schemes. And the more excited the marks became at whatever the grift happened to be, the more her parents believed they deserved what they were getting.

But the people of Serenity didn’t deserve anything of the kind.

A few of the men offered her their seats, but standing empowered her.

She watched as the man who had drawn this crowd walked up to the bingo hall’s podium. That charm-packed grin gave him an ironic look of innocence as he scanned the room. “Well, now. I knew the people of Serenity had above-average intelligence, but there’s more intellect here than I would have guessed.”

His gaze landed on Carny as the crowd gave a light round of applause, and she knew what he was thinking — that she had been too curious to stay away, that he was winning her over. That she was just like all the other easy marks in the room.

But soon enough, he would see what she was made of. If he was going to run a scam on this town, he’d have her to contend with first.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said in a soft accent that came from somewhere in the South. Real or fake? she wondered. “I thank you all for coming. And I promise you won’t regret it. I’ve grown pretty fond of many of you over the last two weeks. Slade, who gives the best haircuts this side of the Mississippi. Bonnie at the cafe, who makes the best lemon icebox pie I’ve ever put in my mouth. And Agnes and Tommy Slater at the hardware store, and the Sheaffers over at the post office … well, I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that I’ve never met a warmer town. And because you’ve all touched me in such a personal way, I want to give something back now.”

Here it comes. Carny’s stomach tightened.

Logan cleared his throat. “Many of you have wondered why I’ve been so secretive over the last two weeks. Well, I suppose you have a right to be curious. But the truth is that I work for a company called King Enterprises, located in Dallas. The company has alliances with a number of very creative high-tech firms and investors with money to burn. I’ve spent the last several months scouting the rural parts of the state, trying to find the best location for a particular venture we have in mind. Serenity wasn’t at the top of our list of sites, but it was worth checking out. There’s a lot of fallow land on the western side of town, acres and acres of foreclosed property that’s being used for absolutely nothing. That’s what makes it right for our project.”

He leaned on the podium then, getting personal with the people of Serenity, meeting them one at a time with direct looks. He’s good, Carny thought with a sick feeling. Awfully good.

“Now I’m a businessman, and I don’t usually let personal feelings get in the way of sound decision-making. But having gotten to know the people of Serenity — well, I have to tell you, I don’t think I have to look any further.”

Applause erupted over the crowd, and Carny looked around, appalled. He hadn’t even told them what he was doing, and already they’d given him hearty approval.

“There are a lot of citizens in Serenity who, through no fault of their own, have lost their farms. The banks own them now, and good farmers have had to turn to factory work in Odessa to support their families. Those of you who are more fortunate, the ones lucky enough to have made a lot of money from oil leases on your land, are still getting nervous. Your wells are playing out. The money’s not coming in like it used to. It’s time for all of you, whatever your economic status is currently — farmers, factory workers, business owners, sales clerks, secretaries, and oil boomers — to find something else to put your hopes and dreams into, something else that can make Serenity the prosperous town it once was.”

Again, thunderous applause filled the bingo hall.

“Here’s the bottom line,” he said. “My investors are going to build a multi-billion-dollar amusement park somewhere in Texas. It’s going to make Astroworld look like a state fair and put Six Flags out of business. In fact, it will be on the same scale as Disney World. King Enterprises is building a team of engineers — some even worked for Disney, so they know their stuff — to create the kind of theme park that people will plan their vacations around, and they’ll fly their families in just to experience it.”

Oohs and ahhs rose over the crowd, then turned into applause.

“Whatever community we choose is going to get sopping rich,” Logan went on. “The citizens of Serenity who own their own businesses will see unbelievable increases in their profits, and there will be thousands of new jobs. But the best thing about this endeavor is that we’re willing to cut the community in. You invest in this project and you’ll get a percentage of the profits. No matter how much or how little you put in, you’ll get your cut. And ladies and gentlemen, I think there’d have to be something wrong with anybody who’d pass up a chance like this. You just can’t lose.”

An amusement park, Carny thought as the crowd roared in approval. Perfect. He’d rake in his profits tonight, taking everything anyone would give him, and then he’d be on the highway out of town before the sun came up tomorrow.

Anger shot through her as she stood looking around at the excitement, the fever, on everyone’s face. Without another thought, she pushed through those standing on the sides of the room and made her way to the front. As the applause died enough for her to be heard, she darted in front of Logan Brisco, grabbed the microphone, and shouted, “Wait a minute! I have something to say!”

For the first time that night, his grin waned, but he quickly rallied. “Be my guest,” he said. “This is a big venture. It’s going to require a little discussion. Carny …” He gestured toward the microphone, surrendering it completely.

“First of all,” she said, “I think it’s important that we think about what’s going on here. This man has been in town for two weeks. Two weeks! We know virtually nothing about him, yet most of you are already reaching for your checkbooks. What’s wrong with this picture?”

A moan of protest swept over the crowd, and she raised her hand to stop them. “You all know about my background, so you know why I can spot a con man from ten miles away. My dad used to say that the people he conned deserved it, because their greed made them gullible. Are you people going to let greed drive you? Brother Tommy preached on that last Sunday. God was probably preparing us for this night, for this pitch. Remember what Jesus said? That you can’t serve God and money? I stayed in this town because so many of you are good people who love the Lord. But, as Brother Tommy said, when you give in to greed, you step out of God’s blessing and protection. You don’t want that, do you?”

“Carny,” someone yelled, “this ain’t greed, it’s business. It ain’t a sin to make investments.”

“Yeah,” another voice added. “Quit tryin’ to lay a guilt trip on us!”

Carny groaned. “Will you at least promise me you’ll pray about it? Not the God-stop-me-if-you-don’t-want-this kind of prayer, because God doesn’t play that way. But real prayer, seeking his will. Can you go home and do that before handing over your life’s savings?”

Several nodded grudgingly. It made her feel a little better. “Beyond the greed, even if this isn’t a scam, would we really want an amusement park in this town? I came here for the peace and stability the town offered me, and I love it just the way it is. I never dreamed I’d run from one carnival lifestyle to another. If we were to build this here, nothing would ever be the same again. We’d have tourists coming through all the time, and that draws lowlifes and thieves. Crime would go up, and the quality of life would go down. Are we willing to sell out our beautiful little town for that?”

Slade Hampton from the barbershop stood up, his dog, Jack, wagging his tail beside him. “Carny, the town’s in trouble. We need something. This could be the answer to our prayers.”

“If Logan Brisco is the answer to your prayers, Slade, then I’m Mother Teresa’s long-lost daughter. Listen to me. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Excuse me,” Logan said, commandeering the microphone again. “I hope I didn’t make any of you think that the policies of the park would be dictated to you. On the contrary, your own county government would establish the policies. If you build this park here, you can set limitations on how it’s to be done. You can protect this town from the elements Carny is talking about, if you put your heads together. The hotels the tourists will need could be put outside town. You pick the areas for gift shops, tourist areas, new restaurants. You could divert all the traffic away from the main part of town, if you wanted. Ladies and gentlemen, it can be done to your satisfaction. Some of you will even be on the planning board. This will be your baby as much as mine.”

Hugh Berkstrom, the richest man in town, got to his feet. “Mr. Brisco, your idea is intriguing. But I’m wondering about zoning issues, the influx of new children into our school system, noise, water pollution … Serenity may not have the infrastructure to support a project like this.”

“You trying to talk me out of Serenity?” Logan asked with a chuckle.

More protests erupted.

“Not at all,” Hugh said. “I’m just trying to be realistic. It’s not just an amusement park we’d be building, but a new airport, hotels, restaurants, new neighborhoods, schools, utilities, water treatment plants …”

“Are you suggesting these things will be bad for the local economy?” Logan asked.

“No, of course not. But Carny has a point. If you’re serious about this, then all those things would have to be considered. Do you have a business plan? Have you met with local officials about what needs to be done to get this thing under way?”

“A lot of the preliminary work is done. The rest of it is coming. One thing builds on another. I’ll be sharing the details with my company and our investors as we go. But tonight I wanted to give you an overview.”

“What size investments are you looking for, Logan?” someone asked from the back of the room.

“The bigger, the better,” he answered, “but there’s no amount too small. You’ll each be paid dividends based on what you invest. If we get enough investors here, we may not have to offer it as public stock. That means more profit for all of you.”

Carny gaped at her friends and neighbors. Their excitement was growing. No one was tearing out checks just yet, but from the looks on their faces, they soon would.

“Do we have time to go to the ATM down the street?” someone shouted.

“Of course,” Logan said. “I’ll be here signing up investors for the next few hours. That is, if the bingo players don’t mind me taking one table for that purpose.”

B. C. Jenkins, the town’s bingo caller, nodded.

Flabbergasted, Carny snatched the microphone from Logan again. “Wait a minute! Please, everybody, just hold on.” No one seemed to be listening, so she raised her voice. “What’s the big hurry? The first sign of a con artist is that he wants his money immediately. Trust me, people, I know. If this guy’s legitimate, then he’ll give you time to think about how much you can afford to lose, to check out his company and the people in it. Where are the plans for the park? Which banks are behind this? Is there any such company as King Enterprises? And if he won’t give you the information you need to make an informed decision, then you’d better kiss your money goodbye, because you’ll never see it again.”

The room had grown quiet, and a few people began to nod and whisper in agreement. Carny looked up at Logan. The look he returned had no trace of his usual amusement. She was ruining it for him, and he didn’t like it.

Pursing his lips, he took the microphone back and looked into the crowd. Slowly, that smile returned to his face. He deserved an Oscar for this performance.

“You know, ladies and gentlemen, she’s right,” he said. “This is a big decision, probably one of the biggest you’ll ever make. You do need to think and pray about it, and heaven knows, I don’t want any regrets later on. As I said, I don’t even have approval yet to put the park in Serenity. But the number of investors I get here this week as an indication of community support will swing things in your favor. I’ll be happy to show you the plans for the park as soon as they’re ready, and I’ll speak to my investors about revealing their names as soon as they’ve chosen a town. Transparency is the name of the game. No hurry. Put your money away.”

The crowd buzzed, and Carny stared at him, surprised at the new twist. She hadn’t expected this.

“I’ll be staying at the Welcome Inn, and starting tomorrow, anyone who wants to meet with me and discuss making an investment can do that. But I’m not here to rob anyone. I don’t want your grocery money or your kids’ college funds. I don’t want anybody making an investment they can’t afford. Think about it, and if you think you want to be a part of an endeavor that has the potential to set your family up for generations of prosperity, then we’ll talk. But I won’t take your money tonight.”

He set the mike back in its stand and flashed Carny that amused grin. “You want the first appointment?”

She crossed her arms. The roar of the crowd rose again. She turned away from the mike so that only he could hear. “I’m impressed,” she said quietly. “But I’m still not fooled. Just be prepared. I’m going to fight you every inch of the way.”

He bent to her ear. “I’ll look forward to it,” he said. “Can’t wait to change your mind.”

“You won’t,” she said. “And you won’t change my town, either, not if I have anything to say about it.” She stepped off the stage. “Better not let your guard down, Brisco. I’m watching every move you make.”