‘And you helped him?’
‘Someone had to lure those pathetic so-called “artists” to him,’ she said. ‘Hubert was easy. He thought to taste the delights of the Great Sabine and imagined that I was excited by the presence of the lions. Gus? He was terrified that he would be suspected and was so grateful to kindly Sabine when she offered to go with him to the strongman tent to listen to his worries. Abraham was suspicious, but that stupid, sentimental man came to speak to me anyway and then of course he couldn’t resist trying to help poor Jonas who was so upset by what he had done that he was threatening to jump from the trapeze platform. And Prudence, dear, sweet Prudence. She just wanted to comfort poor, frightened Sabine and saw nothing before Jonas choked her with a cord. He’s very strong, you know. Even I was surprised by how easily he snapped and folded her body into that trunk.’
‘But why?’ I asked, utterly incredulous.
‘Why? Why not? To see them die, of course. To watch the light of life go out in their empty eyes. Who were those pointless people? They were nothing. Who would miss them? No one.’
‘It strikes me,’ I said, rather more boldly than I felt, ‘that you’re the insane one.’
‘Have a care, servant girl,’ she said, waving the pistol. ‘I have not killed yet, but your life is worth less than even these animals. “Poor Sabine was defending herself against the violent servant. You all saw what she did to Mickey. Sabine thought her life was in danger. The girl must have been working with the mad clown all along.” A bullet through the heart will not be as poetic an end as the others I have witnessed, but it will leave you just as dead.’
Throughout all this, Jonas had continued his pacing but now he had stopped and was looking blankly at Sabine.
‘Do you love him?’ I said.
‘Love him? Love... that?’ She laughed. ‘How could a woman such as me love something like that? It is nothing, just a tool to be used for the amusement of Sabine. It makes me laugh even to think of such a thing. Love Jonas Grafton? Never!’
She didn’t see the club until the very last instant. Jonas had swung it with all of his considerable strength, aimed directly at her temple. As she caught sight of the glittering shape coming towards her, she turned, and at the instant the heavy wooden club made contact with her skull, she fired the pistol. She collapsed instantly, blood-soaked and broken, the life smashed out of her. Jonas looked down at his chest, and examined the spreading blood with evident surprise. Slowly, he too collapsed to the floor of the ring and breathed his last with his head resting on the lifeless body of the object of his infatuation.
I was too shocked to move, and the next thing I was properly aware of was Colonel Dawlish taking me by the shoulders and leading me to one of the audience seats. Sergeant Dobson and constable Hancock had come in through the main entrance with Mickey and were untying Lady Hardcastle, Veronica and Wilfred and helping them to their feet while Mickey took care of Addie.
Once again we were back in Colonel Dawlish’s tent. Veronica and Wilfred were side-by-side, hand-in-hand on the Colonel’s bed, with Addie beside them, while the Colonel himself, Lady Hardcastle and I sat in the canvas chairs. Sergeant Dobson was standing by the table, having left Mickey O’Bannon and Constable Hancock to see to administrative matters in the Jugglers & Acrobats tent.
‘I knows as how you’ve all had something of a shock,’ said Sergeant Dobson, ‘but I very much needs to get a few things straight before I calls headquarters and tries to explain myself.’
‘Oh, Sergeant,’ said Lady Hardcastle, ‘I’m so sorry. Are you going to be in terribly hot water?’
‘Tepid, I should think, m’lady. Luke warm at worst. But don’t you go fretting over that; it was my decision and I’ll take the consequences.’
‘I’ll speak up if you need me too, though, don’t forget.’
‘I shan’t forget, m’lady, and I appreciates it. So as I understands it, this Jonas Grafton was the circus clown, and he went on a murderous rampage, killing four of his fellow performers, five if you include the French woman, and all because folk was laughing at him.’
‘In a nutshell,’ said Colonel Dawlish.
‘And this French woman, this Sabine Mathieu, she was his accomplice?’
‘Not as such,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘She was more the instigator, goading him on. She helped in that she lured his victims to him, but she was mostly just an enthusiastic observer.’
‘This really is most disturbing,’ said Dobson, scribbling in his notebook.
‘We feared for our very lives,’ said Veronica, still close to tears.
‘I’m sure you did, madam, I’m sure you did. Well, obviously we shall be needing formal statements in the fullness of time and the full story will have to be told in the Coroner’s Court, but I think I’ve got it clear enough in my mind that I can square things away with CID.’
‘I very much appreciate all your... indulgence, Sergeant. Thank you,’ said Colonel Dawlish. ‘I understand that it was all highly irregular, but you’ve probably saved the circus and I’ll not forget. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, you have only to ask.’
‘Well, sir, there was one thing,’ said the sergeant, almost bashfully.
‘Name it.’
‘Well, the missus and I would have loved to have seen the circus – she loves the circus, does Mrs Dobson – but see I never got a chance to get no tickets and they’s all sold out.’
‘Then you must come as my guest,’ said Colonel Dawlish, expansively. ‘Can you make it tonight?’
‘That would be handsome,’ said the sergeant, grinning.
‘Tonight, George?’ said Lady Hardcastle in disbelief. ‘You’re opening again tonight? After everything? Six members of your company dead, and the show must go on?’
‘I think it’s what they would have wanted,’ he said, defensively.
‘I think,’ she said, ‘that what they would have wanted was not to have been murdered in the first place.’
‘No, love,’ said Veronica from the bed, ‘he’s right.’
‘He is,’ agreed Wilfred. ‘It’s our way. They’ll be looking down on us, shaking their fists if they think we’re going to cancel a show just because they’re not here.’
‘It’ll be our way of honouring them,’ said Veronica. ‘They lived for the circus and ended up giving their lives for it. We’ll put on another show and give the punters an evening’s happiness in their name. It’s right and proper.’
‘My apologies,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘I hadn’t thought. In that case, Armstrong, you and I had better get out of the way. Good luck to all of you.’
She rose to leave and I stood, too.
‘Thank you for your help, dearest Ems,’ said Colonel Dawlish. ‘We owe you as much as we owe the sergeant for sorting out this mess.’