Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 01 - Death Is Clowning Around (10 page)

His voice sounded mechanical.
Maybe it was all the music and noise in the place.

I used my teacher voice.
“Kids!”
Several turned their heads.
When they started to turn away again, I repeated it, this time louder.
“Kids!”
I put my hand to my eyes.
“Look at me.”
One by one they turned and made eye contact with me.

“Line up.”
They did.
I glanced at the clown.
“Do you want to take it from here or do you want me to walk them to their rooms?”

“I’d love your help.”
There was an urgency in his voice that I’d heard before, usually with first year teachers.
He reached out his hand.
“My name’s Tony.”

“Mine’s Liza.”

He smiled.
“You’re good with kids.”

“I’m a teacher.
It’s what I do.”
N
o matter where I go it seems I
always turn into a teacher.

“I’m new, and this is my first year in charge of the kids.”
He sighed deeply.
“Thanks for your help.”

A few kids started to wander away. I gave them a teacher’s look and they got back in line.
Works every time.
“I’ll walk with you.”

Tony and I led, the kids followed and then three other clowns brought up the rear.
It looked like a conga line.
The kid’s sleeping quarters were next door to the auditorium.
Inside, it looked more like a dorm than a motel.
There were two rooms, one for the girls and another for the boys, with rows of bunk beds, each labeled.
We started matching kids’ nametags with their beds.
Oddly, the kids no longer seemed excited and energetic.
Instead they appeared subdued, almost zombie like.

I went into the girls’ room and helped a few change into their pajamas.
They climbed into bed and fell asleep.
Not one cried for their mom or dad, not one needed a drink of water, or to go to the bathroom.
It was unnerving.
I wondered what they’d be like in the morning.

I left the lights on, so that if they did get up they could find their way to the restroom.

Tony was waiting for me outside.
He’d taken off his clown mask and his voice sounded more natural.
“Thanks for all your help, Liza.
I don’t think I’d ever have gotten them settled down without it.”

“That’s okay.
If you need my help in the morning, let me know.”

“That would be great.”

I walked back to my motel room.
Tina wasn’t there.
I took out a granola bar, banana, and diet coke from the bag under my bed and ate.
I was starving and I was starting to get a headache from the lack of caffeine in my body.
Every time I got a caffeine headache, I told myself I needed to drink less diet Coke or go to caffeine free, but I never did.
With food in my stomach and caffeine in my system I felt a million times better.

It was after ten, so I crawled into bed.
Morning meditation was at seven and I figured I needed my wits about me for that.
How exactly does a clown meditate?
Would balloon animals be involved?

Chapter 12

My internal clock woke me up at five-thirty.
Tina was lying across her bed, still fully dressed.
I threw a blanket over the top of her.
She looked like she needed another hour or more of sleep.

I slipped into a nylon jogging suit and tennis shoes.
I thought I’d go for a morning walk, as if it were part of my routine.
That way I could wander around the facility and check things out without calling attention to myself.

When I stepped out of my room I stretched like a pro and started walking.
As I went by workers, I waved and kept going.
A few things were worth noticing.
Two men were pouring some kind of purple liquid into the air-conditioning system of the main auditorium.
I don’t know anything about heating and cooling systems but I don’t think you add liquid to them.
I’d love to get a sample of the liquid and have Tom see what’s in it.
Maybe that’s the way they get some of the drugs into their participants.
I wondered how the members avoided the drugs.
Maybe it was their clown masks that protected them?
Tony’s voice had sounded very strange when he’d had it on.

I decided I’d jog over to the kid’s dorm.
A few of the children should be waking up.
Kids in the morning at a strange place could lend itself to several criers.
There were several men working on the back of the dorm building.
They were hauling small boxes in and out of the place.
It would be nice to see what was in those boxes, too.

I stuck my head inside the building.
Everyone was still sound asleep.
I stepped inside and walked over to a few of the bunks.
The kids weren’t moving.
I bent down and touched one of the girls on the arm.
No response.
I picked up her arm and let go.
It dropped back down to the bed.
I opened one eyelid.
Her pupils were fully dilated.
She was out cold!

I heard
footsteps, but there wasn’t anywhere I could hide.

“Hey!” a man yelled.
“What are you doing here?”
He was older, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, no clown costume.

I turned around.
“I helped bring the kids into their rooms last night, and I thought you might need help getting them up. But they seem to be resting quietly.”

He eyed me steadily.
“You’re that teacher, right?”

“Yes.”

“Tony said a teacher helped him last night.
He’s new.”
He smiled.
“Thanks.”

I stuck my hand out.
“My name is Liza.”

“I’m Carl.”

“The Carl from the hanging rope last night?

“Yeah.”
His
smiled broadened.
“I run the place.”

This must be Jessie’s uncle.
I couldn’t figure out a way to ask any questions.
It was just too early, and my mind wasn’t that quick.
“Well, I’m going to finish my morning jog.” I waved to him. “It was nice meeting you, and if you need help with the kids later, let me know.”

“Thanks.”

I jogged out of the building and around to the back where I’d seen the men working.
They were gone, probably inside the building.
But there was a van parked near the exit door.
One of the boxes
sat
on the floor of the van near the door.
As I jogged by, I hit the box with my hand.
It went flying.

A man came running out and screamed, “Hey!
What the hell are you doing?”

I went to the box.
“I’m sorry.
I was running and wasn’t paying attention.
I smacked the box with my hand and it fell.”

“More like you launched it across the grass, lady!”

I bit my bottom lip.
“I’m so sorry.
I was practicing my boxing motions.
My doctor says I get a better workout if I punch with my hands while I jog.
I just wasn’t paying attention.”
I leaned over and started picking up the contents that had spilled out.
They were videotapes.

He put his hand over mine.
“That’s okay, lady.
I’ll get them.
Watch what you’re doing next time, okay?”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to pick these up?
I spilled them, after all.”

“No,” he said firmly.
“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks.”
I waved and went on jogging, punching the air as I ran.

When I got back to my room, Tina was still out cold.
I stretched my legs and arms.
I hadn’t exercised in years, and I knew I was going to be sore tomorrow. It was six-forty-five.
I took a long hot shower to soothe my muscles that were already starting to stiffen up.
Damn!
I wish I were in better shape.

Tina was sitting on the edge of her bed holding her head when I came out.

“Good morning, Tina.”

I think the noise she made was somewhere between a growl and a snarl.
She wandered into the bathroom.
I heard the water in the shower and wondered if she even bothered to take her clothes off.

A few minutes later she came out dressed in a black leotard.
She was grinning from ear to ear.
“I feel great!”

That was quick.
“Well, you certainly look better than you did when you went in.”

She threw a bottle at me.
“These are my favorite little pills in the whole world.
They’re a hundred percent natural and they get me going in the morning.”

I turned the bottle over in my hand.
It was some type of multi-vitamin.
“Where’d you get these?”

“I buy them through the camp.”

“They provide them here?”

“Yeah.”
She giggled.
“They’re clown vitamins.”
She turned the vitamins over in my hands.
There was a huge picture of a clown on the other side.
“You should try them, they work really good.”

I opened the bottle and poured a few into my hand.
Clown natural vitamins or wake-up drugs?
Maybe Tom could find out which they were.
“Can I keep some of these in case I need them this week?”

“Of course.”
She came over and sat down next to me.
“Thanks for the blanket.
When I woke up and I was covered, I figured you did it.”

I set the pills on my nightstand.
“I didn’t even hear you come in last night.”

“I was flying all night.
After I left the auditorium a group of us went to one of the clown’s room and had another party.”
She flashed me a huge smile.
“It was a blast!”

“Remember any of it?”
I said, my jaw tight.

She ignored my obvious disapproval.
“Of course.
I always remember the first party.”
She winked and jumped off the bed.
“Let’s go to meditation.
It’s a blast!”

Everything was a blast for this child.
I let her drag me to my feet.
We walked together to the auditorium.
Actually, it was more of a skip.
All of the tables and chairs from the previous night were gone.
The entire floor was covered in thick mats.
Tina led me directly to the front and we sat down.
The mats had to be three or four inches thick so they were comfortable.
The room filled quickly with people.
Participants were dressed in jogging suits and leotards.
The clowns were dressed like clowns, including their masks.
Guess we’re going to be gassed again, I thought.

I looked around and saw a table with bottled water.
I tapped Tina on the shoulder.
“I’m thirsty, I’m going to get a water.
Do you want one?”

“No, I hate water.”
She grimaced.
“But go ahead, I’ll save your spot.”

I picked up two waters.
I drank one immediately and threw the bottle away.
I took the other one back to the mat with me.
The first bottle ought to be hitting me in a few minutes.
It would give me an excuse to get up and leave during the meditation session.

A few minutes later the entire auditorium was filled.
The doors closed and the music started.
It was purely percussion instruments.
The drums seem to pound through my body.

Then a fog swept through the room.
I’m sure it was filled with drugs, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
Some people got up and started dancing to the music.
My head
spun
to the bass of the pounding music and I couldn’t catch my breath.
More people got up and started dancing.
It looked like a scene from “Dirty Dancing.”
Everyone was bumping and grinding on each other.

Just then Carl came down his rope into the middle of the auditorium. “Can you feel it?”

I remembered what Justin had told me about mind control.
In my head I said, Feel what?

“Can you sense it?” he continued.

I answered with – my f
ive sense
s
are turned off and tuned out.

More and more people got up and danced.
Tina jumped up, screamed, and then grinded with the rest.
Almost everyone was up by now.
I figured I’d better join them so, I got up and danced away.
Wouldn’t Jordan like to see this?
I thought.
She always said I was a fuddy-duddy.

Carl kept talking.
His voice seemed to boom all around the room.
“Be the music, be the sound, let yourself go.”

I countered with, the music is dumb, the sound is stupid and I’m just fine the way I am.
It seemed to be working.
At least I thought it was.
Just then the water hit, thanks to all that dancing.
I tapped Tina on the shoulder.

She jerked her head around.
“What?”

“I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

She pointed to one corner of the auditorium.
“It’s over there.”

Most people were dancing all over the room.
I danced my way around people and over to the corner.
There were two clowns standing in front of each exit and the bathrooms.

I grabbed myself.
“I’ve got to go, now!”

They put their hands up.
“You’re not allowed to leave during meditation.”

“If you don’t let me go, I’m going to pee my pants right here!”
I squealed.
It was an accurate description of my situation at the moment.

“Okay.”
They stepped aside and I rushed into the restroom and headed for a stall.
I did my business and then rested my head in my hands.
After my head cleared enough so I could stand I went to the sink.
My eyes were dilated.
I splashed my face with water.
Just feeling the fresh air in the bathroom was clearing my head.
Since I couldn’t spend the entire meditation session in the bathroom, I took a drink of the water in the sink.
It tasted metallic and I hoped it wasn’t tainted with drugs, too.
I took a deep breath and danced out of the bathroom.

They’d added lights while I was gone.
They blinked on and off, changing colors and intensity with the rhythm of the music.

Carl was still bellowing away.
“You are free, free to do anything.
Your body is soaring …higher and higher.
You are the best.
There is no one better than you.
There is no one better than the Uptown Clowns.
You
are
the Uptown Clowns.”

I countered with each statement.
The trip to the bathroom had helped ground me a bit.
As I danced, I watched the people around me.
Some of the clowns had taken off their masks and were joining in on the dancing.
I guess they wanted to enjoy the drugs in the fog, too.
Some people were dancing with each other, making the scene from “Dirty Dancing” look rated G.
Tina was all over one of the clowns who’d taken off his mask.
I recognized Tony.

Where are the kids?
I glanced around.
There were only adults in the room.
I danced my way over to Tony and Tina.
They were bumping and grinding against each other.