Perilous Pleasures (18 page)

Stefan brushed his thumb over the frayed end. "You're going to get your chance in the ring for the next three performances," he said.

Tony flashed a confident smile. "I'll do my best."

"That may not be enough," Stefan said, uneasy about Tony going into the big cage. He was a promising young trainer, but he lacked the years of experience needed to react in a crisis. "This rope was cut part way through so it would break. Take a look through this." He handed Tony the magnifying glass. "You'll see that the fibers have been cut."

Tony looked through the glass, then handed it, along with the section of rope, back to Stefan. "Why would anyone want to do that?" he asked.

Stefan scanned the grounds, hesitating on the shadowy areas between wagons while searching for a one-armed man. "Klaus Haufchild has a reason. I just can't figure out when he would have had a chance to get to the cats, or to this rope. Between the three of us, those cats have never been left alone—"

"Except during performances," Walter cut in. "We're tied up for at least thirty minutes during that time."

"But Haufchild was spotted in the pavilion, not the menagerie," Stefan said, "so he would have had to do it some other time." He looked up to where Gene Marquis was practicing high above, and said, in a weighty voice, "Unless it wasn't Haufchild..."

...and you keep in mind that your lions could get to you first...

Stefan's eyes narrowed. "It wouldn't surprise me if Gene Marquis didn't try to pull something like this," he said, following Marquis' movements as he spun in space and was caught by his brother. His eyes rested momentarily on Joanna, who was poised to fly, then returned to Gene Marquis, who had returned to the platform. "Marquis is here most of the time, he has access to the equipment, and he sure as hell has the motivation, and the guts. With me out of commission he's got top spot again, unless of course Tony can take over." He turned to Tony. "Rope off the cats. No one allowed near them. And keep all the equipment trunks locked and make sure the animals are never alone. One of us, or one of the handlers, should be on guard at all times."

Tony nodded. "When do you want me to start working with the cats?"

"Right now," Stefan said.

Tony motioned to the handlers and left for the menagerie tent to get the cats.

Stefan looked up to see Joanna swing free from the trapeze bar, tuck her body and spin. Unfolding, the sharp slap of hands on wrists verified the catch. He followed her graceful body as she hung from Otto's hands while swinging in a wide arc. Hopefully, she wouldn't learn what they now knew. She didn't need that worry. As she swept downward, she released her grip and sailed to the net, bouncing several times. Walking in long springy steps to the edge, she tumbled over the framework. Moments later, Gene bounced into the net and tumbled over the framework to stand beside her, then Otto followed.

Otto squeezed her shoulder. "Good practice," he said. "You won't have any problems when the—" he stopped short.

Joanna caught a knowing glance pass between Gene and Otto. When neither man spoke, she looked from one to the other and waited. Otto's eyes moved restlessly to Gene. "I take it you didn't tell her yet."

Joanna glanced at Otto. "Tell me what?" She waited while Gene wiped his face with a towel and slowly passed it over the back of his neck and under his chin. He was obviously stalling. "Well?" she said to Gene.

Gene shoved the towel in his satchel. "Porter made us an offer."

Joanna looked with suspicion at Gene. "What kind of an offer?"

"He'll split the program cover in New Orleans and feature us along with Janacek. He's considering giving us equal billing with Janacek all next season, if we agree to drop the nets."

"No. The nets stay. Karl Porter has no intention of signing us on next season." Joanna swirled her cloak around her shoulders. "All he wants is a spectacular season finish—nets down, lions and tigers fighting, unicycles flying off ramps." She tossed her gymnastic shoes into her satchel and clipped it shut. "You're fooling yourself if you believe otherwise."

"You're wrong," Gene said. "Porter assured us that we'd have a contract before the New Orleans performance. A contract's a contract. He can't back out of it."

"That may be so," Joanna said, "but if we start performing without nets, eventually one of us will fall. You know the odds."

"Porter said we'd only be required to do five performances without nets. The final performance coming up in New Orleans, and next season, performances in St. Louis, Memphis, Natchez and New Orleans, opening nights only." He splayed a hand, five rigid fingers pointing up. "We're only talking five performances and we'll have top billing."

"You're being naive," Joanna said. "Karl has been talking about the big cat fight ever since it happened. He knows Stefan's act brings danger and thrills, and that's precisely what he wants. I don't know exactly what he has in mind, but he has no intention of giving our mundane act equal billing with fighting lions and tigers."

"You're right," Gene said. "He doesn't intend to give a
mundane
act equal billing. But a trapeze act without nets isn't mundane. We drop the nets in New Orleans and we're in. Who knows, we might even be approached by scouts from Barnum or Ringling."

"You're a gullible fool and Karl knows it." Joanna turned abruptly and went to join Stefan and Walter at the far end of the arena, where the big cage had just been assembled. She slipped her hand into the curve of Stefan 's elbow. "How do you feel?" she asked, looking up at him.

Stefan covered her hand with his and bent down to kiss her. "Other than having a hell of a headache, pretty good."

Joanna looked at the bandage covering the shaved spot on the back of his head. "I see the doctor stole your turban," she said, relieved that the ominous reminder had been reduced to a white patch, the accident and its implications seeming less portentous.

Stefan patted the bandage. "I guess I can't pass myself off as a guru anymore."

Wheels rumbled near the entrance to the pavilion, drawing their attention to where Tony and the handlers were pushing several cages toward the arena.

"No, Stefan!" Joanna exclaimed. "You're not going in there!" She glared at him, her lips pressed in exasperation.

Stefan looked into narrowed eyes and saw the flush of anger rising in Joanna's cheeks. He gave her a wry smile. "Tony's playing gladiator for the next few days, so you can relax."

Joanna's face brightened. "I'm sorry to feel happy about your having to miss some of your performances," she said, "but I can't help it."

As Stefan looked at Joanna's glowing face, he felt loved and wanted in the way that only someone totally committed to him could make him feel. A wife. As he peered into her sparkling blue eyes, it came to him then that if she were carrying their child, it's eyes would be the blue-green of the Mediterranean. An oddly gratifying thought—a child part him, part her. If Joanna were carrying his daughter, she'd be a beautiful little gymnast, quick and agile like her mother. But his son would be robust and courageous...

...I will not raise a child while moving from show to show...

"Stay with me, Joanna," he said impulsively, then kissed her palm and held it against his chest. She frowned, and looked at him curiously...

The clank of heavy metal drew his attention to the ring, where handlers connected cages end-to-end to form a long chute. Dropping his hand from Joanna's face, he turned and called to Tony, "Work with the tigers first as a warm-up so you'll be more relaxed and ready for the lions. Start with basics like sit-ups."

Tony nodded, reached for the whip and a pedestal and entered the cage. The barred door went up and four tigers stalked into the arena, eyed Tony with suspicion, and mounted their pedestals. Tony cued a tigress to leave her pedestal and crouch. The animal jumped off her pedestal and dashed for the closed door to the chute. Tony moved toward the animal, whip swirling over his head, pedestal in hand. The tigress backed away. When Tony moved toward her, Stefan said, "Stop. Give her a chance to come to you."

Stefan looked at the tigers on their pedestals, some with ears flattened, others with twitching tails. Something wasn't right. The cats were not responding as they should. They seemed mistrustful and wary of Tony. He was also swirling and cracking his whip far too much. In fact it was a damn flamboyant display. "Cut the whip cracking," he called to Tony. "You're confusing them. Go at it easier. Coax."

Walter stepped up beside Stefan, and said, "He's probably being overly aggressive because of the rope being cu—" he stopped short when Stefan nudged him in the ribs.

Joanna picked up on it and said, "What about the rope?"

When neither replied, Joanna said to Walter, "You were about to say that the rope was cut, weren't you?"

 
Walter looked at Stefan, whose face said it all. Joanna turned to Stefan, and said, "Is that why Rafat got loose? Because someone cut the rope?"

Stefan nodded. "At least we know why Rafat and Shani have been acting up. Someone has been harassing them. It won't happen again though," he assured her, "because no one is going to get close to either of them."

"You forget," Joanna said, "if someone is harassing the cats, that same person also cut the rope. Someone is obviously trying to kill you, and you're taking it all too lightly."

"We're taking extra precautions to keep whoever it is away from the cats," Stefan said, "the
whoever
being Klaus Haufchild, so we'll be watching for him."

"Don't eliminate Gene Marquis," Walter interjected. "He also has motivation."

Joanna eyed Walter, dubiously. "Why do you say that?"

Walter's eyes shifted nervously. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"If you have reason to believe Gene is behind it," Joanna said, "you
should
say so. I've worked with Gene for six years, but he's changed. I don't know him anymore."

Stefan curved his arm around her and pulled her against him. "Don't worry, honey," we'll be keeping an eye on him as well."

"You might as well add Karl Porter then," Joanna said. "It's not beyond him to spice up an act, especially if he can get back at me by doing it."

Stefan knew she was right. And Porter had access to the animals, as well as the equipment. But, the prime suspect was still Klaus Haufchild. There was no reason for him to be following the show, yet he'd been spotted on the day the lock jammed, and on the day the rope broke. But, Karl Porter and Gene Marquis had also been present both days.

Hearing the loud crack of the whip again, and seeing no cause for it, Stefan called out, "That's it for now. Send them out."

Handlers opened the doors to the chute and the tigers filed out. After they were back in their cages, Stefan went up to Tony and said, "Cut all the damn whip-cracking. It might dazzle the audience, but it confuses the cats. As for tonight, since you'll be working a mixed ring, concentrate on routine tricks. And keep Sophie and
Trista
separated. Ever since the fight, Sophie's been lying in wait for
Trista
. Cats hold grudges, and they can be deadly when it's a lion after a tiger. We don't need two cats fighting out an old grudge during the performance tonight."

Tony said nothing, only nodded vaguely, turned and left.

***

That evening, just before the performance, Stefan and Walter stood with Tony, who wore safari garb and had a pistol on his hip. Stefan eyed the pistol. "I assume that's meant to be part of your costume," he said, "not to be included in the act." He knew of many trainers who tried to overawe the animals with pistol shooting and whip cracking for show, and was completely against that method of subjugation.

Tony gave him a wry grin. "Let's just say it's my security blanket."

Although Stefan sensed something feigned in Tony's response, now was not the time for an interrogation. "For tonight," he said, "just run the cats through some rolls, sit-ups, and the pyramid and let them go. We'll cut the performance short."

Banks of gaslights converged on the arena as the announcer informed the audience that Tony Bernardo would be standing in for Stefan Janacek.

Stefan looked at Tony, who seemed confident. Perhaps, too confident? "Watch their eyes," he warned. "Mischief shows up there first. Dilated pupils."

Tony listened with mild concern as Stefan emphasized the positions he wanted the cats to take in the pyramid. "Put
Katma
on top and pair her with
Trista
since those two don't like being separated." He held Tony back to stress the importance of keeping Sophie separated from
Katma
and
Trista
. Then he patted Tony on the back, and said, "Good luck."

Tony gave him a self-assured smile and walked toward the lights. The audience cheered. Tony raised his hand in a flamboyant gesture to the crowd as he stepped into the arena.
 
With a loud clang of metal, the animals entered the cage and leapt to their pedestals. After cuing them to do several routine tricks, Tony called Ahmed, a large, heavily-maned lion, to crouch at his feet. Stefan stood with Walter by the escape door, prepared to enter the cage if necessary. Tony cued the big lion to crouch with his forepaws outstretched. Then Tony kneeled on one knee just in front of the lion and reached out to stroke his head.

Stefan curled his fingers around the bars. "What in hell is he doing? That's not part of the routine," he said, watching Tony take a hold of the lion's nostrils with one hand and chin with the other and pull the lion's jaws open. The lion's tail flicked with irritation. Tony peered into the mouth, then released the animal and jumped up, hands raised for applause. After he'd sent the lion to his pedestal, he cued the animals for the pyramid—
Katma
 
at the top and Sophie just below—separating the big tiger from his litter mate and friend,
Trista
. Precisely what Stefan instructed Tony
not
to do. Stefan's knuckles whitened as he gripped the bars. Had he misjudged Tony? Was he just another cocksure sensationalist?