The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 18

It was shortly after midnight as Sam pulled up to his office.  Something seemed wrong yet he could not put his finger on it.  With a turn of the key, the motor cut off and the only sound was a soft click, click, click as his engine cooled.  He grabbed his briefcase and keys before opening the door.  It was the stark light from the overhead dome that finally registered the problem.

            “No, no, no, no, crap, crap, crap!” Sam grumbled as he dashed to the front door. “When did the freaking power go out?”

Up and down the entire street, not a single light was evident.  The streetlamps, neon signs, everything was pitch black.  With his heart in his throat, Sam fumbled with the keys. He exhaled sharply as the key found its home and the latch gave way.  The door swung open and, out of habit, Sam reached for the light switch.  Just then a hand landed on his shoulder and he let out a startled yelp.

            “Sorry about that,” a rugged male voice answered.  “We wanted to let you know we were here without startling you.  I guess we failed.”

Sam turned around and a shadowed group of stood behind him.  Clara held up her keychain and pressed a tiny LED flashlight.  The group was now highlighted in a bluish tint but Sam was able to recognize Tina’s face. 

            “Come on in. I’m sure I’ve got flashlights or something in here…somewhere.” Sam laughed. 

He rummaged through a storage bin and eventually uncovered two battery operated lanterns. 

            “Sorry, guys.  I had no idea the power went out.  Can I get you anything? Some water or cola?  Unfortunately, I can’t make any coffee.”

            “Mr. Cane, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but we’re kinda on a time crunch here.  Could we just get that recording?” 

Manuel smiled and tried to keep his voice sounding light.  As the current “strong man” at Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival, he was painfully aware of how intimidating he could appear.  The others knew he was a big teddy bear just like his dad, Manny, but their investigator had not had the pleasure of getting to know him yet. 

            “Sure, I completely understand.  The only problem is…without electricity I can’t get the…”

Just then, the power kicked on and all of the electronic devices came to life.  Sam whispered a silent prayer, begging, pleading, that the power outage occurred after Maven’s show ended.  The look on his face said it all.  There was no recording. It seemed the cosmic forces were not aligned on the side of good. The expletives flying from Sam’s mouth confirmed it.