Officer A.J.
Sands tried to scream. The rag that had been stuffed in his mouth muffled most
of the sound but his captors didn’t want to take any risks. The smaller man
grabbed a roll of duct tape and firmly pressed a strip across A.J.’s
mouth.
“That should keep him quiet,” the
man laughed. “C’mon, let’s get ‘ole stinky’
here in the dressing room now so we don’t have to worry about the crowds
outside seeing him.”
At the first
sign of resistance, their hostage was hit with a Taser. The raggedy, smelly man fell to the floor
with a thud, spasms jolting through his aching frame.
“On second thought,” Maven’s
assistant muttered. “Let’s stick him in
a steamer trunk and carry him in that way.
I’m sick of smelling his stench anyway and I sure as heck don’t want it
getting into my clothes.”
Unbeknownst to
Maven’s thugs, their long list of crimes was growing longer by the second. They never suspected that the unfortunate man
they’d just crammed into a footlocker was an undercover cop. They’d been reaping the benefits of their
boss’ schemes for so long that the thought of getting caught was inconceivable.
Yet, across the fairgrounds, a plain paneled van sat innocuously parked in the
lot concealing surveillance equipment for the Philadelphia Police Department. Private
detective Sam Cane and Officer Mike Higgins patiently waited inside the van,
listening. The private, golden-ticket-
holder-only show was about to start and this time, Sam was convinced they’d
have all the evidence they needed to put Maven behind bars for a very long,
time. Their secretly planted microphones
picked up shuffling sounds and muffled conversations as the crowd entered Maven’s
tent and found their seats. Thunderous
applause erupted as the show’s star stepped out from behind the curtains onto
the stage.
“Whew!” At least we know the bugs
work,” Sam chuckled as he removed his ear piece and massaged the tender spot
between his temporomandibular joint and his ear lobe. “Maybe we can find a way to tack on hearing
damage to Maven’s rap sheet.”
Jenny’s Uncle
Mike smiled at Sam’s wisecrack then held his index finger up and pressed it
against his lips. Sam nodded, understanding
that he needed to keep quiet so they could hear what was happening inside Maven’s
tent. At the first hint of trouble, Mike would radio to the platoon of officers
milling around outside the tent to spring into action. Maven’s sinister voice oozed through the
transmitters making Sam’s stomach do flip-flops.
“Welcome, welcome, I’m delighted to
see so many special guests here this evening.
Please, won’t you all join me up here on the stage? Let’s have a more intimate and interactive
show, shall we?”
Again, the
scuffle of the moving crowd muffled Maven’s voice but he had clearly called for
his assistants to “bring out their special guest”. Meanwhile, Maven was sorting his adoring fans
into a semicircle around him.
“Very good,” Maven continued. “Now, let’s see. What was the trigger word again…ah, yes,
dangling participle.”
As Maven continued
spouting more insincere compliments to his audience, Mike tapped Sam on the
shoulder and pointed to the piece of paper where he’d written, “What’s he
talking about? Dangling participle?” Sam
scribbled back, “It’s the trigger phrase that puts them back under his spell. Anyone who had been hypnotized before is completely
under his influence again whenever he says the trigger words.” Mike’s eyes grew wide as he hissed a curse
under his breath.
“Since we managed to tack on two
extra shows per evening here in Philly, I don’t have time to play around. Let’s get the show on the road, righty-right?” Maven prattled. “Alec, Drake, bring our unfortunate friend out
here and we’ll put him out of his misery.”
At Maven’s
command, Sam noticed Mike stiffen. He sat up, ramrod straight, with his
walkie-talkie clenched firmly in his hand.
Through the earpieces, they could hear more scuffles.
“Thank you,” Maven responded to his
assistants before continuing. “Now, each
of you take the knife in your hand and plunge it into the bound man on the
floor here.”
“Freeze! Police!
Don’t move an inch!”
***Please return Monday, March 3rd for the exciting conclusion to The Freaks Come Out At Night***
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