The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 28

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***

The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 27

     The crowd grew restless as Maven slogged through the beginning of his act.  Sam wondered if boredom helped put the more susceptible in a ‘better frame of mind’ for the next segment. He chuckled softly at his own pun; all the while wishing Maven would just get on with it.  Eventually, Maven switched gears and proceeded with his relaxation method for putting the crowd under his spell.  Sam played along, biding his time and ever so carefully glancing over at Jenny and her cousins.  If any of them appeared to be slipping into a trance, Sam would find a way to break their concentration: a perfectly timed bump with his foot, a muffled cough, an offer of gum, a jab to the ribs, whatever it took to protect the woman he loved and her charming family.  He had been so busy watching out for the ladies, he’d forgotten to keep tabs on the undercover officers.  He was both thrilled and nervous when a few of them were selected to go up front and join Maven on stage.  It was hard to tell whether they were truly under Maven’s spell or they were faking.  Sam decided that if they were faking it, they’d missed their true calling as prime candidates for an Academy Award. 

     Soon the audience was being entertained with outlandish antics inspired by Maven’s depraved mind and boredom was a thing of the past.  Despite her disappointment in not being selected again, Jenny laughed and cheered along with the rest of the audience as the participants obeyed their puppet master’s bidding.  When the show was over, Jenny apologized to her cousins, insisting it had been a better show “the last time”.  The spell seemed to be broken and Jenny no longer regarded Maven’s show as anything spectacular.  Sam took that as a good sign.  As they all waited in line for an ice cream cone, Sam received another text.

Good news! 4 undercover officers got golden tickets. They r not under Maven’s spell so if he’s got Sands, we’ve got him.

Finally, some good news, thought Sam.  Maybe, just maybe, we’ll catch him this time.

While he was busy reading texts, the girls decided they’d had enough of the circus for one night and they were working on plans for the rest of their evening. 

     By a stroke of luck, Sam was able to worm his way out of the girls’ plans and Mike invited him for a “ride along”.

            “This was your case and you came up with the ideas. The least I can do is bring you along when we nail this prick,” was Mike’s reply when Sam tried to thank him.  “I wish I could let you taken him down personally but…rules are rules.  You’ll have to sit in the car but at least you’ll be there.” 

With hours to kill, Mike and Sam headed back to the main gate of Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival.  The entire department was on edge waiting for the private ticket show to begin. 

            For hours, Officer A.J. Sands had been trying to break through the binds on his wrists and ankles but his captors had emptied his pockets of anything sharp and the trunk was void of anything useful. He was hungry, thirsty and had no place to void his bowels and bladder.  For the first time, his smell actually matched his disguise and Sands felt his nose wrinkle in disgust.  When he finally heard noises and human voices just outside the trunk where he’d been entombed, he was feeling lightheaded and queasy.  When the lid finally popped open, A.J. was temporarily blinded by the harsh light.

            “Whew! The stench on this guy is brutal,” one of A.J.’s captors complained.  “Aw man, he took a dump in here.  Who’s gonna clean my friggin’ car?”

            “Quit your bellyaching,” his buddy chimed in, angrily.  “Unless you’d like to take it up with the boss man.” 

The complainer clammed up at the mere mention of his boss. He heaved the smelly man from his trunk and shook his head in disgust.

            “Don’t worry, man,” one of the captors muttered, patting A.J. on his shoulder.  “It’ll all be over soon.”  

The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 26

     All through dinner, Jenny chattered excitedly about Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival.  The embedded phrase, “best place on Earth” routinely peppered her end of the conversation.  Opening night festivities were set to being in just a couple of hours and she could barely contain her enthusiasm.  Her cousins seemed doubtful and repeatedly tried to convince her that they had much better thing to do in the city than go to a silly old circus. 

     Sam’s thoughts were preoccupied, drifting to the other side of town and awaiting good news.  When the text message came through, it was what he had expected but he couldn’t help feeling just a little disappointed.

            Searched circus -no sign of Sands.  
            Bugs set in perps tent. So far so good!

Mike’s cryptic, choppy message pulled a tired smile across Sam’s face. He imagined Mike tapping it in with one finger in the “hunt and peck” method the older generation often used when attempting “new fangled” technology.  In spite of his disappointment, Sam tried to make the evening pleasant for Jenny’s sake even when she won out and they were all heading to Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival.  While Jenny and her cousins were in line buying the tickets, Sam made a quick phone call to Mike.

            “Look, I know you’re super busy but... Jenny got her way and we’re all over here at the carnival.  She’s going to convince your girls to go to Maven’s show. What do you want me to do?”

     Mike muttered a curse under his breath and then there was silence.  Eventually, he told Sam to keep quiet but not to let those girls out of his sight.  He just hoped none of them were given tickets to the “private” show. On second thought, Sam’s brain cried out, if we can score enough tickets, we can send in undercover officers.  After a quick text back to Mike, he agreed. It seemed like a long shot but if they could fake being under Maven’s spell then it could work. 

We have Maven’s ego on our side. He believes in his ability so much that he’d never imagine anyone could fake him out. 

Sam had watched the audience closely and he believed he could give pointers on how to appear under the spell.  He also had a good idea of the “profile” Maven looked for in his private show audience.  As fast as his fingers could move, Sam texted a description of the “look” that would draw Maven’s eye. Thirty minutes later, a small group of undercover officers dressed exactly to Sam’s specifications arrived at the main gate.  While Jenny and her cousins played games and took an elephant ride, Sam was giving a crash course to the officers.  They picked up the gist easily and from that point on, they were to have no more contact with Sam. 

            “They might remember me so I don’t want to risk tainting your cover by being seen with me.  Between now and the private show, I don’t exist to you, got it? Just remember, if you’re call on stage, no matter what… you can’t hesitate to do what he tells you, no matter how embarrassing, you gotta do it.”    

Sam wished them luck as they scattered off, attempting to blend in with the crowd. 

     As expected, Jenny dragged them all to Maven’s tent to see the show. Her excitement proved contagious and even the cousins waited in line with anxious enthusiasm, hoping at least one of them would make it on stage.  As they moved up the line and closer to the entrance, one of Maven’s assistants eyed Sam warily. 

            “Do I know you?”

            “Hey!  How’s it goin’?” Sam replied, cheerfully extending his hand.  “I didn’t know if you’d remember us.  I’m the knuckle-head private detective who accidentally set off all your equipment.  I’m still embarrassed about that! My girlfriend had such a great time she insisted that we round up her Philly cousins and head on out to see the show again.  I’m all clear this time….I promise.” Sam raised his arms in the air and stepped right up to the security wand. "This time I’m off duty and I’ll be able to enjoy the show.” 

     The security guards spent extra time waving their detection wands over every inch of Sam’s body.  When they finally determined Sam was clean, they allowed him to pass through.  Giggling, Jenny smiled and winked at the men scanning her.  As they took their seats, Sam casually looked around the tent for the undercover officers.  They had followed his advice and sat exactly where he’d suggested. He earnestly hoped his plan would work; Sands’ life just might hang in the balance.

The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 25

     Sam paced; watching as the clock on the wall tick off minutes while he waited for news about Officer Sands.  Knowing that Maven’s “gold ticket” show was the last of the evening did nothing to quell the panic gnawing at his insides.  Each time the phone rang, Sam’s heart leapt into his throat. 

            “Turns out, the only thing they found in Jersey was a stolen car with a beat up pair of size eleven boots in the back seat. The shoes belong to Sands but there’s no trace of him anywhere.”

Sam muttered a curse and racked his brain for a way to track down their MIA officer.  A dicey plan rattled around in his head for a few moments before he finally decided to pick up his phone.  Please let her be able to talk, Sam silently prayed.  On the third ring, a tentative voice said hello.

            “Tina, it’s Sam.  Can you talk?”

            “For a few of minutes, yeah, what’s up?”

            “I’ve got a couple questions….First; do you know if Maven’s lackeys sweep his tent for bugs, meaning transmitters, before each performance?  Second, how cooperative is your boss, BT, with the police?

            “Hmm, I don’t think anyone sweeps Maven’s tent because they don’t let anyone in there unsupervised…ever.  I guess if someone got in they might but it’s pretty well guarded.  As for BT, he really is a stand up guy. He’d do anything for local authorities without complaint, why?  You’re not planning on getting him into any trouble are you?  Seriously, that’s not cool, Sam. Leave BT alone. He’s a good man! He’d never hurt a soul and he sure as hell wouldn’t get involved with anything illegal!”

            “Whoa, calm down, Tina.” Sam interrupted.  “I have no intention of getting BT into trouble.  I was just thinking…suppose a concerned citizen called the local PD with a tip that they saw a wanted criminal sneak into the carnival to hide.  That would be just cause to search the place from top to bottom.  If nothing turns up, they could always drop some bugs in Maven’s tent.”

            “That’s brilliant, Sam!” Tina squealed.  “BT will gladly let them in, now we just have to hope they can catch Maven red handed.”

Sam relayed his plan to Mike and his superiors.  They weren’t as enthusiastic as Tina.

            “Look, I know you want to catch this creep but we’re bound by these little things called Constitutional Rights and upholding the law.  We can’t pretend to receive a phone call that we haven’t received.”

            “I understand completely,” Sam replied, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.  “Hello, police?  Yes, I just witness a strange man breaking in Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival.  He looked like one of the criminals from the wanted posters in the Post Office.” 

Both Mike and his supervisor tried not to laugh.  They failed.  Within minutes they were prepping the men and getting their paperwork in order. 

            “I gotta hand it you, Sam,” Mike laughed.  “Not too many people can manage to get our supervisor to crack a smile, let alone laugh.  You’re something else.” 

Sam smiled but, in his heart, all he cared about was catching Maven and finding Officer Sands before someone got hurt. 

     All available patrolmen and detectives sped across town to the site of Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival.  Despite Sam’s desire to go along and help, he feared one of Maven’s minions might recognize him so; instead, he took Jenny and her cousins out to eat.  Mike had promised to call with any news but that didn’t make it any easier to sit out on the action. 

     Just like Tina said, BT was more than cooperative.  Even though they were supposed to open in just a couple of hours, BT had the entire ensemble drop everything and assist the officers.  Mike and his team paid special attention to Maven and the lackeys.  While everyone involved in Maven’s show was being questioned at the main gate, Officer Bauer had slipped, unnoticed, into Maven’s tent and planted the transmitters.  He casually made his way back to the others without drawing any attention to himself.  By the time BT asked his employees to give the officers a guided tour, Bauer was back and not even Maven noticed that he’d gone.  Controlling the tour of his own tent, Maven had no reason to be suspicious.  Tina and her friends hoped it would stay that way.  If Maven discovered the bugs, their plan would be ruined but, even worse, if he suspected someone was on to him; he might become desperate.  

The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 24

Hours before the grand opening ceremony for Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival, undercover officer A.J. Sands, disappeared from his post.  His partner radioed it in after Sands hadn’t checked in and a foot search came up empty. 

            “He was right here,” Officer Bauer insisted, pointing to the exact spot for his supervisor’s benefit.  “I only turned my head for a minute and he was gone.  Some preacher-guy came up and tried to offer me a booklet full of scripture verses. I shooed him off as quick as I could but Sands was gone when I finally got free of him.” 

            “Hmm, I wonder if that was deliberate. Maybe they’d already planned to grab Sands and they didn’t want any witnesses.  After all, Sands a good bit smaller than you, Bauer. If I was planning to abduct a homeless guy, I’d be inclined to grab the smallest one I could find.”   

Within minutes, Jenny’s uncle, better known as Officer Mike Higgins, was showing Sam how to use the tracking devices they’d sewn in the clothing of their undercover officers.  We’re coming for you, Maven, you sick, demented twist and when we do; you’d better pray that Sands is alive and well, Sam thought to himself.  Nothing short of an act of God would spare you if you hurt or kill a cop. As the tracker zeroed in on the chip’s location, Mike drummed his fingers impatiently. 

            “This doesn’t make any sense.” Mike muttered. “He’s nowhere near the carnival site.  According to this, he’s in Jersey.” 

Phone calls were made to the appropriate departments in New Jersey and a dispatch sent to the exact coordinates. 

     Officer A.J. Sands woke to a thumping head and scrambled brains.  His throat felt raw and scratchy while the inside of his mouth was Sahara-dry.  Attempts to open his eyes had resulted in blinding white stars bursting on sight.  He groaned, and tried to stretch.  That’s when he noticed the binds on his hands and feet. The dryness in his mouth, no doubt stemmed from the filthy rag someone had rudely stuffed halfway down his throat.  The chill on his feet told him his shoes, and the department’s tracking device, were gone. For the first time in his career, A.J. feared for his life.  Pull it together, man, Officer Sands' inner voice insisted.  You’ll never get out of here if you lose your cool. 

The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 23

     Under the guise of showing Sam the city and giving Jenny “girl time” with her cousins, after dinner, Uncle Mike and every other relative associated with the local police force, took Sam down to the station.  He relayed every single detail he could remember to Philadelphia’s dedicated brotherhood in blue and, within the hour, Sam had more men and women at his disposal than he could have possibly imagined.  All surrounding departments in the Philadelphia area were on alert.  

     Meanwhile, Mike was trying to collaborate with Detective Todd Kelley and follow up on packages sent to the post office box address Sam had provided.  Just to be safe, patrolmen were ordered to round up any homeless people and get them to a shelter.  To replace the vagrants, undercover officers were staking out the alleyways and park benches.  If Maven really was snatching up street people and having them murdered just to prove he was the puppet master then he was going to be disappointed. Now, they played the waiting game.  

***Please return Monday, 2/24, for the next installment of The Freaks Come Out At Night***

The Freaks Come Out At Night- Part 22

     It was an unseasonably warm, sunny, autumn day when Mystic Magill’s Big Top Carnival rolled into Philadelphia.  Set up day was always busy and this one was no exception.  Tina, Clara, Manny along with his son, Manuel, GoGo, and Jared struggled to focus on the task at hand. Inside, they all wondered how Sam was going to catch Maven in the act.  As they worked, they sent each other silent messages: sideways glances, a wink, or a nod, all ways to say we’re in this together and we’re doing our part to help BT. 

     Across town, Sam was cementing his relationship with Jenny’s family.  It had been easy to charm her aunts and female cousins.  His boyish charm and disarming smile had them hooked from the first introduction.  Her uncles and male cousins were a tougher nut to crack yet there was something endearing about their blue-collar, family-first demeanor.  He’d gotten off on the right foot when he insisted on sleeping on the couch, rather than expecting to share a bedroom with Jenny.  His second brownie-point had been earned without even trying.  An offhanded remark about hating the New York Giants and he was in. 

            “You’re all right, there Sammy-boy,” Uncle Mike laughed, tossing him a beer.  “There’s nothin’ worse than raisin’ your kids right….teachin’ ‘em to be proud of their heritage and when they head out into the world; they turn their back on their own hometown.”

Mike’s impromptu diatribe inspired the clinking of beer bottles and a few scowls sent in the direction of his daughter, Heather.  Mike’s son Jeremy explained that Heather was dating a Giants fan.

            “There’s a picture of her up on Facebook wearing a Giants jersey,” Mike whispered.  ‘It’s quite the scandal.  Dad nearly had a heart attack.”

Note to self, Sam thought silently, Pick up an Eagles, Phillies, Flyers or any other Philadelphia team, tee-shirt while I’m here. Throughout the rest of the day, he’d managed to win over the remainder of her family.  He hated the thought that their approval might be lost the instant they heard about his case, and Jenny’s involvement. That evening, as Mike manned the grill, Sam had a private chat with him. 

            “So….Mike, Jenny tells me you’re a police officer.”

            “Yup, been on the force a little over twenty years now,” Mike responded while masterfully flipping the steaks and ribs on his grill. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what made you decided to go rogue instead of joining the police force, Sam?”

            “You know, I never really thought of it as ‘going rogue’ before,” he answered, chuckling.  “I was with the police force for a while and I was shot in the line of duty.  They wanted to relegate me to as desk job after the injury and I wanted to stay active… so, I hung out my shingle and went into business for myself.”     

            “Good for you! Most fellas would more than happy to get out of the line of fire and play desk jockey.” 

As the conversation progressed, Sam got the distinct impression Mike’s opinion of him had elevated dramatically since their introduction, making it that much harder to divulge his true purpose for joining Jenny on her trip. Eventually, he sucked it up and blurted out the whole sordid tale. 

            “So, I’m guessing you’d like a little a help from our department to catch this SOB,” Mike replied.  “Lemme tell you something, it would be my pleasure to nail this freak.  I can’t believe he almost snatched five hundred dollars from our Jenny.  It’s a good thing you were thinking on your feet there and managed to save her cash.  Too bad the rest of those poor suckers didn’t have someone to do the same for them.  After dinner, I’ll make a few calls and we’ll just see what resources we can pull together.”

            “Thank you, sir,” Sam gasped.  “I thought for sure you’d be disgusted that I got Jenny tangled up in this mess.”

            “Well, I’m not particularly thrilled that she was potentially exposed to danger but you couldn’t have known there was some crazy-ass murder and extortion racket running out of a traveling circus for cryin’ out loud. I’m not sure hypnotizing someone and subliminally planting an order to send cash would technically classify as extortion but, geez, it’s gotta be something close.”