The Carnival Killer

The 75th Annual Greenfield County Carnival

The 75th Annual Greenfield County Carnival

"DAD! Dad, wake up!" Michael yelled from the other end of the hallway. He ran in and jumped up on the bed, then shook and begged me to wake up.

"Okay, I'm up," I said. Michael beat my alarm clock by ten minutes every morning. "Go brush your teeth and I'll get breakfast ready."

"Okay daddy," he said as he ran down the hallway and into his bathroom.

After a few moments of slow breathing I rolled out of bed, I grabbed my robe and set off downstairs to the kitchen. I prepared us a simple breakfast, bacon and eggs with toast. The delicious smell of the bacon immediately filled our small kitchen. Seconds later I heard tiny footsteps headed down the stairs. Michael came into the kitchen completely dressed with a clean, white smile. "Come get it while its hot," I smiled.

He took a seat at our small white aluminum table and began helping himself to the food on it. While he made his plate, he looked up at me with a question on the tip of his tongue.

"What is it?" I asked.

He turned a little red. "Can I go with CJ and Reed to the county carnival tonight?"

'I don't know, son. I have to work late tonight, let me think about it."

"That always means no," He frowned and lowered his head.

"Your only ten years old son, if anything happened to you, I would lose my mind," I explained.

"Nothing will happen. CJ's mom will be with us the entire time. I promise." He looked at me with those piercing eyes, just like his mothers.

"Okay, I'm going to talk to CJ's mother and if she says its okay, then you can go."

His eyes lit up, he ran over to me and hugged me as tight as his little arms would allow. "Thank you-thank you-thank you!"

"You better hurry; I hear the bus next door picking up Reed." I hugged and kissed him on his forehead and he was out the door.

I grabbed a cup of coffee and went to work. Being a detective in Greenfield, a small town outside of Des Moines, Iowa, isn't what one would think. I hardly ever leave the office. Not much to detect in a small town with just over a thousand residents. I walked through the double doors of the Police Station and the place looked almost completely deserted. There was no one behind bars except for the town drunk and army veteran, Russ McCleur. He was a short, balding man that always smelled of alcohol. His shirt and pants had small patches on them and he never bathed or wore deodorant. His body odor and the smell of alcohol lingered all around our small police station.

"Been starting more fights at Jimmy's bar again Russ?" I asked him.

Without rolling over to look at me he lay motionless and grunted something at me just before he farted in my direction. His body slightly trembled as he chuckled at his child like antic. I smiled and walked over to my desk that was next to my partner and best friend, Ricky Stanton. "Good morning Ricky," I said as I sat beside him.

"It was, before Russ s**t himself," he laughed. Ricky was always making jokes, it was one reason women loved him, other than the fact that he looks like a model right out of a magazine. How he got trapped in a small town like Greenfield, I'll never know. He was tall, with dark brown hair and green eyes.

"Anything interesting happen last night?" I asked.

"You mean besides Russ starting another bar fight? No, nothing, just like every other day in this town. Plain and boring," he frowned.

"I like plain and boring, it guarantee's I will make it home to my son," I said.

"What are your plans for Friday night?" Ricky asked.

"I have a kid, I can't make any plans," I laughed.

"Let him stay over at a friend’s house, or get a babysitter. Those two girls from Des Moines we met when we were bouncing for that new night club last weekend are coming to town. I told them we could double. That brunette really liked you," he winked at me.

"I don't think I'm ready, Michael is still young and I'm not even sure if I can find a babysitter at such short notice," I countered.

"Gabe, you always do this. Every dating opportunity that comes your way you make up excuses and hide behind your kid. She isn't coming back. It's been seven years. She didn't get lost, she didn't get sidetracked, she left."

After a few seconds of silence, I realized he was right. I have been running and hiding from relationships ever since my wife left us. "Your right. Let me see what I can do," I said.

Later that day Michael came by with Mrs. Everhart and CJ with him. I talked with Mrs. Everhart and we agreed on a time to bring Michael home and some basic rules. I pulled Michael aside from the others to talk to him, father to son.

"Son, you be on your best behavior for Mrs. Everhart. She is doing you a really big favor. Make sure you thank her for everything and have a great time. I'll even see if I can get out of here a little early and meet you all at the carnival."

"Thanks dad, I love you," He said as he hugged my neck.

I squeezed him tight and replied, "I love you too, son."

Hours later I was on the phone with my neighbor, Mrs. Branch, when I received a call from Des Moines Police Department. I switched lines almost instantly and said, "This is Detective Celeste."

"Good morning detective. This is Officer Joseph Stence. I'm calling to inform you that a murder was committed less than three hundred miles from your town and the body was found near a carnival. If I could make a suggestion, you might want to have more security at your town’s carnival tonight. Some of the detectives claim it could be from the same killer that has murdered three people at different carnivals out West. As you know its police protocol to notify every station of a possible serial killer near public events."

Just as the detective stopped talking, my heart sank beneath my knees and my brain melted away like ice-cream on a hot summer day. Michael, the only thing I have left in this world, is at the carnival, where a possible serial killer is. Before I wasted any more time, I was out the door and in my car; I sped the entire way there. My sirens echoed through the empty streets of our little town. Everyone was at the carnival, which was going to make finding Michael a lot harder. I tried not to think of the maniac that could be walking among my friends and family. Maybe I am overreacting I thought. After all there are over a dozen towns surrounding Des Moines and if this killer is as smart as that detective thinks he is, then he will keep heading east.

I still didn't feel better. I wouldn't feel at ease until I was looking at Michael's face. I had to see that he was alright. The closer I got the faster my heart began to beat. It felt as if it was about to burst from my chest. My pulse was racing, causing a thick vein to throb on my neck. I could see cars parked on both sides of the street. I knew I was getting close.

The lights of the carnival were visible through some of the trees on the side of the road. Once I passed them I could see the small tents and miniature roller coasters. It was decorated with old style Christmas lights which were odd to see in the middle of June. I could smell funnel cakes and corn dogs and I could hear the screams of children having fun on the rides. I immediately began searching for Michael. As I ran from ride to ride searching all the lines for any sign of Michael I saw a familiar face. "Dr. Hopkins!" I called out to him. I waved my hands to get his attention. He looked at me and smiled as he recognized who I was.

"Hi, Gabriel. How are you this evening?" He asked as I reached his side.

"I'm looking for Michael. Have you seen him?" I gasped.

"Ah, yes, yes I saw him about half an hour ago over by the Haunted Mansion ride. The line was very long so he might still be over there," he smiled.

"Thank you so much Dr. Hopkins," I said as I darted off toward the Haunted Mansion. Once I arrived I began to search the line. I asked a few people if they had seen him, using the picture of him in my wallet. No one had seen him. I hated to cause a scene but my patience was wearing thin and I needed to find my son. Call it being over protective or paranoid, I don't care. I went to the operator, showed him my badge and demanded for the ride to be stopped and searched for my son. The ride stopped, the crowd booed and I walked inside the Haunted Mansion. Kids cursed and yelled inside the mansion. Each group I came to I checked for Michael then I told them to shut it.

After I searched the entire ride I apologized and allowed them to continue. Back where I started I scanned the crowd for any sign of Michael. I ran past several gaming booths full of stuffed animals and young boys trying to win a prize for their dates. Clowns walked on stilts holding large trays of cotton candy. Suddenly I see a familiar face again but this time my heart sank at the sight. It was Mrs. Everhart and she looked worried. I could see CJ beside her but Michael was nowhere to be found. As I got closer she saw the look of panic and worry on my face and almost broke down into tears. "What’s wrong?" I asked even though we both knew I already knew the answer.

"I-I- c-can't f-find Michael," she sobbed.

My heart broke into a million pieces like a fragile, soft grape being smashed by a rock. "We need to split up and find him; does your phone have a signal?" I asked her. She shook her head as soon as she looked at it. "Okay take this walky-talky. You check the ticket booth, the rides in the front and the funnel cake hut. I'm going to check around back and behind the trailers and the woods nearby. She didn't speak a word she just nodded and grabbed CJ's hand then they both headed straight for the front.

My hands began to tremble at the thought of my son missing. We can't put a person on the missing person's list until they've reportedly been missing for thirty six hours. Now I know how all those parents felt when I had to tell them that. They were outraged. I'm outraged. It’s only been twenty minutes or so and it feels like a lifetime of horror and grief. I tried to stay positive but in the situation it’s hard to keep my mind clear. I arrived at the trailers that all the rides got packed into every few weeks as the carnival travels. After searching all up and down I found no trace of Michael or anything else that might lead to him. I quickly turned my attention on the woods nearby and after just a few feet of walking past the tree line I saw shoe prints in the dirt.

I followed them, sometimes it seems like there are two sets but one is scuffing and scrapping the ground like they were drug into the woods. I panicked and began to feel tears build up under my eyes. I took a deep breath and slowly pulled my gun. I took each of my steps slowly and quietly I followed the tracks to a large oak tree. There behind it was the sight of my worst nightmare, the image that tore my soul and twisted my bones. My son, Michael, lay motionless on the dirt floor of the dark woods. I began to sob as I fell down beside his cold body. There were markings around his neck that looked like rope burns. He was only ten years old and he was strangled to death. I held his body in my arms and sobbed. I began to get really dizzy and I felt as if I was going to vomit.

I stood and began to stumble around and I reached for my gun. I was going to end it all. I had nothing left to live for now. I held it high toward my head when a hand grabbed my arm and another grabbed the gun from my hand. It was a woman, a woman I had never seen before. I fell to the ground and she held my own gun at me. My badge flashed in the moonlight and she lowered the gun.

"So you’re a cop. What happened to that poor boy?" She asked.

"He's my son. His name is Michael and he's...he's...dead." I barely managed to get the words out. "Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you find me?" I began to ask with suspicion. This woman found me quickly; could she be the one that did this? The detective said the killer was a man.

"I heard you screaming and crying. I came to see if you were okay. Now I see why. I'm so sorry."

Mrs. Everhart's voice burst out of my walky-talky as she asked, "Gabriel have you found Michael?" A few seconds pass. "Gabe...are you there?"

"Want me to get that?" The woman asked.

I remained silent. I couldn't speak even if I wanted to. All I wanted was to wake up; this was obviously a bad dream. I've been having them a lot lately. That's all this was, just another bad dream.