Gauntlet of Fear Read online

  He moved a few yards and switched on a light. What he saw made his flesh creep.

  On the floor, just a few feet from where he stood, was a gauntlet; the heavy metal glove that was used by men, wearing armour, in days gone by.

  Giles looked upwards to see if the object had fallen from the ceiling but he couldn’t detect where it might have come from.

  Nothing was evident but one thing he was sure of. It had been thrown there by someone who was following him. Someone who knew where he was all the time. And it had been thrown down as a challenge.

  The stubborn streak in Giles asserted itself. He was now very clear about how he was going to react that evening, when dining with Ramon.

  It was approaching seven o’clock when Giles reached the trailer of the circus boss. His dander was up and he was ready to throw down the gauntlet himself.

  He knocked and entered to find Ramon with female company different from the previous night.

  ‘Come in, come in, amigo. I want you to meet Madame Zigana.’

  Giles immediately admired what confronted him. The girl was diminutive in size with jet black hair showing beneath a colourful scarf which adorned her head. She wore a full-length sari-type dress in bright orange that came down to her feet, but nothing could hide the fact that she had a presence that was greatly in excess of her stature.

  Giles took her tiny hand in his and bent down and kissed it. ‘I’m charmed!’ He said, still holding her hand in his.

  ‘It’s my pleasure to meet you Professor Dawson,’ she spoke with a slight American accent with a lilt that Giles found irresistible. ‘Senhor Mordomo has shown me newspaper cuttings of your recent accomplishments in solving the death of the magician in Scotland and I’ve wanted to make your acquaintance.’

  ‘Madame Zigana is American, but she insists her family had connections with gypsies associated with this area,’ Ramon enlightened Giles. ‘Her Hungarian name means Gypsy girl and she is our resident fortune teller. Some of her relations were unfortunately chosen for total annihilation at concentration camps, like Dachau and Ravensbruck, when Hitler saw the gypsies as a race that he believed needed to be made extinct. She now has a wonderful record of success in offering hope to the lives of others.’

  Dinner that evening was succulent sweet grilled lobster and discussion centred on whether Giles was willing to accept the task of helping Senhor Mordomo eliminate the succession of accidents in the circus and, if possible, discover who the perpetrator was.

  Madame Zigana implored Giles to take on the job and bring the circus back to being trouble free.

  ‘I predicted,’ she claimed. ‘The circus would encounter many problems but I had no idea about how or why.’

  Giles listened to the terms explained to him and, although he knew exactly what his decision would be, he stretched out his doubts before finally agreeing with a shake of the hands.

  Ramon produced a sheet listing the names of those he considered capable of a circus takeover and passed it to Giles who scanned the names with lots of interest and much astonishment. The first few names on the list were, as yet, unfamiliar but he would meet them in due course; he was sure of that.

  There were at least two names on the list that Giles found surprising and one of them was in the room with him. He scanned the list again.

  Ramon Mordomo suspects:

  Sebastian Capuzzo - Ringmaster

  Felix Reiser - Band Leader

  Velazquez Trio - Trapeze Artists

  Chuck Marstow - Clown

  Hank Findley - Funambulist (Wire Walker)

  Ingrid Dahlberg - Knife Thrower

  Eva Zigana - Fortune Teller

  Michael Wagner - Magician

  Enough to be going on with, he thought, but there may be others. He folded the list and put it in his pocket. It was something he would give serious consideration to later on.

  Senhor Mordomo produced cocktails and conversation turned to Madame Zigana.

  Giles was keen to know if she would attempt to tell him his fortune. Her answer came as a surprise when she agreed; a radiant smile lighting up her entire face. She said she had brought her crystal ball with her for that purpose.

  Giles looked at the circus boss who got to his feet and went over to his desk and returned carrying a heavy object covered with a dark purple velvet cloth which he laid down in front of Eva.

  ‘I have to warn you, Madame Zigana, that I once had my fortune told when I visited a booth in Lytham St. Anne’s and nothing, that was said then, has come true!’

  ‘You are still a young man, Professor. Don’t be so impatient and please call me Eva.’

  ‘Very well, Eva, and please call me Giles. I await your predictions with interest.’ He ran his tongue along his lips.

  Eva Zigana removed the velvet to reveal a large crystal ball which displayed a myriad of colours absorbed from the lights, and vibrant objects, scattered around the interior of the trailer.

  There was an extended silence before Eva spoke once more.

  Giles sat transfixed as the lady opposite gazed intently at the crystal globe.

  ‘I see that you are a sceptic, Professor, but one that can give some benefit of the doubt to those who may deserve a second chance. Am I right?’

  ‘Close enough!’

  ‘You do not classify yourself as a detective but have already excelled with a successful conclusion to a case that lay unsolved for a considerable number of years.’

  ‘Yes! I suppose so!’

  ‘I predict a future for you in the field of detection that will rival the literary giants of detective fiction, the names of which I need not express.’

  ‘So far so good Madame Eva, but what you have disclosed is hardly rocket science. Most of what you’ve said was available from some newspapers at the end of last month and you yourself did mention that you’d read the newspaper cuttings of the Maskelyne Hall affair in Scotland.’

  ‘That is true but I now come to what lies ahead for you.’

  ‘I’m sorry; I did not mean to be disrespectful. Please carry on.’

  The diminutive lady adjusted her head scarf before gazing once more into her crystal.

  She paused then her intake of breath startled Giles. As he waited to hear what had caused the disturbance he remained silent.

  ‘You have agreed to assist Senhor Mordomo in his quest to solve the riddle that haunts his circus; his gauntlet of fear as he describes it to everyone here at the circus. You made that abundantly clear earlier this evening, but you were doing so without any prior knowledge about the outcome?’

  ‘And…?’

  ‘Well, you’ll be glad to know that you will probably succeed but only if you travel to some far off spots in this country of yours and overcome problems on the way.’

  ‘Well now, that is interesting as I am joining a cruise of the Scottish Hebrides and the Shetland Isles in March. I’m giving a few lectures on magic and the history of the subject and the Hebrides and Shetlands are about as far off spots in this country as I care to admit! Yet…on the face of it, your prediction might just have been gleaned from some magazine article, so I remain unconvinced!’

  ‘Aha! Your scepticism still shows but time may alter that.’

  The look on the face of the circus maestro was one that puzzled the Prof. ‘I was not aware that the predicted cruise ships were already in operation.’ Ramon questioned.

  ‘Neither was I until recently. One of the first is a small German ship, built two years ago, and it will be my home for a short spell in March next year.’

  ‘There you are then,’ said a jubilant Gipsy. ‘Perhaps your scepticism has lessened since my latest prediction about travelling to far off spots in this country. And, as I said, you will have to overcome problems on the way. In fact I believe you may already have had a problem before coming here this evening and I am afraid it will not be the last.’ Her expression showed concern.

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  The clairvoyant’s gaze turned from
the crystal ball to Giles and her next words came as a warning.

  ‘When I look into the future I make a point of analysing what I already know and the future prospects then become more likely to happen than not. It doesn’t take an expert in psychic phenomena to conclude that, whoever is wreaking some distress on our circus boss, he or she will do everything to succeed and bring about your failure.’

  Giles responded with an enlightened nod of the head.

  ‘And,’ she continued. ‘I believe that you are being followed and that will surely continue.’

  ‘Now that you have a portent of the future do you still wish to carry out my assignment?’ The Portuguese circus boss asked Giles as he filled the wine glasses again.’

  The Prof took the slender hand of Eva Zigana in both of his as he replied. ‘I have never shirked trying to solve a puzzle whether it is in magical entertainment, or in real life, and I don’t intend to start now!’ he said giving Eva’s hand a gentle squeeze.

  ‘There is a friend of mine,’ he continued, ‘who will be interested in what I have to tell him and will grasp at the chance to assist me in solving this complex mystery.’

  ‘Freddie!’ said Eva, with laughter in her voice as her turquoise eyes penetrated the crystal ball in front of her. ‘I remember the name from those newspaper clips! You can tell him the good news.’ she quipped; the radiant expression on her face signifying delight. ‘Please let him know that his horse will win the Grand National in April.’

  ‘That would obviously interest Freddie but as his namesake, the Scottish-trained steeplechaser, Freddie, has been placed twice in the big race I doubt if he will run next year.’

  ‘I think you may have misunderstood me,’ Eva retorted with a mischievous turn of her head. ‘Your friend will have to do better than look at his own name to arrive at the winner. I suggest he puts two and two together to make eight and, at the same time, not to overlook his lucky number.’

  ‘Your cryptic remarks remind me of a conundrum that recently brought me into the detective game but I’ll convey your observations to Freddie when I see him next.’

  ‘This brings me to something I meant to say to you,’ Ramon said as he came over and put a reassuring arm on Giles’ shoulder. ‘Next time you come bring your friend with you. I’m positive he would enjoy my circus even though a circus is not a circus if it’s not in a tent!’

  ‘I’ll keep that in mind. I go back to London tomorrow but I will return sometime in the New Year and I’m convinced I shan’t need to use the big stick to persuade Freddie to come with me.’

  ‘Good! That’s settled then. Before you go tomorrow I’d like you to watch a full rehearsal of my troupe of clowns performing their fire rescue routine in the large hanger. After that, Hank will drive you to the station.’

  ‘I did see them having a workout this afternoon but the complete routine would be something special.’

  ‘Splendid, splendid! Now one last thing before you go. I’m giving a party in Soho on New Year’s Eve and, if you can attend, it will give you an opportunity to meet and talk with the stars of my show, some of whom are on that list I gave you. Do you have a Panama hat?’

  ‘Yes! As a matter of fact I do.’

  ‘Good! I’ll call you when you are back in London and give you the details.’

  Giles left Eva and Ramon shortly afterwards. It was a little after midnight as he picked his way through the many trucks and trailers.

  As his own trailer came in sight he caught a glimpse of a dark figure who appeared to have just left the trailer door and was scurrying furtively into the darkness beyond. It was difficult to tell whether the figure was male or female as it headed towards Khan’s cage.

  He followed as quickly as he could but, try as he might, he lost sight of the figure in the intense gloom.

  Returning to his temporary trailer home he went in and closed the door. Nothing appeared to have been moved. The room was as he’d left it, except that someone had been there in his absence.

  There was no doubt about there having been a clandestine visitor for on his bed there was a piece of paper, which had not been there before.,

  He picked up the note which had four names on it.

  William Henry Pratt

  Archibald Leach

  Frances Ethel Gumm

  Erich Weiss

  His bewilderment didn’t last long once he read the last name on the list. Whoever had placed the note on his bed had deliberately used the name of one of the greatest magician illusionists of all time to clarify what was meant even if the other names weren’t at all evident. They were all names at birth or baptism of people who later became well known under a different name; nom-de-plumes or pseudonyms.

  William Henry Pratt had been better known as Boris Karloff, who’d played the monster in the early Frankenstein movies, Archibald Leach was the birth name of Cary Grant and Frances Ethel Gumm changed her name to Judy Garland. The last name, Erich Weiss, had been the original name of Houdini,

  Someone was informing him that there was a person involved who was not what he or she seemed. He would keep that in mind. A member of the circus was obviously baiting him.

  Giles quietly started to do what he was often accused of doing; he started talking to himself. He pursed his lips before softly uttering three words. ‘The plot thickens!’

  Next morning Giles was awakened by a knock on his trailer door. It was Hank, the wire walker, who entered to say he’d be back in an hour to take The Prof to the hanger, to watch the clowns rehearse, before driving him to the station for his return journey to London.

  Giles shaved, showered, and packed his bag, and was ready when the American who was on Ramon’s list of suspects, called to escort him to the comical display of the group of clowns led by the Canadian Chuck Marstow.

  He’d hardly sat down before the band started playing one of the songs from the musical movie “Singin’ in the Rain”. It just had to be “Make ‘Em Laugh”, and the sound filled the large hanger with merriment.

  In centre stage there was a two-storey mock-up building with a lady, holding a baby, silhouetted in a window.

  As the band kept playing, flames appeared near the upstairs window. Sirens screeched and lights flashed on and off as a fire wagon entered from behind a screen.

  Clinging on precariously to the wagon were six clowns, in full make-up and wearing old style firemen’s helmets.

  Clowns were trying to connect a hose to a fire hydrant that unusually wouldn’t remain in one place. Other clowns were wearing large flat shoes. They got in each others way and were tripping and colliding. It was total chaos but beautifully choreographed.

  Upstairs the lady kept screaming for the clowns to come and save her baby, while down below the hose got wrapped around one clown and another couldn’t get a ladder to stay upright. The Keystone Cops image, portrayed by the group doing a slick well-performed slap-stick comedy routine, took Giles back to his boyhood days. Kids attending the circus would love this he thought.

  There was a chill in the air with a touch of frost that morning and Giles had been glad to get into the large hanger and out of the icy wind. Now he was warming to the situation that was being played out before him

  As the chaos continued the band began playing, with gusto, “There’ll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”.

  Cymbals crashed and so did the clowns. Giles watched the hose get straightened but it then knocked one clown off his feet. Another got a bucket of water over his head and all the while the lady kept screaming for help.

  Giles watched open mouthed and made valiant efforts to stem tears of laughter.

  But now the screams began to sound more urgent. The lady shrieked obscenities that could be heard clear above the band music and several assistants moved forward carrying fire extinguishers.

  The flames, which should have just looked real, because of the lycopodium, were beginning to take a hold of the structure holding the lady.

  She, herself, was now in danger of c
atching fire and it was only the swift action by the circus attendants that prevented a major catastrophe.

  The clowning on the floor of the hanger ceased as Chuck and his comical clutch of comedians were pushed to one side.

  The fire was speedily brought under control, and the girl clutching her dummy baby was safely taken away for treatment.

  It all happened so quickly. Giles could hardly comprehend what was going on; never suspecting, for one minute, that one of the terrible circus fears, that of fire, had taken place before his very eyes.

  Circus staff started to clear the hanger making sure no traces of fire were still evident. Hank Findlay grabbed Giles by the shoulder and said it was time for them to head for the train.

  Giles shrugged him off concluding that another so-called accident had just been added to the growing list that circus owner Ramon dreaded, as he ran this gauntlet of fear.

  ‘Who was the girl playing the part of the young mother in the burning building?’ Giles was confronting the American tight rope walker as he asked the question.

  ‘She is the magician’s assistant but performs several roles when required.’

  ‘Does she have a name?’

  The American frowned as he looked at Giles and answered with a cynical ‘Yes she does! Funny you should ask! Most of us circus folk have names would you believe. Her name is Allison. Allison Somerfield. I think she’s from Raleigh, North Carolina. Now I think we should be heading for that train!’

  ‘My question was necessary,’ said Giles, with the annoyance in his tone as he cleared his throat. ‘But the information I required has been received and noted and I thank you for that.’

  Giles then smiled with a nonchalant shake of the head and made a mental note of the name Allison; adding her to the list of suspects he had in his pocket. He would review that list once he was on the train and bound for London.

  Before leaving the hanger Giles said he wanted a quick word with Chuck, the head clown, and, before Hank could restrain him, he darted across to confront the anxious comic.