Free Shadows at the Fair by Lea Wait Page B

Vince talking. That must have been an interesting conversation.
    “That was some rain we had for an hour or so this afternoon. Did you have any trouble getting your prints in?” Will was obviously trying to turn the conversation away from all the questions they hadn’t found answers to.
    “No; I was fine. I got unloaded before the storm hit.”
    “I got a late start driving up from my cousin’s place in White Plains and then hit bad traffic. Good thing I brought an extra set of clothes for the weekend; the ones I was wearing to set up look like sponges now.”
    “Lucky your inventory is mostly iron and tin and brass.”
    “Rust was the biggest worry today. But I got everything dried off.”
    They had almost reached the end of the exhibit buildings when they heard the screams.

Chapter 12
    Die Abgotts-odoer germeine Baum-Riesenschlange (boa constrictor). Large snake curled around tree limb. German lithograph by Dr. Leopold Fitzinger, director of the Munich Zoological Gardens and the first to design a worldwide nomenclature for reptiles and amphibians. Price: $60.
    Somewhere a woman was screaming, over and over, a high-pitched voice without words, as though the screams had taken over and she had lost control. Like an animal caught in a high-powered trap.
    All over the parking lot flashlights and headlights turned on, and van and truck doors opened. Maggie turned and ran back toward the area they had just left. She stumbled once when her long skirt caught on a clump of dirt and leaves, but kept going. Both her feet were now wet; she could feel the cold water oozing over her toes. Will and Ben ran with her. But at least a dozen dealers got there ahead of them.
    Susan Findley stood with her back against a dark brown van parked in the middle of the parking lanes. She looked like an actress in a horror movie. Lights from flashlights everywhere pierced the darkness and focused on her. Her green dress had been replaced by a pink jogging outfit, and the flowered towel and white cosmetic bag she must have been carrying were on the ground at her feet. Her arms covered her face, and she was screaming. The scene was so unreal that it took a few seconds for Maggie to see what was in front of Susan.
    The body was on its right side, the face lying in a pool of blood that had already blended into the muddy field. The left side of the skull was caved in.
    “Somebody! Help! Get an ambulance!” Susan’s voice dropped almost to a whisper as the crowd gathered and her screams became intelligible.
    Maggie knelt down in the mud and tried to get a pulse, just in case. No one spoke; only Susan’s sobs broke the silence. After a long minute or two, Maggie shook her head, then she stood and reached out to hold Susan and turn her away. Maggie had EMT training, but that wasn’t going to help now.
    The group of stunned dealers parted to let Officer Taggart through. He took one look at the ground and pulled out his police radio.
    “Nine-one-one. We need an ambulance and police out at the Rensselaer County Fairgrounds. Stat!” He gave directions quickly. “Does anyone know who this man is?”
    Will was the one to speak: “His name is Harry Findley.”

Chapter 13
    The Little Brothers, hand-colored engraving published by Currier & Ives, 1850. Small folio. Two young boys holding hands, dressed in red velvet jackets and long pants, surrounded by rambling roses. Typical C&I mid-Victorian sentimental engraving. Price: $95.
    It took only about three long minutes for the police to arrive, about four minutes for the ambulance, and about four and a half minutes for a detective to announce quietly but decisively that the Rensselaer County Fairgrounds were being sealed as a possible crime site. No one could leave without express permission from the police.
    Another antiques dealer had been murdered.
    Maggie was still holding Susan, who was weeping quietly. Looking pale, Ben stood to the side, next to Will. Lydia came over and patted Susan on the shoulder