“I do not employ crooks!”
Abraham clenched his jaw in an effort not to lose his temper. He’d personally caught the duo climbing out of the mayor’s window and watched their acrobatics as they shinnied to the roof and jumped from house to house in an escape attempt.
Officer Zimmerman pushed his way through the crowd at the tent’s entrance, pulling with him the first burglar. “I tried to grab the other one as he climbed through the opening in the tent’s side, but he disappeared into the camp.”
“Mr. Beadle, will you swear under oath that this man is not your aerialist? Mind you, I have evidence to the contrary, as he and his companion appear on an advertisement for your circus.”
Mr. Beadle’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t speak.
“I’ll take that as confirmation that heisyour performer. I need your cooperation in apprehending the other aerialist.”
“I don’t know where he is. If you want him, get a warrant to search the premises. Until then, leave and take those clowns with you. The goat stays.”
Abraham glanced at the pitiful creature. He wouldn’t pay a quarter for the beast, but he wasn’t above using it for his purposes. “The goat goes with us—unless you would like to exchange the goat for your man?”
Mr. Beadle spun away. “Jules, see these officers and clowns off our property.”
The circus strongman, who was purported to have lifted an elephant, loped toward them from the crowd of observers. Abraham had no intention of physically opposing the man, but neither would he leave. Once he was off the property, Beadle could pack up his circus and be gone before Abraham returned with a warrant. Besides, he didn’t need one.
“The circus grounds are city property, Mr. Beadle, and while you have a permit to use them, you do not have the right to remove officers searching for a fugitive.”
Mr. Beadle flexed his fingers but did not turn around. After a prolonged silence, he acquiesced. “Escort Officer Hall through the grounds and assist in his search, but without a warrant, the tents are prohibited.”
The man knew his rights. This was not his first experience with the police.
“Please, Theresa. Officer Yount can’t carry the goat and escort us if you are uncooperative.”
The anxious whisper drew Abraham’s attention to the two clowns behind him. The damsel in distress wrung her hands as her gaze flitted between her scowling friend and a distinctly uncomfortable Officer Yount. If the little shrew decided to escape, Yount would be no match for her.
Better to amend his instructions than be reprimanded for allowing two criminals to escape in one night. “You two will stay and cooperate with Officer Yount until I return, is that understood?”
“No, I don’t understand.” The shrew—Theresa—aimed her scowl at him. “We haven’t committed a crime. We should be free to go.”
Abraham removed the handcuffs from beneath his coat. He hated to shackle a woman, but she left him no choice.
“That’s not necessary, Officer Hall.” Damsel in distress placed a hand on Theresa’s arm. “We’ll cooperate and go to the station to clear up this misunderstanding. You have my word.”
“And why should I accept the word of a trespasser and thief?”
She winced. “Because I refuse to bring more shame upon my father’s name.”
Now she wanted to behave respectably? “And who would that be that it should matter to me?”
Her swallow was audible, but her words almost weren’t. “Dr. George Pelton, a coroner for Cincinnati.”
Pure fallacy. Dr. Pelton’s upstanding reputation was known throughout the city, and the man was a personal friend of the recently appointed Superintendent Carson.
Abraham scrutinized the woman before him. He’d met Dr. Pelton on a number of occasions, but he’d only seen Mrs. Pelton with her daughters indirectly when they’d delivered baked goods. With black hair and thick curls, the woman before him undeniably resembled the impression the older daughter had left. However, the white paint on her face made it difficult to discern if anything else matched what he recalled.
The sinking feeling in his gut did far more than her appearance to confirm her identity.
“Please tell me you are not Lydia Pelton.”
She offered a half smile and shrug. “I could tell you that, but I’d be lying.”
Abraham scrubbed a hand over his face. Of all the people for him to arrest. The superintendent was going to have his head for not permitting her to walk away with naught but a warning. On the other hand, Mr. Beadle was demanding to press charges, and with the women’s lack of payment before taking the goat, the man had grounds to demand it. Even if Abraham was willing to bow to the politics of his superiors, he could not release her. Perhaps if he kept her identity quiet and handled the paperwork himself, he could minimize the damage to both her and Dr. Pelton’s reputations without compromising his ethics.
But he couldn’t leave the search to Yount, and Zimmerman had his hands full with the other aerialist.
