get his family killed. His best option was to follow the Frenchman’s orders, even if there was little chance of him saving himself. With those guards outside the door, all he could hope to do was send the picture to his wife’s phone before they plugged him.
“Don’t worry, Happytooth. He’s gonna fix you up good as new.” Bozo wiped a tear from his cheek and turned to Earl. “Almost ready there, Doc?”
“Yeah,” Earl said, holding the massive needle in the air.
When the boss turned back to the lion, Earl lunged at the clown and stuck him with the syringe.
“What the fuck?” Bozo cried. His tone changed from sad to livid.
After he was done pumping the fluid into the clown’s arm, Earl jumped away seconds before the boss could grab him by the throat.
“What the hell is this shit?” asked the boss, looking down at the needle sticking out of his arm.
Earl’s hands were so shaky he could hardly hang on to his phone as he dug it out of his pocket. He switched it to camera mode and pointed it at the boss, waiting for the big man to fall over.
But the boss clown stayed standing.
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Bozo asked.
Something was wrong.
“Why are you still upright?” Earl cried. “I injected you with enough sodium thiopental to put down a cow.”
The boss pulled out the needle. “You didn’t inject me with shit.”
The arm fell out of the clown’s sleeve and plopped onto the floor. It was made of cloth and plastic. It was a fake—a gag arm used for practical jokes. Earl had no idea how he hadn’t noticed it before. He could have sworn the clown was using both hands when making the balloon animals. But there it was, lying there before him. The clown must have switched it out when he wasn’t looking. But it didn’t matter anymore. He failed his mission. He failed his family. He never should have taken this job.
Earl shook his head as the big man got to his feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
Bozo’s real arm slipped out of the baggy sleeve. His fingers curled into a fist. “You no-good rotten prick.”
The last thing Earl saw before blacking out was a row of white knuckles coming at him like a brick.
Chapter 12
When his eye opened, Earl Berryman found himself tied to a dusty carousel horse in some kind of storage room. He couldn’t open the other eye on account of it being swollen shut like a liquor store on Sunday. There were others in the room with him but he was too dizzy to make out what they were saying. He faded in and out of consciousness. When his vision cleared, he saw Captain Spotty’s menacing grin inches away from his face.
“You awake, Doc?” Spotty asked.
Earl mumbled out the closest thing he could to a “Yeah.”
“Good,” Spotty said. “I was waiting until you could feel this.”
The clown punched him in the gut so hard the vet puked up the corned beef hash he’d had for breakfast.
“You think you can come in here and put
our
boss on ice?” said Hats Rizzo, splitting the vet’s lip with a punch to the kisser. “You got a lotta nerve for a dead man.”
Hats punched him in the mouth again. Then he kicked him in the stomach with his club-sized shoe.
“That’s enough,” said the man in the back of the room, tossing his cigarette to the floor.
Vinnie Blue Nose stepped into Earl’s field of vision as the other two clowns backed away.
“Who are you working for?” Vinnie asked.
He didn’t threaten to hurt Earl. He didn’t have to. One look in those piercing clown eyes of his and Earl knew he wasn’t the kind of guy you dared lie to.
“I don’t work for anybody. I’m a veterinarian.”
“Then why’d you try to kill the boss?”
“I didn’t want to.” Earl drooled blood. “I got a call. Just after I got here, some guy called me and told me to do it. He said he’d kill my wife and kids if I didn’t.”
“Is this true?” Spotty asked.
“I swear.” Earl looked at Vinnie. “
You
heard my phone ring.”
“Who
“Don’t worry, Happytooth. He’s gonna fix you up good as new.” Bozo wiped a tear from his cheek and turned to Earl. “Almost ready there, Doc?”
“Yeah,” Earl said, holding the massive needle in the air.
When the boss turned back to the lion, Earl lunged at the clown and stuck him with the syringe.
“What the fuck?” Bozo cried. His tone changed from sad to livid.
After he was done pumping the fluid into the clown’s arm, Earl jumped away seconds before the boss could grab him by the throat.
“What the hell is this shit?” asked the boss, looking down at the needle sticking out of his arm.
Earl’s hands were so shaky he could hardly hang on to his phone as he dug it out of his pocket. He switched it to camera mode and pointed it at the boss, waiting for the big man to fall over.
But the boss clown stayed standing.
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Bozo asked.
Something was wrong.
“Why are you still upright?” Earl cried. “I injected you with enough sodium thiopental to put down a cow.”
The boss pulled out the needle. “You didn’t inject me with shit.”
The arm fell out of the clown’s sleeve and plopped onto the floor. It was made of cloth and plastic. It was a fake—a gag arm used for practical jokes. Earl had no idea how he hadn’t noticed it before. He could have sworn the clown was using both hands when making the balloon animals. But there it was, lying there before him. The clown must have switched it out when he wasn’t looking. But it didn’t matter anymore. He failed his mission. He failed his family. He never should have taken this job.
Earl shook his head as the big man got to his feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
Bozo’s real arm slipped out of the baggy sleeve. His fingers curled into a fist. “You no-good rotten prick.”
The last thing Earl saw before blacking out was a row of white knuckles coming at him like a brick.
Chapter 12
When his eye opened, Earl Berryman found himself tied to a dusty carousel horse in some kind of storage room. He couldn’t open the other eye on account of it being swollen shut like a liquor store on Sunday. There were others in the room with him but he was too dizzy to make out what they were saying. He faded in and out of consciousness. When his vision cleared, he saw Captain Spotty’s menacing grin inches away from his face.
“You awake, Doc?” Spotty asked.
Earl mumbled out the closest thing he could to a “Yeah.”
“Good,” Spotty said. “I was waiting until you could feel this.”
The clown punched him in the gut so hard the vet puked up the corned beef hash he’d had for breakfast.
“You think you can come in here and put
our
boss on ice?” said Hats Rizzo, splitting the vet’s lip with a punch to the kisser. “You got a lotta nerve for a dead man.”
Hats punched him in the mouth again. Then he kicked him in the stomach with his club-sized shoe.
“That’s enough,” said the man in the back of the room, tossing his cigarette to the floor.
Vinnie Blue Nose stepped into Earl’s field of vision as the other two clowns backed away.
“Who are you working for?” Vinnie asked.
He didn’t threaten to hurt Earl. He didn’t have to. One look in those piercing clown eyes of his and Earl knew he wasn’t the kind of guy you dared lie to.
“I don’t work for anybody. I’m a veterinarian.”
“Then why’d you try to kill the boss?”
“I didn’t want to.” Earl drooled blood. “I got a call. Just after I got here, some guy called me and told me to do it. He said he’d kill my wife and kids if I didn’t.”
“Is this true?” Spotty asked.
“I swear.” Earl looked at Vinnie. “
You
heard my phone ring.”
“Who
Similar Books
After The Virus
Meghan Ciana Doidge
Women and Other Monsters
Bernard Schaffer
Map of a Nation
Rachel Hewitt
The Loner: The Bounty Killers
J. A. Johnstone
High Cotton
Darryl Pinckney
Wild Island
Antonia Fraser
Eden
Keith; Korman
Project U.L.F.
Stuart Clark
Bella (A Sagatori Family Saga a Mafia Romance Book 3)
Kimberly Blalock
Murder on Amsterdam Avenue
Victoria Thompson