The Wild in her Eyes Read online

  “Where is everyone?” Annis whispered, hoping Sawyer could hear her even while she was faced with the back of his head and the slight distance between them.

  “Trust me, they’re here,” he answered through gritted teeth, making his response nearly invisible to anyone watching.

  “Annis,” Babe called out once she spotted her. “Come here, Tulip. Help these men clear things up once and for all.”

  It seemed an odd request, and yet it was a perfectly simple one. She only had to decide which girl she was, which picture depicted the girl she believed herself to be, because they couldn’t be one and the same. She knew choosing one meant giving up the other. There would never be room for both.

  “Your name?” the deputy asked, sounding official and looking the part. He held a pencil to paper as he waited for her response.

  “Annis Josephine Watson.” She felt liberated even as she said those three words. Annis Josephine Watson would never inherit her father’s empire. She’d never have a great deal of money or be viewed by greater society as a person of importance. She wouldn’t have a family history or legacy to carry on. But she would be free.

  “Age?” he continued.

  “Twenty.”

  “No, you’re not,” William spat with rage. “You’re seventeen, you lying little brat.”

  “You will not speak to her that way,” Poppy reared up to him, his shoulders squared and his chest raised. “You hear me? She’s done nothing to warrant any sort of disrespect from any of you. She’s playing along, no matter how far-fetched your accusations. We all are. We’re accommodating and answering every question no matter how often you ask it, or how trivial it seems to us. But I will draw the line and put a stop to you right where you stand, you take that tone and resort to name-calling with anyone here again.”

  The deputy glanced back and forth between William and Poppy, clearly anxious to complete the interrogation. “Um, birthdate?” he asked, his voice several octaves lower, as though he were hoping not to be heard by anyone other than Annis, a feat impossible given the close proximity in which they all stood.

  Annis hadn’t once considered a birthdate to match her rather sped up age, and so she hesitated to answer.

  “December 1,” Sequoyah said for her. “Only just celebrated a few weeks ago.”

  “And the year?”

  “This year,” Sequoyah answered, as though it were obvious. “That’s how I know she’s twenty, because we celebrated her twentieth birthday this year.”

  Annis nodded. “That’s right. On December 1. Said so on my cake and everything.”

  The officer jotted it down without giving it a second thought, whether he truly believed them or just couldn’t be bothered to continue dealing with their games was unclear. William, however, remained unconvinced.

  “She’s lying. They’re all lying.”

  “Sir,” the deputy interjected. “I understand how important this matter is to you, but perhaps you’re too close to the case. And you’re seeing...ghosts.” He took the wanted poster from Poppy’s hand and held it to Annis’s face. Three weeks ago, it had been all the resemblance Goldilocks needed to know they were the same girl. Tonight, she knew they weren’t. “Look at them. Really look.” The deputy did a double take himself, just to be sure. “The eyes are different. The hair. The mouth. Even the shape of their faces aren’t the same. Subtle differences, but sir, differences nonetheless.”

  “She’s wearing makeup. Her hair isn’t tied up and back the way as would be proper. And her face is fatter,” William countered, curling his lip in disgust, clearly finding the changes she’d made to herself to be less than favorable.

  The deputy sighed, unable to sway his stubborn superior.

  “For argument’s sake, let’s say all of those things are possibly to blame for the difference in her appearance,” though it was quite obvious he didn’t think this to be the case. “Do you honestly believe your stepdaughter wandered into the woods that night, completely out of her mind, mentally unwell as you yourself have accounted to, only to wind up walking across two state lines to run off with the circus? How would she even have survived that? No money. No shelter. No food. No drink. No way to protect herself from the elements, animals, or the sort of riffraff she’d have encountered wandering the rails and desolate paths she’d likely have taken.”

  “It’s a traveling circus,” William shouted, adding volume to detract from the missing evidence. “For all we know, they were just outside the city limits that night. Could have picked her up right then and there.”

  “No,” Poppy cut in. “I’ve shown you our travel register. We weren’t anywhere near your state, and only just barely cut the corner of the South on our way northwest when we crossed paths with Annis. What you’re suggesting is impossible.”

  “I don’t care what you say,” William insisted, his fists balled at his sides as he shook with anger. “I know that this is Emmeline and I will prove it.”

  “You can’t prove what isn’t so,” Poppy said.

  “But I can prove what is,” William snarled. “And believe me, I intend to. Starting with a complete search of the train. Somewhere here, hidden among your smoke and mirrors, is the proof I need.”

  “Sir,” one of his officers cut in. “We can’t just search without reason.”

  William contorted his face, but then regained his composure before addressing the crowd. “If anyone here can think of anything they’ve seen or heard in the time that this young woman has been here that would lead you to believe she’s not who she claims to be, step forward. A substantial reward will be paid to the first person who speaks up.”

  He waited, pleased with his announcement, clearly confident that somewhere among them there was another human being as vile and as easily motivated by greed as he was.

  Annis held her breath. She hated herself for even having a sliver of doubt or a hint of fear that someone in her family would turn on her. But the past had proven it possible, and now she stood in limbo, waiting for the future to unfold.

  Patience waned from William’s face the longer he stood alone at the center of the ring. He shifted back and forth on his feet, rubbing his jaw with the palm of his hand. Annis knew the signs. He was regrouping, coming up with a new tactic. At any moment he would open his mouth and the wait would be over.

  And then a quiet shuffle. Feet slowly dragging across the dirt. A sound every member of the Brooks and Bennet Circus knew by heart. Floyd. Quietly muttering under his breath, he approached. The crowd parted out of habit, allowing Floyd passage as they always did for him. The act was instinctual, meant to honor his space in the world because it was all of him that remained. But today, it was more. Because today, the ease at which he moved through their family gave him a direct path to the man trying to tear it apart.

  “I knew it,” William huffed, vindication spreading in his face. “Tell me what you know, and I promise you will be paid handsomely.”

  “He can’t tell you anything,” Poppy began to explain, but William stopped him.

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  Floyd, creeping ever closer to William, mumbled on, appearing, as usual, entirely unaware. Then he came to a halt. His head slowly tipped upward to gaze upon the man before him. Floyd’s eyes widened and Annis’s heart stopped. He could see William. There was no doubt in her mind.

  “Letter,” Floyd said, his voice ringing clearer than ever. “They’ll find the letter.”

  It was all the reason William needed. Taking a step back from Floyd, he addressed the officers. “I want her cabin searched. Better yet, I want everyone’s car turned upside down. You find this letter, and you bring it to me,” he demanded, his voice booming through the tent.

  “You can’t be serious,” Caroline piped up. “Your men going through all of our belongings is a complete invasion of our privacy. You’ve no right.”

  “I’m the law. I have every right to do what I see fit where my quest for justice is concerned,” he answered, s
taring down at her.

  “This is outrageous,” Babe insisted as William was turning his back to them. “You’re abusing your power and defiling all you claim to represent in doing so. This is nothing but a witch hunt, and we, merely easy targets. But I promise you, you won’t find what you’re looking for. No matter how many laws you break trying to find it.”

  “I already found what I came for,” he said, his back still turned. “Only collecting what I need now to leave with it.”

  One by one, the officers requested an occupant of every car to accompany them and then marched out to the train with their guides.

  Annis stood frozen as Maude and Mabel were among those leading the way outside. She repeatedly told herself there was nothing to fear. Despite the clarity with which Floyd had spoken, there was no letter to be found. There was no letter, period. But, traces of her past were still hidden among the glitter and lace stashed in Babe’s traveling trunks. The clothes Annis had arrived in had stayed with the person she’d trusted most that first day here. Giving the clothes to Babe to keep gave Annis some comfort in knowing that what remained of the woman she’d loved so dearly was safe. The relics had been tucked away, but not gone for good. And William would know them. He would recognize the dress after having seen it on the original Annis, who wore it day after day for so many years. He’d also know the coat had once belonged to Annis’s mother. He’d be able to prove it through the simple act of revealing a small stitch of red in the lining where it had been mended, which made it no longer suitable for Annis’s mother to wear herself.

  How long would it be before the officers’ search turned from seeking a letter to finding the evidence that would tie Annis to that night and the very people William claimed she’d murdered?

  Her heart pounded in her chest and Annis tried her best not to show her nerves as they waited for the police to search the train, but the lump in her throat made it nearly impossible. She attempted to force it down, to will it away, but all it did was make her have to cough, which drew more attention to her.

  At first, her eyes sought out Floyd every few seconds. He still stood in the same spot where he’d stopped to meet William. His eyes were empty once again, and his words returned to an inaudible blithering. It wasn’t long before he began to wander again, moving about unnoticed by William and the officers, who’d dismissed him as quickly as he’d come and gone. If he’d really been present, it was already becoming hard to believe and harder still to fathom why he’d surfaced for the sheer act of selling her out. He’d been haunting her since she met him. Annis, keen to believe it was her anxious mind taunting her with fears of her past, had dismissed his strange but suspect musings.

  At last, all the officers returned, each carrying bundles of papers in their hands. Letters, as it turned out, were abundant among the circus folk.

  “We searched the compartments as you requested,” said the last of William’s men to return. “We found letters, but nothing that suggests this woman is Emmeline, nor anything that leads us to believe there is anyone here connected to the Sanders family in any way.”

  “Not possible.” William spun on his heel, glaring at Annis. He stared her down, as though he could mentally break through her thoughts and retrieve the evidence that he was so desperate to find. “It’s here. I know it is,” he snarled under his breath.

  Annis, not worried about any letter, was stunned to hear the search had been completed without turning up her old belongings. She didn’t dare glance in Babe’s direction, afraid she’d give away her fears, but even out of the corner of her eye she could see Babe’s beard twitching at the corners. Nerves always did this to her.

  “No matter,” William said after a moment of thought. “I still have what I need most right before me. I’m taking her into custody tonight.”

  “On what grounds?” The deputy, who’d only just concluded the search and turned up no shred of evidence, appeared not only confused but almost frightened, as though he were starting to wonder if the mentally unwell person that they were seeking wasn’t in fact the detective in front of him.

  “I don’t need grounds. I’m her guardian. She’s a minor. If you won’t help me on criminal charges, I’ll take her home and have her committed for the sake of her own well-being.”

  Babe stepped out in front of Annis, as if to guard her with her own body. “You’re not taking our girl anywhere. You’re no guardian. You’re a predator. Even if she was the girl you’re looking for, which she’s not, I’d unleash the furies of hell upon you before I ever let you lay a finger on her.”

  “Don’t you threaten me, you freak,” Willian snarled. “I’ll have her out of here, and away from the likes of you, if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Annis could see Poppy on the verge of blowing up. She’d never seen his temper tested like this. He possessed more patience than anyone she’d ever met, but William was about to rob him of all he had.

  But it was Sequoyah who stepped forward. “I’m sorry,” he said in a calm, menacing voice that Annis had never heard come from his mouth. “Which freak, exactly, are you referring to?”

  August, Goldilocks, and Homer began moving in around them, accompanied by Bess and Caroline, while Maude and Mabel took a step in to meet Annis at her left. Babe was still glued to her right. Sawyer strolled in last, laughing. “You all should see your faces right now,” he said. “It’s almost as though you forgot you were still at the circus.”

  “We’re done here,” one of the deputy’s announced, circling his finger above his head to signal everyone to round up and clear out.

  “Good,” William agreed smugly, reaching his hand for Annis’s arm but coming up short when someone stepped between them. This time, it was one of his own men.

  “Sir,” the deputy said, quietly but insistently. “You...you can’t take her. She’s not Emmeline Sanders.”

  “The hell she’s not,” William hollered. “I can prove it!”

  “You’ve had your chance,” the deputy reminded him. “And you’ve not succeeded in convincing anyone but yourself that this woman is your stepdaughter.” He tilted his head, pity glazing his eyes. “Perhaps it’s time to consider that the grief is playing tricks on your mind, showing you what you want to see instead of what is.”

  “We had a witness step forward,” William argued, his voice growing louder with each word.

  The deputy turned back to Floyd who’d only just wandered back in, clearly out of sorts and without his wits. “Sir, look at him. He’s far from credible.”

  William refused. Instead, he glared at the lot of them, all standing up for Annis and keeping him from his prey. He had lost, and it was evident to all that it was doing little to diffuse his determination and rather fueling his furious need to get what he wanted, no matter the cost.

  “This isn’t settled,” he snarled, turning away. “Not by a long shot.”

  “Sir,” the deputy said in a warning tone, but William ignored him.

  “There’ll be other towns, other policemen. Sooner or later, someone will see what I see, and then I’ll have my moment of justice, Emmeline. And you? You’ll have nothing.”

  All eyes were on them as they made their way from the tent. Then, time stopped. The earth refused to move. Everything stood still until the sounds of the men moving outside subsided and their world was theirs once more.

  Air flooded Annis’s lungs like a tidal wave, and it was only then she noticed she’d been holding her breath. Everyone around her flew into action as though they, too, had been frozen, held captive by the anticipation of their impending freedom from William and his threats.

  “Load up and let’s get moving down those tracks,” Poppy’s voice boomed overhead. “I have a feeling our friend William isn’t nearly as quick to surrender as he’d have us believe. The sooner we get going, the better!”

  No one needed to be told twice. In record time, the tent was broken down and put away. Props, tools, and temporary lodging were all packed up as though camp had neve
r existed. When all that remained of their presence was the train sitting stagnant on the tracks, Poppy ordered a headcount as people boarded.

  “Where’s Smalls?” Poppy demanded, nearing the end of his count. “Step your tiny arse forward so I know you’re here.” The remaining crowd shifted back and forth, looking over their shoulders, waiting for someone to move toward the center. But no one came.

  “He’s not here,” Annis called out, half hoping he would yell an insult at her from wherever he was, proving he was present but Annis was simply too dimwitted to look down.

  But no snort, scoff, or otherwise offensive sounds could be heard. Annis’s heart sank.

  “He’s probably still in the animal car. Roderick was antsy after tonight’s rocky ending,” Sequoyah said, sounding the voice of reason. One look into his eyes told Annis he was just as unnerved by Sawyer’s absence as she was.

  Of course, she told herself, it was all in her head. Just a lingering panic causing paranoia after the evening they’d had. Sawyer would turn up in a matter of minutes, and he’d have a grand laugh at their expense when he learned they were actually foolish enough to worry.

  “Just to be sure,” Poppy said to Sequoyah, pointing his hand toward the end of the train, “go have a look. And drag him back here when you find him.” His son nodded, already turning away. “August,” Poppy added. “Go with him.” Hearing that Poppy felt a need for extra measures did little to ease Annis’s already whirring mind.

  With August and Sequoyah off in search of Sawyer, the final headcount went smoothly and was completed before any of them returned.

  “Annis,” Poppy said sternly. “I want you in your cabin with the twins. Lock the doors once you’re inside.” Annis nodded, biting back the defiant words aching to jump from the tip of her tongue. She hated the thought of hiding out when those she cared for were left outside and unaccounted for.