Ashes To Ashes: A Ministry of Curiosities Novella (The Ministry of Curiosities Book 5) Read Online Free

charm would work when he seemed so uneasy himself.
    Lincoln approached the two men. Both watched warily, but made no challenge. "Are you Lionel?" He wished the landlady had mentioned his last name, but Lionel was all Lincoln had heard.
    Lionel nodded cautiously. "It's Ira, actually. Ira Irwin. Lionel is a stage name."
    "Who're you?" the lizard-man snapped.
    "We're private inquiry agents, employed by Mr. Barnum and Mr. Bailey to find O'Neill's killer," Lincoln said.
    "Isn't that what the police are for?"
    "The police in England aren't very efficient."
    Irwin snorted. "Much like our American ones."
    "So Bailey hired you, eh?" Lizard's brows lifted. Now that he was closer, Lincoln could see there weren't actual scales on the man's face but an intricate tatoo made to resemble scales. "Can't believe he'd spend money on one of us freaks."
    "He wants to catch the killer and see him brought to justice."
    Both Irwin and Lizard snorted. "You mean he wants to make a dollar out of it somehow," Lizard said.
    The light breeze drifted through the tent opening and brushed the hair on Irwin's face like grass in a meadow. "So you want to ask me some questions?" he asked in his American drawl. "I can only tell you what I already told the police. I heard nothing before the gunshot. It woke me up and set my heart racing. Took me a few moments to figure out what it was, and when I did, I got out of bed and went to investigate. The hall was empty at first, then Mrs. Mather, the landlady, joined me, and the other circus performers lodging in her house too. When we were all assembled, we realized O'Neill wasn't with us, so we knocked on his door. There was no answer so we went inside and saw…" He wrinkled his hairy nose. "There was blood everywhere, and his face was blown off."
    Lizard rested a hand on Irwin's shoulder. Both men bowed their heads.
    "I keep seeing the scene in my head," Irwin went on, his voice thin and tight. "All that blood and bits of brain everywhere. I don't envy Mrs. Mather cleaning it up."
    "Did you hear any other noises, either before or immediately after?" Lincoln asked.
    "Like I said, I was asleep before. After, maybe I heard some footsteps running off, but I can't be sure. I was still trying to figure out what had woken me."
    "Did O'Neill have any enemies within the circus?" Seth asked. "Anyone who might want to harm him?"
    "No!" Lizard cried. "We're like family, even the non-freaks."
    "He wasn't a freak?"
    "He was normal, just like you, only he was real strong."
    "Was there any trickery to his feats of strength?" Lincoln asked. "Hidden wires and pulleys?"
    "No," Irwin said, sounding offended. "He was as real as I am." He grabbed a fistful of hair on his forehead and tugged. It didn't come away.
    Seth's swallow was audible. "We believe you," he said quickly. "Just trying to establish facts. So you can't think of anyone he wronged?"
    "No," Lizard said, as Irwin shook his head.
    "What about women?" Lincoln asked.
    "What about them?" Irwin said.
    "Did any go to his room?"
    "On occasion." He glanced at Lizard.
    Lizard nodded. "Go on. If it'll help find who did this, tell him."
    "He would meet up with one of the dancers sometimes," Irwin said. "I could hear them through the wall."
    "Her name?"
    "I don't know. She's a Polak, I think."
    "Ela," Lizard said.
    "How do you know?"
    Lizard winked at his friend. "I asked her."
    Irwin blinked. "Oh. Of course."
    "She's very beautiful," Lizard went on. "She's got hair like midnight and skin like milk. If you wait for the dancers to finish the show, you'll see her. She's the prettiest and has the best figure." His tongue darted out and licked his lower lip. Lincoln wondered if he knew it made him even more lizard-like. Perhaps that was why he did it.
    "Thank you." Lincoln walked out of the tent.
    A moment later, Seth caught up to him. "That was interesting," he said. When Lincoln didn't respond, he elaborated. "Perhaps the killer didn't kill the strong man because of his supernatural