'Can he show papers?'
'He's got papers. I don't know whether they're any good or not.'
'If Fordamp claims everything's on the up-and-up, how does he explain the three gorillas outside?'
'Mr. Fordamp says the men are there for our protection, so that no one will steal anything.'
I mulled things over in my mind for a few moments; nothing made any sense. The gunmen outside were all hard professionals, which probably made Fordamp the typical Big Man, supercrook, probably Syndicate.
What would a man like Fordamp want with a circus, and why would he blockade a whole country to get it? That was like boarding up a house to catch a fly.
'Nell, why do you suppose the government of San Marino would issue an invitation to the circus?'
'That's easy. Danny Lemongello took care of the arrangements.'
The name was new to me and I said so.
'Danny has a balancing act,' Nell continued. 'He's been with the circus for two years now. It seems he's originally from San Marino. When he heard we were touring through Europe, he got the idea of performing in San Marino. He went to Mr. Statler and Mr. Statler said it would be all right if San Marino would agree to provide facilities. You know Mr. Statler: He collects countries. Anyway, we came and set up. It was wonderful. I think at one time or another every person in San Marino came to see us.
'Then, right after we closed, Mr. Statler disappeared. Mr. Fordamp showed up the next day and told us that he'd bought the circus. He said he'd honor all our contracts and asked us to stay.' Nell stroked her beard, adding an afterthought: 'I suppose that was real nice of him. Where else would most of us go?'
'What kind of a man is this Mr. Fordamp?'
'Smooth,' she said after some hesitation, 'but a bossman, if you know what I mean, the kind of man you don't argue with. He dresses strange. He's always wearing this funny kind of vest under his suit. Real bulky. I think he carries something inside it.'
'Probably a gun.'
'It's too big. It looks more like a walkie-talkie. And he's always got two men with him. They carry guns.'
'Assuming Jandor was framed, why do you think they picked him to pin the murder on?'
'Jandor was doing a lot of talking. Same as Roscoe.'
'What were they talking about?'
'They were saying that they didn't believe Mr. Statler really sold the circus. They thought the circus was being stolen, and that Mr. Statler had been kidnapped. They went to the police, but nobody would listen.'
'Okay, Nell. Right now, you're the only person in the circus who knows I'm here. I want to keep it that way for the time being, with one exception: I want to talk to Danny Lemongello.'
'Now?'
'Now. Can you get him here for me?'
Nell stepped forward and placed her hands on my shoulders. 'Everything's going to be all right, isn't it?'
In the kind of wars men like Fordamp and his goons fought, prisoners were rarely taken. They rarely kidnapped anybody; it was easier to kill people who got in the way. I didn't want to tell Nell that, so I said nothing. After a few moments Nell turned and walked out of the trailer.
Danny Lemongello had hair the color of a Hawaiian sunset and a look of wonder about him, the fresh-faced aura of a young man who was still in awe of the circus. He stepped inside the tent and stared at me as I got to my feet.
'Mongo the Magnificent!' he cried, rushing forward with one hand outstretched. 'Gee, if you only knew how glad I am to meet you! You're like a legend around here!'
He almost made me feel guilty for my thoughts. I shook his hand. It was wet. 'We can talk old times later, Danny. Right now I'd like to ask you some questions.'
His eyes clouded. 'Gee, Mongo, what kind of questions?'
'It looks like somebody's trying to take over my circus,' I said.
Lemongello's eyes flickered to the ground, then climbed back up to my face. 'You mean 'your circus' because you used to work-?'
'No, Danny,' I lied. 'I mean my circus because I'm a part owner. Half, to be exact.'
'I didn't know that,' Danny said after a long pause.
'Is there any reason you should?' I asked evenly.
'Well, Phil and I talked some, especially during the past year, and I guess I'm surprised that he never mentioned that he shared ownership with anybody.'
I glanced at Nell. She had retreated to a corner of the trailer and was stroking her beard. I glanced back at Lemongello. 'You and Phil talked a lot, Danny?'
'Yeah. We're good friends.'
'And you were the one who got the circus an invitation to come here?'
'Yes. I'm proud of the circus. Maybe Nell told you; I come from San Marino, and I guess I wanted to show off for the hometown folks, so to speak. I'd already written a letter to Mr. Vaicona, one of the Regents, and he'd said it was okay. I talked to Phil, and the rest was simple. He went out of his way to get here.'
'I keep on hearing about this Vaicona. There are two Regents, aren't there?'
Danny nodded. 'Arturo Bonatelli is the other one. He's been on vacation for the past two weeks.'
'Did Phil ever mention anything to you about selling the circus?'
Lemongello tapped his foot a few times on the floor. It was the gesture of a nervous man who was trying to appear thoughtful. 'He first mentioned it to me about six months ago,' Danny said at last. 'He said he was getting tired of the grind and had enough money to live out a good retirement. I guess all he was waiting for was a good offer.'
'Uh-huh. And he got one here, obviously.'
'That's right. There's a Mr. Fordamp who bought the circus.'
'So I hear; Phil's half and my half.'
'I don't know anything about that.'
'What's all this business about sealing the country off because of an epidemic?'
'There's meningitis on the other side of the mountain,' Danny said easily. 'Nothing too serious, but San Marino's whole economy is based on tourism, so they want to make sure nothing happens to any visitor. I'm sure the quarantine will be lifted in a few days. By the way, how did you get-?'
'One more thing, Danny. Doesn't it seem strange to you that Phil would leave without saying good-bye to the people he'd worked with over the years?'
The boy thrust his hands into his pockets and studied my face. I imagined I could hear him making up his next lie in his head.
'The last time I talked to Phil he was pretty strung out,' Danny said tightly, avoiding my eyes. 'He was really anxious to get started on his retirement. I suppose leaving the way he did was just his way.'
'But that wasn't his way,' I said evenly. I waited for Danny to say something. He remained silent. 'I think somebody's trying to pull a swindle, Danny. What do you think?'
He said something, but I didn't really listen to his answer. I was sure Danny Lemongello was lying; and if he thought at all, he wouldn't have put himself in a situation where he would have to lie. His mouth stopped moving and I slapped him on the back, thanked him, and ushered him out of the trailer.
I decided it would be pushing my luck to try talking my way past Marshmallow Mouth again, so I made my exit from the circus through a small patch of weeds in back of Nell's trailer. I climbed out of the valley, then headed toward a police station I had seen on my way through town.
The entrance to the station was manned by a handsome San Marinese policeman who looked more than a little embarrassed about the whole thing. He had a clean-cut face, firm and honest. We nodded to each other as I passed inside.
It wasn't much of a police station as police stations go-small, very old, obviously not intended as a maximum security prison, but as a way station for the occasional drunk who floated in on the cheap San Marinese cognac.
There was a man sitting inside. What I could see of him was dressed in expensive clothes. There was a big bulge under his right armpit. A pair of Gucci shoes with feet in them were propped up on a scarred wooden desk in
