"It isn't so easy, doll. You can't jus' walk aroun' like you can stop dis shit. A'int workin'--"

Madison held the gun up to his face. She was doing things these days she didn't like to do. One was use her gun so often.

"You are telling me all of it. Why? Because I can take that name of yours to the Watch and we both know they're not going to hang it out to dry. I don't want trouble for you Andy, but you're leaving out some big chunks of detail, and frankly, my patience is thin for you."

He backed up to the wall, arms up, with a shake of his head as he crouched down to sit on a crate and ash his cigarette. He mused, staring into the face of the wall, his features swallowed in the dim.

"Things got hand out of hand. They do when you're in a black business. It happens often, everyone knows that.."

As he began to talk Madison slid away the gun inside her leather jacket and moved to take up residence against that wall he faced, curling an ankle around the back of her other leg, and tilting her face.

"But things got real bad when the Creepers decided to work in our territory. You either gotta learn to share it, or be forever fightin', and the Orpheum don't got the resources for that kinda shit. We got the man power, but not enough of it, y'hear? So we had a sit down, and in the end we decided that there was somethin' to be made of it all. We had to do it, we knew that, the Circus weren't the easiest to get off your back, but at the same time, we saw we could make some more money, and strengthen our name in the right circles."


She nodded for him to go on, as he took a couple minutes to savour and ash his smoke. Then he was up again, walking in a slow circle, smoothing his goatee, ruffling at his hair. He was ever anxious.

"So what kind of business was Henry pulling the Theatre into, apart from the drugs?"

"Henry was the Pioneer. That's his name, 'round 'ere. He was able to hook the Circus up with props, with people willin' to do tricks you ain't ever seen and bein' a lady probably don't want you. Henry worked on the sideshow angle, rather than the main event. But Henry wanted to make off of that main event so that's what he pulled from it.."

He clenched his teeth and stared hard at Madison.

"Just drop it, Andy. Just do it." Her eyes were enough to provoke. He saw the honesty in them. And the weariness. For a minute too long he stared, almost feeling bad. And while he had the truth to tell, he still couldn't like her. Not when she had the upper hand.


"Henry was a bastard. No other way to put it. He was a self serving, depraved f%ck. He was into kids. That's why he welcome the goddamn Creepers like he was welcomin' them home his own Grandmama. He let em in. They began their repayments..."

"Repayments?" She frowned, feeling her chest tighten again that night.

"A few kids were picked off during the big number. They throw some eye catchers around, y'know, acrobats, lion tamers, and then have all this smoke go up, scare people like they thinkin' that it's all part of the act to be that scared, to be put off and unsure and not know where you are lookin'. So a few kids were picked off. Some were given to Henry some to-"

"The Straw Man...."

He gave her an upward nod and shoved a hand into his pocket, pulling out a stick of gum which he proceeded to smack in his mouth obnoxiously.

"So there ya go."

"Who is The Straw Man?

"He's like any other ghoul you find in this shithole of a town. He's the Red Right Hand that goth f&ck sang about. He's-"

"Ok. I get that much. But who is he when to comes to the business?"

"He gave a crap load of money to the Orpheum. He and Henry had some of relationship, just business, I guess because of their shared love of bein' the strangers with candy deal. But he also worked his shitty magic on some of the bands around here. They swear he appeared and enchanted their music and now they're amazing. That Straw Bastard has got his hay in everybody's pie!"

Madison sighed a little and bit at her lip, looking down along the building.

"So tell me about the night of Jessamine's murder?"

He smirked, rolled back his eyes.

"He had his eye on that kid for a while. She was what, thirteen, and he was mad for her. Used to give her stuff."

"Like what?"

"Well buy her dolls or hairclips, I don't know, crap a young girl would like. I used to tell him not to, tell him to stop the nonsense. I even gave him a card for a damn brothel where I could get him ladies for free. But he wanted Jessamine. He had to have her. And she relented for months. So he got what he wanted, and killed her. That's that." He edged towards Madison with his shoulder, as if to punctuate a story that sickened him to tell.

"Jesus.", she hissed, throwing her head back to the wall soundly. ".. That poor girl.."


"Henry is worshipped here. Still. Not everyone knew 'bout his games. That's all they were. Same with the Creepers. It's all just one whacky fairytale they like to fracture s'much as they can."

"And who killed Henry?"

He stiffened then, his mandibles pronounced as he began to ruffle at his hair, stroke at his goatee.

"Who killed Henry?"

He began to rub two fingers wildly together, as though he were about to click them.

"This monster... beast.. dragon.. thing..", he looked down. "Look I'm over talkin' bout this shit. Get off my back."

The 'slinger watched him as he walked around in circles, like a man off his tree. "Trust me, of all backs I could be on, I don't want to be on yours and wasting my time with a bunch of deadbrained bohemians in this crappy theatre. But you're the one who knows all sides, you can thank your Brother for that. I think the single reason he told me about you is because he wanted you to wake up. He's not an idiot Andy, though I don't know if I can say the same about yourself; but you don't have to play the games. Go, go while you can. Otherwise you're going to end up a freak in a tent and you'll be wishing you had."

He stopped and just stared at her.

"Who the f*ck are you?"

She just smiled at him.

"No. Who the f*ck are you to come into this town and think you can change anythin'. Who are you??"

Madison moved for the door. "I'm just a woman doing what she has to do. Thanks for being so helpful."

"Outlaw. S'all you are. Just a goddamn - "

The door shut with a tiny click.

Madison was back inside, moving to back the exit out properly, to give one last look at the band, their faces, and that rendering of The Straw Man on the drumkit.


Back home she sat and cried with her head in her hands, mourning Jessamine. Mourning all the kids who were lost. All the ones she could not ever get back from the hell they had been taken to.