Vampire Most Wanted(63)
Well, most of them had. Someone had obviously run ahead to tell Madge and Bob that she was back because the couple had been coming out of the RV when Divine led Marcus, Vincent, and Jackie to it. The mortal couple had greeted Divine with relief, ignoring the three people with her, even Marcus, until she’d explained that while the arson investigator had first mistaken the fire for arson, he had now determined it had been accidental, an electrical fire that had ended with the propane tank blowing up. She’d then explained that Marco had found her distraught after she’d stumbled away from her burning RV, had comforted her, and then had offered to help her replace the vehicle so that she could get back to work and that’s what they’d been doing the last couple days; visiting used RV lots and the bank to arrange for a replacement.
“Well, I’m just glad the fire inspector realized his mistake and informed the police it was an accident before they arrested poor Marco,” Madge said now.
Bob snorted at his wife’s words. “He’d have been lucky to have been arrested. If Marco had returned to us alone instead of with Divine alive and well at his side, our boys would have strung him up, no questions asked.”
“Yes,” Madge agreed solemnly, and then patted Marcus’s arm as if to soothe him. “Well, fortunately, he didn’t. He brought her back, and with friends too to help us.”
Divine’s smile became decidedly forced at this comment. Vincent had quite caught her by surprise when he’d informed Madge and Bob that he and Jackie were friends of hers who had come to help in any way they could, and who wanted to set up a gourmet candy apple stall with another couple, Tiny and Mirabeau, right next to Divine’s fortune-telling spot. She had been just as surprised when Madge and Bob had embraced the idea with enthusiasm, until she’d realized that Vincent and Jackie were using their special skills to influence the couple and ensure they thought it was a good idea.
It seemed that so long as she stayed with the carnival, Divine was going to have a trio of bodyguards/babysitters on her butt. Actually, a quintet of bodyguards/babysitters, she thought, recalling this unknown Tiny and Mirabeau.
“And your timing couldn’t be better,” Bob announced. “Jack’s submarine ride died on him today. We’ll move it out in the morning and you can park your RVs side by side where it was.”
“Oh yes,” Madge said happily. “That worked out well.”
“Not for Jack,” Divine muttered and then asked. “Can’t he fix it?”
“Divine honey, that ride is more than fifty years old,” Bob said dryly. “Jack has fixed and fixed it, but frankly I think this time it’s done in.”
“He had a technician out today, but he said the parts would cost a good couple thousand dollars by themselves,” Madge told her solemnly. “And Jack just doesn’t make any money on that ride anymore.”
Bob grunted and nodded. “It’s a kiddie ride that even the kiddies find boring. A bunch of yellow tubs that go round and round.” He wrinkled his nose. “Not much of a thrill. He’ll probably either sell it for scrap or as an antique online or something.”
Madge nodded in agreement. “We were just going to put an ‘Out of Order’ sign on it and leave it in place so we didn’t have a hole on the midway where it had been positioned,” she admitted, and then added brightly, “But now that you and your friends are here, we’ll have the boys take it down so you can pull the RVs in for the night.”
“Oh no,” Divine protested as several of the men moved forward, apparently volunteering for the duty. “I don’t want the boys to have to trouble themselves at this hour.”
“Oh now, Miss Divine, it’s no trouble,” Jack said, moving through the crowd to join them. “It’s trailer mounted. We just have to take the fencing down around it and haul the trailer off. It won’t take more than a couple minutes. Besides,” he added dryly. “I can’t stand to look at the damned thing. It’s given me nothing but grief for years now. I’ll be glad to get it out of my sight, and then out of my hair. I’m happy to move it.”