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Post by kearstin on Mar 12, 2011 16:22:45 GMT -5
Kearstin's guilty pleasure had always been the circus. Whenever she saw one was coming to town, she started saving up money. Circus' had been going more and more downhill since she had gone to them with her parents when she was little, but she went every year anyway. Her favorite part was always the elephants. They were so huge and gray, and every year she bought a ride on one. A lot of the people she rode with were younger then her, or the parents of those younger then her, but it was her favorite part of the circus. And she wasn't about to give it up because she was a teenager.
This year, she had a yellow t-shirt with an elephant on it. She had saw it, and she had to have it. She was wearing it today, and looking around excitedly. It took forever for the circus to actually begin, and Kearstin wasn't really appreciating all of the screaming from the younger children around her. She bought popcorn from a vendor nearby, and watched as clowns ran around and scared small children. Her little sister, Michelle, she hated clowns. She had screamed her head off when one tried to give her a balloon animal, and her parents had to take her outside. Kearstin wasn't really scared of them, but they defenitely weren't her favorite part. There was something about old men who put on make-up and stalked children that put her off.
Finally, the show started. The little cheap toys that kids are conned into buying were announced, and cries went up when smart parents refused to buy the ones their children begged for. Kearstin watched as the circus started, watching the gymnasts and dancers. She missed the days of lions, tigers, and motorcycle riders. But she munched her popcorn, and watched as a lady had her dogs jump over chairs and bark in unison.
Finally, the mid-time break was called. Kearstin rushed out of her chair, and immediately ran to stand in line for the elephant ride. She got several odd looks, but she smiled sweetly and handed the man her money. He helped her on, perhaps being a little to handsy for her liking, and Kearstin was off. Okay, Kearstin and several other people were off. But still.
After the elephant ride, Kearstin blew the rest of her money on an airbrush tattoo of a heartagram on her wrist, and leaned against the wall watching the children playing on the slides and riding ponies. She would go back to her seat soon, but watching the kids reminded her of her siblings. And it made her smile.
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Post by athos on Mar 12, 2011 17:26:23 GMT -5
It reminded Athos of that song by the Beatles. The one with the calliope tune and a kite. It was a dark-sounding song, despite it being about the circus. It chilled him whenever he listened to the instrumental and decides he preferred to stick to his classical music. Hitherto, he avoided the circus because of all the scams, scum and poor animals that accompanied such events as a must.
Here he was, pushing through the congested crowd and perusing the booths. Most of the people manning these booths all seem to become sleazier than the other. He wasn't here to have a friendly chat with them or check out the rides. He was here on business. It wasn't official and he was supposed to be at home, relaxing, but the folders of cold cases were bugging him. He'd taken the top one. He recognized the picture of a young, Latino boy with a look of confusion on his face. Stamped across the header was, 'Missing Persons Report'.
Giovanni Lorenzo was kidnapped at the circus on March 8, 2009. He and his younger sister lived across from the parking lot and they had decided to check the place out. They arrived at 11:00 ante meridian and Sally Lorenzo - age twelve - was shooting targets when she realized her brother was no longer around. She returned home at 3:00 post meridian in confusion and told her family about his disappearance. Athos remembered this case very clearly for it was the first missing person case he hadn't solved. It remained clear as crystal in his mind and the image of that family - they'd only been in America for three months! - haunted him.
Thus, he decided to try again at the case. He visited each booth, asking whether the owner had seen the boy in the picture he was showing. His search proved inutile. No one seemed to even acknowledge the existence of a fifteen year old boy from Columbia. He let out a groan of frustration and took a place on the bench after straightening his gray coat. He held the picture out in front of him with dismay. He knew that the feeling of uneasiness wouldn't let go until he found closure.
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Post by kearstin on Mar 13, 2011 19:37:08 GMT -5
Kearstin was getting ready to go back to her seat, when she noticed a man sitting on a bench, holding a picture of a small Latino boy in front of him. Kearstin was slightly interested, wondering why the man would have such a picture, and was tempted to approach him and ask. But there was always the option that he was a pedophile who liked to roam circuses to look for his next victim. But... the picture was of a boy, wasn't it? So she should be safe, even if the man was a creepy pedophile on the prowl for his next victim. She hoped.
She made her way over, and looked at the man. She tilted her head, studying him before finally speaking. "Why do you have a picture of a little boy? Are you a pedophile? Should I call the police?" she asked, smiling lightly. She had intended it to be a joke. Maybe it wasn't that funny but... well, she wasn't really the funniest person around anyway. She just hoped the man didn't take it offensively.. because now that she thought about, he might. Well crap. Why hadn't she thought of that before she had ran her mouth?
"Oh... I'm sorry. That was rude of me." she apologized, frowning now. Really, she needed to keep better track of her manners. She would end up becoming like every other kid on the street if she lost them. And she really didn't want to be like every kid on the street. She took a deep breath, and looked up at the man, hoping he wasn't angry. Or actually a pedophile. Either one of those would be bad.
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Post by athos on Mar 29, 2011 8:47:10 GMT -5
"Why do you have a picture of a little boy? Are you a pedophile? Should I call the police?"
Athos looked up to see a young girl — fourteen or so — wearing a yellow t-shirt with an elephant on it. She was smiling, obviously thinking this as a joke. He only saw ignorance. Kids these days think everything is a joke. Someone gets raped: Hahaha, hilarious, that was their own fault. In truth, it wasn't. This bothered him a lot, but he wasn't going to complain. Children are ignorant, and he had no power to change this even if he tried.
He quickly slipped the photograph into the breast pocket of his coat and sat up straight. "There's no need for that, seeing as I am the police," he replied, his tone even and unblemished with the frustration he was feeling. "This kid is one of my cold cases — cases that were never solved — and I'm only trying to bring justice for the family." He glanced at the girl, figuring that she would've been the same age at the time of Giovanni's kidnapping. Athos pulled out the photograph, and showed it to her. "Do you recognize him?"
It was a long shot, but well worth the try. With his perceptive eye, he checked this girl out and wondered whether her parents were around. A child this young shouldn't be wandering around to be snatched up by a pedophile like Giovanni had been. What's with parents letting their children to wander around? It was the same deal with Curtis. Did they not care?
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Post by kearstin on Apr 21, 2011 16:32:02 GMT -5
Kearstin's eyes went wide as the man informed her that he was actually a police officer and her was looking for a boy who had gone missing. Oops. There were several things wrong with this. One, she had just accused an officer of the law of being a pedophile. Two, she was a missing kid. She shouldn't be talking to someone who LOOKED for missing kids. And three.... Well, she had seen the kid. A few years ago, of course, but he had been older then that.
"Oh um... never seen him before." she lied, averting her eyes from the detectives. She kicked the heel of one foot with the toe of the other, and then looked back over towards the elephants. She wondered how suspicious it would make her seem if she wandered away now. Probably pretty obvious. So she lifted her head, and looked at the Detective.
She should probably try and appear like she wasn't a homeless kid right now. How did someone pull that off? She figured she looked pretty presentable today, she had tried of course, and so maybe she didn't have to worry about anything.
"What happened to the kid?" she asked casually. Like she didn't really care. But she kind of did. He had been nice, when she had ran into him. Sad maybe, but nice. She tilted her head to the side.
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Post by athos on May 2, 2011 0:00:41 GMT -5
Athos nearly chuckled at the sight of the girl's eyes widening with shock and a little embarrassment. He restrained the chuckle, since he couldn't permit to break his serious image, even for a small child. It wasn't like him to even crack of smile. There was the occasional one, but he despised letting anything pierce through his rocky exterior. Lose control of your emotions, and you'll lose the front.
"Oh um... never seen him before."
It was a lie - and there was no doubt about this. It was his duty as a detective to look through lies with a perceptive nose, and hunt out each clue. The girl averted her gaze from his own, and Athos frowned, the lines around his mouth increased into its typical shape. "If you're lying, this is a young boy's life you are toying with," he said, in an overly casual voice. He refused to let the thought of the boy being dead even occur in his mind.
"What happened to the kid?"
"Young Giovanni was merely at the wrong place, at the wrong time," he explained, "and it's unfortunate. His family had only been in America for a few months, and they happened to come at a time where a series of serial child kidnappings and rapes had occurred in their neighborhood. Five children, in five years. The first child was found in a dustbin with multiple lacerations."
Athos had lied about the other four children, but it wasn't for his benefit, not at all. By exaggerating, he was instilling fear, hopefully, and lead to a confession of sorts. There was no way that he was going to let this girl go home without his own interrogation. If she had potential information about the Lorenzo child, he was determined to see this case through, especially since it involved a child.
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