Death Under the Big Top

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: scissors, pipe and balloon

Death Under The Big Top

“So, tell me where you were tonight around 8 o’clock.”

The mime began signaling furiously.

“Wait,” said Detective Arnold, holding up his hand. To the rest of the room, “Does anyone here understand what the hell this guy is trying to say?”

Shrugs all around.

Arnold looked around at the current ensemble of suspects. They didn’t spend a lot of time with this type of case back at the academy. There were several, including a bearded lady; a man with tattoos covering his entire body; a clown, a goat, and two kids apparently joined at the hip.

It was always like this when someone got murdered at the circus. The usual suspects were anything but.

The World’s Fattest Woman lay dead on the floor, scissors sticking out of the top of her head. She had a beached-whale look about her. Arnold mentally crossed off “sex” as a motive.

“I think I can help you out Detective.”

Arnold turned to find a miniature version of Sherlock Holmes staring up at him. At first, Arnold thought it was a midget. Closer examination showed it to be a kid, probably no older than eight.

Detective Arnold took a moment to look at his collection of misfits; trying not to make eye contact with the mime who was clearly waiting for any excuse to start performing again. With no better option, he turned to Doyle’s protagonist and said, “What have you got for me kid?”

Holmes took a long, thoughtful drag on his pipe causing bubbles to foam out of the top. He then pointed to the figure in the corner and said, “He did it; the one with orange hair holding the balloon.”

Arnold nodded in agreement. Experience told him that in situations like this, the clown was nearly always the guilty one.

Word count 300




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