She’d seen plenty of dead bodies in her line of work and some very creepy makeup for deranged killers, but this was going to be her first demon sighting. “Should be fun.”
Frank inclined his head. “It’ll be interesting for sure.”
Kellsie stared at the older man. He looked harmless with his salt-and-pepper hair and rosy cheeks. But she thought she detected an underlying sense of malice for a brief second. She must need more sleep or something. He was smiling at her again now, radiating nothing but kindness.
“I’ve got to get back to work.” Frank pushed his chair back and glanced at Bessie. “You coming?”
“Sure am.” Bessie stood and patted Kellsie’s hand. “You should check out the rides and the attractions, get a feel for the set. It’s really quite something.”
“Thanks, I think I’ll do that.” She watched them exit the tent, leaving her alone for the moment. “That went well,” she muttered.
Could have been a lot worse if Brittany had decided to make a scene. Kellsie would have to watch herself around Mordecai until Brittany realized she wasn’t any threat to whatever relationship they had.
Sighing, she gathered her tray and dishes and piled them on a rack that sat at the end of the serving line. It was time to have a closer look at the carnival setup. Kellsie was looking forward to this part. From what she’d seen so far, the whole thing looked incredibly real.
She left the tent and strode to the edge of the carnival, nodding at several people as they passed. They’d used the trailers and the natural barrier of the surrounding woods to create a giant circle with the rides and attractions inside. Very effective and slightly claustrophobic. That would work well on film.
The yellow and red paint on the signs was chipped and slightly weathered, giving them a more authentic appearance. A lighted marquee proclaimed it to be SHADE’S CARNIVAL. As she studied it the first S and the apostrophe flickered and went dark. Kellsie laughed. “Hades Carnival. Clever.”
She made her way past the ticket booth, nodding to an older man who was manning it. He looked ancient and positively perfect for the role with his leathered, wrinkled skin and sparse, gray hair. His eyes were sharp as she passed. She smiled and waved. “I’m Kellsie.”
He nodded and spit a wad of tobacco on the ground by her feet. The brown gooey mass stuck to a rock. She was just thankful it didn’t land on her. Well, that explained his stained teeth. “Be sure to check everything out.” Then he went back to whatever it was he was doing, ignoring her totally.
Okay. Not exactly the friendly type. But that was his prerogative. Not everyone was. Some folks just liked to do their job and go home. Kellsie figured everyone had a right to work however they wanted.
Delightful smells filled the air—spun sugar and hot grease. There was a glass-sided trailer selling cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn and drinks. Beside it was a vendor selling corndogs, hotdogs, French fries and other tempting treats. She could easily imagine the entire scene alive and filled with people enjoying what the carnival had to offer.
The foul stench of diesel fuel mixed in with the more pleasant aroma of the food, creating a smell that was unique to carnivals. The motors on all the rides were rumbling, creating quite a din. Above all the noise was the music that was being pumped in over a speaker system.
No worries about some poor wild animal sneaking onto the set. They’d be too afraid of all the lights and sounds. A scream ripped the air and Kellsie spun around and grinned as she watched Frank and Bessie flying high in some kind of rocket contraption. The eggs she’d eaten for lunch began to curdle in her stomach and she glanced away. Definitely not trying that ride.
She meandered around the yard, checking out the other rides. She wanted to try something, but just couldn’t decide on which machine.
“Why don’t you try the tilt-a-whirl?” The male voice came from right behind her, but she didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. Mordecai. She’d expected him to seek her out, just not quite this soon.
She tilted her head back so she could see him. Straight black hair, chiseled features and mysterious dark eyes tipped with ridiculously long lashes. Yup, just as gorgeous as he was earlier and still not a single spark of attraction.
Maybe she needed a shot of hormones or something. This guy should be ringing her bell. Hell, a woman would have to be dead to not feel anything for him.
She checked again. Nada. Shoving aside her lack of libido, she nodded. “Sure. I’m game.”
He placed his hand on her back and guided her to the entrance. The warmth from his skin penetrated her shirt. The man certainly radiated heat.
The guy in charge of the ride nodded at them as Mordecai led her to one of the metal seats. It had a high back and sides, almost a cup-shape, which gave support to her back and head. He settled her and then sat next to her, reached down and pulled up the metal handle. Immediately, the ride rumbled to life.
The car rocked back and forth on its track, doing half-circles at first. Fun, but not much action. “Hang on,” Mordecai warned just as the seat whipped around doing a complete three-sixty.
“Holy crap.” Kellsie gripped the handle tight as the metal car was whipped left and right, doing complete circles, sometimes several in a row. Once she got accustomed to the movement, she relaxed. It was exhilarating.
“Having fun?” he asked her over the roar of the ride.
“Absolutely.” The wind caught her hair, tugging tendrils free from her braid. It stung her cheeks and pulled at the shirt she was wearing. She hooted and waved at the operator as they passed by. He gave her a halfhearted wave in return.
She half-expected Mordecai to put some kind of move on her while they were on the ride, using the excuse of their close proximity. And they were close. No doubt about it. The right side of her body was plastered against his left. The momentum of the ride didn’t allow for any other possible seating arrangement.
He was all hard muscle and his spicy scent surrounded her, but there was still no spark, no nothing. Mentally shrugging, Kellsie enjoyed the ride. It was probably for the best. She wouldn’t be able to get involved with him even if she was attracted to him, not while they were working together.
The ride eventually slowed, the car rocking back and forth until it came to a stop. Kellsie felt slightly winded but totally exhilarated. “That was cool.”
Mordecai didn’t quite smile, but it was close. “Yes, it was.” He offered his hand and she took it, allowing him to help her out of the car. She wobbled a bit as she found her legs again.
“Thanks for the ride.”
One corner of his mouth kicked up higher. “Any time.” His index finger caressed the center of her palm as he released her hand. Then he turned and walked away, leaving her alone again.
“Weird.” Shaking her head, she put Mordecai out of her mind and headed off to try out some more of the rides. She had all afternoon to enjoy the carnival. Like a kid with an unexpected vacation, she planned to savor every minute of it. This was all research, after all. Getting used to the set and the people who worked the rides and concessions.
Chapter Five
Three hours later, she dropped onto the bed in her trailer, her body totally boneless with exhaustion. Kellsie’s head was spinning and her ears were ringing. She’d been on almost all the rides. Twice. Except for that rocket one that Frank and Bessie had been on earlier. That one was just too crazy for her.
She’d sneaked a hotdog from one of the concession stands an hour ago. Smothered in mustard and ketchup, it had really hit the spot. She’d washed it down with lemonade and then topped it off with a cone of pink cotton candy.