That session left Halbert rattled. By far, this case had the makings of the worst mass homicide he’d ever seen. He wandered up Main Street in the direction of the library.

“An afternoon of light research might do me some good.”

A wall of cool gloom marched across the skies from the northwest. He made his way into the periodicals room and set camp near a window overlooking the traffic. Once he had draped his jacket over the chair, he dug into the papers and magazines. He had no idea where to start on this predicament. He pulled a group of newspapers from the spring and summer of 1939 and took them back to base camp.

Herb chuckled and peered out the window. “A needle in a haystack, and this needle might be imaginary.” He pulled up a chair and unfolded the first paper in his pile.

One after another, they got stacked up in his pile of reviewed material. Dozens of issues and a couple of trips to the restroom later, and he landed on a bit of luck.

Herb dug his notebook out of the pile. “What do we have here?”

He wrote down the date, issue, and article title: Bailum & Barney Circus Comes to Town! His eyes flew over the article, taking in every syllable.

“The Bailum & Barney Consolidated Show will feature animal acts, tumblers, clowns, and our nationally renowned illusionist and fortuneteller, Oscar Diggs.” The name got underlined three times. “As good a lead as any.”

Herb went to the librarian’s main counter and rang the bell. An athletic young woman came out of the back office to meet him.

She grabbed a slip of paper and a pencil. “Can I help you, sir?”

“Bailum & Barney Circus.” He flashed a cursory smile. “Got anything on ‘em?”

“One moment, sir.” She sauntered around the corner from her desk and thumbed through a drawer of cards. Finding the reference in question, she stopped and wrote some things on her paper. She came back to the front of the desk beside Herb and set the paper on the oaken countertop. “We have two encyclopedia references and three national periodicals.”

He wagged the paper at her. “Thanks a ton.”

Halbert returned to his table with another small hummock of information. The encyclopedia offered nothing beyond the company’s founding and national notoriety. The national papers, on the other hand, hit the mark. He scratched his discoveries down: Oscar Diggs. Oz the Magnificent. Magician, ventriloquist, and illusionist. Used hot air balloon to advertise shows. Son of prominent Nebraska senator. Lived in Omaha. Joined the show after allegedly squandering his inheritance.

“Oz the Magnificent.” He tapped that line with his pen. “You’re as real as I am, pal. Now, to figure out what you were doing in Kansas with a teenaged girl.”

Herb collected his things and went back out the front doors. His ride back to the Blue Mountain Inn was filled with mental digging.

He turned onto Main. “If he had an inheritance and blew it all, then he might have been desperate.” He stopped at the sign. “Where does the circus and magic act fit in, though?” Herb drove past the ice cream parlor and Mel’s. “If you’re a desperate man, will a traveling circus float your lifestyle?” He made the right onto the county route that led to his motel. “Nah. Something else is missing. This one’s gonna take some backup.” He pulled into a spot, and went into his home away from home.

Once he had ditched the formal wear, Herb sat on his bed. He picked up the cream colored receiver and rang the operator.

“Hello. Operator? Yeah. Can you ring me through to the Kansas City PD? No, no. Sorry. The police department. Sure, I’ll hold.”

The silence on his end broke a few minutes later. “Bailey here.”

“Bailey. It’s Halbert.”

The guy’s jollity improved. “Hey, Erb! How’s goin’?”

He grinned. “All right, Marv. Listen. I need you fellas to do me a favor.”

“Sure, Erb. Whatchagot?”

He unfolded the slip of paper from the library. “I need ya to look up a guy named Diggs. Oscar --”

“D-i-g-s?”

“Nah,” Herb said. “Two G’s. Omaha, Nebraska. Magician in the Bailum & Barney Circus. 1938 to 1939.”

Laughter from the other end. “You pullin’ my leg, Erb?”

“Nope. I’m not.” He eased against the headboard. “Wish I was. Most bizarre case I’ve ever seen, Marv.”

“Yeah?”

He shut his eyes and blew he stress from his lungs. “Oh, yeah. I can fill you in when I get back. For now, can you help me with this?”

“O’ corse, pallie. We’re on it.”

A sense of relief eased him. “Thanks. Hey. One more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“If you see my wife and kids, could ya tell ‘em I said, hi?”

“You got it, Erb.”

Herb hung up his phone and eyed the decanter on the far table. “After a day like this, a little celebration is in order.”