revealing a balding pate, rimmed with gray. I added ten years to my previous estimate of his age.
“Right.”
“So what do you want to know?”
“I was watching the videotape of the party from the Champion’s place. Was that a big party for you guys?”
“You bet. The Champions like us—well, used to like us. They hired all three of us. That’s not the usual kid’s birthday party. Most people can’t afford to hire all three of us. We also got a heap of good referrals from them. Take today by comparison. We just got back from a mall opening. Four hours of running around, handing out balloons, repeating the same gags, and for half of what the Champions would have paid us. I sure miss that gig.”
“Which one of you guys went outside during the party?”
“That was me. The most talked about trip of my life,” said the man in the middle, Jokey. He had removed his blue clown suit, and was shrugging into a denim jacket. Now he was just Joe.
“Why did you go outside?”
“You said you had looked at the police records, right? Then you know I’m diabetic, and that I take insulin. Well, I have to inject it. I went out there to take it. Can’t let the kids see the clowns shooting up, now can we?”
“So you always step out to the van to take it?”
“Well, I also have to keep the stuff cold. I keep it in the cooler in the van.”
“Do you guys keep anything else in the cooler?”
“What the hell kind of a question is that?” Sal asked.
“Just a question. You guys ever take a drop?” I directed the question to Sal.
“We’re clowns, not saints. But nobody had a drop the day that kid disappeared.”
“Fair enough, I believe you.” I turned back to Joe. “Do you remember what time you went out to the van to take your insulin on that day?”
“Do I ever. I guess I’ll never forget, the cops made such a big deal about it. I went out at about 1:35. That was about twenty-five minutes before the little angel disappeared.”
“How long were you out there?”
“Well sir, Mrs. Champion took the kids into the dayroom to play a game, or some damn thing, and I slipped out through the dining room. I guess I was out there ten minutes. I took a little breather while I was at it. I was safely back in the house by the time the police say she disappeared.”
“That’s what Kenny Joiner told me. You know Kenny, the boy who said that he saw Georgia on the stairs? The children weren’t playing a game, incidentally. They were watching a video from the previous year’s party.”
“Wait a second, that’s right. He has a good memory for a little fellow. I remember that, too, now. Mrs. Champion took all of the kids into the day room. She sat them down in front of the television, to keep them out of the caterer’s way. I think it was Georgia’s idea to watch the video.”
“When you came back in, did you come in through the dayroom door?”
“No. We were parked right outside of the dining room. I went out, and came in through the French doors in the dining room. The caterers saw me.”
I turned to the other clowns.
“Which one of you guys came in through the day room door?”
Sal had finished cleaning up. He regarded me dourly for a second before speaking.
“Mister, We were both in the dining room the whole time. We had plenty of witnesses.”
“I know that. I believe you are all telling the truth, too. But one thing puzzles me. Kenny Joiner saw another clown come in through the day room doors.”
“Come on, there were just three of us at that party. We were all accounted for,” Ed snorted, as he stood up to leave. “That’s a kid’s story. The other kids didn’t remember seeing any clown. That’s why the cops didn’t believe him about seeing Georgia coming down the stairs.”
“Like Joe pointed out, Kenny is a kid with a really good memory.”
Ed huffed and went out. Joe stood up, too. “You need to ask me anything else?”
“No, but thanks. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Hey,
“Right.”
“So what do you want to know?”
“I was watching the videotape of the party from the Champion’s place. Was that a big party for you guys?”
“You bet. The Champions like us—well, used to like us. They hired all three of us. That’s not the usual kid’s birthday party. Most people can’t afford to hire all three of us. We also got a heap of good referrals from them. Take today by comparison. We just got back from a mall opening. Four hours of running around, handing out balloons, repeating the same gags, and for half of what the Champions would have paid us. I sure miss that gig.”
“Which one of you guys went outside during the party?”
“That was me. The most talked about trip of my life,” said the man in the middle, Jokey. He had removed his blue clown suit, and was shrugging into a denim jacket. Now he was just Joe.
“Why did you go outside?”
“You said you had looked at the police records, right? Then you know I’m diabetic, and that I take insulin. Well, I have to inject it. I went out there to take it. Can’t let the kids see the clowns shooting up, now can we?”
“So you always step out to the van to take it?”
“Well, I also have to keep the stuff cold. I keep it in the cooler in the van.”
“Do you guys keep anything else in the cooler?”
“What the hell kind of a question is that?” Sal asked.
“Just a question. You guys ever take a drop?” I directed the question to Sal.
“We’re clowns, not saints. But nobody had a drop the day that kid disappeared.”
“Fair enough, I believe you.” I turned back to Joe. “Do you remember what time you went out to the van to take your insulin on that day?”
“Do I ever. I guess I’ll never forget, the cops made such a big deal about it. I went out at about 1:35. That was about twenty-five minutes before the little angel disappeared.”
“How long were you out there?”
“Well sir, Mrs. Champion took the kids into the dayroom to play a game, or some damn thing, and I slipped out through the dining room. I guess I was out there ten minutes. I took a little breather while I was at it. I was safely back in the house by the time the police say she disappeared.”
“That’s what Kenny Joiner told me. You know Kenny, the boy who said that he saw Georgia on the stairs? The children weren’t playing a game, incidentally. They were watching a video from the previous year’s party.”
“Wait a second, that’s right. He has a good memory for a little fellow. I remember that, too, now. Mrs. Champion took all of the kids into the day room. She sat them down in front of the television, to keep them out of the caterer’s way. I think it was Georgia’s idea to watch the video.”
“When you came back in, did you come in through the dayroom door?”
“No. We were parked right outside of the dining room. I went out, and came in through the French doors in the dining room. The caterers saw me.”
I turned to the other clowns.
“Which one of you guys came in through the day room door?”
Sal had finished cleaning up. He regarded me dourly for a second before speaking.
“Mister, We were both in the dining room the whole time. We had plenty of witnesses.”
“I know that. I believe you are all telling the truth, too. But one thing puzzles me. Kenny Joiner saw another clown come in through the day room doors.”
“Come on, there were just three of us at that party. We were all accounted for,” Ed snorted, as he stood up to leave. “That’s a kid’s story. The other kids didn’t remember seeing any clown. That’s why the cops didn’t believe him about seeing Georgia coming down the stairs.”
“Like Joe pointed out, Kenny is a kid with a really good memory.”
Ed huffed and went out. Joe stood up, too. “You need to ask me anything else?”
“No, but thanks. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Hey,
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