Red left the kitchen by the other doorway and was startled to see that the bartender was standing behind the bar this early in the morning. He casually took the towel from his shoulder and polished a glass. The curious look in his eyes belied the even tone of his voice when he asked her: "So, you know those two?"

She nodded cautiously and replied, "Yeah, we go way back. Actually, they were the ones who introduced me to folk music."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. I can honestly say if it weren't for those two I wouldn't be where I am today. Which is here."

"Do tell." Said the bartender as he took a tall glass out of the rack and motioned Red toward a barstool. "This one's on me. What'll you have?"

"Strawberry milkshake." The bartender looked at her incredulously as she finished: "What goes better with pancakes?"

When the bartender finally placed the glass in front of her, Red took a deep breath and began her tale:

"You might not know it from the look of them, but those two are some of the finest circus performers who have ever lived." The bartender stifled a laugh as he turned to look back into the kitchen, but Red pushed on: "Ivan was the strongest man in all of Russia, and Li Su was the smallest woman in China. It was fate that they meet and fall in love. Ivan would entertain the crowds by lifting carriages and cars, and there was even an elephant he had an 'arrangement' with—if the elephant would tread gently, he could stand on Ivan's shoulders and Ivan would give him treats of peanuts and ice cream after the elephant's handler had gone to bed. At the end of the night's performance, the lights would dim and Ivan would enter the big top carrying Li Su on a pillow. He would place the pillow on a barrel in the center ring and she would unfold like a blossom and sing in the sweetest voice—it was otherworldly how her tiny body could produce a noise to fill that tent, but she did it."

"And you know this how?" asked the bartender.

"They used to be my babysitters." The bartender choked a bit and Red continued: "Yes, babysitters. Them, and a wonderful geek with Tourettes'. I learned a lot about music, Russian literature, and by the time I was potty-trained I could swear like a Teamster." The bartender continued to sputter a bit before pulling up a chair of his own. Red took it as a signal to continue, please.

"My mother was a Les Serrures—of the world famous Les Serrures Circus? Twice a day, three times on matinee days, she would be shot out of a cannon. One day, my grandfather scored a major coup and signed on a Portuguese acrobatic family, the Flying Fechamentos. My father, the youngest Fechamentos brother, saw my mother. Poof, that was it. My mother always used to say "Les Serrures means 'the locks', Os Fechamentos means 'the locks'. Our eyes locked, and c'est finis." Sappy, but true."

The bartender's brows were knit in disbelief and concentration. "So you are all still in the circus?"

Red's face darkened slightly, "No. Les Serrures is no more…. There was an 'accident' and the three of us managed to get out with our lives. They are the only real family I have left. They sent me a message to come to this camp and I couldn't resist the chance to see them again."

"Any chance they have anything to do with that body in the freezer?"

It was Red's turn to choke and she wiped a bit of errant strawberry from her chin as the bartender explained: "I keep my lime wedges in the walk-in. I went in for the garnish and came out for the garish, if you know what I mean. I still haven't gone back in there."

"Well, I don't think you should tell anyone about him just yet. No sense turning the entire camp upside down, and possibly tipping our hand to a murderer. Just ask Ivan if you need more fruit. I need to go spread the word about breakfast." She stood to go find Madison and tell him that the quiet of camp was quickly unraveling.

The bartender nodded carefully before asking: "Circus, huh?"

Red smiled gently as she reached across the bar for a plastic cup full of butter knives. She palmed them gently for a second and then rapid-fired them one by one into the wall between the "Ladies" and "Gents". A perfectly symmetrical heart appeared in a silver flash. When the slack-jawed bartender turned back to her, she did a graceful back hand-spring and said "Ta-Da! Now, don't forget to save me some of those pancakes." And with that she was gone.