Mine - Dandy Mott

Chapter 29

"Dandy!" I yelled as he rushed over to the car. "What was all of that about?"

"He wasn't being fair!" He sulked in response.

"You can't seriously have expected him to give the place up to you just because you claimed you want it more than he does." To most people my statement would obviously be true, but Dandy wasn't like most people.

"Mother always said that people will give you anything you desire if you bribe them with enough money." He argued confidently.

"Well, that's not always how it works in the real world, Dandy. Not everyone can be so easily bought over."

I realised as I spoke that I was unfortunately not part of the minority. All it took was a few fancy outfits and some lavish meals and I had fallen head over heels for the lifestyle that Dandy was able to provide so easily. Soon I was completely looking past his childish outbursts and began to excuse his psychotic tendencies. I was beginning to believe that I had become slightly crazy myself. There was no way that a sane person would sleep in the same house as someone who they had witnessed mercilessly slaughtering undeserving humans.

"He's not even capable of running the freakshow." Dandy persisted with his original argument.

"And you are?" I returned.

"Of course I am! I was born to do something like this. I'm going to be the star of the show! That pathetic magician is nothing in comparison to me." He seemed very certain of himself.

"I'm sure everyone at the freakshow is going to love Chester! They don't need someone who's going to try and steal the spotlight from them, they need a leader."

"Have you switched from Jimmy to Chester now? Am I going to have to frame him, too?" Dandy raised an eyebrow.

"Don't make jokes like that!" I scolded, although it took everything I had to contain my laughter. "You knew me and Jimmy were never anything more than friends. Chester and I are barely even acquaintances, so there's no need to get anymore innocent people thrown in jail."

"I just had to check. Also who said I was joking?" I rolled my eyes as he smirked playfully.

When we got back to the house Dandy headed straight towards the telephone.

"What urgent business call are you about to have?" I queried jokingly.

"I need to arrange another meeting with the police detective. I want him to do some undercover research for me."

"Undercover research on Chester, I presume? What big secrets are you expecting him to be hiding?" I couldn't help but giggle at the absurdity of whatever Dandy was thinking.

"So you think the fact that his only friend - Marjorie - is a ventriloquist doll is completely normal?" He certainly had a point there.

"Don't you think you should just leave it be - at least for a while. I'm sure it won't take long for him to be desperate to sell the place to you."

"I can't wait that long!" He whined. "The freakshow is in the edge of falling apart and a silly magician won't have a clue how to save it. They need you and I to fix things for them."

How is it even possible for a murderer to have a saviour complex?

"It's your fault that everything's gone wrong! They needed Jimmy and you took him away from them." I argued indignantly.

"You obviously don't have a clue about what's been happening to your so-called precious family. Things were going wrong for them since long before Jimmy got locked up." He retorted carelessly.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned with uncertainty.

"He was a raging drunk around the time that he confessed his undying love for you." Dandy spoke with clear hatred towards the man. "The bearded lady died in some sort of tragic incident and he completely lost his mind."

"Ethel's dead?" I gulped.

"I do believe that was her name, yes."

I felt as if all the oxygen that I was originally breathing regularly had been snatched from my lung. Ethel had raised me when nobody else had the time or the compassion to do so themselves. She had always given me the same love and attention that she would have given to a child that was truly her own. Not only did she raise me, she was like a mother to practically everyone who had grown up at the freakshow. She was also Elsa's dearest friend. There was no way that the show could ever come close to what it used to be without her there to support everyone unconditionally.

"Now do you understand why we need to take over?" Dandy pulled me out of my thoughts when I was only seconds away from bursting into tears.

"How can you be so emotionless? Ethel's dead!" I screamed out before I was able to process my thoughts.

"I'm sorry about your old friend, truly I am, but you have me now! I'm all you need!"

I smiled bitterly at his naivety.

"I'll even let you join me and the detective in our meeting if you don't want to be alone."

As much as Dandy's lack of genuine compassion towards the situation angered me, I could see that he was trying his best to be there for me and I didn't particularly enjoy the thought of being on my own while in such a miserable mood.

"I'd like that. Thank you, Dandy."

His face immediately brightened at the sound of my compliance.