A Circus of Lies

A Circus of Lies An Allison King Legal Thriller Ellis Keler Contents Before You Start Reading… Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Extended Story Preview: Who Killed Charlotte Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Also by Ellis Keler About the Author Before You Start Reading… Did you know that there’s a special place where you can chat with me and with thousands of like-minded bookworms all over the globe?! Join Cobalt Fairy’s facebook group of voracious readers and I guarantee you, you’d wish you had joined us sooner! Let’s connect, right NOW! Just click on the image above! ⇧ About the Book The scent of alcohol forces Allison to confront her darkest challenge… As the Circus Royale mourns the loss of its most renowned clown, lawyer Allison King takes on the case of defending Otis, accused of the murder. Fighting against her alcoholic husband at home, Allison begins to suspect that the deceased clown's influence extends beyond the grave, an unseen hand manipulating events. But if she doesn’t discover the truth soon, the hand will strangle her… Chapter One I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes tightly shut for probably the millionth time in my entire life, trying to chase away the migraine that was assaulting me. My head was constantly buzzing ever since life got real when my mother died, and I had to take up more responsibility and help my father take care of my brothers. I got home from a hectic day at the firm, and I had my aching back stretched across our lumpy sofa. I often wonder why we still have this damn thing, because we bought it back when we could barely afford to feed ourselves. Now, we can afford luxury furniture but somehow still have everything we put up with when we were broke and coming up. I guess it was because we have bigger problems to deal with. I didn't even hear my son walk past me over the pounding in my head. The only reason I knew he entered the room was because I got a lung full of his strong deodorant as he rushed past me. My eyes flew open and were assaulted by the ancient light fixture across the wall from where I was lying. I squinted and looked around the room for my son as I sat up, and when I saw him with his hand on the front doorknob I said, "Excuse me. You could say hi to your mother. I haven't seen you in like two days, and we live in the same house." Arthur at least had the decency to look guilty as color rose to his cheeks and he shuffled over to me. "Hey, Mom. I thought you were sleeping, and I didn't want to bother you." I looked him over with fake shrewdness, knowing that he was telling the truth, because for a 19-year-old boy he's quite well mannered. "Where are you headed off to?" I pulled my wrist up to my face and looked at the time on my watch. It was just past 11 at night. "I was headed to Leaf," Arthur said, breaking eye contact with me. I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest. "You mean the nightclub, Leaf?" Arthur rolled his eyes and shuffled his feet. "Yes, Mom. I just need to blow off some steam with my friends." I sighed. "Art, I honestly try not to nag you, but what steam are you blowing off? What have you been doing that you need to blow off steam? If you ask me, you should be working harder to get into college. You have failed to get into even community college over the last two years. You need to work harder, not run around town all day and all night with your friends, who by the way, I think are pretty bad influences on you." Arthur threw his hands up in the air and said, "This is exactly why I need to cut loose. I get so much pressure from you and Dad to be perfect all the time. I just need to clear my head." "What pressure are you talking about? If anything, your father and I have been lenient about this whole thing with you up until now. We don't say anything to you; we just try to let you find your own way." "You don't have to say anything, it was written all over your face. I hate being in this house knowing that I was being judged for not being able to get into college. I was really trying but nothing seems to be working," he said, his chin quivering. I can kind of understand where he's coming from. I remember exactly what it felt like to be his age. My situation was a little different from his; I was a young mother desperate to find myself, but I can still relate. I understand the need to want to get out, but this isn't the way to do it. I walked up to him, and put a hand on his shoulder and rubbed. "Sweetie, I am sorry that you feel judged by us, but this isn't the solution. Those feelings should be the motivator you need to get you to work harder." He shook my hand off his shoulder and took a step back. "There you go again trying to manipulate me. I'll get into college in my own time and I'll do it on my own." He began to turn to leave the house once more, and I sighed and said, "Last I checked Leaf is 21 and above. You're not old enough to get in there." I was not naïve, I know exactly