Circus of Murder

176 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 2h12min.
Circus of Murder"Circus of Murder" follows Detective Sarah Chen's investigation into the brutal murder of Lucien Moreau, artistic director of Mystique International Circus, found strangled with aerial silk in his locked trailer.Lucien emerges as a predatory figure who systematically abused his position for eight years, sexually harassing performers, destroying careers, and using blackmail to maintain control. His reign of terror created multiple suspects with compelling motives for murder.Detective Chen investigates four primary suspects: Isabella Santos, Lucien's abused girlfriend trapped in a controlling relationship; Viktor Petrov, a Russian strongman whose career Lucien destroyed through false steroid accusations; Aria Dubois, Lucien's ex-wife being separated from her daughter through manipulated custody battles; and Elena Volkov, a young performer being blackmailed about her fugitive past in Russia.The investigation reveals the murder was carefully planned, involving sedatives and professional staging. Hidden surveillance equipment and a murder kit point to someone with military training rather than a crime of passion by the obvious suspects.The breakthrough comes when fingerprints lead to Dr. Marcus Webb, the overlooked medical consultant and former military intelligence operative. Webb confesses to the elaborate assassination, revealing he spent six months planning Lucien's death after discovering the director's network of exploitation and abuse that drove a young performer to attempt suicide.Webb receives a life sentence for his vigilante justice, while the circus community begins healing under new leadership. The survivors transform their trauma into positive change, establishing abuse prevention policies and rebuilding their artistic family on safe foundation.