Baccano! - Volume 20 - Chapter 4.1

Digression

There was an as-yet-unaccounted-for gap in the life of Claire Stanfield.

Between his boyhood with Firo Prochainezo and his fame as Vino the hitman, there was a gap of about five years.

Firo knew he’d been scouted by a traveling circus and joined up after the Gandors’ father had died. He wasn’t familiar with the details, though. The next thing he knew, Claire had been a hitman.

However, that was only from Firo’s perspective; of course Claire knew best what had happened in that time.

1927 New York

“So why’d you become a conductor anyway?”

Firo wasn’t a Martillo Family executive yet. He was talking to his childhood pal, who was back home on a visit for the first time in ages.

The young redhead, Claire Stanfield, was using a fork to fiddle with the plate of spaghetti in front of him. “Well, I’m a hitman and all. Free travel all over the States is pretty convenient.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it…or I wish I could say it was anyway. This cook who kept us fed back when I was in the circus has been working his way around the dining cars of those fancy, expensive trains. He put in a good word for me.”

The circus. When he heard Claire mention his former occupation, Firo broached the topic somewhat hesitantly. “So, uh…I hear the circus broke up.”

Claire didn’t seem too down about it as he answered absently. “Sure did. Although the ringmaster did say he’d start it up again once things calm down. Right now I’m a hitman and conductor, so I’ll be focusing on that for a while.”

“Once what calms down?”

“Eh, we got into some trouble with a pretty big gang, and the troupe scattered. By the time the ringmaster and I put ’em down, there were almost no carnies left.”

“Uh, you know that’s incredible, right? You said it like it was nothing.” Firo broke out in a cold sweat.

“Did I? There wasn’t anything incredible about it. What was incredible was our troupe. The magician fella? Amazing. He wore these clothes that sparkled like jewel beetles, but he called himself a vampire. His tricks really were fantastic, though. He produced bats from his hand instead of doves, and he walked around after he’d been cut in two.”

“You…you sure those were tricks?”

“There were plenty of other types, too. The cook would twist up manhole covers, and there were these acrobats who’d have kung fu battles up on the trapeze. I used to join in, but I always won, so they shut me out.”

Closing his eyes as he remembered the past, Claire nodded. “Our star girl’s show was great. She had this cute little face, and she’d put on boxing gloves; for a dollar, anybody in the audience could go a round with her. If they won, they’d get a hundred bucks. Mostly time ran out before they managed to land a punch; sometimes they’d be slimeballs who just wanted to punch a girl or constantly clinched her on purpose. Those guys, she KO’d. I tell you what, she was tough.”

“I’m not sure your group was actually a circus.” Firo was still sweating.

“In the end, I’m the only one who managed to get that hundred bucks,” Claire told him.

“What, you took her on?!” Firo gave his friend an accusing glare.

Claire quickly defended himself, visibly upset. “Hey, whoa, don’t write me off for that. I didn’t hit any girls. I stopped right before I made contact, like you’re supposed to, and made her admit I won. I also told her, ‘If you want me to return this hundred, go on a date with me.’”

“……”

“…Right after that, she clocked me right on the chin, and I took that as a no.”

“Too bad she didn’t hit you a hundred more times,” Firo retorted, exasperated by his friend’s wild ways. “You’re unbelievable. How can you just walk up and tell a girl your feelings?”

It was a perfectly natural complaint, but Claire grinned. “Because this world is mine. Someday, the girl who’s best for me is going to tell me yes, and the timing’s gonna be perfect.”

“Where do you get that self-confidence?”

“Hey, it’s not just about my girl. Everyone I meet is a character in the world that is ‘me.’ If I need them, I know I’ll see them again. If I don’t, then I didn’t need ’em that bad.” Claire sounded delusional, but that was nothing new. Firo only shook his head. “That being the case, I’m not too torn up about it. The fact that the circus broke up, I mean. Someday, when the right time comes around, I’ll probably see the ringmaster and the other fellas and Cookie again.”

“Cookie?” Firo asked. The word had come out of nowhere. “What’s that? Did the circus sell branded cookies or something?”

“No, no. Huh? Didn’t I tell you about Cookie?”

“Nope, not a thing.”

“I see… Maybe it was Keith and the other guys I told, then.” Claire scratched his cheek.

“Cookie was my rival for top star at the circus…”