Laugh, Clown, Laugh: 2

They drove a van and carried bags of candy and bright ballons, and bouquets of flowers exploded out from their oversized sleeves.
They had a machine in the back of that van that knocked kids out in under a second, and once you were unconscious, you never woke back up.
While you were out, but before you died, they took turns on your body.
Then they cut your throat.
And because they were clowns and their mouths were painted that way, they were always smiling.

From "Darkness, Take My Hand" by Dennis Lehane