Why did Cowboy have to show up and get in the way?
Jeremy felt as if time were running out, as if his chance would be lost forever if he didn’t get in touch with Tanya soon.
The banjo went silent. Cowboy clapped, as did several people waiting in the line for the roller coaster, and others who had stopped on the boardwalk to listen.
“Reckon I wouldn’t mind plucking her strings.”
You’d have to stand in line behind Nate, Jeremy thought. “I wouldn’t kick her out of bed either,” he said.
She strummed a lively tune on the banjo and started to sing.
I had me a guy and he lived in the bog
With an old .44 and a one-eyed dog.
The dog was mean, and so was he,
But they weren’t near half as mean as me.
Jeremy felt a hand clutch his shoulder. “Hang on, buddy,” Cowboy said. “I’ve gotta take me a whiz.”
“See you later.”
He watched Cowboy push slowly through the crowd. Then he hurried in the opposite direction.
Finally!
By the time he reached the pay phone near the main entrance, he figured Cowboy had probably finished in the john.
Won’t know where to find me, though. Might not even bother to look.
Trembling, he swung the directory toward him on its chain. He flicked through the pages. Ashland. Only three Ashlands. Two were Ronald Ashland, D.C. He remembered that Shiner had said Tanya’s father was a chiropractor. One entry was for the father’s office on Grove, but the other showed a street address on Avion.
Muttering the phone number that went with the Avion listing, Jeremy picked up the handset, dropped a quarter into the slot, and dialed.
The ringing sounded faint, muffled by the noises of the crowd and rides and calliope music. He pressed the phone hard against his right ear and jammed a finger into his other.
That helped.
He heard the ringing more clearly.
God, he thought, I’m actually calling Tanya. The beat of his heart quickened, and he could feel it awakening his headache. The plastic handset felt wet and slippery.
Maybe she’s not home.
He almost hoped she wasn’t.
What am I doing?
Lovers in blood. Loyalty. You’ve gotta prove yourself. You want her, don’t you?
Yes!
“Hello?” A female voice.
“Hi. Tanya?”
“Just a moment, I’ll call her to the phone.”
Must’ve been her mother. Went to get her. She’s home!
Jeremy looked around and scanned the crowd. So far, no Cowboy.
Come on, Tanya. Come on!
“She’ll be right along,” said the mother’s voice.
“I’ve got it, Mom.” Tanya’s voice. Jeremy heard the other phone click down.
“Hi,” he said. His heart pounded. His head pulsed with pain. “It’s Jeremy. Duke.”
“How are you doing? Have you heard we’ll be meeting tonight?”
“Yeah. Cowboy told me.”
“You’ll be there, won’t you?”
“Sure! The thing is, I’ve gotta tell you something. It’s about Nate.”
“Rotten bastard.”
“Yeah, he sure is. But the thing is, I saw him this morning. He was at a motel. With a girl.”
Tanya said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” Jeremy said after a few moments of listening to the silence. “I just thought I oughta tell you.”
Tanya mumbled something.
“What? I didn’t hear that.”
“Who was she?”
“I don’t know her name. She’s that girl who’s been playing banjo on the boardwalk. Maybe you’ve seen her. She’s sort of skinny. Real short blond hair like a guy’s. She’s eighteen or twenty, I guess. She plays for money. People toss it into her banjo case. She’s here right now, over by the Hurricane.”
“I’ve seen her around.”
“Well, Nate was in a motel room with her. I don’t know if they spent the night, but he came out at around ten this morning. I just happened to be walking by when I saw him. He didn’t see me, though. So anyway, I waited around in a restaurant for about an hour and kept my eye on the room to find out who he’d been with. I mean, after last night, I didn’t think it was you, you know? And it was that girl who plays the banjo. She finally came out and I followed her over here to Funland. So anyway, maybe she’s why he…you know, acted weird and split last night.”
“Had her stashed in a motel.”
“Yeah.”
“The dirty prick.”
“He sure is,” Jeremy said. “Man, he must be crazy, dumping you for a goddamn troll. She’s not even close to being as pretty as you. Nobody is.”
“Thanks. You’re a good guy.”
His heart seemed to swell. In spite of his raging headache, he felt a glow of pride and hope. “I just thought you oughta know about it. I mean, after