Joyland

Dressed for the links, he looked absurdly young. Except for the graying wings of hair at his temples, that was.
    “Hello, Mr. Dean,” Erin said, standing up. Most of her paperwork—and some of the photographs—were still clutched in one hand. The folder was in the other. “I don’t know if you remember me—”
    “Of course I do,” he said, approaching. “I never forget a Hollywood Girl, but sometimes I do mix up the names. Are you Ashley or Jerri?”
    She smiled, put her paperwork back in the folder, and handed it to me. I added the photos I was still holding. “I’m Erin.”
    “Of course. Erin Cook.” He dropped me a wink, which was even weirder than seeing him in old-fashioned golfing baggies. “You have excellent taste in young ladies, Jonesy.”
    “I do, don’t I?” It seemed too complicated to tell him that Erin was actually Tom Kennedy’s girlfriend. Fred probably wouldn’t remember Tom anyway, never having seen him in a flirty green dress and high heels.
    “I just stopped by to get the accounts books. Quarterly IRS payments coming up. Such a pain in the hindquarters. Enjoying your little alumna visit, Erin?”
    “Yes, sir, very much.”
    “Coming back next year?”
    She looked a trifle uncomfortable at that, but stuck gamely to the truth. “Probably not.”
    “Fair enough, but if you change your mind, I’m sure Brenda Rafferty can find a place for you.” He switched his attention to me. “This boy you plan to bring to the park, Jonesy. Have you set a date with his mother?”
    “Tuesday. Wednesday or Thursday if it’s rainy. The kid can’t be out in the rain.”
    Erin was looking at me curiously.
    “I advise you stick to Tuesday,” he said. “There’s a storm coming up the coast. Not a hurricane, thank God, but a tropical disturbance. Lots of rain and gale-force winds is what they’re saying. It’s supposed to arrive mid-morning on Wednesday.”
    “Okay,” I said. “Thanks for the tip.”
    “Nice to see you again, Erin.” He tipped his cap to her and started off toward the back lot.
    Erin waited until he was out of sight before bursting into giggles. “Those pants. Did you see those pants ?”
    “Yeah,” I said. “Pretty wild.” But I was damned if I was going to laugh at them. Or him. According to Lane, Fred Dean held Joyland together with spit, baling wire, and account-book wizardry. That being the case, I thought he could wear all the golf baggies he wanted. And at least they weren’t checks.
    “What’s this about bringing some kid to the park?”
    “Long story,” I said. “I’ll tell you while we walk back.”
    So I did, giving her the Boy-Scout-majoring-in-modesty version and leaving out the big argument at the hospital. Erin listened without interruption, asking only one question, just as we reached the steps leading up from the beach. “Tell me the truth, Dev—is mommy foxy?”
    People kept asking me that.

    That night Tom and Erin went out to Surfer Joe’s, a beer-and-boogie bar where they had spent more than a few off-nights during the summer. Tom invited me along, but I heeded that old saying about two being company and three being you-know-what. Besides, I doubted if they’d find the same raucous, party-hearty atmosphere. In towns like Heaven’s Bay, there’s a big difference between July and October. In my role as big brother, I even said so.
    “You don’t understand, Dev,” Tom said. “Me ’n Erin don’t go looking for the fun; we bring the fun. It’s what we learned last summer.”
    Nevertheless, I heard them coming up the stairs early, and almost sober, from the sound of them. Yet there were whispers and muffled laughter, sounds that made me feel a little lonely. Not for Wendy; just for someone. Looking back on it, I suppose even that was a step forward.
    I read through Erin’s notes while they were gone, but found nothing new. I set them aside after fifteen minutes and went back to the photographs, crisp black-and-white images TAKEN BY YOUR JOYLAND “HOLLYWOOD GIRL.” At first I just shuffled through them; then I sat on the floor and laid them out in a square, moving them from place to place like a guy trying to put a puzzle together. Which was, I suppose, exactly what I was doing.
    Erin was troubled by the carny connection and the tattoos that probably weren’t real tattoos at all. Those things troubled me as well, but there was something else. Something I couldn’t quite get. It was maddening because I felt like it was