“I don’t know if Tally ever did any dirty dancing,” I said, “and I’m sure there’s a lot she’s not telling me, but for somebody who had to bring herself up, looks to me like she’s done a pretty decent job of it.”

“What’s her other boy like?”

“Val? He’s about fifteen or sixteen, same build, same coloring as all your other grandsons. Prideful,” I said, remembering his outburst to me last night. “Mindful of his parents, I think. But I only spoke to him briefly.”

He listened to the silence behind my words and nodded. “When does she want to do it?”

“She doesn’t know. When I left, Chapel Hill still hadn’t called her. And that reminds me. I need to call Duck Aldcroft. He’s going to handle things for her.”

“Good.” He stood and reached for his hat. “I’ll go along then. Maidie says you’re coming for supper?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“Always room for another pair of legs under my table, shug. You know that.”

CHAPTER 8

TALLAHASSEE AMES
SUNDAY MORNING

Tally Ames awoke a little after six Sunday morning. Even though she was still tired, she was so wide-awake that she knew she’d bother Arnie if she stayed in bed. Carnies can sleep through blaring loudspeakers, the clatter of roller coasters, noisy crowds—anything except a restless bunkmate, and he’d worked hard till after midnight. She eased out of bed, slipped on her clothes, and tiptoed out for life-restoring coffee and cigarettes.

At the other end of the trailer, Val’s door was still shut, of course. He wouldn’t roll out till much before noon, either. Braz’s murder had made yesterday doubly rough on the two of them.

Braz had been a pain in the butt all summer: undependable, moody, and quicker than usual to feel sorry for himself. She kept threatening to kick him off the lot and Arnie, always more easygoing, kept giving him one more chance.

“He’s a pair of hands that can take tickets, make change, help us make our nut,” he kept reminding her, and yesterday only underscored the loss.

She herself had been absolutely useless. Short two more people, Arn and Val had scrambled to redistribute the tasks and take up the slack when they were already strained to keep all the spots covered. Worse, with police officers all over the place, one of their mechanic’s helpers had taken off, not wanting to be where there was any possibility of someone running his fingerprints.

Tally had no idea what his trouble with the law in south Georgia was and didn’t really give a damn long as he helped Raggs keep the rides going. Besides, half the people on the midway had things in their past they’d just as soon didn’t get dug up again. Too, you never knew what law officers might notice about the games themselves, gaffs that might get their stores shut down, so everybody was on edge even without all those questions about who saw what and who Braz might’ve pissed off.