Chapter 15
When they arrived at the carnival, Josh’s spirits sank. Throngs of people pressed one another between rides, already spinning and whirling. Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” blared from the speakers and the sweet scent of waffle cones carried on a sea breeze.
“It’s packed,” he called over the clamor.
“Holiday weekend and a Saturday night. It’ll be hard to find anyone in this mess.”
“But the more people, the more chances he’ll actually be here.” And it was only six o’clock, so the light was still good.
“Should we split up so we cover more ground?”
“Let’s stick together.”
“Okay. Maybe we should head for high ground and keep a lookout from there.”
They were both tall enough to see over the crowd, but a lot of people were coming and going. “Good idea.”
As they entered the crowd Maggie drew close, clutching his elbow. Even though the action was perfunctory, he relished the slight weight of her hand, the gentle press of her body against his.
He’d been glad that she wanted to keep searching for this guy. He tried to convince himself that finding answers was the only reason, but it didn’t quite wash. Spending time with Maggie wasexhilarating. And okay, also frustrating and depressing in ways he couldn’t express to her. But the way she lit him up—that always seemed to override common sense or the reality that she was oblivious to his true feelings.
They reached the boardwalk and took the steps that would put them above the fray. Then they settled at the top along the railing and began scanning the crowd. Erin had invited Zoey to go bowling with a group of kids from church. Without her to keep track of, they’d be able to cover a lot of ground.
Forty minutes later he was less hopeful. It was too bad Ethan’s look-alike had been wearing a hat in that picture. They had no idea of his hair color, which put them at a disadvantage.
He took out his phone and opened the photo for the zillionth time. Not a single hair showed beneath that ball cap. But something else caught his attention. “Maggie... look. He’s wearing a red shirt.”
“So?”
“Look at the carnies.” Each one wore a similar tee with the carnival’s logo on the back.
“We can’t see the back. It could be just a red T-shirt.” A smile spread across her face. “Or he could work here.”
“He could work here.” They’d been so busy surveying the tourists when the man could actually be working a game counter, a ticket booth, or a food stand.
“But we already showed his picture to some of the carnies.”
“It’s a big operation. Or maybe he’s new.”
“Good point.” She grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”
She was obviously as hopeful as he. Seeing her light up like the sun made him feel like a king. He only hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed again.
They started with the rides since they were closest, showing the man’s photo to each carny. Then they wove their way around the rides until, almost an hour later, they’d covered them all.
“Let’s head to game alley,” he said.
They jostled through the crowd and arrived a few minutes later, greeted by a medley of bells and whistles.
“You check that side,” she said.
They passed the booths slowly, caught in the tide of the crowd. Stuffed animals of all sizes hung from the walls as carnies called out for more players. They passed the ring-toss game, Lucky Duck, Shoot Out the Star, and Whac-A-Mole.
The game carnies were young—college age at most. The ride operators were older and seemed a more likely option. Maybe the man worked the rides but it was his night off.
Maggie stopped in the middle of the fray, squeezing his hand.“Josh.”
He followed her stunned gaze to the water-gun game. And there he was. The man they’d been searching for. The man who was the spitting image of his dead brother.
