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giant rabbit was promptly stuffed in his arms to carry while Fawn and Kevin walked ahead of him discussing what was the scariest among the roller coasters.
    At the biggest coaster he’d come across, Kevin and Fawn turned to face him. “This one,” they shouted together.
    “You’ll just chicken out or cry on the ride,” Kevin told Fawn.
    She imitated him. “Nuh-uhn, you will.”
    “Bet!”
    They shook hands, loser having to concede defeat and call the other boss the rest of the day. John rolled his eyes. This wasn’t his date. It was Kevin’s play date, and he was along for the ride. They rushed off, and John dropped onto a bench to wait. He hoped neither of them cried or chickened out. Truth be told, he loved that they were having fun. It made it that much better for him. Could she truly be different from the women he had seen over the years—selfish creatures that were all about themselves?
    As was his habit for years, he scanned his surroundings, his gaze lighting on a woman here with her small child, a man there holding a bunch of stuffed animals, jackets, and bags. His family had obviously ditched him like Kevin and Fawn had done to John. He felt bad for the guy. He continued to observe those passing by until he spotted a man walking along that didn’t feel quite right. John had learned over the years to follow his gut instinct. It had gotten him out of trouble more times than he could count and had been the deciding factor in capturing his man.
    John stood up and tucked the rabbit under his arm. He looked back toward the ride briefly and then kept moving, following the man ahead of him. With luck, whatever he might be up to would be over before Kevin and Fawn were back. As they passed a set of bathrooms, John noticed the guy pause and look around as if he was searching for someone. Then the guy tucked his hands in his pockets and began to whistle. He headed straight for the women’s bathroom but passed the doorway to duck into the bushes just beside it. He disappeared around the side of the building.
    John darted over to one of the vendors and flashed his badge. “Can you watch this for me?” When the vendor nodded, John handed him the rabbit. “Be right back.”
    He circled the building from the right side, picking his way through the bushes. Branches stuck out and scratched his arms as he went because the space wasn’t built to have a walkway alongside of it. At the back, he flattened himself along the wall and peered around the corner quickly and then ducked back. He didn’t see the guy, but what he did see was a bag on the ground. John turned to face the wall and peered out again. Seconds later, his target came around the side of the building and bent to unzip the bag. When he pulled a gun from it, John cursed. This was the reason why he always wore a weapon and why he insisted just being a cop drew trouble.
    He bent and lifted his pants leg to retrieve his 38 special from the ankle holster. Making his way with caution, he circled around the building. The guy had gone back the way he came. John needed to hurry in case he wasn’t still hiding but had left the area in search of whomever he had set his sights on. However, when he came to the ladies side of the building, the man was there with his back to John.
    John took a step forward holding the gun in one hand. He stopped when the man called out to someone. “Hey, Jill. Can I talk to you a minute?”
    A woman’s voice reached John, but he couldn’t see her. “I can’t believe you came here, Reggie. I told you we’re done. I’m seeing someone else. Get lost!”
    “Yeah, see I have a problem with that, and you knew I had a part time job down here,” Reggie told her. “You just wanted to make me jealous bringing your new lover and parading him by my booth.”
    “Nobody paraded anything by you, Reggie. Look, I said it’s over. Get that through your head.”
    “No, I don’t think so.” He began to pull his hand out from behind his back,