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fear.
    “I’ll be careful,” she said.
    My place, he suddenly thought. She could stay at my place.
    Don’t be an idiot. She’ll think I just want in her pants.
    “It’s up to you,” he said. “If you won’t get yourself a room, at least try to find someplace hidden away. Maybe back in the dunes away from the beach, where nobody’ll notice you. And don’t come anywhere close to the boardwalk after the fun zone shuts down for the night. That’s their favorite place to hit.”
    “I’ll stay away,” she told him. “I’ll find a good place to hide.” Her mouth slipped into a smile. “I always do. My pappy didn’t raise no fool.”
    “All right. Good luck, Robin.”
    Nodding, she reached out and brushed a hand against his upper arm. “Thanks,” she said.
    Dave started away. A few people in Robin’s audience glared at him as he stepped through the circle.
    Behind him, Robin said, “This one’s for Officer Dave.”
    Joan looked at him, her eyebrows high. “What was that all about?”
    Before he could answer, the banjo rang alive. He turned around. Her eyes were on him. Her tongue protruded from the corner of her mouth.

Five
    “Where are we going?” Jeremy asked.
    “Gotta see Tanya,” Cowboy said. “What’d you think of Liz?”
    “Man, I don’t believe what you said to her.”
    “What was that?”
    “You know. About getting wrinkled.”
    “Oh, that. She likes that kind of stuff. Turns her on.”
    “You know her pretty well?”
    “Are you kidding? She’s my squeeze.”
    “Your girlfriend?”
    “You got it, Duke.”
    He stopped himself before saying “Wow,” which would’ve sounded stupid. Instead he commented, “Not bad. She got a sister?”
    “Nope. A cousin, though. Janet. You can meet her tonight, maybe. Her and some of my friends. If you want, I’ll check it out with Tanya, see if it’s okay with her.”
    “Great.”
    They were walking over the sand, winding their way among sunbathers stretched out on towels and blankets. Though Cowboy led the way, his route was the same as Jeremy would’ve picked if he’d been in the lead. One that took them close to girls. Girls lying on their backs, naked except for skimpy swimsuits, their skin glossy with tanning oil. Others facedown, their backs bare, their untied bikini tops loose beneath their breasts. Some were reading books or magazines, some were talking to friends sprawled beside them, some seemed to be asleep. A few were snuggling with boyfriends as if they thought they were alone on the beach.
    Jeremy studied them as he strolled along, working on his Super-Waffle, listening to Cowboy, and sometimes making comments or asking questions. He had a hard time swallowing.
    I can come down here every day, he thought.
    Man.
    Just do nothing but wander around and look at them.
    Shit, this is better than Funland.
    Cowboy led him toward a slender young woman lying on a blanket, arms folded beneath her face. Her bikini top was untied. Jeremy could see the pale side of one breast. It bulged as if it were a little bit mashed under her weight. She was bare all the way down to a glossy blue patch of fabric clinging to her rump. The seat of her swimsuit was no more than four inches across at the thin waistband, and tapered to a narrow strip before passing between her legs.
    “Hardly enough to cover her crack,” Cowboy muttered.
    “I sure wouldn’t mind trading places with the guy,” Jeremy said.
    The guy was kneeling beside her, squirting suntan oil onto her back. She shivered as the stream licked her skin. Her smooth buttocks trembled slightly. The guy set the plastic bottle aside and began to spread the oil around. He wasn’t just lending a hand, he was caressing her. Jeremy could almost feel her sun-heated skin, smooth and slick under his own hands.
    He hated to leave the scene behind, and Cowboy must’ve felt the same way. After walking past the couple, Cowboy stopped and looked back. Jeremy, grateful, did the same.
    The guy was squirting