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“We’re going to have to look into the publication he’s getting his information from, find out who is writing it and where it’s being written. ”
He looks over at me expectantly.
“What?”
“You’re going to have to get a copy,” he says.
“I will,” I say. “But still, it makes no sense. How could somebody know that?”
“It’s being supplied from somewhere. ”
“Do you think it’s one of us?”
“No. ”
“Do you think it’s them?”
“It could be. I’ve never thought to check the conspiracy-theory rags. Perhaps they think we read them and can root us out by leaking information like that. I mean…” He pauses, thinks about it for a minute. “Hell, John, I don’t know. We’ll have to look into it, though. It’s not a coincidence, that’s for sure. ”
We walk in silence, still a little stunned, turning possible explanations over in our minds. Bernie Kosar trots along between us, tongue dangling, his cape falling to one side and dragging on the sidewalk. He’s a big hit with the kids and many of them stop us to pet him.
The park is situated on the southern edge of town. At the far border are two adjacent lakes separated by a narrow strip of land leading into the forest beyond them. The park itself is made up of three baseball fields, a playground, and a large pavilion where volunteers serve cider and slices of pumpkin pie. Three hay wagons are off to the side of the gravel drive, with a large sign reading:
BE SCARED OUT OF YOUR WITS!
HALLOWEEN HAUNTED HAYRIDES
START @ SUNDOWN
$5 PER PERSON
The drive segues from gravel to dirt before it reaches the woods, the entrance to which is decorated with cutouts of ghost and goblin caricatures. It appears that the haunted hayride travels through the woods. I look around for Sarah but don’t see her anywhere. I wonder if she’ll be going on it.
Henri and I enter the pavilion. The cheerleaders are off to the side, some of them doing Halloween-themed face paintings for the kids, the others selling raffle tickets for the drawing to be held at six p. m.
“Hi, John,” I hear behind me. I turn around and there’s Sarah, holding her camera. “How did you like
the parade?”
I smile at her and slide my hands into my pockets. There’s a small white ghost painted on her cheek.
“Hey, you,” I say. “I liked it. I’m think I’m getting used to this small-town Ohio charm. ”
“Charm? You mean boringness, right?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, it isn’t bad. ”
“Hey, it’s the little guy from school. I remember you,” she says, bending down to pet Bernie Kosar. He wags his tail wildly, jumps up and tries to lick her face. Sarah laughs. I look over my shoulder. Henri is twenty feet away, talking to Sarah’s mom at one of the picnic tables. I’m curious to know what they’re talking about.
“I think he likes you. His name is Bernie Kosar. ”
“Bernie Kosar? That’s no name for an adorable dog. Look at this cape. It’s, like, cute overload. ”
“You know if you keep that up I’m going to be jealous of my own dog,” I say.
She smiles and stands.
“So are you going to buy a raffle ticket from me or what? It’s to rebuild a not-for-profit animal shelter destroyed in a fire last month in Colorado. ”
“Really? How does a girl from Paradise, Ohio, learn of an animal shelter in Colorado?”
“It’s my aunt’s. I’ve convinced all the girls on the cheerleading squad to participate. We’re going to take a trip and assist in the construction. We’ll be helping the animals and getting out of school and Ohio for a week. It’s a win-win situation. ”
I picture Sarah dressed in a hard hat, wielding a hammer. The thought brings a grin to my face. “So you’re saying I’m going to have to cover the kitchen alone for a whole week?” I fake an exasperated sigh and shake my head. “I don’t know if I can support such a trip now, even if it is for the animals. ”
She laughs and punches me in the arm. I take out my wallet and give her five dollars for six tickets.
“These six are good luck,” she says.
“They are?”
“Of course. You bought them from me, silly. ”
Just then, over Sarah’s shoulder, I see Mark and the rest of the guys from the float walk into the pavilion.
“Are you going on the haunted hayride tonight?” Sarah asks.
“Yeah, I was thinking about it. ”
“You should, it’s fun. Everybody does it. And it actually gets pretty scary. ”
Mark sees Sarah and me talking and scrunches his face into a scowl. He comes walking our way. Same outfit as always—letterman jacket, blue jeans, hair full of gel.
“So you’re going?” I ask Sarah.
Before she can respond Mark interrupts. “How’d you like the parade, Johnny?” he asks. Sarah quickly turns around and glares at him.
“I liked it a lot,” I reply.
“You going on the haunted hayride tonight, or are you going to be too scared?”
I smile at him. “As a matter of fact, I am going. ”
“You going to have a freak-out like in school and run out of the woods crying like a baby?”
“Don’t be an ass, Mark,” Sarah says.
