Funland Read Online Free PDF Page B

smooth-cheeked, pretty guy who was short in the hormone department.
    On second thought, Dave realized, her slender, boyish appearance was a dubious advantage. She might fare worse on the road if the wrong sort took her for a sissy instead of a girl.
    She’s lucky she made it this far, Dave thought.
    Then he wondered what kind of luck that was, making it into Boleta Bay.
    She was not a troll. She was a street musician, a roaming minstrel playing for her daily needs.
    But the kids might not make such fine distinctions.
    And she wasn’t exactly dressed for a Rotary banquet.
    She wore hiking boots, ankle-high, scuffed and dusty. Her faded blue jeans were frayed at the cuffs, and one leg had a rip that gaped like an open mouth, showing the skin of her thigh. For a belt she wore a brightly colored woven sash that matched her banjo strap. It was knotted at her hip, and the ends of it draped the side of her leg and swayed in the breeze. The sleeves of her old blue shirt had been cut off at the shoulders. The top buttons were undone. A necklace of small white shells hung across her chest. She wore a red bandanna around her head.
    The teenagers here in Boleta Bay might very well take it as the costume of a troll.
    And act accordingly.
    This gal’s begging for trouble, he thought as she finished “Puff.”
    While the audience clapped, he made his way forward along with some others. He took out his wallet and dropped a five-dollar bill into her banjo case. She thanked him. He stepped around the case and stopped in front of her.
    She met him with calm, questioning eyes. “Officer?”
    “Where’d you learn to play like that?”
    “My dad.”
    “You’re great.”
    “Thank you. Is there some kind of problem?”
    “I noticed you’ve got a backpack. Are you planning to sleep out around here?”
    “I thought I might. Is it illegal?”
    “We have local ordinances against it, but we generally don’t enforce them. Are you with a friend?”
    She shook her head slightly from side to side. Her eyes never strayed from Dave’s.
    “Let her alone,” somebody called from behind.
    “Goddamn cops,” came another voice.
    “She’s not hurting anyone.”
    “Why don’t you pick on somebody causing trouble!”
    The girl held up a hand to silence the protests.
    “All I want to say,” Dave told her, “is that we’ve been having trouble with teenagers running around at night attacking people. They’ve pulled some pretty nasty stunts. They’re after winos and bums, actually. But it isn’t safe for anyone to camp out in this area. I wouldn’t want you getting jumped by these characters. They—”
    “Quit hassling her, why don’t you!”
    “Please,” she called, glancing past him at someone in the crowd. “He’s not bothering me. I’ll play some more in a minute.”
    “Thanks,” Dave said. “There are plenty of motels nearby. I think you’d be wise to check into one of them. Can you afford a motel? Some of them are just around thirty-five, forty dollars a night. And there’s a Y over on Clancy Street. I’m sure it’s pretty cheap.”
    “I don’t know.” She lowered her eyes. “I’ll think about it, Officer. I appreciate your…”
    “Dave. It’s Dave.”
    “I’m Robin.”
    “Robin.” He liked the name. It seemed to fit her. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not going to take my advice?”
    She shrugged her shoulders.
    He took out his wallet again. The bill compartment held three ones and a twenty. He slipped the twenty out and held it toward her. “Take this, okay? Find yourself a room for the night.”
    Her fingers slipped around the back of his hand and gently pushed it away. “I can’t. Thank you, though. Really. That’s way too much. You already gave me a five—I saw you. And that’s fine. I figure that’s for the music. But I don’t want to take any handouts. Okay?”
    “I don’t want you getting jumped by a pack of rabid teenagers.”
    In the calm of her blue eyes he saw a glint of