Behind the Mask. Joanna Wayne

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      Chapter One

      Lindsey Latham lunged for the support rail as the jerky movements of the Mardi Gras float propelled her forward. She breathed deeply, determined to ward off a persistent bout of queasiness, and stared out into the never-ending sea of faces. They were all one now, a voluminous cloud of eyes and mouths floating in space. And hands. Thousands of hands, all waving wildly and begging for the baubles that glittered in the moonlight like precious jewels.

      “Hey, lady, throw me something—for the baby!”

      Lindsey adjusted her feathered mask for the umpteenth time and looked down at the demanding man, and at the small boy he lifted toward her like some heathen sacrifice. He was weaving dangerously close to the slow-moving float, throwing caution to the winds to get his share of the carnival bounty. But the child was adorable, no more than a toddler, grinning through lips coated with the sugary remains of cotton candy.

      Lindsey reached into the box at her feet and took out a small stuffed alligator. The crowd around the man surged forward at the appearance of the cheap toy, all with hands outstretched, pleading for their chance at one of the prized throws. Prized, at least, for the duration of the parade.

      She dropped it into the child’s chubby hands and then quickly threw a handful of doubloons to the crowd waiting patiently on the walk. She threw another one of the alligators, too, far into the crowd, to reward those who were heeding the safety warnings and staying clear of the unwieldy floats.

      “I can’t believe this is your first time to ride on a Mardi Gras float, Lindsey. Don’t you just love it?” Brigit asked, her voice bubbly with excitement.

      “It’s different,” Lindsey admitted. “The verdict is still out on the fun part.”

      Lindsey watched as Brigit dangled a long strand of silvery beads, taunting the spectators so that they clamored around her, begging for the sparkling throw. She twirled the necklace in the air flippantly and then leaned over to drop it into the hands of an eager teenage girl.

      “Wow, get a look at that!” Brigit yelled above the din of the crowd. “Just the guy I need to keep me warm at night.”

      “Which guy? There’s only a few thousand out there,” Lindsey quipped good-naturedly.

      “The hunk. Over there, in the LSU shirt.” She pointed with one hand and dug around in the overflowing box at her feet with the other. “I’ve got to throw him something good. Like my phone number,” she said teasingly as she caught his eye and tossed him a long string of imitation pearls.

      He snagged them in his outstretched hands and blew her a kiss before adding them to the multitude already draped about the shoulders of the blonde who stood at his side.

      “Glad you only threw the beads,” Angela offered, leaning over from her spot on the other side of Lindsey.

      “Yeah,” Lindsey said, “I’d hate for you to waste a perfectly good phone number on a guy who probably has his own phone book.”

      The procession of brightly lit and elaborately decorated floats made its way slowly down St. Charles Avenue as police on horseback tried in vain to keep the crowds pushed back. They were good citizens who’d never think of crossing an officer of the law at any other time, but carnival fever had hit. Fun was the supreme ruler from now until Fat Tuesday.

      The float jerked and then came to an abrupt standstill. Lindsey clung to the side. “I hate these sudden stops,” she lamented. Even the most reserved parade viewers left their places on the walks and the neutral grounds that bordered the parade route to swarm around them. She backed away from the edge as the noisy crowd pushed closer, climbing atop friends’ and parents’ shoulders to shove hands and even faces into her space.

      “Just СКАЧАТЬ