Free Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier Page A

glistening and never ending. He looked fearless and proud. The only thing marring the picture in any way was the middle finger shooting out from Blake’s left hand.
    A fuck-you to Wonderland? Why?
    “Blake’s worked here for a while, right?” Vanessa said. “Why the hostility? He made a point to wear his purple uniform shirt.”
    “He’s been here three or four summers.” Rudy looked up at Oscar. “You’re gonna fire him, right, Oz?”
    “Yup.” Oscar’s jaw was clenched.
    “He obviously knew this picture would result in his dismissal,” Vanessa said. “Why not just write a resignation letter?”
    “The picture went viral,” Rudy said. He reached for his bag of Twizzlers and offered them one. Vanessa and Oscar both declined. “The Facebook picture has over three thousand ‘likes,’ over a thousand ‘shares,’ and over five hundred comments already. On Twitter, it’s been retweeted almost five thousand times. That’s impressive. It’s doing much better than the picture of Homeless Harry.”
    “I imagine that people would enjoy looking at this more than a dead guy,” Vanessa said, still staring at the photo. “Did either of you know Blake?”
    “Nope, but I do now. He’s famous.” Rudy pointed to the screen to show them the hashtag that read #WonderWheelKid. “You know you’ve made it when you’re trending on Twitter.”
    “I didn’t know him, either,” Oscar said. “We have a thousand to twelve hundred Wonder Workers here during the summer. It’s impossible to meet them all.”
    “Thanks again for your help, Rudy.” Vanessa moved toward the door. “Oscar, can I speak to you outside for a moment?”
    He followed her out of the security office and into the hallway.
    “Tell me,” she said, when they were alone. “Who has an access card to the park after hours?”
    “Generally anyone whose position requires them to come in early,” Oscar said. “Any administrative employee. Maintenance staff. Cleaning crew. Security, obviously.”
    “No Wonder Workers?”
    “Rarely. But still, it’s at least two hundred people.”
    “I’ll need a list.” Vanessa paused. “It’s convenient that the camera stopped working just at the precise moment we might have seen who left the body.”
    “I know it seems that way, but the cameras cut out all the time,” Oscar said.
    “You said Glenn Hovey was scheduled to be here but you’re not sure if he showed up for work. Do you track whose card gets swiped?”
    “No, because they’re not unique. The access cards are generic.” He saw the look on her face. “I know, our security is abysmal. But in fairness, there isn’t much to protect. Everything’s locked up at night, and as Rudy said, we’re not a casino or Fort Knox. There’s nothing to steal. Nobody’s going to pick up a roller coaster and take it away somewhere.”
    “Other than Glenn Hovey, who else would have been at the park last night?”
    He appeared to think about it for a moment, and then said, “Nobody.” Moving closer to her, he touched her arm. “Are we done being professional now?”
    Immediately Vanessa felt her face grow hot again. “Oscar—”
    “Oz. And you’re gorgeous when you blush.”
    “Oz. I think it’s best we stay professional. I’m working a case that involves a suspicious death, and until I resolve it, it would be a conflict for you and me to be . . . involved.” She felt a twinge of regret as she said the words.
    “Why is it a conflict?” Oscar moved closer. “Obviously the guy wasn’t killed at the park. And unless I’m a suspect, which I’m not because I was with you all night, I don’t see the problem.”
    Everybody’s a suspect , Vanessa thought. “It’s not just that. My life is . . . complicated. At most, I’m not looking for anything more than a casual thing.”
    “I can be casual,” Oscar said with a straight face. “I am amazing at casual.”
    “I can’t.” She took a step back. “I’m sorry. Last night was great,