van so Victoria could go through her by-now-familiar data-pulling process. She didn’t spend as much time as she usually did, declaring after only a cursory inspection of the information that little had changed since the morning. All systems were go. They would drive north of town, find the highest vantage point, and wait to see what the clouds would do.
“The bungee-jumping platform would be a pretty high vantage point,” he said.
She sighed. “All right, all right, we’ll go watch a bunch of fools participating in a suicidal activity,” she said. “But I don’t see what’s so amusing about it.”
They found the bungee-jumping outfit in a huge discount-store parking lot on the edge of town. The platform was so high that the people on it looked no bigger than ants. On the ground below them was a huge expanse of some type of cushioning device.
As Roan was pulling his camera bag out of the back of the van, a jumper made the plunge. Victoria let out a little squeak of distress, followed by a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness, he’s not hurt.”
“Victoria, very few people have been injured on these things. They wouldn’t keep doing it if it weren’trelatively safe. Hell, it’s probably safer than driving on the highway.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said, shaking her head.
They moved in closer. “My gosh, parents have brought their children here,” she said in amazement. “Would you ever let your child do this?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have any children.”
“Well, I can tell you, no child of mine would get within a hundred feet of this thing.” Before the words were even out of her mouth, a youngster of about twelve approached them, staring in awe at Roan’s display of photographic equipment. “You from the newspaper?”
“No, just a freelance photographer. Have you done this before?” Roan asked, nodding toward the platform.
“Oh, sure, twice already. I spent all last summer’s grass-mowing money, and it was worth every penny.”
Roan smiled. “Tell her what it’s like,” he said, looking at Victoria.
The boy focused his attention on her. “Oh, lady, you should give it a try. It’s like flying. And it’s not dangerous or anything, because my mom wouldn’t let me do it if it was. Heck, she’s gonna try it tomorrow when she’s off work.”
At that moment another body took a nosedive from the platform, careening toward earth at a heart-stopping speed, then stopped gently as the huge elastic cable checked the fall. Roan snapped off several shots. The woman on the end of the line, squealing delightedly, had to be at least sixty. Maybe he could sell a feature shot to one of those magazines for senior citizens.
“Oh, my God, look at that old woman!” Victoria said. “What if she had a heart attack?”
The boy, still hanging around, clapped his hands and whistled through his teeth. “Way to go, Granny,” he said. Then he turned back to Victoria and Roan. “That’s my grandmother. And she doesn’t have a heart condition. They won’t let anybody jump who’s sick or feeble or anything. They got strict rules, you know?”
Roan smiled smugly at Victoria, who merely looked bewildered.
Roan approached the woman who’d just finished her jump and asked her if she would provide some information about herself and sign a model’s release form. Still breathing rapidly from the excitement, she was happy to oblige.
Victoria came up beside them. “Excuse me, but weren’t you scared to death?”
“Oh, my, yes, of course I was scared,” the older woman said, laughing. “That’s the whole point, don’t you think? But it was like landing in a mountain of feathers. Not a scratch on me, not even a strained muscle. Just a sore throat from screaming. You should try it, honey.”
“But how can you be sure it’s safe?” Victoria persisted.
“Ain’t nothin’ a hundred percent safe,” the woman said. “But if you’re really worried, there’s an inspection
“The bungee-jumping platform would be a pretty high vantage point,” he said.
She sighed. “All right, all right, we’ll go watch a bunch of fools participating in a suicidal activity,” she said. “But I don’t see what’s so amusing about it.”
They found the bungee-jumping outfit in a huge discount-store parking lot on the edge of town. The platform was so high that the people on it looked no bigger than ants. On the ground below them was a huge expanse of some type of cushioning device.
As Roan was pulling his camera bag out of the back of the van, a jumper made the plunge. Victoria let out a little squeak of distress, followed by a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness, he’s not hurt.”
“Victoria, very few people have been injured on these things. They wouldn’t keep doing it if it weren’trelatively safe. Hell, it’s probably safer than driving on the highway.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said, shaking her head.
They moved in closer. “My gosh, parents have brought their children here,” she said in amazement. “Would you ever let your child do this?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have any children.”
“Well, I can tell you, no child of mine would get within a hundred feet of this thing.” Before the words were even out of her mouth, a youngster of about twelve approached them, staring in awe at Roan’s display of photographic equipment. “You from the newspaper?”
“No, just a freelance photographer. Have you done this before?” Roan asked, nodding toward the platform.
“Oh, sure, twice already. I spent all last summer’s grass-mowing money, and it was worth every penny.”
Roan smiled. “Tell her what it’s like,” he said, looking at Victoria.
The boy focused his attention on her. “Oh, lady, you should give it a try. It’s like flying. And it’s not dangerous or anything, because my mom wouldn’t let me do it if it was. Heck, she’s gonna try it tomorrow when she’s off work.”
At that moment another body took a nosedive from the platform, careening toward earth at a heart-stopping speed, then stopped gently as the huge elastic cable checked the fall. Roan snapped off several shots. The woman on the end of the line, squealing delightedly, had to be at least sixty. Maybe he could sell a feature shot to one of those magazines for senior citizens.
“Oh, my God, look at that old woman!” Victoria said. “What if she had a heart attack?”
The boy, still hanging around, clapped his hands and whistled through his teeth. “Way to go, Granny,” he said. Then he turned back to Victoria and Roan. “That’s my grandmother. And she doesn’t have a heart condition. They won’t let anybody jump who’s sick or feeble or anything. They got strict rules, you know?”
Roan smiled smugly at Victoria, who merely looked bewildered.
Roan approached the woman who’d just finished her jump and asked her if she would provide some information about herself and sign a model’s release form. Still breathing rapidly from the excitement, she was happy to oblige.
Victoria came up beside them. “Excuse me, but weren’t you scared to death?”
“Oh, my, yes, of course I was scared,” the older woman said, laughing. “That’s the whole point, don’t you think? But it was like landing in a mountain of feathers. Not a scratch on me, not even a strained muscle. Just a sore throat from screaming. You should try it, honey.”
“But how can you be sure it’s safe?” Victoria persisted.
“Ain’t nothin’ a hundred percent safe,” the woman said. “But if you’re really worried, there’s an inspection
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