THE LAST HOUR of Eddie's life was spent, like most of the others, at
Ruby Pier, an amusement park by a great gray ocean. The park had the
usual attractions, a boardwalk, a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, bumper
cars, a taffy stand, and an arcade where you could shoot streams of
water into a clown's mouth. It also had a big new ride called Freddy's
Free Fall, and this would be where Eddie would be killed, in an accident
that would make newspapers around the state.