"That’s one digit too many," the foreman muttered, wiping drywall dust from his brow.
He followed the "9" like a compass needle. It led him away from the crowded amusement piers toward a quiet stretch of beach near the Diamond Beach section. There, tucked between two modern condominiums, was a narrow, flickering alleyway that didn't appear on any city map. 082960 zip
The postcard was faded, the edges curled by salt air and time. It had been stuck behind the radiator of the Caribbean Motel in Wildwood Crest for decades. On the back, written in a shaky but elegant script, was a message about a meeting at the Starlight Ballroom. But the return address was what stopped the renovation crew cold: a house on Pacific Avenue, followed by the ZIP code . "That’s one digit too many," the foreman muttered,