"All right," he said when it became obvious that Mr. Romany was not going to speak. "You're a company man who's gummed up the works, and you don't want the company coming down on your head. I can appreciate that, and I'm sure we can work something out."

"What?" asked Mr. Romany.

"I'm not going to make any demands at all," said Thaddeus. "That would seem too much like blackmail or extortion. What you're going to do is go home, or to a motel, or wherever the hell you're staying, and see what kind of arrangement you can come up with. Then come by the carnival tomorrow at noon, and we'll talk. I'll be at Monk's bus."

"Not at the sideshow?"

"No. And if I find out you've tried to speak to Ahasuerus or any of the others, the deal's off."

Mr. Romany rose from his chair.

"One more thing," said Thaddeus.

"Yes?"

"No more bullshitting. You've got the makings of a pretty good Thaddeus Flint—but I've been Thaddeus Flint for thirty-four years. You understand what I'm saying?"

Mr. Romany nodded and walked out of the tavern, a far less ominous figure than when we had entered. "Well?" Thaddeus said to me, lighting up a cigarette and downing the last of his beer.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" I replied.

"Tojo, when you've been in this goddamned business long as I have, you can smell a con man at two hundred yards." He looked out the door at the retreating figure of Mr. Romany. "That goddamned son of a bitch doesn't give a shit for Ahasuerus and the others."

Just to see his reaction, I said: "Why should he?"

Thaddeus stared long and hard at me. "No reason," he said at last.

He left a few coins on the table, then walked out to the car.

"Are we going back now?" I asked.

"Soon," he said. "I want to make one stop first."

We drove around town until we came to a bookstore. Thaddeus left me in the car for a few minutes, and returned with a hardcover tucked under one arm.

"First goddamned book I've bought in ten years," he remarked, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"What's it about?" I asked.

"Astronomy."

"Any particular reason?"

"Just curious," he said.

We drove back to the carnival in silence. Thaddeus put his book in the trailer, then stopped to examine Dapper Dan.

"How's he doing?" he asked Swede.

"No problem," replied Swede. "He's pretty weak, but he doesn't seem to be getting any worse."

"Good."

"Uh . . . boss?" said Swede, and Thaddeus turned to him. "You want me to stick around here or to work the meat show?"

"Stick around."

"Then who'll do the meat show?" Swede persisted.

"I'll get the Rigger," said Thaddeus.

"He ain't gonna like it."

"As long as I'm the boss, he doesn't have to like it," said Thaddeus. "He just has to do it." He looked over me. "I'd let you do it if you could."

"I know, Thaddeus," I said.

"Maybe someday when the crowds are smaller."

"It's all right, Thaddeus."

"Okay, then," he said uncomfortably. "How's Rainbow looking?"

"The same," said Swede. Rainbow was sleeping in the next room.

"Make sure he keeps covered," said Thaddeus. "Come on, dwarf; let's go to work."

We walked over to the dormitory tent and ushered the seven healthy aliens into the sideshow after making sure that Four-Eyes had taken his pills. Then Thaddeus started barking, and I went to the dormitory tent to take a nap, since I had had only a few hours sleep the night before.

I woke up around midnight, and wandered out to listen to Thaddeus' patter for the last show. He was like a jazz musician, using his words like notes, keeping the same basic themes but never quite repeating the melodies. He'd work and rework a line or a joke until he got it polished like burnished ebony, then discard it and try out a new one, and as I studied him I had the feeling that even if I could speak like normal people I still couldn't be half the barker he was. It was an art form, and you don't learn to be an artist. You're either born one, or you aren't. Somehow I knew that I wasn't.

When the show was over and we had closed up the sideshow, we escorted the aliens back to the dormitory tent. Treetop and Big Alvin were back on duty, and Treetop was standing next to Pumpkin, a glass of water in his hand.

"Come on, gorgeous," he was saying. "Just a little sip."

Pumpkin backed away from him awkwardly.

"Maybe I'll give you a little bath," he said, advancing toward her. "Christ, you smell like you could use one."

She stumbled and almost fell, and he emitted a loud guffaw.

"Not exactly the ballet type, are you?" he laughed.

He was going to say something else, but before he could, Thaddeus had grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around, and swung a roundhouse blow toward his face. He was too tall for Thaddeus to reach his target, but he caught him on the side of the neck, and it was sufficient to knock Treetop to the ground.

"What the hell did you go and do that for?" gasped Treetop, getting to his knees and blinking rapidly.

"You were being paid to guard them, not tease them," said Thaddeus, his fists still doubled up.

"I was just having a little fun with her," said Treetop, rubbing his neck gingerly.

"You've got ten minutes to round up your gear and get your ass off the grounds," said Thaddeus. "If you're still here then, we're going to have Round Two."

"You're firing me for messing with a fucking freak?" said Treetop unbelievingly. "Hell, you treat 'em like shit yourself!"

"Nine minutes and counting," said Thaddeus ominously.

Treetop got groggily to his feet, shook his head in bewilderment, and walked out the door.

"Alvin," ordered Thaddeus, "keep an eye on him and make sure he leaves. If he's still hanging around here in fifteen minutes, I want to know about it."

Big Alvin nodded and left the tent, looking only slightly less puzzled than Treetop.

Thaddeus walked over to Pumpkin. "Are you all right?" he asked, and she nodded her elephantine head slowly. Then he turned to me. "Tojo, stick around until Alvin gets back."

"All right, Thaddeus," I said.

He left the tent, and Mr. Ahasuerus approached me.

"I understand that Romany has found us," he said.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you," I answered. "He seems more concerned with his own situation that with yours. I was under the impression that he worked for you."

"Not exactly," said Mr. Ahasuerus, looking his disappointment. "We both work for the same employer. You don't think he'll be able to help us?"

"I don't know," I said. "He's meeting with Thaddeus again tomorrow. I'll know more then."

The blue man looked as if he was going to say something further, then changed his mind and walked back to his cot. Alvin returned about twenty minutes later to tell me that Treetop had picked up his pay from Diggs and was gone.

I stuck around for a couple of hours, then wandered over to the trailer.

Dapper Dan was sleeping under Swede's watchful eye in the living room, Rainbow was resting in the bedroom—and as for Thaddeus, he was sitting on the floor of the kitchen, his back propped up against the cabinets, pouring over his new book with the single-minded intensity that was usually reserved only for his women and his profits.