"Don't thank me for anything," he said. "I just got goddamned sick and tired of paying off the cops."

"Did you get sick of paying them off for Rigger's games, too?"

"The Rigger's games are his business."

"Then thank you for being sick and tired of paying off the police."

Suddenly she stood on her tiptoes, kissed him quickly and furtively on the cheek, and, looking very embarrassed, she ran back into the warmth of the tent.

"Thaddeus . . ." I began.

"Not a word, you ugly little wart!" he snapped.

We walked to the dormitory tent in silence. When we arrived he made a quick inspection of the aliens, walking among their cots and chairs. Finally he approached Mr. Ahasuerus.

"Well, what's the tally?" he asked.

"I don't understand," replied the blue man.

"Who else is sick?"

"No one."

"That's a surprise," he said. "How's Snoopy?"

"Much improved. He will be able to perform this afternoon."

"And Pumpkin?"

"Her improvement is somewhat less rapid," said Mr. Ahasuerus.

"But she is improving?"

"Yes."

Thaddeus stared at her for a minute, then sighed. "Okay. Give her the day off, Tojo."

"All right, Thaddeus," I replied.

While I was telling Pumpkin that she could remain in the dormitory tent, Barbara walked in, whispered something to Queenie, and walked right out again.

"We're going to start a little late today," Thaddeus was telling Mr. Ahasuerus as I rejoined them. "I've got a business meeting at noon."

"With Mr. Romany?"

"Not that it's any business of yours," said Thaddeus, "but yes, I'm meeting with Romany."

"Good luck," said Mr. Ahasuerus.

"Allow me to wish you the same," said Thaddeus with a sardonic smile.

"You do understand, of course, that he's only a minor functionary within the organization."

"He may be a minor functionary, but he's got a couple of major character flaws," replied Thaddeus. "I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

"I hope so," said Mr. Ahasuerus. "I was fully as surprised as you that nobody else became sick last night. This is, when all is said and done, an alien world, and I suspect that the incidence of illness will increase dramatically in the days to come."

"Unless it's already peaked and you're all starting to adjust to it," said Thaddeus. "Never bullshit a bullshitter, Mr. Ahasuerus."

The blue man merely shrugged and walked away. As soon as he was back among the aliens Queenie approached us.

"What now?" said Thaddeus.

"I heard what you did," she said. "And I just wanted to thank you."

"I thought you'd be just about the last person around here who'd be happy about it," he said wryly.

"Why?"

"Now you'll have to go back to work making costumes."

"It's my job," said Queenie.

"Sure. Like dancing to music is Alma's job."

"You make it very hard to thank you."

"Nobody's asking you to," he said. "I sure as hell didn't do it to make you happy."

"I know," replied Queenie. She looked long and hard at him. "Maybe Alma's right. Maybe there's a little more to you than meets the eye."

"Because I'm not making the girls work strong anymore?"

"Yes."

"But I'm still keeping the freaks against their will," he pointed out.

"So what? They're just freaks."

"What if I told you that one of them is a poet and another one's a biologist?"

"I wouldn't believe you," said Queenie.

"It's true."

"So what if it is? They're still freaks."

"Then why do you feed them?" he asked her.

"To feel useful," she replied honestly. "Besides, even a freak's got the right to eat."

"But not to be free, is that it?" he asked with a smile.

"Then set 'em free if that's what you want!" snapped Queenie. "Just get off my goddamned back! I'm sorry I thanked you in the first place. I only did it for Alma."

The amusement vanished from his face.

"Do you do a lot of things for Alma?"

"None of your fucking business!"

"I know it isn't, but I'd like an answer anyway," he persisted awkwardly. "Is she happy with you, Queenie?"

"A damned sight happier than she was with you."

"I don't doubt it. You'd better work hard at keeping her that way."

"Is that a challenge or a threat?" demanded Queenie.

"Neither. I did my part this morning. Now you do yours."

"What are you saying?" asked Queenie, puzzled.

"I'm saying that if she's happy with you, she's yours," replied Thaddeus. "For a smart broad, Queenie, you're pretty goddamned slow on the uptake."

He looked at his watch. "It's getting near time. Tojo, roust Monk out of his bus and tell him I need it for an hour or two."

He went back to say something to Mr. Ahasuerus. As I left the tent Queenie was standing there staring at him as if she still couldn't believe what she had heard. And, to be honest, I was having a little difficulty with it myself; I didn't know what was happening to Thaddeus, but I knew it couldn't have come from the cold, emotionless pages of an astronomy book.

Monk wasn't in his bus when I got there, so I hunted him up in the Hothouse and told him Thaddeus needed the bus.

"Okay," he said. "But I've got my animals in there."

"Loose?"

"Bruno's in a cage. The cats are loose. Tell him not to worry. They won't bother him."

"I think you'd better lock them up anyway," I said.

"Thaddeus knows my cats. He's not afraid of them, except maybe for the lion. How about if I just leave the leopards loose?"

"Thaddeus is having company," I explained.

"Why can't he use his own trailer for his blasted conquests?" asked Monk irritably.

"Because it's temporarily been turned into a hospital," I said. I told him about Dapper Dan and Rainbow, and finally, after much grumbling, he walked over to the bus and entered it.

"All right," he said upon emerging a minute later. "You tell him that if he busts the bedspring he's going to have a little four-legged company tonight."

"It's for a business meeting."

"Yeah? Since when has Thaddeus started paying for it?" said Monk, vanishing back into the interior of the Hothouse.

Thaddeus joined me a few minutes later and we entered the bus. As always, the first thing I noticed was the pungent smell of cat urine mingled with the odor of Bruno and the cats themselves. Not that the interior wasn't clean; it's just that after they'd been confined for a couple of weeks, as the weather had dictated recently, Monk usually had to scrub down the whole bus, and he simply hadn't gotten around to it yet.

There was a huge poker table covered with animal skins bolted to the floor about ten feet behind the driver's seat. Monk had pulled out the cushioned booths that had originally surrounded it after he caught Swede peeking at his cards during a poker game, and had laid in a supply of folding chairs that could be spread more equally around the table. Thaddeus opened up three of them, put them in place, and was just starting to rummage through the refrigerator for something to drink when Mr. Romany walked into the room.