rock stars who haven't been busted on drug charges in the past year. Well, two anyway."
Mallory just walked past her without a word, and a moment later entered the arena. He had to step aside while a pair of eight-ton dragons pulled a chariot filled with scantily-clad warrior women back to the dressing area, then spotted Winnifred speaking with a man who stood inside a large cage containing half a dozen gorgons. He held a whip in one hand and a chair in the other, but the gorgons, gathered on the far side of the cage, looked half-asleep.
"Yes," he was saying, "they had a restless night, what with all that crying and carrying on."
"The poor dears," said Winnifred. "By the way, I'd feed the one on the left a little extra meat each morning. I think he's showing the early stages of pellagra."
"Do gorgons get pellagra?"
"Oh, yes," she assured him. "Gorgons can get pellagra, mumps, measles, any number of diseases. Although," she added thoughtfully, "I've never known one to come down with chracksmir ."
"Chracksmir?" repeated the man nervously. "What is that?"
"It's a relatively rare disease that causes serious softening of the bill in the Three-Toed Blue-Eyed Central African Woodpecker." Winnifred paused thoughtfully. "No, I've never known a gorgon to come down with it." She stared at the gorgon in question. "I still remember his mother," she continued. "She was a handful. There were times I thought I'd never get her back to the States in one piece."
"How did you manage?"
"I set up a turntable just outside her cage on the boat and played a Rolling Stones record."
"And that soothed the savage breast?"
"No," said Winnifred. "It practically drove her berserk. I told her if she misbehaved again I'd play it for a whole day." She smiled. "You couldn't have asked for a better-mannered gorgon from that moment forward."
The man laughed. "I'll keep that in mind the next time one of the krakens starts getting delusions of grandeur." He turned to Mallory. "Are you waiting to see me?"
Mallory shook his head. "Her," he said, nodding toward Winnifred.
"John Justin," said Winnifred, "I'd like to you to meet an old friend—Sam Ramar."
"Of the jungle?" asked Mallory.
"How did you know?" replied Ramar.
"A shot in the dark."
One of the gorgons suddenly began roaring.
"Watch your tongue, Mr. Mallory!" said Ramar sternly.
"What did I say?"
"One of his brothers was killed by"—Ramar lowered his voice to a whisper—"a shot in the dark."
"I apologize."
"Not to me ," said Ramar. "To him ."
"You're kidding, right?" said Mallory.
"Am I smiling?"
Mallory shrugged and turned to the gorgon. "I'm sorry."
"Now walk over and let him smell the back of your hand," said Ramar.
"Some other time."
"You'll never be an animal trainer at this rate," said Ramar.
"I suppose I can learn to live with that," replied Mallory. He turned to Winnifred. "Learn anything?"
"Yes, John Justin," she said. "Thank you for your help, Ramar." She began walking toward the box seats, where they couldn't be overheard.
"Well?"
"All the animals in the circus are on edge," she said.
"Why?" asked Mallory. "Are the crowds making them nervous?"
"That's the interesting part," said Winnifred. "It's not the crowds, it's not the venue, it's not even the food." She paused. "They're not getting any sleep at night."
"I heard Ramar mention something about crying?"
"That's right. Evidently almost every woman in the circus is crying her heart out every night and keeping the animals awake."
"Let me guess," said Mallory dryly. "They miss our clients."
"Yes," said Winnifred. "But here's the interesting part, John Justin: the animals haven't had a good night's sleep for the past month."
Mallory frowned. "That doesn't add up," he said. "Micro and Macro only started shrinking and growing two weeks ago, so why should all the women be crying for a month?"
"I don't know," answered Winnifred. "But once we find out, I think we'll be well on the road to cracking the case."
"Hey,
Mallory just walked past her without a word, and a moment later entered the arena. He had to step aside while a pair of eight-ton dragons pulled a chariot filled with scantily-clad warrior women back to the dressing area, then spotted Winnifred speaking with a man who stood inside a large cage containing half a dozen gorgons. He held a whip in one hand and a chair in the other, but the gorgons, gathered on the far side of the cage, looked half-asleep.
"Yes," he was saying, "they had a restless night, what with all that crying and carrying on."
"The poor dears," said Winnifred. "By the way, I'd feed the one on the left a little extra meat each morning. I think he's showing the early stages of pellagra."
"Do gorgons get pellagra?"
"Oh, yes," she assured him. "Gorgons can get pellagra, mumps, measles, any number of diseases. Although," she added thoughtfully, "I've never known one to come down with chracksmir ."
"Chracksmir?" repeated the man nervously. "What is that?"
"It's a relatively rare disease that causes serious softening of the bill in the Three-Toed Blue-Eyed Central African Woodpecker." Winnifred paused thoughtfully. "No, I've never known a gorgon to come down with it." She stared at the gorgon in question. "I still remember his mother," she continued. "She was a handful. There were times I thought I'd never get her back to the States in one piece."
"How did you manage?"
"I set up a turntable just outside her cage on the boat and played a Rolling Stones record."
"And that soothed the savage breast?"
"No," said Winnifred. "It practically drove her berserk. I told her if she misbehaved again I'd play it for a whole day." She smiled. "You couldn't have asked for a better-mannered gorgon from that moment forward."
The man laughed. "I'll keep that in mind the next time one of the krakens starts getting delusions of grandeur." He turned to Mallory. "Are you waiting to see me?"
Mallory shook his head. "Her," he said, nodding toward Winnifred.
"John Justin," said Winnifred, "I'd like to you to meet an old friend—Sam Ramar."
"Of the jungle?" asked Mallory.
"How did you know?" replied Ramar.
"A shot in the dark."
One of the gorgons suddenly began roaring.
"Watch your tongue, Mr. Mallory!" said Ramar sternly.
"What did I say?"
"One of his brothers was killed by"—Ramar lowered his voice to a whisper—"a shot in the dark."
"I apologize."
"Not to me ," said Ramar. "To him ."
"You're kidding, right?" said Mallory.
"Am I smiling?"
Mallory shrugged and turned to the gorgon. "I'm sorry."
"Now walk over and let him smell the back of your hand," said Ramar.
"Some other time."
"You'll never be an animal trainer at this rate," said Ramar.
"I suppose I can learn to live with that," replied Mallory. He turned to Winnifred. "Learn anything?"
"Yes, John Justin," she said. "Thank you for your help, Ramar." She began walking toward the box seats, where they couldn't be overheard.
"Well?"
"All the animals in the circus are on edge," she said.
"Why?" asked Mallory. "Are the crowds making them nervous?"
"That's the interesting part," said Winnifred. "It's not the crowds, it's not the venue, it's not even the food." She paused. "They're not getting any sleep at night."
"I heard Ramar mention something about crying?"
"That's right. Evidently almost every woman in the circus is crying her heart out every night and keeping the animals awake."
"Let me guess," said Mallory dryly. "They miss our clients."
"Yes," said Winnifred. "But here's the interesting part, John Justin: the animals haven't had a good night's sleep for the past month."
Mallory frowned. "That doesn't add up," he said. "Micro and Macro only started shrinking and growing two weeks ago, so why should all the women be crying for a month?"
"I don't know," answered Winnifred. "But once we find out, I think we'll be well on the road to cracking the case."
"Hey,
Similar Books
Avalyne Series 01: The Queen of Carleon
Linda Thackeray
Blue Eyes
Jerome Charyn
The Playdate
Louise Millar
Gwynneth Ever After
Linda Poitevin
The Case of the Jumping Frogs
Donald J. Sobol
My Soul to Lose
Rachel Vincent
Hot & Cold
Susannah McFarlane
Executive Orders: Part 2 of the Homeland Series
R.A. Mathis
Broken Silence
Natasha Preston