Brother? Jack wondered. What are they talking about? What’s going on here?

The boss continued to pin Bondy with his glare. “And you feel you can get more out of the creature by mistreating it?”

“We thought—”

“I know what you thought, Mr. Bond. And many of us know too well how the Sharkman felt. We’ve all known mistreatment during the course of our lives, and we don’t look kindly upon it. You will retire to your quarters immediately and wait for me there.”

“Fuck that!” Bondy said. “And fuck you, Oz! I’m blowin’ the show! Ain’t goin’ nowhere but outta here!”

The boss gestured to the Alligator Boy and the Bird Man. “Escort Mr. Bond to my trailer. See that he waits outside until I get there.”

Bondy tried to duck through the crowd, but the green man blocked his way until the other two grabbed his arms. He struggled but was no match for them.

“You can’t do this, Oz!” he shouted, fear wild in his eyes as he was none too gently dragged away. “You can’t keep me here if I wanna go!”

Oz ignored him and turned his attention to Jack. “And that leaves us with you, Mr…?”

“Jack.”

“Jack what?”

“Just Jack.”

“Very well, Mr. Jack. What is your interest in this matter?”

“I don’t like bullies,” Jack said.

It wasn’t an answer, but it would have to do. Wasn’t about to tell the boss he’d come to French-fry his Sharkman.

“No one does. But why should you be interested in this particular creature? Why should you be here at all?”

“Not too often you get to see a real live rakosh.”

When he saw the boss blink and snap his head toward the cage, Jack had a sudden uneasy feeling that he’d made a mistake. How big a mistake he wasn’t quite sure.

“What did you say?” The glittering eyes fixed on him again. “What did you call it?”

“Nothing,” Jack said.

“No, I heard you. You called it a rakosh.” Oz stepped over to the cage and stared into Scar-lip’s yellow eyes. “Is that what you are, my friend… a rakosh? How fascinating!” He turned to the rest of his employees. “It’s all right. You can all go back to bed. Everything is under control. I wish to speak to this gentleman in private before he goes.”

“You didn’t know what it was?” Jack said as the crowd dispersed.

Oz continued to stare at the rakosh. “Not until this moment. I thought they were a myth.”

“How did you find it?” Jack said. The answer was important—until this afternoon he’d been sure he’d killed Scar-lip.

“The result of a telephone call. Someone phoned me last summer—woke me in the middle of the night—and told me that if I searched the waters off Governors Island I might find ‘a fascinating new attraction.’“

Last summer… the last time he’d seen Scar-lip and the rest of his species. “Who called you? Was it a woman?”

“No. Why do you ask?”