“What for?” said the boy. “It’s a pretty good offer. I don’t think anybody’s got the guts. Five minutes ago, you were all telling me there’s no way that shark’s still around here.”

Another boy said, “If you’re such hot shit, why don’t you go in?”

“I’m the one making the offer,” said the first boy. “Nobody’s gonna pay me ten bucks to go in the water. Well, what do you say?”

There was a moment’s silence, and then the other boy said, “Ten bucks? Cash?”

“It’s right here,” said the first boy, shaking a ten-dollar bill.

“How far out do I have to go?”

“Let’s see. A hundred yards. That’s a pretty good distance. Okay?”

“How do I know how far a hundred yards is?”

“Guess. Just keep swimming for a while and then stop. If it looks like you’re a hundred yards out, I’ll wave you back.”

“You’ve got a deal.” The boy stood up.

The girl said, “You’re crazy, Jimmy. Why do you want to go in the water? You don’t need ten dollars.”

“You think I’m scared?”

“Nobody said anything about being scared,” said the girl. “It’s unnecessary, is all.”

“Ten bucks is never unnecessary,” said the boy, “especially when your old man cuts off your allowance for blowing a little grass at your aunt’s wedding.”

The boy turned and began to jog toward the water. Brody said, “Hey!” and the boy stopped.

“What?”

Brody walked over to the boy. “What are you doing?”

“Going swimming. Who are you?”

Brody took out his wallet and showed the boy his badge. “Do you want to go swimming?” he said. He saw the boy look past him at his friends.

“Sure. Why not? It’s legal, isn’t it?”

Brody nodded. He didn’t know whether the others were out of earshot, so he lowered his voice and said, “Do you want me to order you not to?”

The boy looked at him, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “No, man. I can use the ten bucks.”

“Don’t stay in too long,” said Brody.

“I won’t.” The boy scampered into the water. He flung himself over a small wave and began to swim.

Brody heard footsteps running behind him. Bob Middleton dashed past him and called out to the boy, “Hey! Come back!” He waved his arms and called again.

The boy stopped swimming and stood up. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I want to get some shots of you going into the water. Okay?”

“Sure, I guess so,” said the boy. He began to wade back toward the shore.

Middleton turned to Brody and said, “I’m glad I caught him before he got too far out. At least we’ll get somebody swimming out here today.”

Two men came up beside Brody. One was carrying a 16 mm camera and a tripod. He wore combat boots, fatigue trousers, a khaki shirt, and a leather vest. The other man was shorter and older and fatter. He wore a rumpled gray suit and carried a rectangular box covered with dials and knobs. Around his neck was a pair of earphones.