* * *

Six months before, when Cora had worked at the Tampa club in the bunny costume, there’d been a court case in all the newspapers. The case concerned two military men who’d been at a bar when a young woman collapsed on the dance floor. The men assumed she was drunk and carried her to their car to return her to her home. On the way, since she was unconscious and wouldn’t know any different, they each had sex with her. Only afterward, when she didn’t wake up, did they get alarmed. The autopsy discovered she’d had a heart condition and likely died while dancing.

In the photo, the men were shown in their military uniforms, looking sad, each posed with their wife and children.

Cora had been fascinated with the story. At times at the club, a man would attempt to corner her. Mostly she couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she’d known from their expressions what would happen if they managed to get her alone. It seemed to her that the men acted this way with her a little more than with most of the other women at the club. She assumed it was because they sensed she was different.

In the newspaper photo, the woman smiled brightly, her chin tilted up. If Cora could figure out what she and this woman shared, perhaps she could change it in herself, or hide it somehow.

In the court case that followed the woman’s death, the jury decided it was impossible to rape a woman who was dead, since by definition she could not say no. The men were not convicted of any wrongdoing.

Wanting to reduce how much the men harassed her, Cora had studied the women who the men didn’t bother as much, as well as those who they bothered more. So far as she could tell, the harassment didn’t have to do with looks. No, the men acted the worst with Netty, the brunette with an apologetic slouch and a slight double chin.

* * *

The dolphins learned quickly. Within days, they stayed silent when she held up the fish, waiting for her to say Talk before they began bellowing for food. Once they’d learned this trick, she required them to do more. She began to throw food only to the dolphins who responded with one clear sound.

Once they knew to respond with one noise when she said Talk, she began to teach them to respond with two noises to the command, Talk more.

Kat got the idea within an hour, teaching the rest through example.

A few days later Cora added the command, Talk three sounds.

Kat again was the first to respond with three sounds. Perhaps she was more motivated or verbal or smarter. Perhaps she connected with Cora better. Whatever the reason, she got rewarded frequently, with food and squid. She helped train the others by showing them what to do. Perhaps they all learned faster because of her.