"All right," he said with a sigh. "I won't talk to the Grundy. What do you suggest?"
"Our obvious first step is to go to the circus and look around," said Winnifred. "I'm not without my contacts there."
"You have contacts at the circus?" said Mallory, surprised.
"I was a white hunter for forty years before I retired and you saved me from a life of boredom," she reminded him. "I'm the one who captured half the beasts in the circus."
"I don't suppose any of them practice magic?"
"Don't be silly, John Justin," she said. "They're just dumb brutes."
"Lions and tigers and the like?" asked Mallory.
"Nothing so mundane," she said. "I brought back every gorgon, gryphon, dragon and harpy you'll see there, as well as some of the more exotic creatures."
Mallory stared at her with open admiration. "I'm suddenly remembering why I wouldn't let you say No when I offered to make you my partner." He got to his feet. "We might as well get started."
Ninety pounds of feminine muscle and fur launched itself through the air and landed on his back.
"I'm going too!" said Felina.
"I don't think so," said Mallory. "We'll probably be there more than five minutes, and I've never seen you behave yourself for five minutes at a time."
"But I'm your friend, John Justin."
"Only when you're hungry," said Mallory. "You'll just be a nuisance."
"No, I won't," Felina assured him. "Oh, I'll desert you when the going gets rough—but in the meantime I'm your devoted friend."
"I don't suppose you could devote yourself to getting off my back," said Mallory.
"Yes, John Justin," she purred, leaping lightly to the floor.
"You're going to listen to orders and do exactly as I say, right?"
"Yes, John Justin," she purred.
"And you'll behave yourself?"
"Yes, John Justin," she purred.
"Why don't I believe you?" he said.
"Yes, John Justin," she purred.
Mallory and Winnifred exchanged looks. "Okay," he said, "let's get this show on the road."
Winnifred walked through the doorway. Mallory was about to follow her when Felina leaped onto his back again.
"Prove your love," she purred. "Carry me."
The Ringling & Bailey Barnum Brothers Circus was ensconced in an abandoned hockey stadium. Here and there were small crosses commemorating where various hockey players had died in fights, or from minor infractions like high-sticking, knifing, mugging, or shooting with an unregistered handgun.
The main arena now housed three rings, plus rigging for all the high-wire and trapeze acts. It was midmorning, and some of the performers were running through their routines. Winnifred seemed to know her way around, so Mallory fell into step behind her. Finally, after greeting a number of old friends, she stopped and turned to him.
"I think we can cover a lot more ground if we split up, John Justin," she said. "I'll start interviewing the performers, and you can concentrate on the sideshow."
"Sounds good to me," said Mallory. "Come along, Felina."
"Look at those juicy birds!" whispered Felina, pointing above the center ring.
"Those are trapeze artists," said Mallory. "Come on now."
He reached out, grabbed her hand, and began walking off toward the sideshow.
"I wonder how much white meat they have?" mused Felina.
"I never knew you to be that fussy about what you ate before," noted Mallory.
She pointed to the three flyers and the catcher. "I never had that many to choose from before."
They walked out of the main area and into the broad corridor, some sixty feet wide, that circled it. The corridor was lined with sideshow attractions and kiosks offering everything from beer to protection against deadly spells. One man was selling nothing except umbrellas guaranteed to protect the buyer from rains of toads.
"The all-seeing all-knowing Madame Nadine will guess your time of death for a dollar," offered a woman in glowing robes as Mallory and Felina passed by.
"I'm still alive," said Mallory.
"I meant your first death," explained Madame Nadine, as if speaking to a child. "For another dollar, I'll guess your height, weight, and political affiliation."
"What if you're wrong?"
"Then you'll feel smug and superior all day long."
"But I'll also feel two dollars poorer," said Mallory.
"What do you want for two dollars, Mac?" she said irritably. "For twenty bucks I'll do an Irish jig and sing 'The Ring Dang Doo,' if that's more to your taste."
Mallory pulled a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and held it up.
"For that," said Madame Nadine, "you get three sexual perversions and a player to be named later."
"Not interested," said Mallory.
"That's odd," she said. "You don't look like some kind of sicko."
"This is my cat," said Mallory, indicating Felina.