'That's a tough punishment, even for a bitch like her!' Thalia grimaced evilly.

I grinned back. 'Tell me, does your move into management mean I've lost my opportunity to see you do your snake dance?'

'I still do my act. I like to give the crowd a thrill.'

'But you don't perform with Jason because of his off-days?' Helena smiled. They had accepted one another. Helena for one usually gave her friendship reluctantly. Getting to know her could be as tricky as mopping up oil with a sponge. It had taken me six months to make any headway, even though I had wit, good looks and years of experience on my side.

'I use Zeno,' said Thalia, as if this reptile needed no other description. I had already heard that Thalia's act involved an immense snake that even she spoke of with awe.

'Is that another python?' Helena asked curiously.

'And a half!'

'And who does the dancing – him or you? Or is the trick to make the audience think Zeno is taking a greater part than he really does?'

'Just like making love to a man: Smart girl you've picked up here!' Thalia commented drily to me. 'You're right,' she confirmed to Helena. 'I dance; I hope Zeno doesn't. Twenty feet of African constrictor is too heavy to lift, for one thing.'

'Twenty feet!'

'And the rest of it.'

'Goodness! So how dangerous is it?'

'Well:" Thalia tapped her nose confidentially, then she seemed to let us in on a secret. 'Pythons only eat what they can get their jaws around, and even then in captivity they're picky eaters. They're immensely strong, so people think they're sinister. But I've never known one to show the slightest interest in killing a human being.'

I laughed shortly, considering my unease over Jason, and feeling conned. 'So this act of yours is pretty tame, really!'

'Fancy a dance with my big Zeno yourself?' Thalia challenged me caustically. I backed down with a gracious gesture. 'No, you're right, Falco. I've been thinking the act needs pepping up. I might have to get a cobra, to add a bit more danger. Good for catching rats around the menagerie too.'