in, folks. See the amazing, astonishing wonders of Jasper’s Oddities. Right this way, folks. Don’t miss out. See the two-headed baby, the hairless orangutan of Borneo, the mummy Ram Cho-tep, and other rare and mysterious wonders. Yes, sirs, step right in. Bring in the ladies. They’ll quiver and shake at the sights. They’ll swoon in your arms. Step right in, folks. Three tickets is all it takes. You couldn’t ride the Hurricane for that. Three tickets each, cheap at any price. See the Oddities, collected by yours truly, Jasper Dunn, world explorer and renowned connoisseur of the truly bizarre. Never before on the continent of North America has such a collection been offered under one roof. Offered for your perusal and delight. Step right in, folks.”
“Bet it’s a rip-off,” Mohawk said to his friends in a voice loud enough for Jasper to hear. The old man grinned. He was missing a front tooth. “Me, I went in a freak show one time, all it had was fucking pictures of the dudes.”
“I assure you,” Jasper said, “my exhibits are genuine. And in days gone by, when yours truly had a freak show, each and every specimen was present in the flesh, remarkable and hideous beyond your wildest fantasies. They, alas, are no more. The honorable folks of this fine town prevailed, and the freaks were cast out like the spoiled garbage of yesterday’s meal. However, their memory is preserved in the Gallery of the Weird, a truly astounding collection of photographs which you may see when you enter Jasper’s Oddities.”
Mohawk’s head bobbed up and down. “What’d I tell you, fucking pictures.”
“You are in error, young man. The only photographs are those you’ll see in the Gallery of the Weird. Each and every odditity is authentic, there for you to gaze upon—and touch, if you dare.”
“Let’s go for it,” said the tattooed guy. “What d’you say?” he asked his girlfriend.
She shrugged. Her half-shirt rose with her shoulders, a frail curtain that lifted briefly and gave Jeremy a glimpse of the pale underside of a breast. “I’m kinda hungry,” she said. Her voice sounded low and husky.
“Yeah,” said the hairless one. “Let’s get some fries.”
Jasper raised a hand. “Did I mention that today is Ladies’ Day? The young women enter for absolutely no charge, no charge whatsoever, absolutely free with the paid admissions of their escorts. So step right up. See the Oddities. Right this way.” He swept his top hat toward the open door behind him.
“Yeah, I’m doing it,” said the tattooed guy. He dug some tickets out of his pocket. “Come on, Jingles.” He grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her toward the stairs.
Mohawk took out some tickets too.
“And how about you?” Jasper asked, his watery eyes turning to Jeremy and Cowboy.
“We’re in,” Cowboy called.
Jeremy’s stomach went cold. “I don’t know,” he muttered.
“Chicken?”
I’m not a chicken, he told himself. “I haven’t got any tickets,” he said.
“That’s okay,” Cowboy said. “I got plenty.”
He’d wanted to watch Jingles, in the half-shirt, climb the stairs, but she was already at the top by the time he looked. He saw only her back as she followed her boyfriend through the doorway. The girl in the leather skirt was still climbing the stairs, but Mohawk blocked the view and he missed his chance to see up her skirt.
Jeremy realized that he didn’t really care. He wouldn’t have enjoyed the peeks anyway. Not now. Not knowing that he had to enter Jasper’s Oddities.
Jasper gave him the creeps.
He didn’t want to see the weird stuff inside.
Even though the girls wore such scanty clothes and so much showed, he didn’t want to be in a confined place with those four weirdos.
But he couldn’t let Cowboy think he was chicken.
He went up the stairs behind Cowboy, who handed a strip of tickets to the skeletal old man.
Fourteen
Oh, just great, Jeremy thought. Bad enough, being in here with those four geeks, but Jasper had followed him through the doorway. The old fart probably wanted to make sure nobody screwed around with his collection.
The door swung shut, cutting off the light from outside.
Jeremy had expected the interior of Jasper’s Oddities to resemble a small room in a museum. Instead, he found himself in a corridor. The only light came from a shaded bulb placed below each of the framed photographs that lined the walls.
The Gallery of the Weird.
Jingles and her friends had stopped in front of the first photo. From where Jeremy stood, he couldn’t see what it showed.
Jingles giggled.
“He could get