Which more than once left him miles from where he'd started, the chimp using the oars like a galley slave.

In the meantime, the man in the fedora turned to his client. She was a chimp, and a good-looking one. She sat with her hair-covered legs crossed, her ruby-lipsticked mouth promising delights no human could offer -- and her very expressive canines told the onlooker not to even think about it.

He said, "He's goin' to da Loop. Ya want we should make the snatch there?"

"Please," she smiled unpleasantly. "That...brother of mine is gonna pay for what he did to our mother and me. I assume the ten grand is sufficient downpayment?"

"Okay, honey," he said, "You got it."