Palpable relief flooded over Arthur as he waved the gentleman off. "Thank you, sir! I hope you'll attend." The surrounding crowd, meanwhile, appeared just as convinced. The capability of the human mind to rationalize the impossible, Arthur reflected, truly stood as one of man's most remarkable abilities. A few words from an emphatic, convincing fellow and people could in full awareness turn their backs on a fifteen-foot Eocene monstrosity heaving along across populated sidewalks in broad daylight.

Noting the self-imposed time crunch of a half hour, Arthur began to walk, trusting his new friend to follow behind or shuffle alongside. When a momentary scarcity of bystandars allowed, he leaned over to say in a low voice, "I must commend you, Hogan. You're smarter and more cooperative than a great many people. Thank you for putting up with my little act." Once across the bridge to the park island, he set his eyes roving across the scenery. A walk through the place at a reasonable pace would leave his team more than enough time to beat it before the alleged animal show was to start. Of course, he anticipated having to explain to others as he came across them, since obviously not everyone in the area heard his skit in the parking lot, but regardless he expected time enough to definitely find out whether or not the man he sought was nearby.