"Doesn't matter. We've got all we need, unless that's not your .38 stuck up her snatch."

"It's mine."

"You'll burn for this, Angel."

"I'll burn in hell."

"Maybe. We'll be sure and give you a head start upstate." Sterne's shark-slit mouth widened into an evil smile. I stared at his yellow teeth and remembered the laughing face painted on Steeplechase Park, a joker's grin expanding with malice. There was only one other smile like it: the evil leer of Lucifer. I could almost hear His laughter fill the room. This time, the joke was on me.

A native New Yorker, William Hjortsberg has lived in the mountains of Montana for the past twenty-five years. He is the author of seven works of fiction, including Nevermore, Alp, and Gray Matters. Among his screen credits are Legend, directed by Ridley Scott, and Angel Heart, based on this novel. He is currently at work on his next novel.

end.