Pure bluster. I ignored it.

"Here's the way I see it." I spat out every word so that he wouldn't miss it.

"You tell me if I miss anything.

"You knew the chops were fake. That particular secret wasn't hard to ferret out. Not for a martial arts god like you. But Nakahatchi didn't. Watchdog didn't. If you stole them, you could make a fortune selling them. As long as your buyers believed they were genuine.

"That meant you had to get them appraised as genuine. But of course Watchdog's New York expert wouldn't do that, so you had to make sure he never saw them. Instead you approached Swilley, offered him a share of the take if he authenticated them for you.

"He's a greedy little weasel, and he jumped at it."

Sternway changed his approach. I guess he'd realized that righteous indignation wouldn't work.

"Do you have children, Ax-brewder?" he inquired sardonically.

"You should. You're good at bedtime stories."

His sarcasm didn't touch me. I understood it too well.

I knew it was a sign of weakness Keeping my voice loud goading him to do the same I continued.

"Next you needed to make Watchdog nervous. They had to want a local appraisal before their expert could get here. And you already knew Hardshorn. You'd hired him to frame your wife so that she looked like she was trying to set you up for a fat divorce settlement. Now you had him bring a team to the tournament.

"You weren't particularly interested in petty cash" I gave him another bloodthirsty grin "although you always need money. You wanted to scare Watchdog, make them think ordinary security wasn't good enough to protect the chops.

"Naturally Hardshorn didn't intend to risk getting caught, so you arranged to meet him in the men's room, just in case he needed help.

"Unfortunately," I growled, "you didn't expect me to tag the picks."

Sternway must've been Hardshorn's spot.

"Bernie caught you by surprise. He was probably already in the men's room when you got there, flailing his flik at Hardshorn.

"And he knew you." Again I had to struggle for breath. The heat of the utility well and the sound of the rain seemed to clog my lungs.

"That was his only crime. As soon as he saw you, you weren't looking at millions anymore. You were looking at prison."

Fury mounted in my raw throat.

"So you took his flik right after he gave you that nice bruise on your left forearm, the one you keep hidden and you crushed his larynxl" For the second time Sternway opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it. Apparently he'd run out of jibes.

Instinct told me that I'd set him up as well as I could. Now I had to blindside him somehow, hit him with something he didn't expect.

Otherwise he might never give me what I needed.

"Afterward," I informed him, "you went out to the lobby, blended in with Lacone and Deborah Messenger. Later you got the bag from Hardshorn, put the flik inside, and hid it in Mai's house. You were still trying to incriminate her, make her look like she'd hired Hardshorn to frame you."

That shook him, I could see it. Obviously he believed that he could bluff his way out of anything I said about the chops and Swilley. But the fact that I knew what he'd done with Hard-shorn's gear-bag undermined his confidence.

At last I'd found a vulnerable spot. Like the bruise on his forearm. I dug into it as hard as I could.

"The cops have the flik now. They can prove it's the murder weapon.

Since you didn't bother to clean it," I explained trenchantly, "they'll find Bernie's blood on it. And the same fibers they found in his throat.

"Once they match those fibers to your LAMA blazer, they're going to fry your ass.

"Of course, they don't suspect you yet," I drawled.

"You've been pretty clever so far. But a friend of mine is searching your place right now, looking for that blazer."

Which was pure bullshit. I hadn't thought that fast, or that far ahead, when I'd asked Deborah to call Marshal. But he might figure it out for himself. Or Ginny might.

"And even if he doesn't find it," I added, "you're still fried. You didn't clean the damn flik." That I knew for sure.

"It has your fingerprints on it.

"Really, it's too bad you're so fucking determined to punish your wife.

Otherwise you might've gotten away with it."

Now I couldn't read Sternway expression. He'd draped a shroud over his gaze. Instead of watching my face, he'd lowered his eyes to the center of my chest. Like Nakahatchi sparring I probably should've pulled out the .45 right then. But he still hadn't admitted anything. My connection to the answering machine if it worked at all had recorded nothing except my accusations.

I needed him to say something I could use.

"But of course," I went on, "you didn't realize any of that. You thought you were getting exactly what you wanted.

"Sammy Posten panics. Lacone hires me. I help convince Watchdog they need an appraisal right away. Hell, you probably hung around with Lacone on Sunday to make sure he hired me.

"Mission accomplished.

"The downside is, I want Lacone to improve his security. A lot. You know all about my suggestions because you and Lacone are such pals. And you know he isn't stupid enough to drag his feet once Swilley authenticates the chops. So you have to act fast which means taking the chops and killing Hong."

If I hadn't invited Hong to take a close look "But first you want to get rid of me. Once Watchdog decided to bring in Swilley, you and Hardshorn would both be safer that way. That's why you convinced me to go out with you Monday night. A big dumb rent-a-cop at a fight club what could be more natural? Brain-dead Axbrewder catches sight of Hardshorn, chases him out into the alley. Then he's dead. He can't tell anyone that you helped Hardshorn kill him. Chances are the cops won't even realize you were there. And they aren't likely to track Hardshorn down. He's safe unless you rat him out which you won't do because he knows too much."

I sucked thick heat into my lungs.

"But you changed your mind."

What the fuck are you doing?

"At the last minute you killed Hardshorn instead. That's the only thing I really don't understand. You had me right where you wanted me, and you let me live.

"Why?"

Through the sheet metal obstruction of the rain, the echo of thunder in the catwalks, Sternway answered as if I'd invoked the truth from him with blood and sacrifice.

"Because you were no danger. Him I couldn't control."

Yes! Got you, you sonofabitch.

Scornfully he explained, "You're one of those big men with a gun and no real courage. If I thought you had the stones to get into the ring with Hardshorn, I would have let him break your neck. He had it all planned. But I knew you wouldn't.