a go over that!"

"I'm afraid not; twenty would be about our limit," Gresham agreed. "And
with the best items gone ..." He shrugged.

Pierre and Karen were looking at each other in blank misery; their dream
of establishing themselves in the arms business had blown up in their
faces.

"Oh, he's talking through his hat!" Cabot declared. "He just hopes we'll
lose interest, and then he'll buy what's left of the collection for a
song."

"Maybe he knows the collection's been robbed," Trehearne suggested. "That
would let him out, later. He'd accuse you or the Fleming estate of
holding out the best pieces, and then offer to take what's left for about
five thousand."

"Well, that would be presuming that he knows the collection has been
robbed," Cabot pointed out. "And the only way he'd know that would be if
he, himself, had bought the stolen pistols."

"Well, does anybody need a chaser to swallow that?" Trehearne countered.
"I'm bloody sure I don't."

Karen Lawrence shook her head. "No, he'd pay twenty-five thousand for the
collection, just as it stands, to keep Pierre and me out of the arms
business. This end of the state couldn't support another arms-dealer, and
with the reputation he's made for himself, he'd be the one to go under."
She stubbed out her cigarette and finished her drink. "If you don't mind,
Pierre, I think I'll go home."

"I'm not feeling very festive, myself, right now." The ex-Marine rose and
held out his hand to Rand. "Don't get the idea, Jeff, that anybody here
holds this against you. You have your clients' interests to look out
for."

"Well, if this be treason make the most of it," Rand said, "but I hope
Rivers doesn't go through with it. I'd like to see you people get the
collection, and I'd hate to see a lot of nice pistols like that get into
the hands of a damned swindler like Rivers.... Maybe I can catch him with
the hot-goods on him, and send him up for about three-to-five."

"Oh, he's too smart for that," Karen despaired. "He can get away with
faking, but the dumbest jury in the world would know what receiving
stolen goods was, and he knows it."

Dorothy and Irene Gresham accompanied Pierre and Karen downstairs. After
they had gone, Gresham tried, not very successfully, to inject more life
into the party with another round of drinks. For a while they discussed
the personal and commercial iniquities of Arnold Rivers. Trehearne and
MacBride, who had come together in the latter's car, left