"It isn't mutual. I have no desire to be identified with a criminal of your caliber."
"What's wrong with it?" asked Murdoch.
"It is fundamentally futile. You are not a brilliant criminal. You've been caught."
"I didn't have the proper assistance. I shall not be caught again. Look," he said suddenly, "how is your relationship with Venus Equilateral?"
Kingman gritted his teeth and made an animal noise.
"I thought so. I have a score of my own to settle. But I need your help. Do I get it?"
"I don't see how one of your caliber is capable—"
"Are you or aren't you? Your answer may decide the duration of your life."
"You needn't threaten. I'm willing to go to any lengths to get even with Channing and his crowd. But it must be good."
"I was beaten by a technical error," explained Murdoch. "The coating on my ship did it."