Between the end of the third round and the beginning of the fourth, the American’s trainer got on his knees and begged his fighter to do this and that. Pleaded with him. Practically broke down in tears trying to make the American understand what he wanted him to do. When the bell rang and just before the American stood to go out for the fourth round, Munza hugged him and kissed his forehead.

In the fourth round, the American took a hard uppercut and went down again. The Swede appeared to be just what his advance billing had said he was: big as a house and strong as an ox. Jake Munza cursed God and his fighter. He used the Lord’s name in vain over and over again. He shouted obscenities. His face turned beet red. He spit when he shrieked. When the American went down hard for the second time in the fourth round, Munza screamed in frustration, “Get up, you lazy fucking nigger, you black bastard! Get the fuck up!”

The American got up.

Jake Munza said nothing to his fighter between the fourth and fifth rounds.

In the fifth round, the Swede knocked the American down two more times. The last time the American champion just stayed on his hands and knees, shaking his head, trying to clear his eyes and nose of blood and his brain of God knows what. While the American was on his hands and knees, his teary-eyed trainer threw a white towel into the center of the ring.

The fight was over.

The Swede had won the heavyweight boxing championship of the world.

Billy Constable vomited between his legs.

“When I first got the call from the kidnappers,” said Arthur Durch, “and they told me they had my wife, my first reaction was to say, ‘Keep her.’”

He burst forth with a nervous giggle.

“That’s a natural reaction,” said the stone-faced detective. “If it were my wife I’d a had the—”

“That’s not a natural reaction,” said a suddenly furious Durch. “I was joking, for Christ sake. I love my wife. I really do. I adore her. Always have. The first time I saw her it was love at first sight. When we got back together for the second time it was still love at first sight. I didn’t think we’d last a week the second time and it’s lasted…it’s lasted…how many years has it lasted? My friggin’ mind’s a blank. I can’t even remember how long we’ve been married.”

“Yeah. Okay,” said the detective. “So what else did the kidnapper say?”

“Ah…let’s see. What else did the…what did you say your names are?”

“Murphy. Lieutenant Mike Murphy.” Murphy turned and pointed to the second detective, the one standing behind him. “And this is my partner, Sergeant Liam Lynch.”

“Your partner doesn’t talk much, does he?”

“He’s a man of few words. But when he speaks, it’s profound. So what else did the kidnapper say?”