ransvestia

"How did the purse get into the room?" Ellis queried.

"Lucas left it there himself. Apparently he uses his wife's purse when he's in drag and ..." Hamilton broke off.

"Another drag queen. What did I tell you about opening up the sewer." Ellis' voice was filled with loathing.

Hamilton actually laughed, albeit nervously. "There'll be more before this one is over, I'm afraid. Yes, Lucas is, in fact, Mrs. Vane, the tenant at Lower Manton. I gather he used the room for cross- dressing and entertaining, get this, girl friends." He laughed again at Ellis' expression. "Yeah, Mike, you have to look at this thing as a fetish, this dressing in women's clothes. Some of these guys are real potent, apparently, when they're dressed up. Anyway, Lucas enter- tained his girls there. He took Yvonne Douglas there last night to meet a friend, a woman. At least that's what Yvonne told him when he loan- ed her the apartment."

Ellis noticed the use of the feminine gender for the murder victim but decided to let it pass. "The cab driver took two women from a Fre- mont address to Lower Manton," Ellis said precisely. "He took one back to the place he picked her up. The one he took back was fortyish, streaked hair, very nice legs and ankles. He left the redhead, identified as the murder victim by the driver, at the Manton address at 12:20, he says."

Hamilton nodded. "The nice legs confirms it was Ryan Lucas. He makes a pretty attractive woman, but you'll meet him later to go over his statement. The cab driver ties in with what he told me, though. Now, let's go down to Alice Skinner's. I haven't seen her in at least two

years.

*****

Alice Skinner was quite a successful artist and both her studio and dress reflected that success. Her hair was expertly cut and styled and her clothes were likewise excellently tailored if a little mannish. Absorbed by her present work and in posing her model for a costumed portrait, Alice Skinner wore her glasses at the end of her nose and answered almost absently. Her gruff, "Not surprised at all," to the news of the murder of Danny-Yvonne, was quickly followed up by Ellis.

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