|RANSVESTIA

Buchanan stepped out of the little room and led Hamilton out the doorway onto the concrete yard to the East side of the restaurant- night club. It was framed by long narrow buildings on left and right, but ahead of the yard was a asphalt pathway leading down from the main 'street' to the lake. Buchanan pointed to a clump of lilac bushes beside the path. "Some kids found Mrs. Ewell there last night about seven o'clock. We were on it right away, but we're not much further ahead now than we were then." He was quite apologetic.

"Same wound?" asked Hamilton.

Buchanan nodded. As they stood on the pathway beside the bushes, Bud could see that there were several more people walking along the beach, men, women and children, through all were keeping well clear of the main village part of the camp. "What did you say about the rule of dressing in women's clothes?" asked Hamilton with a crooked grin.

The other looked to where Hamilton's finger was pointing. "Oh, that," Frank Buchanan sighed. He was obviously uncomfortable in talking about the camp's inhabitants. "The Sheriff orderd all the queens out of drag after the second one yesterday afternoon. They're all supposed to check out at noon the day after tomorrow anyway. If the murderers aren't found by then, the Sheriff says he's going to hold the lot of them on impersonating charges."

"Forty-eight hours," said Hamilton laconically. "What makes you think that the murderer or murderers are still here?"

Buchanan sighed again, a sour expression on his big face. "The place is checked every three days by the Sheriff's office. Everyone's accounted for, and the fence has been patrolled since yesterday morning. No one's been in or out since."

Neither Kim Winter nor the detective name Johnny had changed positions when the two detectives returned from their tour. Bud Hamilton walked up to the table where Winter was sitting and took the seat opposite the fidgeting and sweating owner of the Princess Lake Camp. Buchanan fell into a whispered conversation with his partner somewhere behind Bud.