RANSVESTIA

TRA

him, had already been removed by the time Bud got there, but the bodies of the dead mobsters were still in the bloody positions where they had fallen. Bud recognized two of them as members of Jack Buck's mob.

Al Sievers came towards him, his lined face haggard. He was shaking as he took out his notebook. "Where's Bassaglia?" demanded Bud harshly.

Seivers pointed towards the bedroom and Bud strolled in after him. Candy was seated on the bed, her white mini-dress torn, showing a white bra strap. The medical examiner was put- ting a bandage around her upper arm while ogling her pretty, light-stockinged legs. She pulled a wry face at Hamilton as he entered. Bud was surprised to see with how much respect Seivers treated her. He edged by the satin-covered bed and pointed to the black hole left by the removal of a panel from the far wall.

"There was a passage here that led to the alley between Cross and Seventy-Third," said Seivers Shakily. "We found Bas- saglia's body in the alley. Whoever cut him down there must have used a silencer."

It was Bud's turn to be bewildered. Then he saw Jack Owens standing just inside the door, a bandage about his head. "Where were you?" Bud asked harshly.

"Th-They took me out," mumbled Owena unsteadily, rub- bing the back of his head. Bud was able to see a red stain on the bandage now, beneath the detective's fingers. "R-Ray was out getting us f-fresh coffee."

Bud turned back to Seivers. There were other policemen there, both uniformed and plain-clothes, doing the jobs that were necessary at the scene of a homicide "You must have seen them arrive," he stated.

"Well, Carter and Bocca were due in an hour," Seivers was very uncomfortable. "I heard the car doors slam. There were eight of them," he went on eagerly, determined to make up for his errors. "I woke Jimmy and we came out on the street just

-84-