"Nothing. He told you nothing?" Karl spat the words into the phone.

"I'm convinced he doesn't know. He said he gave it to Ashby to deposit and that's the last he saw it. I called the bank and they said he hadn't been in."

"I told you I want my sixty thousand dollars, Dennis. Where is this Ashby?"

"Uhm, disappeared at the moment." Dennis closed his eyes tight, waiting for the roar.

"Nobody disappears in my city unless I disappear them! Find him, Dennis and find him fast." Sanford's growl could be heard down the line.

"As soon as the boys call in I'll get them on it. They're dropping Royce off." Dennis cleared his throat. "Do you think you could leave this to me and stop sending men in on your own? I have enough of my own."

"I told you I wanted action!"

"Yes but you really aren't helping . . ."

"Get on your horse then! Find everybody and get me my sixty thousand back!"

His phone rang as soon as he hung up and he snatched it up angrily. His men had dropped Rolly off - literally - on the sidewalk in front of Trevor Auctions.

"I said his office, Reg, not on the street! Jesus, what do I pay you idiots for?"

"There were cops all over the place, boss."

"Never mind, I want you to find Ashby and the boss's squeeze, Kitty O'Halloran. She might know where her friend Emanuel and the rest of them are. They stay together sometimes in those St. Lukes apartments."

"All of them?"

"No, you idiot Kitty and Emanuel - Jesus! Just find them and when you do, call me, don't do anything just call me. Got it?"

The reply was sullen. Dennis sighed with restrained exasperation. "Where's Yegor?"

"I don't know and I don't wanna. The guy's jungle-brained."

"Fine. Just get on with finding the others. And call me."

Dennis rubbed his temples and thought, Yegor was usually reliable but since he got his hand caught in the elevator he kind of left the rails. The last thing he needed was a rogue button man running around looking for vengeance.

Yegor stood in Florence's living room examining everything as he did a slow pivot. There was nothing anywhere else in the apartment to tell him where she was and he had already looked again through the mess at Ashby's place with the same luck.

He didn't want to go to the DeLysle's and stir up any more lawyer trouble unless he had to, and the other woman he remembered was the Emanuel dame from Trevor Galleries. He would find out where she lived.

Mildred stood but didn't go anywhere. "Who can that be? I didn't buzz anyone in."

"Is the door locked?" Portia asked, standing as well as another bang sounded . . . louder.

"It locks automati-" The crash of the frame splintering and the door flying open had the three women making different frightened sounds all at once.

Yegor stepped into the room, his dark look fixing on each of them. He lifted his hand with the cast and shook it toward Portia.

"You pay for this. You and her." He swung it toward Mildred who darted behind the sofa. "Who are you?" He growled at Kitty.

"I'm Karl Hagen's assistant," she said boldly, standing up and assuming a defiant pose.

"I know no Hagen." The women exchanged glances.

"He's Dennis Creighton's boss." Kitty said, less certainly.

Yegor paused then sneered. "Good, message will reach everyone then." He moved toward them just as two men appeared in the ruined doorway.

"Oh, shit. The gorilla." One said.

Yegor turned as the two entered the apartment.

"We got this, monkey brain. The boss wants them bought in." Reg pointed to the women.

"I don't think you should call him names." Portia warned.

"Suppose you just keep that pretty yap shu-"

In one swift move, Yegor swung his cast and broke Reg's nose. A spray of red spattered cross the carpet and the wall. He cried out in surprised pain, grabbing his face and falling back into a lamp stand. Gus quickly drew his gun and fired into the ceiling as Yegor tackled him over an ornate library table, smashing its delicate legs beneath the two bodies.

Portia waved the two women toward the door and they scrambled over the fallen Reg, still groaning and holding the gush of blood from his nose. Mildred jabbed repeatedly at the elevator button and when the gates opened they all crowded inside.

Another shot sounded from the apartment and Yegor stumbled into the hall in time to see the cage disappear below the floor. He ran to the stairs and leaped down two and three at a time until he caught up with the descending elevator.

"Fish in bowl," he snarled, wearing an evil grin and pointing a gun at the women as they all travelled downward to the lobby.

"Not in season, Buster," Kitty shouted, firing a tiny Derringer she pulled from her purse.

Yegor yelped in surprise and slipped on the stairs, falling over the rail and up against the elevator cage, jamming himself between the cabin and the wall.

Mildred screamed as she watched him scrape down the shaft, his eyes staring in disbelief at Kitty, who calmly fired her second shot into his head.

"An act of mercy," she said.

Portia gasped. Mildred fainted.

It was not the call Dennis had been expecting. It was not a call Dennis ever hoped he would get but there it was, another shovelful of grief on top of an already horrendous day.

"It's your boy, Gus Loman, Dennis. Shot dead with his own gun and his partner Reg is at City General being assessed for plastic surgery." Police Captain, Solomon Arkady waited for a response and when it didn't come he continued. "We also found some Russian guy, according to his wallet, shot and jammed in the elevator shaft. Now I can bury some of this but some nosy sob-sister is going to get on the blower and tomorrow it's front page."

Dennis squeezed the bridge of his nose until it hurt. Who were these people? "Do what you can, Captain, I'll try my best to smooth things with Karl."

"Well it better be good or all our faces will be front page."

"What about the others? Were there any women there?"

"Might have been. There's some drinks glasses and a cigarette holder with lipstick. It's a Mildred Emanuel's apartment, I've got a BOTL out on her."

"I need to know where she and Kitty O'Halloran are. Put somebody on it."

"My neck is already way out on this, I can't keep-"

"If you want to keep receiving that envelope and not having it announced to your chief you'll stick your neck out as far as it takes."

"I'll get on it . . ."

Dennis hung up and groaned aloud. A financial advisor, an art gallery manager, an ex stripper and two bimbo flappers, and they are wrecking a criminal organization that covers half the state!

Flo and David both groaned aloud when Portia arrived with Kitty and Mildred in tow.

"What the hell, Portia! This was supposed to be our safe house!"

"And it still is . . . it's just that more people needed to be safe." Before objections arose, she quickly detailed what had happened and the room filled with an oppressive silence.

"You shot that Russian thug?" David said, freeing everyone's breath as they found places to sit and let their adrenaline subside.

"It was self-defence." Kitty said.

"You said it was an act of mercy." Mildred burbled nervously.

"Well it was . . . in the end."

"Whatever it was it saved all our lives." Portia stated.

"You shot him dead!"

"David." Portia huffed.

He looked around and tried to drink from his empty glass. Flo, who was still wringing her hands, sagged onto the sofa.

"Now what?"

"We need a plan." Portia said, determinedly.

"Oh, Jesus! Another one? So far your plans haven't done us much good." David whined.

"Then what do you suggest? You're the one that started this by not banking the money."

David bounced upright. "Now wait just a minute-"

"Please don't fight, it isn't helping anything." Flo stood and paced around in front of the window.

"She's right." Kitty said. "I don't believe we've met, Miss?"

"Hyatt. Florence- Flo Hyatt. I know who you are, Miss O'Halloran."

"Indeed? Well then let's all put our heads together and discuss what we are going to do."

Ideas were thrown out one after the other. Nothing seemed to have any merit. Kamila arrived unbidden with a huge tray of snacks and an urn of coffee. She waved off the effusive thanks and smiling, let herself out with a little wave goodbye.

"How did she know?" Mildred asked.

Portia just shrugged and helped herself to a small sandwich and a coffee. "Old world intuition - who knows?"

"Do they have a radio here?" Kitty asked. "Can we get some news?"

They got the news, both good and bad.