“We are.”

He shook his head, somberly. “Sandy O’Day was a special gal to me. We had some nice times together, and then when she wanted to go in business for herself, I helped set her up through Joe Costello. Of course I’m aware she was part of that fucked-up mess involving the arrest of the psycho kid killer…the night that half the ransom money walked away somehow.”

“Sandy didn’t take it. But she knew things.”

His eyes tightened. “What things, if you don’t mind my asking, Nate?”

Under these circumstances, how could I mind?

“When Sandy learned that Carl Hall had several suitcases full of cash,” I said, “she took a midnight ride to the Paddock Club.”

The eyes were big now. “She went to my club?”

“Yes, but you were away, weren’t you?”

“I was, when all that happened. Out of town, visiting my kids at my ex-wife’s, if that’s important.”

“Where you were isn’t. But when Sandy couldn’t find you, she talked to your man Downey.”

“What? Dutch?”

“Dutch Downey called Costello. The short answer is, Costello and Shoulders took half the money and turned the rest in, hoping that’d close the books. They were wrong and they were stupid. It looks like the money went to Chicago to be washed. Possibly in the Humphreys laundries. Probably partly in the Southmoor Bank.”

He was shaking his head. “Come on, Nate. The Camel would never in a million years deal in money that hot…that…that rotten. And Accardo would blow his stack! They are all family men!”

That was “family” with a lowercase F.

I said, “Now, Buster—you and I know there are plenty of guys in Accardo and Humphreys’ world who would happily deal with hot money. And in yours. Who wouldn’t give two shits where it came from.”

He came over and sat beside me. He did not bring the towel with the gun. “You’re sure about this, Nate?”

“I heard it from Sandy herself, not half an hour before she got shot down by somebody driving an Ace Cab. There can’t be much doubt Costello was behind it. When I went to the Tic Toc, night before last, he stonewalled me and then two of his boys jumped me in the alley.”

His eyes were moving fast. “Sandy said she went to Dutch?”

“She did. She was with him at the Paddock when he called Costello. Does Downey have any good friends in the Outfit? Particularly in Murray Humphreys’ organization?”

He looked whiter than the steam surrounding us. He said, “It was good of you to come.”

I’d had it. “Good of me to come? Your boys Dutch and Mel jumped me, shoved a chloroformed rag in my face, and that shit can kill you! They handcuffed me and tied me up like a calf and dragged me here. Good of me to come!”

Aghast at this news, he leaned over and clutched my arm. “Not my doing, Nate.…Go get dressed. Tell my boys to meet me with you in the garage.”