Wayne Senior’s death by “heart attack.” James Earl Ray and Sirhan Sirhan in stir.

His front-page ink. No mention of him. Carlos had chilled out Wayne Senior. Mr. Hoover chilled out the backwash on the King/Bobby hits.

Wayne watched diacetyl mass build. His blend would semi-anesthetize Janice. He was bucking for a big job with Howard Hughes. Hughes was addicted to pharmaceutical narcotics. He could cook him up a private blend and take it to his interview.

The mass settled into cubes and rose out of the liquid. Wayne saw photos of Ray and Sirhan on page two. He’d worked on the King hit. He’d worked it high up. Freddy Otash ran fall guy Ray for King and fall guy Sirhan for Bobby.

The phone rang. Wayne grabbed it. Scrambler clicks hit the line. It had to be a Fed safe phone and Dwight Holly.

“It’s me, Dwight.”

“Did you kill him?”

“Yes.”

“ ‘Heart attack,’ shit. ‘Sudden stroke’ would have been better.”

Wayne coughed. “Carlos is handling it personally. He can frost out anything around here.”

“I do not want Mr. Hoover going into a tizzy over this.”

“It’s chilled. The question is, ‘What about the others?’ ”

Dwight said, “There’s always conspiracy talk. Bump off a public figure and that kind of shit tends to bubble. Freddy ran Ray covertly and Sirhan up front, but he lost weight and altered his appearance. All in all, I’d say we’re chilled on both of them.”

Wayne watched his dope cook. Dwight spieled more news. Freddy O. bought the Golden Cavern Casino. Pete Bondurant sold it to him.

“We’re chilled, Dwight. Tell me we’re chilled and convince me.”

Dwight laughed. “You sound a little raw, kid.”

“I’m stretched a bit thin, yeah. Patricide’s funny that way.”

Dwight yukked. The dope pots started boiling. Wayne doused the heat and looked at his desk photo.