Not quite sure whether Davis was cracking witty or had some other agenda, Young said, "I was just having the most fascinating conversation with Agent Matthews, whowas out carousing until the wee hours."

"With the cops, you mean?"

"In the FOP," Young said.

"We were, just coincidentally, talking about the police," Davis said, and slid a copy of the PhiladelphiaLedger across the desk to him. " Have you seen this?"

"No," Young said, and since he suspected he was expected to, he read the front-page story.

ASSASSINS GET PAST

By Charles E. Whaley

Ledger Staff Writer

Albert J. Monahan, 56, was shot to death before his wife's eyes early this morning at his home in the 5600 block of Sylvester Street according to a highly placed police official who declined to be identified.

Monahan was shot with a small-caliber weapon, according to the same police official, when he opened his door to an assassin who had somehow gotten past three officers of the "elite" Special Operations Division that was charged with his round-the-clock protection.

Staff Inspector Peter F. Wohl, commanding officer of the Special Operations Division, which was formed, reportedly at the orders of Mayor Jerry Carlucci, late last year to combat the growing crime in Philadelphia, was "not available to the press" for comment.

Monahan, who was employed by Goldblatt amp; Sons Credit Furniture amp; Appliances, Inc., was scheduled to appear before the Grand Jury next Monday. Assistant District Attorney Farnsworth Stillwell was to seek an indictment for murder against six men for a shooting death during a robbery at the South Street furniture store. Monahan reportedly had positively identified seven men presently being held in the Detention Center as being involved.

"Prosecution now seems unlikely," the police official said, "with the death of Mr. Monahan, and Mr. Stillwell off the case." He was apparently referring to the appointment, announced today, of Stillwell to the staff of the state attorney general in Harrisburg. (See " Governor Names Stillwell As Corporate Crime Prosecutor," Page B-l).

Police have thrown up a barrier of silence around the incident. Police Captain Michael J. Sabara, deputy commander of Special Operations, the only senior police official willing to speak officially to the press at all, would say only that "the incident is under investigation and no information can be released at this time."

Sabara also refused to discuss rumors circulating throughout the Police Department that the Justice Department is investigating Officer M. M. Payne, Inspector Wohl's administrative assistant. During the arrest of the eight men charged in the Goldblatt robbery, Payne shot to death one of the alleged bandits, Charles David Stevens. It has been said the Justice Department is investigating allegations that Payne, who has something of a reputation for being too quick to use his pistol, exceeded Police Department criteria governing the use of force. If the allegations are true, Payne could be charged with violating Stevens's civil rights, a federal offense.

"Jesus!" Young said. "I wonder how that happened?"

"How about gross incompetence?" Glenn Williamson, A-SAC (Administration), asked rhetorically.

"I would think it's a case of having underestimated the opposition," SAC Davis said. "What do we have on the ILA? Did you check with Washington?"

"There's three of them," A-SAC (Counterintelligence) Isaac J. Towne said. "One in New York, one in Chicago, and one in Berkeley, California. There is no known connection between the three, and no known connection between any of them and anyone in Philadelphia."

"Have we got anybody in with them?"

"In all three. That's where we got what I came up with."

"Any of them ever into anything like this?"

"They're mostly into protest marches," Towne said. "Talk and protest marches."

"I'd like to help Wohl if I could," SAC Davis said.

"There was something I heard-" Towne said, stopped, and then went on. "I heard that Wohl was going with Farnsworth Stillwell. As his chief investigator."

"Really?" Davis asked.

"He might as well," Young said. "I'll bet Carlucci throws him to the wolves."

"You think that 'unnamed police official' was Carlucci?"

"I think it was somebody close to Czernick. Maybe even Czernick himself."

"Not Czernick," Davis said. "Czernick wouldn't do that, unless Carlucci told him to. But somebody close to Czernick-"

"If Carlucci isn't behind it, and finds out who the big mouth is, he' s in more trouble than Wohl."

"I don't think anyone's in more trouble than Wohl," Davis said. "How good was your source about Wohl going with Stillwell?"

"I just heard it. I can't even remember where. Maybe on one of those radio talk shows driving to work.

"See what you can find out for sure, Isaac, will you please?" Davis said.

"Yes, sir," Towne said.

"I'll tell you what I can see," Davis said. "Armed robberies of banks, with witnesses afraid to testify because of this case, because of what happened to Mr. Monahan."

"You really think so, Chief?" Young asked.

"I think it's a credible possibility," Davis said. "I think this could be a dry run for something like that."

"Well, there goes our bank robbery solution rate," A-SAC Williamson said.

"I wasn't trying to be funny, Glenn," Davis said.

"Chief, neither was I," Williamson said. "I'm very much afraid you're absolutely right."

"I hope not," Davis said.

It was evident to the others that Davis did not violently object to being told he was absolutely right.

"This isn't exactly on the same subject-" Young said.

"But?" Davis prodded.

"I told you the reason I was late was because I was talking with Jack Matthews. He heard something last night that might, just might, affect one of our ongoing investigations."

"Which one?"

"Bob Holland."

"Oh, Jesus, that's all we need! We're getting pretty close to the end of that, aren't we?"

"At the cost of I don't like to think how much money and man-hours," A-SAC Williamson said, "I have been assured that we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel."

"Well, spit it out, Frank, what did young Matthews hear?"

"Nothing specific. But what he did hear made him think he should bring me in on it. He went drinking with young Payne, his bodyguard, and another young cop-"

"What the hell isthat all about?" Williamson interrupted.

"He went out drinking with the cops? I've been telling my people to maintain a polite, cordial, but distant-"

"I sent him," Davis said, annoyance in his voice. "Okay, Glenn? Go on, Frank."

"Well, toward the end of the evening, when Matthews mentioned that he was working on interstate auto theft, he said the ears of both Payne and one of the cops-McSomething- perked up, and they started asking all sorts of questions about how the Bureau runs a car theft investigation. From the nature of their questions, Jack thought that they could be talking about Bob Holland's operation."

"What kind of questions?" A-SAC Towne asked.

"Why don't we go to the source?" SAC Davis said. He picked up his telephone. "Carolyn, would you please ask Special Agent Matthews to come in here?"

"Who's that?" Officer Robert Hartzog said into the microphone of the new intercom on the wall of Matt Payne's kitchen.

"Inspector Wohl."

"Be right there, Inspector," Hartzog said. He then went down the stairs two at a time.