Lilian Jackson Braun - Cat 11 Who Lived High

"I went out for some smokes and beer," said Jack Yazbro, 39, "and the top of my car was all bashed in. He wasn't that big of a guy, but it's a long way down." Bessinger died between 11 P.M. and midnight Sunday, according to the medical examiner, although the body was not discovered until Monday morning when her partner, Jerome Todd, phoned and was un- able to get an answer.

"I heard about Ross's suicide on the radio and tried to call her," Todd said. "When she didn't answer, I got worried and called the building manager." The gallery had mounted a one-man exhibit of Rasmus's mushroom paintings in June.

"They sold poorly," said Todd, "and Ross blamed us for not publicizing the event enough." Rasmus rented a loft apartment adjoining Bessinger's lavish penthouse at the Casablanca. Jessica Tuttle, manager of the building, called him a good tenant. "He was a nice, quiet, serious young man," she said. "We rented to him at Ms. Bessinger's recommendation." It was Tuttle who found the murdered woman's body. "Mr. Todd called me about not getting an answer on the phone. He was sure she was home, because she had guests coming for a holiday brunch. So I took my keys and went up there. Her body was on the living room floor, and there was a lot of blood on the carpet." Bessinger had been in the news frequently in connection with the Save Our Casablanca Kommittee, of which she was founder and leader.

Following the news item, a brief obituary had been published in the Wednesday edition of the Fluxion, with a half- column photo of the de- ceased, a vivacious-looking woman with dark shoulder-length hair. Diane had become Diana.

BESSINGER, DIANA

Diana Bessinger, 45, of the Casablanca apartments died Sunday at her home. She was co-owner of the Bessinger-Todd Gallery, founder of the Save Our Casablanca Kommittee, an officer of the Turp and Chisel Oub, and an active worker in local art projects.

A native of Iowa, she was the daughter of the late Prof. and Mrs. Damon Bessinger.

She is survived by one brother and two daughters.

Private services will be held Thursday. Memorials may be made to the Turp and Chisel scholarship fund.

The following Sunday, the art page of the Fluxion carried a commentary by art writer Ylana Targ, with yet a third spelling of the victim's name. A photo taken by a Fluxion photographer at the Rasmus opening in June showed a smiling "Dianne" Bessinger and a shy Ross Rasmus, posed with one of the mushroom paintings. The byline, Qwil leran noted, was another one of those names that was just as logical spelled backward or forward.

MUSHROOM MURDER HAS NO ANSWERS by Ylana Targ

There is only one topic of conversation in the galleries and studios as Dianne Bessinger is tearfully laid to rest and the ashes of the "mushroom painter" are shipped ignominiously to his hometown - somewhere.

Why did he do it? What caused this talented, thoughtful artist to turn violent and commit such a heinous crime? His suicide is easier to explain; it was the only possible escape from intolerable guilt. Desperate remorse must have driven him over the parapet of the Casablanca terrace.

"Lady Di" was his patron, his enthusiastic press agent, his best friend, who saw merit in his work when no other gallery would take a chance on his monomania for mushrooms.

Once, when asked why he never painted broccoli or crook-neck squash, Ross said meekly, "I haven't said all I have to say about mushrooms." Granted, mushrooms are erotic, and he captured their mushroomness succinctly.

Pairing the fleshy fungus with the razor-edge knife, as he did, bordered on soft porn.

Dianne said in an interview last June, , 'There have been artists who painted soft- ness, crispness, silkiness, or mistiness sublimely, but only Rasmus could paint sharpness so sharp that the viewer cringes." The knife he portrayed in the paintings was always the same - a tapered, pointed Japanese slicer with a pale wooden handle and a provocative shapeliness of its own.

One shudders to think too much about the actual crime. The motive is all one can safely or sanely contemplate, and that is a question that will never be answered.

Dianne Bessinger was the founder and president of SOCK. It was a passion with her, and she would not want her worthwhile cause to be overshadowed by the notoriety surrounding her tragic death. She would say, "Let the matter fade away now, and get on with the business of saving the Casablanca." Qwilleran finished reading the clips and patted his moustache. It would be a challenge, he thought, to uncover that hidden motive. It might be buried in 14-A.

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