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the door."
    "It was locked." Joe dug a small electronic listening device out of the phone and dropped it on the table. "This is how they knew about Jed Shannon." He picked up a heavy ashtray and smashed the bug.
    Karen stared at the pieces as if they hid a great mystery. "This doesn't make any sense to me, Joe. Bugs in the phone, mysterious gunmen. It's like something out of a spy novel."
    "More like someone with a very efficient staff is interested in Jillian."
    "You didn't answer my question before. Is she in danger?"
    "I'd say she is. But nobody's been killed so far."
    "You don't know that for certain." Karen's voice rose. "Jillian might be dead right now."
    "I don't think so." Joe responded. "The bad guys - whoever they may be - are working too hard to keep us from looking for her."
    "That doesn't mean she's not dead."
    "Forgive my being blunt, but if she were dead, she couldn't tell us anything about her captors. So the fact that people are trying to stop us is a good sign." Joe picked up the news magazine, which he'd left on the desk. "Does this mean anything to you?"
    Karen studied the marked story. "Not much, I'm afraid. As far as I know, Jillian didn't know this Emily Cornwall." She started to hand the magazine back, then stopped. "But there is one thing."
    "What?"
    "Well, this girl in the picture - Emily Cornwall, I mean. She does look incredibly like Jillian. Of course, she's a brunette, and Jillian's blond. And she doesn't look anywhere near as healthy as Jillian, but the resemblance is amazing."
    "When's the last time you and Jillian talked?"
    "Two weeks ago. I phoned to confirm the details of my visit."
    Taking the magazine back, Joe folded it under his arm. "Did she mention a big movie role that was coming her way, or maybe a nice part in a new play?"
    Frowning, Karen answered, "Yes, she did. She wasn't full of details, though. All she said was that there was a good possibility she'd soon be as rich as I was."
    "You're rich?"
    "Not me, actually, no." Karen looked down at her hands. "But my father happens to be a millionaire."
    "That's a nice sort of father to have. How was Julian planning to get rich?"
    "It was from an acting job. But, as I say, she was reluctant to talk about it."
    Joe gave Karen a skeptical look. So Jillian had a big acting job coming up - that seemed like a pretty poor time to disappear on a vacation. "Was she usually that closemouthed?" he asked.
    "No, not Jillian. This time, however, I had the impression someone had cautioned her not to talk about this particular job. Show business people can be very secretive at times - 'Don't tell anyone about this, or it might spoil the deal.' "
    Joe shook his head. This whole situation made no sense. Threats against Jed, warnings not to look for Jillian. Jillian's disappearance - which might or might not be wrapped up with a secret acting job. Karen Kirk's appearance on the scene right after her friend disappeared. And where did the magazine article in his pocket fit in? There were altogether too many questions here, and far too few answers.
    He checked his wristwatch. "I'm due to meet Frank for lunch in half an hour," he said. "If you came along, we could pool what we know."
    "Are you inviting me to lunch?"
    'Yeah, in a purely businesslike way, understand," Joe said with a wide grin.
    A quick ride on the London Underground brought them to the Bloomsbury area and the restaurant where Joe was supposed to meet Frank. A huge sign in the window read Real American-style Burgers. They grabbed a white Formica-topped table and settled in to wait for Frank. After fifteen minutes, Joe went ahead and ordered sodas and burgers for Karen and himself.
    They took nearly half an hour to arrive. And after one bite, Joe stared at the shriveled-up beef patty in his bun. "American burgers, huh?" He glanced at Karen. "Does this taste like a Connecticut burger to you? It sure doesn't taste like a Bayport burger."
    Karen put her bun down, too, giving Joe a lopsided smile.