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houses, and tennis courts and … Hi, Bill, how ya doin’? I was real sorry to hear about your wife.”
    Rooney rose to his feet.
    “Thank you.”
    “You ever heard of a movie star called Elizabeth Seal?”
    Rooney nodded.
    “Sure, used to have the hots for her.”
    Rosie turned, pointing to Lorraine.
    “See? I told you she was famous. Well, that’s where I just come from, Elizabeth Seal’s home, like some kinda palace.”
    Lorraine passed coffee to Rooney and indicated a ijiug to Rosie.

    “I’ll have some,”
    Rosie said as she took off her light coat.
    “They even got an English butler, I’m not kiddin’, and a maid. They left me in the hallway awhile until Phyllis came down. It’s^normous, the hall, like you could roller-skate around it. They got some
    “ash, tons of it, got paintings worth millions, I’d say. These old movie stars sure know how to live in style.”
    Lorraine poured Rosie a coffee.
    “Did Phyllis say anything about us working for them?”
    “Nah, she just took the envelope, thanked me for coming around and said she’d see me at the meeting day after tomorrow. Never even offered me so much as a glass of water. To be honest she seemed edgy, know what I mean? Kept looking over her shoulder… . Maybe we should have sent it by messenger.”
    “Elizabeth Seal, I remember her,”
    Rooney said, closing his eyes.
    “She’s originally from New Orleans, starred in a movie called Swamp somethin’ or other, while back. She was real sexy… .”
    Rosie nodded and began to list Elizabeth Seal’s later films. Lorraine sat at her own desk with her coffee. Rooney frowned as he listened to Rosie, then nodded his head.

    “Yeah, yeah, I remember now, she was all over the papers a while back, somethin’ about a girlkidnapped, wasn’t she?”
    Rooney was pinching his nose, trying to recall what he’d read about the case.

    “I said it made all the papers, didn’t I?”
    Rosie was nodding and beaming.

    “Her daughter, her body was never found?”
    Rooney pondered.
    “Right, and they are still trying to find her. But it wasn’t here in Hollywood, it was in New Orleans. She disappeared there, didn’t she?”
    Rosie pointed.
    “Yes, disappeared into thin air. She went there with her parents during Mardi Gras. She goes out and is never seen again.”
    Rooney chewed his lip and then looked at Lorraine.
    “I think a friend of mine, Jim Sharkey, handled the case here … all comin’ back to me.”
    “Lorraine didn’t even know who Elizabeth Seal is,”
    Rosie interjected.

    The phone rang, making Rooney jump as he was sitting on the edge , of the desk closest to it. Rosie answered, feeling very superior by now.

    “Page Investigations.”
    She then commenced a waving pantomime to i Lorraine, gesturing toward her desk and her phone.
    “Would you hold one moment and I will see if Mrs. Page is free to take your call.”
    Rosie covered the phone with her hand and took a deep breath.
    “Elizabeth Caley, line one!”

CHAPTER
    r ť
    I Lorraine checked her appearance. Her tan shoes looked scuffed,
    LI so she kicked them off and Rosie was ready with polish and a brush. Rooney would drive her to the CalejAmse, not only saving money on a cab but, as an ex-captain of the Pasadewa Homicide Squad, his presence might add extra weight to Page Investigations Agency.

    Rooney had jumped at the opportunity of filling up his empty days and had tracked down a few back issues of the papers that had run the story about the missing Caley girl. He had also used his police contacts to try to get further details from the officers who had been overseeing the case. Jim Sharkey, the officer heading the LA side of the investigation, had not been very helpful; Rooney reckoned he’d have to take him out and give him a night on the town to gain any decent information. But Rooney did have something regarding the private investigators who had already been hiredand it was an impressive list. Lorraine adamantly refused to allow