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something?”
    Mike shook his head. “No—if I had, I would have turned him in. There were just coincidences. Also, he seemed to have a lot ofmoney for a guy who worked part-time for minimum wage.”
    â€œDennis is a jerk,” Jessica said disdainfully, fiddling with the straw in her glass. “I think he’s behind all these robberies.”
    â€œWhat robberies?” Nancy was quick to ask.
    Peter joined the conversation. “Somebody’s been ripping off houses in Beverly Hills lately,” he said. “Expensive stuff like VCRs, video cameras, and equipment have been missing.”
    Beth was fiddling nervously with her pendant, a gold cat with white opals for eyes, and Nancy noticed she was a little pale. “Dennis always hung out at the Snake Pit,” she put in. “It’s a kind of crummy place downtown. Maybe that’s where to look for him.”
    â€œYeah, I’d see him there a lot when I was working,” Peter added.
    â€œYou work there?” Ned asked.
    â€œSometimes. I like the music. The crowd’s okay. An under-eighteen place. You know. No drinking, just music, video games, pinball, and fun.” Peter slouched in his chair. “I never liked Dennis, though. He’s a bit rough for that place.”
    â€œDo you think someone there might know where he is?” Nancy asked.
    â€œI can think of a few people to ask,” Peter offered.
    Now we’re getting somewhere, Nancy thought. “How about going now?”
    â€œI’ll go find Josh,” Ned said with a nod of agreement, pushing back his chair.
    Fifteen minutes later Nancy, Ned, and Josh were headed for the Snake Pit, following Mike, Beth, Jessica, and Peter. The club was in one of L.A.’s seedier areas, with a lot of empty warehouses.
    â€œSome artists and musicians live down here,” Josh explained. “It used to be dangerous, but now it’s mostly trendy.”
    They met Rachel’s friends in the club’s parking lot, and Nancy took the lead. Her cases had taken her to worse places than this, she thought as she pushed open the heavy metal door.
    The Snake Pit was full of smoke, and there were black leather jackets everywhere. The crowd—girls and guys—looked pretty tough.
    Up on the stage a band hammered out earsplitting music. Nancy couldn’t make out any of the words. Waitresses in vinyl miniskirts squeezed between packed tables, carrying trays of soft drinks.
    â€œDoes anybody see Dennis?” Nancy asked, raising her voice to be heard over the noise.
    Jessica, Beth, and Mike shook their heads.Peter was busy saying hello to someone he knew.
    â€œIt’s early,” Josh said, scanning the crowd.
    â€œIs there anybody here you’d recognize as a friend of Dennis’s?” Nancy asked.
    â€œWe don’t hang around with this crowd,” Jessica shouted just as the music died.
    People at surrounding tables turned to stare at her, and the girl slipped down a little in her chair.
    â€œDid my sister ever tell you she wanted to run off with this guy?” Josh asked Beth. “I mean, seeing this crowd he hung out with, I can’t believe she would.”
    â€œNo,” Beth answered quickly, her eyes widening. “Of course not. I didn’t even think she was all that serious about him.”
    â€œShe was serious enough to dump me for the guy,” Mike put in sadly.
    â€œI don’t know why you don’t just forget her and start going out with somebody else,” Jessica said coldly. Everyone stared at her in stunned surprise.
    â€œShould we ‘just forget’ that Rachel is missing, too?” Mike demanded, his tone furious.
    â€œIf she’s missing, it’s her own choice!” Jessica spat out the words. “She and that boyfriend of hers are probably in Mexico somewhere, laughing at all of us!”
    â€œArguing won’t get us anywhere,” Ned said, interceding quietly.
    Beth