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sort of trouble poor Jillian's in?"
    "Someone is anxious to talk to her about some movie work."
    "She's a very talented actress, is Jillian. I saw her in that play - 'Tis a Pity She Won't Be Woo'd. Very good she was, although I didn't understand a word of the play itself."
    "Could you tell me more about the last time you saw her?"
    "It was a weeknight, about ten days ago, as best I can recall." Mrs. Farnum frowned, trying to drag up some memories. "She was on her way to the theater for that evening's performance. I'd just been marketing and saw her coming downstairs. She lives up on the third floor."
    "Did you talk to her?"
    "Just a bit of a chat - reminding her to take an umbrella - and she was off."
    Joe frowned. "You haven't seen her since?"
    The teakettle started to whistle. Mrs. Farnum shook her head and rose, and Joe followed her to the kitchen doorway. "Jillian didn't give you any notice that she was going away?"
    "She didn't, no. Though at first I wasn't too concerned. I mean, her rent's paid for the month, and her things are still in her flat." Mrs. Farnum poured the boiling water into a blue teapot.
    "Does she go away often?"
    "Now and then, mostly to do a play out in one of the provincial theaters."
    "Does she usually tell you when she expects to be gone for a while?"
    Settling the teapot, two blue cups, and a bowl of sugar on a tray, Mrs. Farnum carried it back into the parlor. "Jillian always told me where she was off to and how long she'd be gone. She's a very considerate girl." She frowned. "That's why, I must admit, I've been a little concerned this time. It isn't like her to be gone so long without leaving word."
    "Over the past few weeks, ma'am, has she had any unusual visitors?"
    "Not that I - wait, I'm a liar. One night about two weeks ago I happened to stay up late to catch a special program on the telly. I noticed a very fancy car dropping Jillian off. Quite grand, it was - a Rolls-Royce."
    "Did you get a glimpse of the driver?"
    "That I didn't, Mr. Hardy." She shook her head. "Milk for your tea?"
    "No thanks, ma'am," he said. "Did Jillian have any regular boyfriends?"
    "Not recently, no."
    "Any old boyfriends who might have made trouble for her sometime or another?"
    Mrs. Farnum froze over her cup in mid-pour. "You suspect the child's come to grief, don't you?"
    'We don't have any idea yet what's become of her," Joe said. "But when people disappear, it helps to know if anybody's been making threats."
    "Oh, that's terrible." The teapot rattled against the cup as Mrs. Farnum's hand shook. She nervously bit at her lower lip. "Poor Jillian."
    "We don't know anything yet. She may be perfectly fine someplace. Don't get upset."
    Mrs. Farnum resumed pouring. "Did that person in that fancy car do her harm?"
    "I don't know, but I'm curious about who might have been driving it."
    She rose and handed him a cup of tea. "Help yourself to sugar."
    "I'll drink it straight," he replied. "What about the other tenants here - how many are there?"
    "At the moment there's just Miss Lore and Mr. Singh."
    "Are they at home?"
    "Miss Lore is over in Paris on business. Mr. Singh - a very nice young man from India - is at the bank where he works."
    After taking a sip of his tea, Joe put the cup on a small table near his chair. "I'd like to have a look around Jillian's rooms."
    "Well now, I don't know ... "
    "She might have left something behind - something that would help us find her."
    "Yes, I can see where that's possible," Mrs. Farnum said. "Tell you what. I'll give you my passkey, and you can just trot up for a look. I'm expecting a phone call from my cousin Irene. I'm afraid I'll just have to wait here."
    She pressed the key into Joe's hand. "Take your look around, then pop in here and return the key. And do tell me if you find anything."
    "I will, ma'am."
    "You sure you don't mind my not coming along with you?"
    Joe smiled. "Not at all," he assured her.
    ***
    The apartment was at the rear of the building on the top floor. A