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  “Who was that?” Frank asked when they were gone.

  “Stan Redmond,” Anya said. “He’s the producer of this film. He’s like the money guy, I guess—at least he’s always complaining about how much all Jaan’s wacky new ideas cost.”

  “So this is really your first movie role ever, huh?” I asked.

  “Uh-huh.” She smiled sheepishly. “First acting job ever, actually. It’s a little crazy. I only went to the audition because my friends talked me into it. They’re convinced that I look just like Deathstalker.”

  “You totally do,” I said.

  “That’s what Jaan said as soon as he saw me. Before I knew what was happening, here I was! Anyway, thanks for coming. I feel a little better just knowing someone’s taking the problems seriously.”

  “Exactly what problems?” Frank asked. “ATAC didn’t give us many details. They just said something about a fire….”

  “Yeah.” Anya glanced around her trailer. “My first dressing room burned down last week. Like, ten minutes after I left to get coffee with Harmony. It’s lucky I wasn’t inside taking a nap!”

  “Really?” I leaned forward. “Arson?”

  “I don’t know.” Anya shrugged and sighed. “The fire department and police came to investigate, but Jaan won’t give me a straight answer about what they found.”

  “Yeah, I believe it,” I said. “I just met the guy, but he kind of talks in circles.”

  Anya laughed. “That’s just Jaan,” she said. “He’s pretty cool, actually. He’s been super supportive of me, even though I have so much to learn about this whole acting thing. Sometimes I feel like he’s the only one who—”

  At that moment the door flew open and a woman burst in. She was about the age of my grandma, with little half-moon glasses perched on her nose and gray hair pulled into a tight bun.

  “Oh! So sorry, sweetie,” she cooed. “I didn’t realize you had company.” She peered at Frank and me with curious hazel eyes. “Who have we here?”

  I gulped. Great. We’d only been here about five seconds, and already our cover was looking shaky. How were we going to explain why some random extra was hanging out with Anya and her boyfriend?

  But being an ATAC agent is all about being quick on your feet. Frank was already speaking up to introduce himself as “Frank Miller of Apple Valley, Minnesota.”

  “Yes. Frank and I have been dating since, like, eighth grade,” Anya added. Leaning closer to Frank, she hugged his arm and gave him a dazzling smile. “I missed him so much that I finally talked him into flying out to visit for a while.”

  Wow. This might be her first acting job, but she was pretty convincing. Frank actually looked a little overwhelmed.

  But he plowed on, introducing me by my cover name. “Joe’s an old buddy of mine from back home,” he improvised. “We went to summer camp together. He’s always wanted to be an actor, so Anya helped him get a gig as an extra on this film. We both flew in this morning from Apple Valley.”

  Good old Frank! He might be hopeless with girls, but the guy can think fast. It was the perfect cover story. Now we could talk to each other as much as we wanted without raising suspicion.

  “How nice.” The woman clasped her hands. “And how lovely that you came to see Anya, Frank. You two must miss each other dreadfully being so far apart….”

  I didn’t hear the rest of what she said. I’d just heard a soft buzz from nearby. I glanced over just in time to see Anya look down at her cell phone. All the color suddenly drained out of her face as she stared at the tiny screen.

  Uh-oh. That couldn’t be good.

  “Anyway, we just arrived and were catching up,” I said loudly, hoping the woman—whoever she was—would take the hint.

  Luckily, she did. “How nice. I’ll leave you to it, then. I’m sure Anya is eager for all the news from home.” She beamed at me. “If you see Harmony around anywhere, would you be a dear and let her know that Vivian’s looking for her?”

  “Sure.” Frank stood up politely and held the door as the woman left.

  “What?” I asked Anya as soon as the door shut behind the woman.

  Wordlessly, Anya held up her phone. Frank and I leaned closer to see the text message on the screen. It was short and not so sweet.

  U WILL NEVER LIVE 2B DEATHSTALKER!

  A Sudden Change in Plans

  “Who sent this?” Joe grabbed the phone out of Anya’s hand.

  “I don’t know,” she said, her voice shaking. “Jaan tried to have someone trace them, but I guess they didn’t have any luck.”

  “Them?” I said. “You mean you’ve gotten other threats like this?”

  “I was about to tell you about that when Vivian came in.” Anya bit her lip. “This is the fourth message since shooting started. It’s like someone wants to scare me off this project.”

  “That’s what it sounds like,” I agreed.

  “And that’s not all,” Anya said. “The morning of the fire, someone left a photo in my dressing room.”

  “A photo of what?” Joe asked.

  “Of me. It was a publicity still of me in my Deathstalker costume, but my face is cut out of it.”

  “Whoa,” Joe said. “Creepy.”

  “I know.” Anya shuddered. “Especially since it appeared while I was just a few yards away shooting a scene. That means whoever left it must’ve been someone with access to the set. I just can’t believe …” She hesitated, her voice trailing off.

  “What?” I prompted.

  She shook her head. “Never mind. I’m just feeling a little paranoid right now. It’s stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid at all,” Joe assured her. “Can we see the photo?”

  She shook her head. “It burned in the fire.”

  Too bad. That photo might have been our best clue so far. “Do you think it’s the same person doing everything?” I asked Anya. “The text messages, the photo, the fire?”

  “No clue,” Anya said. “But it’s really freaking me out. It’s going to be kind of a relief to get away from the set, even if it’s just for one day.”

  “Get away?” I wasn’t sure what she meant. “To where?”

  “Didn’t Jaan tell you?” Anya looked surprised. “We’re going to the FanCon in New Jersey today. It’s like some huge science fiction and comics convention.”

  “Totally!” Joe looked excited. “I’ve always wanted to go to FanCon! You’re going there today?”

  Anya glanced at her watch. “The limos are supposed to leave in fifteen minutes. It’s some kind of publicity thing for the film.”

  Talk about bad timing! How were we supposed to investigate if half the cast was off at some convention all day?

  “Who’s going to the convention?” I asked Anya.

  “Most of the primary actors, plus Jaan and Stan and a few support people. The assistant director is staying here with Scorch and the rest of the crew. They’re going to shoot some special effects stuff with some of the extras while we’re gone.”

  Okay. Time to look for another silver lining. Maybe with the main actors out of the way, Joe and I could talk to the remaining cast and crew and figure out whether any of them might have reason to want Anya out of the picture.

  “We should probably head over to wait for the limos,” she added, checking her watch again.

  We? Uh-oh. I belatedly realized she expected me to come along and play my new role as personal bodyguard—and fake boyfriend.

  But maybe that was okay. “Guess we’ll split up for today,” I told Joe. “You can hang around here and check things out, and I’ll start getting to know the rest of the cast at the convention.”

  “Yeah.” Joe sounded disappointed. “Makes sense.”

  Anya glanced from me to Joe. “Oh, I was really hoping you’d both come to the convention!” she said. “Please? I have no idea when Big Bobby’s going to show up, and I’d feel a lot safer with both of you there.”

  I hesitated. Having both of us spend the day away from the movi
e set—the scene of the crime— seemed like a big waste of time.

  But Joe can never resist a pretty face. Besides, I knew he was dying to check out FanCon.

  “Sure, that should work,” he told Anya eagerly. “It’ll be fun.”

  “We’re not here to have fun,” I reminded him. “Besides, how are we going to explain why some random extra gets to tag along?”

  Joe shrugged. “Easy. We just need to add a few details to the story you told that lady.”

  “Vivian,” Anya supplied. “She’s Harmony’s agent.”

  “Whatever,” Joe said. “Anyway, let’s say we didn’t just go to camp together. Maybe I saved your life…. I pulled you out of the water after you got conked on the head with a canoe paddle and almost drowned.”

  “Hmm. It’s interesting how you always end up the hero in your cover stories,” I commented.

  “What can I say?” Joe grinned. “The role suits me.”

  Anya giggled. “You two are good. I think that story will work fine. I’ll text Jaan right now and let him know.”

  “Are we going to stand around all day waiting for Zolo?” Vance asked impatiently.

  Twenty minutes had passed since we’d left Anya’s dressing room. Yeah, I know Anya said the limos were supposed to leave in fifteen minutes. The trouble was, one of the actors wasn’t there yet. The rest of the actors weren’t too happy about it, including the blond guy we’d encountered earlier.

  “Chill out, Vance,” Harmony told him. “You know Zolo. He loves making an entrance.”

  There had to be at least two dozen people clustered around the little fleet of limos: uniformed limo drivers, several adult actors, a bunch of beefy guys who I guessed were bodyguards, and various others.

  Jaan St. John was standing with Stan Redmond and a couple of the adult actors. “I’ll try calling him again,” Redmond said in his brusque way. He strode off, already punching numbers into his cell.

  I decided we might as well take advantage of the delay by getting to know the other teen actors. We’d already met Vance and Harmony, so I turned to a good-looking dark-haired guy.

  “Hi,” I said, sticking out my hand. “I’m Frank Miller, Anya’s boyfriend from back home.”

  “Frank Miller? Seriously?” The guy shook my hand and flashed me a million-dollar grin. “Wow, I didn’t even know Anya had a boyfriend. Nerd-boys everywhere will be crushed when they find out. Good to meet you, though, Frank. I’m Buzz Byers—I play Billy in the film.”

  Joe heard him and looked over. “You mean Susie Q’s loyal but clueless boyfriend?”

  Harmony giggled and sidled closer to Buzz. “That’s right,” she said. “Poor Billy has no idea that boys are falling all over me everywhere I go. Or even that my BFF is now Deathstalker, the venomous bringer of justice!”

  “It’s a good thing you’re such a good girl that you’d never betray me,” Buzz joked.

  “So how long have you been acting?” I asked Buzz.

  “Years,” Buzz replied. “I made my Broadway debut in a revival of Oliver! at age eleven.”

  “Broadway?” I echoed.

  “Yeah, that’s my thing. I love getting out onstage every night and feeling the audience’s reactions.” Buzz glanced at the movie set sprawled out behind us. “My agent talked me into giving this silver screen thing a whirl.”

  Joe looked at Vance. “Wait, I assumed you were playing Billy,” he said. “So what’s your role?”

  “I’m Parker Oberon,” Vance replied.

  Joe looked confused. “Who’s that? Some minor character I’m forgetting?”

  “Parker doesn’t appear in the comics,” Harmony explained. “He’s Deathstalker’s love interest. They created the character for the movie because they wanted more romance.”

  “And because I became available,” Vance put in with a smug look. “They said I was too self-confident to be believable as Billy and too young and handsome to play Dr. Brayne. So they created the role of Parker just for me.”

  I traded a quick look with Joe. Okay, so we were already learning some things about the cast: Harmony and Buzz seemed pretty nice and normal; Vance was totally full of himself.

  Just then there was a commotion nearby. “He’s here!” someone called.

  “Hey,” Joe said. “It’s the weird-looking kid who played the alien in those old toothpaste commercials!”

  Okay, so my brother isn’t exactly Mr. Tactful. But he was right. As soon as I saw the guy walking toward us, I recognized him too. There was no mistaking him. He had freaky green eyes that reminded me of a snake’s. They glowed out of his narrow, sepia-skinned face with its high, smooth forehead. Even though he was shorter than average, his arms and fingers were abnormally long.

  “Zolo’s an alien this time, too,” Buzz said. “He’s playing Asp.”

  “Oh!” Joe sounded surprised. “Okay, I can see that, I guess. But it’s weird to think of Asp not being super tall like he is in the comics.”

  “You’re not the only one who thinks so,” said Buzz. “All the comics nerds have been arguing about that since casting was announced.”

  “That’s Joe,” I put in with a slight smirk. “Huge comics nerd. That’s why Anya asked Jaan to let him tag along today.”

  “Greetings, children,” Zolo said as he came slinking toward us. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

  “You did,” Vance said. “As usual.”

  Zolo looked unconcerned. “Patience is a virtue, my friend.”

  “Never mind, we’re all here now.” Jaan started shooing us toward the waiting limos. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Joe got shuffled along toward one of the cars with Jaan, Buzz, Harmony, and Vivian, while Anya grabbed my hand and dragged me toward another. We ended up riding with Zolo, Vance, a production assistant who never took her cell phone away from her ear, and a handful of bodyguards.

  “Is one of those guys Big Bobby?” I whispered to Anya as the limo wound its way through the busy city streets.

  She shook her head. “He texted me again. He’s going straight to the convention and will meet us there.”

  As I turned away from the bodyguards, I was startled to find Zolo’s creepy green eyes trained on me.

  “So who are you?” he asked without preamble.

  “This is my boyfriend, Frank,” Anya answered for me. “He flew in from Apple Valley this morning. Frank, this is Zolo Watson.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  Zolo just nodded. “You never mentioned a boyfriend before, Anya,” he said in a voice so low and smooth it was practically a purr. “Keeping secrets from us, are you?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “It’s just, I guess I never, um …”

  “Don’t let him bother you,” Vance advised, glaring at Zolo. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. It’s his favorite pastime.”

  Zolo smirked and sat back against the plush leather seat. “Frank’s not a bad-looking guy, eh, Bainbridge?” he said to Vance. “Hope she’s not trying to sneak him in to take your place in the film. Oh wait—that’s what you do.”

  Vance scowled. “Nice conspiracy theory, dude. Is that what your loser screenplay is about? You know, the one nobody in Hollywood wants to read?”

  Zolo’s green eyes went hard. “You’re the last person I’m going to talk to about my screenplay, Bainbridge. So shut your trap before I shut it for you.”

  Vance just rolled his eyes, not seeming too worried. But Zolo turned away and hunched in the corner, looking broody and aggressive.

  Hmm, interesting. Zolo’s whole demeanor had changed at Vance’s mention of his screenplay. What was that about?

  This Zolo guy seemed pretty weird overall, actually. Was it an act? Or could there be something else going on?

  Then there was his comment about replacing actors. That seemed odd too. Even suspicious, considering what had been going on with Anya.

  Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I sent a quick text to HQ, asking them to send me
the 411 on Zolo Watson.

  SUSPECT PROFILE

  Name: Zolo Watson

  Hometown: Hollywood, California

  Physical description: Age 17, 5′4″, 110 165., African American. Large, piercing green eyes in a narrow face; long limbs and fingers that give him an otherworldly look.

  Occupation: Actor and would-be screenwriter

  Background: Zolo is the only child of an actress and a moderately successful TV producer. He’s been in show business all his life, debuting in TV commercials as an infant. However, his unconventional looks have limited him to quirky bit parts.

  Suspicious behavior: Has a reputation for being a weirdo in general; seems moody and unpredictable.

  Suspected of: Trying to scare Anya away from the role as Deathstalker.

  Possible motive: Zolo sees Asp as his breakthrough role, his ticket to more important projects-and maybe even some attention for the screenplay he’s been working on. He may be hoping the title role will be recast with a big-ticket actress, thereby guaranteeing the film’s success.

  By the time we made it through the Lincoln Tunnel, Zolo seemed to shake off his bad mood and go back to normal—well, as normal as he was before, anyway. I spent the rest of the ride listening to the actors talk about their favorite topic: themselves.

  Anya was pretty quiet, staring out the window at the scenery alongside the New Jersey Turnpike. But Vance and Zolo had a lot to say—to me, to each other, to the disinterested bodyguards. When all that failed, Vance seemed perfectly content to talk to himself.

  Most of what he said wasn’t too useful. I learned that he was dating an actress named Amy Alvaro, that he was determined to be the most successful actor in Hollywood by the time he turned twenty-one, and that he was pretty full of himself, as I’d already figured out.

  Finally we arrived at our destination. The convention was being held at a big hotel complex that was attached to a large shopping mall. Our limo pulled up to the curb behind a couple of the others.

  Anya peered out the tinted window. “Wow, there are tons of people out there,” she said, sounding nervous. She looked wistfully toward the mall. “This is weird. I kind of wish I was just coming here to shop with my friends, like I used to do back home.”