Several people were hurrying towards Mel's office as quickly as they could. Mel and Tanya had made some phone calls, and they had made it clear that speed was all important.

Bert Weatherby, the Transport Manager of TWA and Tanya's boss, arrived first, followed by Ned Ordway.

'What's this all about?' Weatherby asked.

'We're not sure, but we think there may be a bomb on board the Rome flight.'

Weatherby looked hard at Tanya, but he said nothing. Mel told the two men all that he and Tanya knew. While he was explaining the situation Harry Standish came in with Bunnie Vorobioff, the girl who had sold the insurance policy to Guerrero. As she listened to what Mel was saying, she began to look pale and frightened.

'What we have to decide,' Mel told them all, 'is whether we should warn the captain of Flight Two, and if so, what we should tell him.' The captain of Flight Two was Vernon Demerest, he remembered.

The telephone rang. There was more information for them about Flight Two, giving them the present position of the plane, and its height, speed and course. There was some news from Joe Patroni, too. Runway three zero would be out of use for at least one more hour.

Weatherby asked: 'That woman - the passenger's wife. What's her name?'

'Inez Guerrero,' Ordway told him.

'Where is she?'

'We don't know. My men are looking for her now.'

'She was here,' Mel said. 'We had no idea-'

'We were all slow,' Weatherby said.

Tanya knew that he was remembering that he had told her to 'forget it!' when she had tried to talk to him about Guerrero.

'Perhaps we should send a description of Guerrero to the captain,' she suggested.

'Yes,' Mel agreed. 'We have someone here who has seen him and can describe him.'

He turned to Bunnie. 'Are you Miss Vorobioff?'

All the men turned to look at her. Weatherby almost whistled, but he managed to stop himself just in time.

'Do you remember the man we are talking about?'

'I - I'm not sure,' she said nervously.

'A man called D. O. Guerrero. You sold him an insurance policy, didn't you?'

'Yes.'

'So you can tell us what he looks like.'

'No -I can't.'

Mel looked surprised. 'But I thought you said earlier that you could!'

'I'm sorry. I don't remember now.'

Ned Ordway stepped towards Bunnie. 'Listen,' he said. 'I know that you can describe this man. You're frightened, aren't you? You think that it will get you into trouble?'

Bunnie did not answer.