"Su Tio Carlos," said Judge Arista, as though he had read Biff's mind. "Your Uncle Charles. We reached him in Burma and asked him to fly from there to Darjeeling, so he would be ready to take off for Leh, to join your party there. He is in Darjeeling now."
With that, Judge Arista picked up the telephone and handed it to Biff, adding with a kindly smile, "We have put in a long distance call to your family in Darjeeling. You can talk to them right now."
XIV
The Valley of Doom
Biff was right about Li being worried. From the time he had arrived in Darjeeling, after a ride in from the airport at Bagdogra, Li's worries had begun and stayed with him. He was wondering constantly how much he could tell the Brewsters if they asked him point-blank about Biff.
Biff's mother, Martha Brewster, had met Likake Mahenili in Hawaii at the time Biff and Li had gone on their thrilling sea hunt together. The Brewster twins, eleven-year-old Ted and Monica, had met Li, too, and they were bubbling with delight at seeing him again.
Of course, they wanted to see their big brother, too, so they peppered Li with so many rapid-fire questions about Biff that Li hadn't time to answer any of them, which turned out for the best. In a slightly reproving tone, Mrs. Brewster had suggested that the twins give their guest a chance to speak for himself.
Thanks to that breather, as Biff would have termed it, Li was able to state simply that Biff and Kamuka had gone directly to New Delhi in response to a message from Mr. Brewster.
"We heard from New Delhi, too," Mrs. Brewster said. "Mr. Brewster's company wired that he would be delayed and that Biff was being notified what to do."
"I'll bet Dad has taken Biff to see some super-special gold mines!" exclaimed Ted. "I wish he'd asked me along."
"That must be it," added Monica, "because Kamuka has been studying mining in Brazil. I'd like to have gone, too."