"I—I knew him slightly. But that was many years ago."
Chan stood. "Humbly begging pardon to be so abrupt," he said. He turned to John Quincy. "The moment of our appointment is eminent—"
"Of course," agreed John Quincy. "See you again, Captain." Perplexed, he followed Chan to the street. "What appointment—" he began, and stopped. Chan was carefully extinguishing the light of the cigarette against the stone facade of the hotel. That done, he dropped the stub into his pocket.
"You will see," he promised. "First we visit police station. As we journey, kindly relate all known facts concerning this Captain Cope."
John Quincy told of his first meeting with Cope in the San Francisco club, and repeated the conversation as he recalled it.
"Evidence of warm dislike for Dan Winterslip were not to be concealed?" inquired Chan.
"Oh, quite plain, Charlie. He certainly had no love for Cousin Dan. But what—"
"Immediately he was leaving for Hawaii—pardon the interrupt. Does it happily chance you know his date of arrival here?"
"I do. I saw him in the Alexander Young Hotel last Tuesday evening when I was looking for you. He was rushing off to the Fanning Islands, and he told me he had got in the previous day at noon—"
"Monday noon to put it lucidly."