I said, “Once you’d located her, you’d hardly pay money to a detective agency unless you’d already tried getting the information yourself — and failed.”
He didn’t answer immediately. He took the cigar out of his mouth, studied it for several seconds, then shifted his position in the chair, and said, “Frankly, I did. It happens that I have some friends here, the Dearbornes. Ever heard of them?”
“I don’t know anyone in Las Vegas,” I said.
He said, “Mrs. Dearborne is a very close friend. Her daughter, Eloise, is quite attractive — for a long time I had hoped that Philip would realize just how attractive.”
“He hasn’t?”
“Well, they’re friends. I had hoped that friendship would ripen into something deeper. I think it would have if it hadn’t been for Miss Burke.”
“Anyone else in the Dearborne family?”
“Ogden Dearborne, a young man who’s employed in the powerhouse at the Boulder Dam. Amateur aviator. Owns a quarter interest in a plane.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes, just the three.”