"Two days!" Scotty exclaimed. "What have you been doing?"
Chahda bowed. "Scotty, please to be speckfull. You now speak to Raman Sunda, salesman of cloths."
"I'll show proper speck," Scotty said with a grin. "Do you mean clothes?"
"Not clothes. Cloths. Tax-tills."
"Textiles," Zircon boomed. "Chahda, what on earth does a Hindu textile salesman have to do with finding Briotti and Shannon?"
"Plenty do with, Professor. In this country is plenty Hindus like me. Many sell tax-tills. So I travel, and listen. Yes?"
Rick still didn't get it. "But why, Chahda?"
"We face fact you like so much, Rick. Okay? This is country of brown-skinned people, like me. People talk to me when they not talk to you. So I go alone to Davao, on island of Mindanao. Is big city, says in 'Alm-in-ack.' Has 111,263 peoples. Some maybe know something, so my friends here, they send me to friend in Davao. He helps me meet people who can maybe help some more. Okay?"
"I should have known," Rick said with admiration. "Leave it to you to dig up an angle."
Chahda winked. "Among Hindus is always ideas. Now, I go Davao tonight. You coming too? Okay. You stay at Apo View Hotel. Is very good. I stay there, too. We not knowing each other for little while, I think. That is why I come into your room with special key my boss gives me to open many doors. Better I work alone for now."