"We're thinking of taking the night plane to Winnipeg," he said indecisively. "Any empty berths?"
The clerk grinned.
"Fortunately for you," he said, "there aren't any priority passengers tonight. The Winnipeg job has been full of flyers headed for the Canadian border for the past two weeks. Nothing of importance tonight. Five berths available."
Drake looked around curiously.
"Have you a passenger named George Lardner?" he asked.
The clerk took down a small file and thumbed through it. He shook his head.
"No. Had you planned to meet him here?"
Drake smiled.
"We had a date," he admitted. "George Lardner is headed for the same destination. He'll no doubt catch a later plane and meet us in Winnipeg."
The clerk was penning figures rapidly across the ticket.