"As far as we can tell, he has made four trips in the past three years. One in June of '79, one in June of '80, one in June of '81, and this year he made the fourth one. In '79, he went to Silver City, New Mexico. In '80 and '81, he went to Hawaii. This year, he went to Silver City again. Mean anything to you?"
"Not yet," Elshawe said. "Are you paying for this call, or is the City of Los Angeles footing the bill?"
"Neither. You are."
"Then shut up and let me think for a minute." After less than a minute, he said: "Martin, I want some more data on that guy. I'm willing to pay for it. Should I hire a private detective?"
"That's up to you. I can't take any money for it, naturally—but I'm willing to nose around a little more for you if I can. On the other hand, I can't put full time in on it. There's a reliable detective agency here in L.A.— Drake's the guy's name. Want me to get in touch with him?"
"I'd appreciate it. Don't tell him who wants the information or that it has any connection with Porter. Get—"
"Hold it, Terry ... just a second. You know that if I uncover any indication of a crime, all bets are off. The information goes to my superiors, not to you."
"I know. But I don't think there's any crime involved. You work it from your end and send me the bills. O.K.?"
"Fair enough. What more do you want?"
Elshawe told him.