“Asked for you. Talked to me. I’ve talked again to her since.”
“How’d she know where I was?”
“Called your family in Indiana, first! You evidently wrote ’em you were spending Christmas with me — gave ’em my name — something.”
“Oh. Yes, I did! You mean Eleanor phoned clear to Indiana?”
“Listen, chump!” It as then that Duff got the overtones in Scotty’s voice. “Harry Ellings is dead.”
“Dead?”
“Died in bed. The family thought he’d been up early working in the yard and got a ride to Miami. So they didn’t find him till afternoon. Charley.” Scotty said the name grimly.
“Tough on the kid to find the body. Could have been heart failure — probably was, the doctor thought. But that’s not all. Eleanor said she’d found something. Can you imagine what? She said she wasn’t able, to move it.”
“A box!” Duff all but shouted.
“I presume so. Look, pal! We gotta get back, and fast! I’ve been frantic for you to call! My old man’s working on the air lines — they’re loaded. If he can’t chivvy space for us, I have a pal in Mineola with a sweet, fast job. War surplus plane he bought. I told Eleanor to phone Higgins or Mr. McIntosh at once.”