“I’ll get in touch with you next Thursday,” the elder Eden said. “By the way—I’m sorry it wasn’t more, for your sake.”
“It was an amazing lot,” she replied. “I’m very happy.” Her eyes filled. “Dear dad—he’s taking care of me still,” she added, and went quickly out.
Eden turned to his son. “I judge you haven’t taken a newspaper job yet?”
“Not yet.” The boy lighted a cigarette. “Of course, the editors are all after me. But I’ve been fighting them off.”
“Well, fight them off a little longer. I want you to be free for the next two or three weeks. I’ve a little job for you myself.”
“Why of course, dad.” He tossed a match into a priceless Kang-Hsi vase. “What sort of job? What do I do?”
“First of all, you meet the President Pierce late next Thursday afternoon.”
"Sounds promising. I presume a young woman, heavily veiled, comes ashore—
“No. A Chinese comes ashore.”
“A what?”
“A Chinese detective from Honolulu, carrying in his pocket a pearl necklace worth over a quarter of a million dollars.”
Bob Eden nodded. “Yes. And after that—”
“After that,” said Alexander Eden thoughtfully, “who can say? That may be only the beginning.”
