Atlanta Daily World

"Well," I said. "What do you mean by locating her? Suppose I should find her in Banning, for instance, and should tell you where she was. If you stalled around getting to Banning, you would be two thousand dollars to the good.

"Whenever you notify me that you have her located, the time you notify me is the time that counts."

"Put that in," I said.

Shaking with anger, he wrote in the words "Whenever you find her and notify me as to her exact whereabouts, your job is finished."

"Put the time on it and sign it," I said.

He put the time on it and signed it.

I took the paper, wrote "This proposition is accepted. This is the complete agreement." I then signed, "Cool & Lam by Donald Lam."

I handed the paper to Bertha Cool. "Keep this," I said.

He handed Bertha the check, got up, started for the door, turned, acted as though he intended to say something to me, then changed his mind and thumped out of the office.

"Fry me for an oyster!" Bertha said. "How you do this stuff, Donald, is beyond me! Now what are you going to do?"

I picked up the phone, asked for an outside line, dialed Homicide and got Frank Sellers. "You told me I'd got you out on the end of a limb, and you looked to me to get you off of it," I told him.

"That's right! What've you got now, pint-size?"

"You remember the cute little package in the jersey and shorts who was washing dishes out at 1638 Frostmore Road?"

"Do I?"

"She's up here in the office," I told him. "I think she has something to tell you that you'll like to listen to."

"Bring her down here."

"No dice," I told him. "I'm going to uncover something. If you want the credit, you'd better be on hand when the lid blows off. If you aren't there, you know how the newspaper reporters are. Some other officer will bull them into giving him the credit for the work you've done."

He thought that over for a minute, then said, "I'm coming up."

"All right," I told him. "Have lots of oil and gas in your car."

A model, a compass, a map of Southern California, a flashlight and shovel complete the equipment for a strange search, as the story reaches a new pitch of excitement here tomorrow.