The early-morning sun shone brightly. He had a touch of headache and his stomach felt queasy, undoubtedly due to all the alcohol he’d drunk the day before, but he refused to let it keep him from the task at hand. While downing scotch, he’d formulated a plan: he would learn the identity of the stranger who had interrupted him and Clara. He began by making phone calls. His newfound focus had cleared his head, although he suspected that some of his words must have been slurred. Asking around Sunset, he’d wanted to know of any recent arrivals. It didn’t take long for his efforts to bear fruit. He discovered where the man was staying: the Sunset Hotel. From there it was easy. Eddie had telephoned Edna Gilbert and learned every detail he could, beginning with the stranger’s name.Drake McCoy… With that nugget of information, he had made more phone calls, up and down the highways, across the countryside, all the way to St. Louis. What Eddie learned was interesting.
