Although the newspapers said the game was closer than the score made it seem — Vézina had a terrible night, while Seattle goalie Hap Holmes stopped at least six sure goals — David was glad to get out of everyone’s way on Thursday morning. The players had been pretty angry on Wednesday night and cleared out of the dressing room as quickly as they could. David stayed late to help clean up, but as Mr. Kennedy had promised, Al would now take care of things by himself when the club held practices.
With game two not scheduled until 8:30 on Saturday night, David had the next two and a half days to search for his uncle. Even the weather seemed to co-operate. After two days of rain, the sun was shining on Thursday morning and the temperature was the warmest yet.
David had gotten a copy of the Seattle Street and Car Line Guide at the hotel. Using that, he’d been able to figure out where most of the addresses on his list were located and how to get to them. Only one address had him confused. Benton Embree, a lawyer, had his home address listed as Pontiac Lake. His work address said 417 New York Block. David asked the man at the front desk of the hotel about those.
“Pontiac Lake?” the clerk said. “I don’t know Pontiac Lake. You must mean Pontiac Bay near the top of Lake Washington. There are some pretty fancy homes on Sand Point up there. That would make sense if this man’s a lawyer.”
David flipped through his guidebook. “I don’t see it. Do you know how to get there from here?”
“The streetcar lines don’t run that far. There’s a train that runs out past there a couple of times a day, though. The King Street Station’s not too far from here. You can probably walk it in twenty minutes or so.”
“What about the New York Block? What’s that?”
The clerk smiled. “It’s an office building, and it’s only about ten minutes from here.”
The clerk gave David directions, which were simple. He only had to walk west to Second Avenue and then go south a few blocks to Cherry Street. “It’s not too far from the Smith Tower,” the man explained. “As long as that’s still in front of you, you haven’t gone too far.”
Dressed in his new pair of pants, his best shirt, and the suit jacket Mrs. Wolfe had tailored for him, David headed into the sunshine. Staring up at the buildings he saw and into the faces of the men he passed, it took him more time than the clerk had told him, but it still didn’t take long to reach his destination.
The New York Block was a seven-storey office building as wide as it was tall. It had been one of the first brick-and-stone buildings built after the horrible downtown fire of 1889. Many prettier buildings had gone up in the thirty years since then, but the New York Block still looked sturdy and important.
David climbed the stairs to the sixth floor. His heart was pounding when he got to the top. It was more from excitement than from exercise. What if Benton Embree was his Uncle Danny? David knew that wasn’t likely, but maybe the man would at least be able to tell him something.
He found the door to number 417 and went inside. A woman was working at a typewriter in the small front room. There was a door to a larger office behind her desk.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
David’s throat was suddenly dry. He didn’t want to sound like a shy little boy when he spoke, so he swallowed hard first. “I’d like to speak to Mr. Embree.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Uh, no.”
“I’m Mr. Embree’s secretary, and I’m afraid he’s very busy right now. But perhaps he’ll have some time to see you this afternoon … if you’ll tell me what this is regarding.”
David had had a lot of time on the train to think about what he was going to say if he got to Seattle. He swallowed hard again and then started to explain. “My name’s David Saifert, and I’m trying to find someone here in Seattle. A man named Embury … or maybe Embree. I don’t really know, but he’s my uncle and I need to find him. I’ve come all the way from Montreal …”
He told her about the war and the Spanish Flu and how they had made him an orphan. He explained about his mother and her brother and showed the woman the photograph.
When he was done, the woman got up and opened the door to the larger office. As she went in, David heard her say, “Mr. Embree, there’s a boy out here I think you should see,” before she closed the door behind her. A few minutes later she came out again and told David he could go in.
Benton Embree was a pleasant-looking man. To David he seemed old. He was probably in his mid-fifties, but his balding head made him look even older. Like so many wealthy men, he was a little chunky but not really fat.
“Hello, David,” Mr. Embree said, holding out his hand for David to shake. He then motioned toward the chair in front of his desk and David sat down. Mr. Embree took his seat behind the desk. “Miss Carter, my secretary, told me your story. It’s quite remarkable that you’ve managed to get yourself all the way out here. Do you wish to hire me to help find your uncle? That’s not really what I do.”
“No, sir. I only thought that maybe you’d know something about him or his family. That maybe you’re related to them.”
“Tell me again why you think he’s in Seattle?”
David explained about Danny’s family moving west and then coming to Seattle when his father got sick.
Mr. Embree shook his head. “My wife and I moved to Seattle in 1898. Our son, Harold, was born the next year. We don’t have any other family here, and I’ve never known anyone named Daniel Embree. I’m sorry.”
David nodded slowly.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What will you do now?”
“Well, sir, I have a list of eight families. I’m going to try to talk to them all. Maybe someone will know something.”
Mr. Embree stood. “May I see your list?”
David handed it to him.
“Some of these are a long way from here. How are you planning to get to them all?”
“On the streetcar.”
Mr. Embree sat down again and thought for a moment. “Hmm.” Then he smiled. “If you can be back here tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, I’ll arrange for a driver to take you around to the rest of the addresses on your list. I’ll also have Miss Carter type up a letter for each one of these families. If no one’s at home, you can leave a letter for them. It will instruct them to contact this office if they have any information about your uncle.”