“You and Otto were the last guys to work on the chopper. The FBI is going to be breathing down your necks. If you two are innocent, who else could have done it?”
Ferdie started shaking his head. He was thin and wiry, his face slightly weathered. “I got no idea who crashed the helo or why the hell they would want to do it.” He paused, his eyebrows sliding together. “Wait a minute. I remember something that might be important.”
“I’m listening.”
“The day before the crash, first thing that morning, one of the guys noticed a window in the back of the shop had been jimmied open. Whoever broke in would have had access to the helo.”
“You report the break-in to the police?”
“I reported it to my super and he called the sheriff. Deputy came out and took a look, asked us if anything was missing. We searched but didn’t find anything gone. I’m pretty sure the deputy filed a report, but that was the end of it. Until now, it didn’t seem important. I mean, we all thought the crash was an accident.”
“Thanks, Ferdie.” Reese handed him one of his Garrett Resources business cards. “If you think of anything else, I’d appreciate a call.”
Ferdie nodded, tucked the card into the breast pocket of his overalls, and walked away.
Kenzie looked at Reese. “You think someone from outside the terminal could have broken in and sabotaged the engine?”
“I don’t know, but it’s something we need to check out.”
They started walking back across the asphalt yard. “I have a feeling you don’t think it was Ferdie, either,” Kenzie said.
“The break-in changes the dynamics. It makes sense it was someone who wouldn’t immediately be a suspect. Someone other than one of the regular mechanics.”
“True, but from what you’ve said, whoever it was had to be an expert, someone who knew how to sabotage the chopper without anyone figuring it out. It’s been weeks. Whoever did it almost got away without anyone knowing.”
Reese’s jaw clenched, but he made no comment.
It was late in the afternoon and they hadn’t had anything besides coffee all day.
“We need to eat something,” Reese said. “See if you can find us a place close by.”
Kenzie took out her cell and brought up restaurants in the area. “There’s a place called The Galley. It’s on Sea Wolf Parkway. Nothing fancy but the reviews look good.”
“Let’s go.”
The Galley turned out to be a locals’ joint with corrugated tin booths and music playing a little too loud. They both ordered catfish po’boys and iced tea.
As they finished the sandwiches, Reese checked the time on his phone. “We need to go to the sheriff’s office, but it’s getting late. We’ll have a better chance of getting the info we want if we go tomorrow morning instead of the end of a long, hot day.”
She nodded. It had been a long day, and she was exhausted. She took a drink of iced tea. “I think we made a good start, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. Ferdie was right. Nobody put the break-in together with the crash because everyone thought it was an accident. Now that they know the crash was intentional, the FBI is going to be very interested in finding the intruder.”
“Maybe you should leave it to them.”
“Maybe. Let’s see what Tabby comes up with. Until we know why that particular helicopter was targeted—”
“Until we know for sure it wasn’t you they wanted to kill—”
He nodded. “We need to keep going.” He paid the bill and slid out of the booth. “Come on, let’s go. It’s still a ways back to Houston.”
After an hour and half of winding his way through traffic, Reese parked the Rover and walked Kenzie to the door of the apartment next to his.
“I’ve got plans for the evening,” he said. “You going to be okay on your own?”
He had plans. Of course he did. “I’ll be fine.” Aside from the night of the benefit, the only time she had spent an evening with Reese was when he was meeting business associates and needed her there as his assistant. “Actually, I made a note on your calendar that you had blocked out the time. I assumed you had a date.”
Something shifted in his features. “That’s right. An old friend. I’ll knock on your door at nine in the morning. That should give us plenty of time to drive back down to Galveston and talk to the sheriff.”
