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e fittings that attracted his interest。 After several minutes he turned his attention to the nose gear。
The twin wheels were joined by a mon axle that was attached at their hubs like the head of a T to the center shaft。 The tires were doughnut shaped and their treads relatively unworn。 They stood roughly three feet high and； amazingly； still contained air。
The garage door creaked。 Pitt turned and watched Loren peek into the darkened cavern。 Heshinedthelightonher。 She was wearing only a blue nylon peignoir。 Her hair was tousled and her face reflected a mixture of fear and uncertainty。
〃Is that you； Dirk？〃
〃No；〃 he said； smiling in the dark。 〃It's your friendly mountain milkman。〃
She heaved a sigh of relief； came forward； and gripped his arm for security。 〃A edian you're not。 What are you doing down here； anyway？〃
〃Something bugged me about these things。〃 He pointed the beam of light at the aircraft fragments。 〃Now I know what it was。〃
Loren stood and shivered in that dirty； dusty garage beneath the silent cabin。 〃You're making a big deal over nothing；〃 she murmured。 〃You said it yourself： the Rafertys had a logical explanation for how this useless junk got here。 Dad probably picked it up at some salvage yard。〃
'Tm not so sure；〃 Pitt said。
〃He was always buying up old scrap；〃 she argued。 〃Look around you； the place is full of his weird； half…finished inventions。〃
〃Half finished； yes。 But at least he built something from the other trash。 The oxygen tank and the nose gear he never touched。 Why？〃
〃Nothing mysterious about that。 Dad most likely was killed before he got around to them。〃
〃Possibly。〃
〃That's settled； then；〃 she said firmly。 〃Let's get back to bed before I freeze to death。〃
〃Sorry； I'm not through here yet。〃
〃What's left to see？〃
〃Call it a pebble in the shoe of logic；〃 he said。 〃Look here； at the fittings on the tank。〃
She leaned over his shoulder。 〃They're broken。 What did you ex…pect？〃
〃If this was removed from an obsolete aircraft at a salvage yard； the mounting brackets and the fittings to the lines would have been discon…nected with wrenches or cut with either a torch or heavy shears。 These were twisted and wrenched apart by great force。 Same goes for the nose gear。 The strut was bent and severed just below the hydraulic shock absorber。 Strange thing； though： the break did not happen all at once。 You can see that most of the ragged edge is weathered and corroded； while a small section at the top still has a new look to it。 Seems as if the main damage and the final break occurred years apart。〃
〃So what does all that prove？〃
〃Nothing earth shattering。 But it does indicate that these pieces did not e from an aircraft…salvage yard or a surplus store。〃
〃Now are you satisfied？〃
〃Not entirely。〃 He easily lifted the oxygen tank； carried it outside； and deposited it in the Jeep。 〃I can't manage the nose gear by myself。 You'll have to give me a hand。〃
〃What are you up to？〃
〃You said we were driving down the mountains into Denver for a shopping spree。〃
〃So？〃
〃So while you're buying out the town； I'll haul this stuff over to Stapleton Airport and find somebody who can identify the aircraft it came from。〃
〃Pitt；〃 she said； 〃you're not a Sherlock Holmes。 Why go to all this trouble？〃
〃Something to do。 I'm bored。 You've got your congressional mail to keep you busy。 I'm tired of talking to trees all day。〃
〃You have my undivided attention nights。〃
〃Man cannot live by sex alone。〃
She watched in mute fascination as he scrounged two long boards and propped them on the lowered tailgate of the Jeep。
〃Ready？〃 he asked。
〃I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion；〃 she said； a chill in her voice and goose bumps on her skin。
〃Then take off that thing so you won't get it dirty。〃
As if in a dream； she hung her peignoir on a nail； mystified as to why women instinctively indulge men in their juvenile idiosyncrasies。 Then the two of them…Pitt in his shorts； Congresswoman Loren Smith in the nude…heaved and grunted the dusty nose gear up the makeshift ramp into the back of the Jeep。
While Pitt chained up the tailgate； Loren stood in the dawn's early light and gazed down at the dirt and grease smudged across her thighs and stomach and wondered what it was that possessed her to take a mad lover。
Harvey Dolan； principal maintenance inspector for the Air Carrier Dis…trict Office of the FAA； lifted his glasses to the light and； detecting no smears； clamped them on a pyramid…shaped nose。
〃Found them in the mountains； you say？〃
〃About thirty miles northwest of Leadville； in the Sawatch range；〃 Pitt answered。 He had to speak loudly to be heard above the roar of the forklift that was carrying the nose gear and oxygen tank from the Jeep through the huge； yawning door of the FA A inspection hangar。
〃Not much to go on；〃 said Dolan。
〃But you can offer an educated guess。〃
Dolan shrugged nonmittally。 〃You might pare it to a police…man who's found a small lost child wandering the streets。 The cop can see it's a boy with two arms and two legs； approximately two years old。 The kid's clothes are J。 C。 Penney； and his shoes are Buster Browns。 He says his first name is Joey； but he doesn't know his surname； address； or phone number。 We're in the same boat； Mr。 Pitt； as that cop。〃
〃Could you translate your analogue into factual detail？〃 Pitt asked； smiling。
〃Please observe；〃 Dolan said with a professional flourish。 He pro…duced a ball…point pen from a breast pocket and probed it about like a pointer。 〃We have before us the frontal landing gear of an aircraft； an aircraft that weighed in the neighborhood of seventy or eighty thousand pounds。 It was a propeller…driven craft； because the tires were not constructed for the stresses of a high…speed jet landing。 Also； the strut design is of a type that has not been built since the nineteen fifties。 Therefore； its age is somewhere between thirty and forty…five years。 The tires came from Goodyear and the wheels from Rantoul Engineering； in Chicago。 As to the make of the aircraft and its owner； however； I'm afraid there isn't too much to go on。〃
〃So it ends here；〃 Pitt said。
〃You throw in the towel too early；〃 said Dolan。 〃There is a perfectly legible serial number on the strut。 If we can determine the type of ship this particular nose…gear model was designed for； then it bees a simple matter of tracing the strut's number through the manufacturer and establishing the parent aircraft。〃
〃You make it sound easy。〃 i
〃Any other fragments？〃
〃Only what you see。〃
〃How did you e to bring them here？〃
〃I figured that if anybody could identify them； it would。be the Federal Aviation Administration。〃
〃Putting us on the spot； huh？〃 Dolan said； grinning。
〃No malice intended；〃 Pitt said； grinning back。
〃Not much to go on；〃 Dolan said； 〃but you never can tell； we might get lucky〃
He made a thumbs…down motion toward a spot circled with red paint on the concrete floor。 The forklift operator nodded and lowered the pallet holding the parts。 Then he wheeled the forklift backward； cut a ninety…degree right turn； and clanked off toward another corner of the hangar。
Dolan picked up the oxyge