cc.vixen03-第6节

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　〃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　oxygen　tank；　turned　it　over　in　his　hands　in　the　manner　of　a　connoisseur　admiring　a　Grecian　vase；　and　then　set　it　down。　〃No　way　in　hell　to　trace　this；〃　he　said　flatly。　〃Standardized　tanks　like　this　are　still　produced　by　several　manufacturers　for　any　one　of　twenty　differ…ent　aircraft　models。〃
　Dolan　began　to　warm　to　his　task。　He　got　down　on　his　knees　and　examined　every　square　inch　of　the　nose　gear。　At　one　point　he　had　Pitt　help　him　roll　it　to　a　new　position。　Five　minutes　went　by　and　he　didn't　utter　a　word。
　Pitt　finally　broke　the　silence。　〃Does　it　tell　you　anything？〃
　〃A　great　deal。〃　Dolan　straightened　up。　〃But　not；　unfortunately；　the　jackpot　answer。〃
　〃The　odds　favor　the　proverbial　wild…goose　chase；〃　said　Pitt。　〃I　don't　feel　right　putting　you　to　all　this　trouble。〃
　〃Nonsense；〃　Dolan　assured　him。　〃This　is　what　John　Q。　Public　pays　me　for。　The　FAA　has　dozens　of　missing　aircraft　on　file　whose　fates　have　never　been　solved。　Any　time　we　have　an　opportunity　to　mark　a　case　closed；　we　jump　at　it。〃
　〃How　do　we　go　about　laying　our　fingers　on　the　make　of　aircraft？〃
　〃Ordinarily　I'd　call　in　research　technicians　from　our　engineering　divi…sion。　But　I　think　I'll　take　a　stab　in　the　dark　and　try　a　shortcut。　Phil　Devine；　maintenance　chief　over　at　United　Airlines；　is　a　walking　encyclopedia　on　aircraft。　If　anyone　can　tell　us　at　a　glance；　he　can。〃
　〃He's　that　good？〃　asked　Pitt。
　〃Take　my　word　for　it；〃　Dolan　said　with　a　knowing　smile。　〃He's　that　good。〃
　〃A　photographer　you　ain't。　Your　lighting　is　lousy。〃　A　nonfiltered　cigarette　dangled　from　the　lips　of　Phil　Devine　as　he　studied　the　Polaroid　pictures　Dolan　had　taken　of　the　nose　gear。　Devine　was　a　W。　C。　Fields…type　character…heavy　through　the　middle；　with　a　slow；　whining　voice。
　〃I　didn't　e　here　for　an　art　review；〃　replied　Dolan。　〃Can　you　put　a　make　on　the　gear　or　not？〃
　〃It　looks　vaguely　familiar；　kind　of　like　the　assembly　off　an　old　B…twenty…nine。〃
　〃That's　not　good　enough。〃
　〃What　do　you　expect　from　a　bunch　of　fuzzy　pictures…an　absolute；　irrefutable　ID？〃
　〃I　had　hoped　for　something　like　that；　yes；〃　Dolan　replied；　unruffled。
　Pitt　was　beginning　to　wonder　if　he　was　about　to　referee　a　fight。　Devine　read　the　uneasy　look　in　his　eyes。
　〃Relax；　Mr。　Pitt；〃　he　said；　and　smiled。　〃Harvey　and　I　have　a　standing　rule：　we're　never　civil　to　each　other　during　working　hours。　However；　as　soon　as　five　o'clock　rolls　around；　we　cut　the　hard…assing　and　go　out　and　have　a　beer　together。〃
　〃Which　I　usually　pay　for；〃　Dolan　injected　dryly。
　〃You　government　guys　are　in　a　better　position　to　moonlight；〃　Devine　fired　back。
　〃About　the　nose　gear　。　。　。〃　Pitt　said；　probing　quietly。
　〃Oh　yeah；　I　think　I　might　dig　up　something。〃　Devine　rose　heavily　from　behind　his　desk　and　opened　a　closet　filled　from　floor　to　ceiling　with　thick　black…vinyl…bound　books。　〃Old　maintenance　manuals；〃　he　explained。　〃I'm　probably　the　only　nut　in　mercial　aviation　who　hangs　on　to　them。〃　He　went　directly　to　one　volume　buried　among　the　mass　and　began　thumbing　through　its　pages。　After　a　minute　he　found　what　he　was　looking　for　and　passed　the　open　book　across　the　desk。　〃That　close　enough　for　you？〃
　Pitt　and　Dolan　leaned　forward　and　examined　an　exploded…view　line　drawing　of　a　nose…gear　assembly。
　〃The　wheel　castings；　parts；　and　dimensions〃…Dolan　tapped　the　page　with　his　finger…〃they're　one　and　the　same。〃
　〃What　aircraft？〃　asked　Pitt。
　〃Boeing　Stratocruiser；〃　answered　Devine。　〃Actually　I　wasn't　that　far　off　when　I　guessed　a　B…twenty…nine。　The　Stratocruiser　was　based　on　the　bomber's　design。　The　Air　Force　version　was　designated　a　C…ninety…seven。〃
　Pitt　turned　to　the　front　of　the　manual　and　found　a　picture　of　the　plane　in　flight。　A　strange…looking　aircraft：　its　two…deck　fuselage　had　the　configuration　of　a　great　double…bellied　whale。
　〃I　recall　seeing　these　as　a　boy；〃　Pitt　said。　〃Pan　American　used　them。〃
　〃So　did　United；〃　said　Devine。　〃We　flew　them　on　the　Hawaii　run。　She　was　a　damned　fine　airplane。〃
　〃Now　what？〃　Pitt　turned　to　Dolan。
　〃Now　I　send　the　nose　gear's　serial　number　to　Boeing；　in　Seattle；　along　with　a　request　to　match　it　with　the　parent　aircraft。　I'll　also　make　a　call　to　the　National　Transportation　Safety　Board　in　Washington；　who　will　tell　me　if　they　show　any　lost　mercial　Stratocruisers　over　the　continental　United　States。〃
　〃And　if　one　turns　up　missing？〃
　〃The　FAA　will　launch　an　official　investigation　into　the　mystery；〃　Dolan　said。　〃And　then　we'll　see　what　turns　up。〃
　Pitt　spent　the　next　two　days　in　a　chartered　helicopter；　crisscrossing　the　mountains　in　ever…widening　search…grid　patterns。　Twice　he　and　the　pilot　spotted　crash　sites；　but　they　turned　out　to　be　marked　and　known　wrecks。　After　several　hours　in　the　air…his　buttocks　numb　from　sitting；　the　rest　of　his　body　exhausted　from　the　engine's　vibration　and　from　the　buffeting　by　surging　drafts　and　crosswinds…he　was　genuinely　thankful　when　Loren's　cabin　came　into　view　and　the　pilot　set　the　copter　down　in　a　nearby　meadow。
　The　skids　sank　into　the　soft　brown　g