The Case of D.B. Cooper's Parachute by William Sullivan

Author:William Sullivan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, mystery, russia, oregon, portland, hijack, cooper
Publisher: William Sullivan

CHAPTER 32

When Neil returned to PDX he expected to see someone from the Portland police waiting for him in the airport lobby. He was surprised that it was Sergeant Wu.

“Connie! Back on duty?” Less than two weeks after her run-in with Cooper, her bruises seemed to be gone. She wore gloves to hide the damage to her hands, and she had tipped her cap jauntily to one side to cover the damage to her scalp. Still, either her injuries had been less severe than Neil had thought, or she had willed herself well.

“Part-time. Sitting at home is just too boring when we’ve got a killer to catch. Did you bring me anything from the sunny Caribbean?”

”Actually, I did.” Neil wheeled his carryon bag past the concourse shops. When they reached a quieter part of the terminal he spoke in a low voice. “You know what the native girls were wearing on the beach?’

She looked at him skeptically. “No.”

“The women say it’s a lot easier to go through airport security when you wear them, so I got you a couple.” He unzipped his carryon bag and held out a pair of beach sandals from the hotel.

“Flip-flops?”

“What did you think I’d bring you? Thongs?”

“Neil, you really are an asshole.”

“But in a good way, right?”

She sighed. “Let’s get you back to headquarters. Everyone wants to know what’s going on with Lieutenant Lavelle.”

“They won’t like what I’m bringing them either.”

He followed Connie across the street to the parking garage. A cold drizzle sagged from the sky in shades of gray. Brightly colored “Synergy” banners on the light poles advertised the upcoming energy summit, but they hung limp and wet. Above logos of Portland and NovoCity, a picture of a blue-green Earth had been digitally altered to make the planet’s clouds resemble a sassy smile with sunglasses. The image reminded Neil of a cross between the California Raisins and Joe Camel.

Once they were on the freeway Connie asked, “So is Lavelle really dead?”

Neil looked out the side window. “She wasn’t on board when her boat drifted ashore. Her computer and all her notes were missing. And the anchor.”

“The anchor was gone?”

He nodded. “Someone didn’t want her to finish her book.”

“What’s so dangerous about a book?” Connie changed lanes, trying to escape the slowest traffic on the Banfield.

“I found a thumb drive taped to the back of Lavelle’s desk drawer. It had the first twelve and a half chapters. She was starting to doubt that she’d found the real killer. We’re going to have to reopen the case.”

“The Underground murders? Well why not?” Connie threw up one gloved hand in mock celebration. “What’s five more unexplained deaths? We’re already investigating two murders, an art theft, and a forty-year-old skyjacking.”

“I thought Special Agent Owen had taken that off our hands.”

Connie pulled off the freeway and looped over the Morrison Street bridge to downtown. “I don’t want to spoil Captain Dickers’ surprise for you, but the FBI isn’t having as much fun with the D.B. Cooper case as they’d hoped.

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