confirm his identification?” Simon asked.
“Yes, of course,” Gideon said, looking something close to befuddled. “I have to for insurance purposes. I always check the driver’s license. I’ve got the form right here.” He reached over to a pile of papers sitting in front of his father, and, after rifling through a file, handed Jillian a handwritten form.
She quickly checked the information against the file she had on Wilderman, aware that tension was rising as the men awaited her response. “It matches what we’ve got for him. The address, the phone numbers. Even the license number is the same. At least on paper it was Wilderman.”
“So you actually saw the driver’s license, right?” Simon asked Gideon.
He nodded. “Absolutely. And I can promise you the photo was of the guy I described. The one standing in my office. Not the one in your photo.”
There was a moment of silence as everyone digested this newest information.
“What about interaction between Essex and Wilderman?” Simon asked finally. “Did they seem to know each other?”
“Not from what I could see,” Gideon said. “But I wasn’t with them very long. I took Wilderman, or whoever he was, out to the helipad and introduced him to Nicky, but then I got a call so I left.”
“Everything seem normal at takeoff?” Simon continued to probe.
“Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary… except,” Gideon paused, clearly considering his words, “there was a glitch in communications, but it was only for a second or so. I didn’t really think anything of it. I mean they took off okay, and everything seemed fine until we got the call about the crash.” He shrugged, looking over at his father, who reached out to squeeze his arm.
“It’s fine, son,” Neiman said. “No one is questioning your part in this. They’re just trying to understand what happened.”
Jillian looked to Simon, who nodded at the two men reassuringly. “We appreciate your cooperation,” he said, pushing to his feet. “And we’ll get back to you if we need anything else.”
“You’re thinking that this man, whoever he was, might have been behind the crash,” the older Neiman said, his gaze assessing.
“It’s possible.” Simon shrugged. “It’s certainly something we’ll be looking into, you can rest assured.”
“And Nicky?” Gideon asked. “Are you convinced now that he’s innocent?”
“At this point, we can’t rule anyone out.”
CHAPTER 4
Y ou don’t really consider the Neimans suspect, do you?” J.J. asked as they walked toward the front desk of Eric Wilderman’s hotel.
“I meant what I said. We can’t rule anyone out. But no, I don’t actually think they were involved.”
“And the captain?”
“Him, I haven’t ruled out,” Simon said, with a shrug. “But the switched ID for Wilderman seems like the bigger red flag of the two.”
“But if he was dead at takeoff?” J.J. queried.
“I know. None of it really makes any sense. Seems like every answer only creates more questions.”
“Well, maybe Drake is having more luck.”
They stopped in front of the desk, flashed J.J’s ID, and waited for the manager.
“So does it feel odd?” J.J. asked, shooting a sideways glance in his direction. “Working together like this, I mean?”
“I suppose it’s a little weird,” Simon admitted, drumming his fingers on the counter. Hell, of course it was weird, fucking crazy weird. Half of him wanted to fall prostrate at her feet, apologizing for all the pain he’d caused, and the other half wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could feel anything but each other. But he wasn’t about to admit either one. “But it’s not like this is the first time we’ve been joined at the hip.”
“Yes, but this is different,” she pressed.
“You mean because Ryan isn’t here.” The words came out of their own accord, and a shadow flashed across her face. He cursed himself for being so insensitive. Of
“Yes, of course,” Gideon said, looking something close to befuddled. “I have to for insurance purposes. I always check the driver’s license. I’ve got the form right here.” He reached over to a pile of papers sitting in front of his father, and, after rifling through a file, handed Jillian a handwritten form.
She quickly checked the information against the file she had on Wilderman, aware that tension was rising as the men awaited her response. “It matches what we’ve got for him. The address, the phone numbers. Even the license number is the same. At least on paper it was Wilderman.”
“So you actually saw the driver’s license, right?” Simon asked Gideon.
He nodded. “Absolutely. And I can promise you the photo was of the guy I described. The one standing in my office. Not the one in your photo.”
There was a moment of silence as everyone digested this newest information.
“What about interaction between Essex and Wilderman?” Simon asked finally. “Did they seem to know each other?”
“Not from what I could see,” Gideon said. “But I wasn’t with them very long. I took Wilderman, or whoever he was, out to the helipad and introduced him to Nicky, but then I got a call so I left.”
“Everything seem normal at takeoff?” Simon continued to probe.
“Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary… except,” Gideon paused, clearly considering his words, “there was a glitch in communications, but it was only for a second or so. I didn’t really think anything of it. I mean they took off okay, and everything seemed fine until we got the call about the crash.” He shrugged, looking over at his father, who reached out to squeeze his arm.
“It’s fine, son,” Neiman said. “No one is questioning your part in this. They’re just trying to understand what happened.”
Jillian looked to Simon, who nodded at the two men reassuringly. “We appreciate your cooperation,” he said, pushing to his feet. “And we’ll get back to you if we need anything else.”
“You’re thinking that this man, whoever he was, might have been behind the crash,” the older Neiman said, his gaze assessing.
“It’s possible.” Simon shrugged. “It’s certainly something we’ll be looking into, you can rest assured.”
“And Nicky?” Gideon asked. “Are you convinced now that he’s innocent?”
“At this point, we can’t rule anyone out.”
CHAPTER 4
Y ou don’t really consider the Neimans suspect, do you?” J.J. asked as they walked toward the front desk of Eric Wilderman’s hotel.
“I meant what I said. We can’t rule anyone out. But no, I don’t actually think they were involved.”
“And the captain?”
“Him, I haven’t ruled out,” Simon said, with a shrug. “But the switched ID for Wilderman seems like the bigger red flag of the two.”
“But if he was dead at takeoff?” J.J. queried.
“I know. None of it really makes any sense. Seems like every answer only creates more questions.”
“Well, maybe Drake is having more luck.”
They stopped in front of the desk, flashed J.J’s ID, and waited for the manager.
“So does it feel odd?” J.J. asked, shooting a sideways glance in his direction. “Working together like this, I mean?”
“I suppose it’s a little weird,” Simon admitted, drumming his fingers on the counter. Hell, of course it was weird, fucking crazy weird. Half of him wanted to fall prostrate at her feet, apologizing for all the pain he’d caused, and the other half wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could feel anything but each other. But he wasn’t about to admit either one. “But it’s not like this is the first time we’ve been joined at the hip.”
“Yes, but this is different,” she pressed.
“You mean because Ryan isn’t here.” The words came out of their own accord, and a shadow flashed across her face. He cursed himself for being so insensitive. Of
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