Chapter 4 - The Silver Case
Security officers surrounded the abandoned maintenance vehicle while Ethan stared through the passenger window.
The silver case was scratched, dented, and stained with old grease, but there was no mistaking the faded blue emblem stamped across the lid.
HALE AERONAUTICAL REPAIR.
His father’s company.
Ethan had watched workers remove that same sign from the workshop three years earlier, shortly after the mysterious accident that killed his father. The official report claimed a fuel-system explosion had destroyed the building, but Ethan had never believed it. His father had inspected every valve personally and never allowed fuel containers near open machinery.
Martin noticed the boy’s expression.
“You recognize it?”
“It belonged to my father.”
Director Crane turned sharply.
“Your father was Samuel Hale?”
Ethan looked at him.
The director’s surprise lasted only a moment, but it was enough.
“You knew him,” Ethan said.
Crane straightened his jacket.
“I knew of him. He repaired components for several airlines.”
“You said his name before I told you.”
The hangar fell silent.
Crane’s face hardened.
“This is neither the time nor the place for childish accusations.”
A security technician opened the vehicle while another officer photographed the interior. The silver case was lifted carefully onto a steel table.
The lock had been broken.
Inside were specialized tools, handwritten diagrams, and several old turbine components wrapped in oilcloth. Beneath them lay a thick notebook covered with Ethan’s father’s handwriting.
Ethan reached for it, but Crane stopped him.
“This is evidence.”
Martin picked up one of the diagrams.
It showed the same vibration assembly Ethan had repaired, but several internal channels were marked in red. Notes filled the margins.
FALSE SENSOR FAILURE POSSIBLE.
MANUAL OVERRIDE CAN HIDE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
Martin’s eyes narrowed.
“These calculations are years ahead of the manufacturer’s service notes.”
Ethan carefully turned several pages.
His father had documented an unknown defect affecting a small group of rebuilt engines. According to the notes, the defect could be triggered deliberately by rotating one retaining pin and loosening three specific bolts.
Exactly what had happened to Flight 782.
Then Ethan found a folded sheet hidden inside the notebook cover.
It contained a list of aircraft registration numbers.
Flight 782 was only the first.
Six other aircraft were listed beneath it.
Beside the final registration number, Samuel Hale had written one sentence in capital letters.
IF THEY DISCOVER I FOUND THE PATTERN, THEY WILL SILENCE ME.
Before Ethan could speak, every light inside the hangar suddenly went out.
May you like
In the darkness, glass shattered.
Someone grabbed the notebook from his hands.
