Page 38 of The Smart Killer (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #4)

Mechanics moved about, diligently attending to aircraft maintenance, their tools clinking against metal, and the scent of aviation fuel wafted through the air, adding a distinct aroma to the atmosphere.

“He doesn’t know we are coming?”

“It’s better that way,” Noah said.

As the Cessna taxied toward the hangar, Noah noticed a lanky figure stepping out from the pilot’s seat.

With a scruffy beard and long, braided hair, the man bore a striking resemblance to Willie Nelson.

His aviator sunglasses shielded his eyes from the late afternoon sun as he ambled toward a nearby hangar.

McKenzie leaned in and whispered. “I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that’s him.”

The kid at the front desk had told them that Jim was quite a character with a mouth that would make any sailor blush.

They entered the facility and were told to wait in a room plastered with aviation charts and posters.

Noah and McKenzie were settled into plush chairs by the window, sipping on cups of coffee procured from a vending machine nearby.

The hum of conversation from a nearby group of aspiring pilots added a lively undertone to the room.

A few moments later, the door swung open, and in walked Jim Devlin, holding a clipboard, oblivious to the unexpected guests. Noah rose and called out, “Mr. Devlin.”

Jim’s head turned; his eyes squinted against the sudden change in lighting. Noah pulled out his badge, holding it up for the flight instructor to see. Jim exchanged a few words with his student and then approached the investigators, his gaze bouncing between them.

“Can I help you?” he inquired, a hint of curiosity in his weathered voice.

“I hope so,” Noah replied, gesturing to the seat across from them.

Seated at the table with coffee in hand, Noah got straight into it. “I’m State Police Investigator Noah Sutherland, and this is Detective McKenzie from the Adirondack Sheriff’s Office. We were hoping to talk to you about your drone flight group.”

“All the details are online. We meet on Tuesdays between 7 and 9.”

“We’re not looking to join.”

“Oh,” he said, his eyes darting between them.

“I was surprised to find you here. I contacted Venture X, the shared office space in Elizabethtown, but they said you were here. I thought the flight school was there?”

“We meet there. It’s not really a school as much as a hobby of mine that I do for extra cash and because there are a lot of idiots out there flying drones into our airspace.

I figured maybe I could kill two birds with one stone.

My mother always said if you aren’t a part of the solution, you’re the problem.

My real livelihood is made here, teaching people to fly planes. ”

The conversation briefly delved into the world of aviation before Noah steered it back to why they were there.

“Alejandro Diaz was a member,” Noah stated.

Jim nodded thoughtfully. “Yes. For a long time. A good guy. He had aspirations of becoming a pilot. It’s unfortunate. I heard about his death and the things he was involved in.” He shook his head. “Never struck me as that kind of guy. Makes you realize you never really know anyone.”

Noah glanced at McKenzie before continuing, “How many members do you have?”

“Twelve. I can’t have any more than that.

Originally, I had over twenty. It was a nightmare; too many to teach, too many to watch.

Twelve allows me to have one-on-one time with each of them.

Some come out to learn, others want to share footage and their experience, and the rest simply want to socialize with other drone operators.

Many of them are photographers. Getting that bird’s-eye view is something else. ”

“I bet it is,” McKenzie added, glancing at Noah as he sipped his coffee.

“If I showed you a drone, do you think you could tell me what brand it is and the kind of range a person would get while using it?”

“You mean, the range the drone can be away from the controller?”

He nodded.

“I can try.”

Noah handed him a tablet, displaying footage of the crime scenes taken by the media.

He kept it focused on the small snippets of the drone as he didn’t want to get into a long conversation over where the drone had been seen, just in case Jim was somehow connected to the case.

Jim studied it intently, peering through his glasses.

“Um. It’s a little too far away to tell you for sure, but if I had to guess, I would say that it is a DJI Mavic 2 Pro Quadcopter.

We sell several of them through the school.

As for range. You are looking at around 15 kilometers, but you’d want to be closer.

That’s like the upper limit of tire pressure. You don’t want to push it.”

“Just in case it malfunctioned and fell, right?” Noah added.

Jim grinned. “You’d be surprised at how often it happens. It makes for one hell of an expensive lesson. These aren’t cheap. Especially that one. A couple of thousand dollars. Only a few folks can afford them.”

“Your members. Anyone use one?”

“Yeah. But newbies don’t tend to shell out for one.”

“Like Alejandro?”

“Ah, he couldn’t afford one. We offered to let him rent one, but he was nervous about crashing it, so he bought a cheap one.”

“You rent them?”

He nodded. “The thing is, detective, some folks come out to the group just to check us out and then realize they don’t want to do it, others don’t want to spend money, and some don’t have it. I figured the best way to encourage people was to have a few available that folks could use.”

“They ever get to take them home?”

“Not usually, but I have made some exceptions for those who have been out for some time and are considering buying one through me.”

Noah showed the photo Alejandro’s mother sent him. “This white drone look familiar?”

“That’s his. Yeah.” He chuckled. “I’d recognize that anywhere.

It was a cheap one off Amazon. Less than two hundred bucks.

I mean, it did the job. Not great. The video was grainy.

It didn’t have GPS, so if it crashed; he was out of luck in finding it.

However, the damn thing couldn’t go far anyway. ”

“How far?”

“About as far as you can skip a rock,” he said. “A few of the guys let him use theirs, but for the most part, he wasn’t ready to upgrade. Said he didn’t get paid much.”

“Did you know about his prison time?”

“No. The only reason I knew about it after was because of his death. His mother phoned to say he wouldn’t be coming out anymore. She informed me what had happened. Had I known about the spying, I wouldn’t have let him come out.”

Noah nodded. “You said you rent them. Have you rented one out recently?”

“Two.”

“Did they take it home with them?”

Jim studied Noah. “Yes. Are you saying that’s my drone in the video?”

“That I don’t know. I was told the FAA requires drones over a certain size and weight to be registered and have the serial number on the side of the drone. Do you have all of yours registered?”

He nodded. “Damn right, I do. I require all my students to do the same; otherwise, they don’t come out. I also verify that information, as I’ve had a few folks try to skirt around it.”

“Lately?”

“Not for a long time.”

“Can I get the names of those who have taken them home?”

“Sure can,” Jim said, reaching for his phone. As he swiped at his phone, he continued, “Look, if one of my guys has used the drone illegally, am I going to be held responsible?”

“Out of sight, you can’t control how they use them, right?” Noah replied.

“Right.”

Jim brought up his notes, where he had jotted down the names of his members, their addresses, and phone numbers, along with information on which drone they were renting and if they had taken it home.

While he was doing that, Noah glanced at McKenzie.

He could already see the cogs in McKenzie’s brain turning.

He assumed they were thinking the same thing.

“Here we go. Al Benson and Landon Emmett. If you want, I can call them?”

“I’d prefer you didn’t,” Noah said, holding up his hand to stop Jim from placing a call. The information was valuable, but they needed to proceed with caution.

“Any other members using that model but own it?”

“One. Eric Olsen.” He swiped up. “I’ll give you his address and FAA number.”

“They just gave you their names and addresses?”

“Some do, but not everyone is so forthright; people are cautious about their privacy. However, because we’re a flight school, I require that everyone is registered. They gave me their FAA numbers. I punch in that registration number to verify that.” He turned his phone. “That’s Eric’s.”

McKenzie jotted it down.

“Well, you’ve been accommodating. Just one last question. Do you live in a smart home?”

“A smart what?”

Noah chuckled. “Forget it.” He liked that, as an old-timer, he still held on to some of the basics of life. A home without all the bells and whistles. As he got up, he made one last comment. “Did you ever see Alejandro spend more time with one of your members than another?”

“If he did, I never saw it. We all have coffee together and chat, but that’s among ourselves as a group.”

Noah nodded. “Well, again, thank you.”