so.’
‘Yeah, let me do that,’ Mark said.
Lou was about to hang up when he heard Mark yell his name.
‘I just thought of something else,’ Mark said. ‘There’s an organization
called Central Flow Management with offices in both Paris and Brussels.
They’re the ones who provide the slot times for takeoffs and landings.
They handle all of Europe except for Austria and Slovenia. Who knows why
those countries aren’t involved? So, if N69SU came from anyplace other
than Austria or Slovenia, their flight plan should be on file.’
‘Do you know anybody in that organization?’ Lou asked.
‘No, but I know somebody who does,’ Mark said. ‘Let me see if I can find
out for you.’
‘Hey, I appreciate it,’ Lou said.
‘No problem,’ Mark said.
Lou hung up the phone and then drummed his pencil on the surface of his
scarred and battle-worn gray-metal desk. There were innumerable burn
marks where he’d left smoldering cigarette butts. He was thinking about
Alpha Aviation and wondering how to run down the organization.
First, he tried telephone information in Reno. There was no listing for
Alpha Aviation. Lou wasn’t surprised. Next, he called the Reno police
department. He explained who he was and asked to be connected to his
equivalent, the head of Homicide. His name was Paul Hersey.
After a few minutes of friendly banter, Lou gave Paul a thumbnail sketch
of the Franconi case. Then he asked about Alpha Aviation.
‘Never heard of them,’ Paul said.
‘The FAA said it was out of Reno, Nevada,’ Lou said.
‘That’s because Nevada’s an easy state to incorporate in,’ Paul
explained. ‘And here in Reno we’ve got a slew of high-priced law firms
who spend their time doing nothing else.’
‘What’s your suggestion about getting the lowdown on the organization?’
Lou asked.
‘Call the Office of the Nevada Secretary of State in Carson City,’ Paul
said. ‘If Alpha Aviation is incorporated in Nevada, it will be on public
record. Want us to call for you?’
‘I’ll call,’ Lou said. ‘At this point, I’m not even sure what I want to
know.’
‘We can at least give you the number,’ Paul said. He went off the line
for a moment, and Lou could hear him bark an order to an underling. A
moment later, he was back and gave Lou the telephone number. Then he
added: ‘They should be helpful, but if you have any trouble, call me
back. And if you need any assistance in Carson City for whatever reason
call Todd Arronson. He’s head of Homicide down there, and he’s a good
guy.’
A few minutes later Lou was on the line with the Office of the Nevada
Secretary of State. An operator connected him to a clerk, who couldn’t
have been nicer or more cooperative. Her name was Brenda Whitehall.
Lou explained that he was interested to find out all he could about
Alpha Aviation out of Reno, Nevada.
‘Just a moment, please,’ Brenda said. Lou could hear the woman typing
the name onto a keyboard. ‘Okay, here it is,’ she added. ‘Hang on and
let me pull the folder.’
Lou lifted his feet up onto his desk and leaned back in his chair. He
felt an almost irresistible urge to light up, but he fought it.
‘I’m back,’ Brenda said. Lou could hear the rustle of papers. ‘Now what
is it that you want to know?’
‘What do you have?’ Lou asked.
‘I have the Articles of Incorporation,’ Brenda said. There was a short
period of silence while she read, then she added: ‘It’s a limited
partnership and the general partner is Alpha Management.’
‘What does that mean in plain English?’ Lou asked. ‘I’m not a lawyer or
a businessman.’
‘It simply means that Alpha Management is the corporation that runs the
limited partnership,’ Brenda said patiently.
‘Does it have any people’s names?’ Lou asked.
‘Of course,’ Brenda said. ‘The Articles of Incorporation have to have
the names and addresses of the directors, the registered agent for
service of process, and the officers of the corporation.’
‘That sounds encouraging,’ Lou said. ‘Could you give them to me?’
Lou could hear the sound of rustling papers.
‘Hmmmm,’ Brenda commented. ‘Actually, in this instance there’s only one