Free No Return by Brett Battles Page B

else returned to lunch.
    “Yeah, pretty glamorous. At least we’re on schedule. We were supposed to shoot on the base yesterday, but that got canceled.”
    “I heard,” Lars said. “Sorry about that, but standard procedure.”
    “Doesn’t matter to me,” Wes said, grinning. “I get paid whether we shoot or not.”
    Lars returned the smile. “I was wondering if you might have a minute to talk?”
    Wes nodded. “Sure. We’ve got about ten until we start up again.”
    “Why don’t we take a walk?” Lars suggested.
    They followed the wall of the canyon away from the SUVs.
    “So, what’s up?” Wes asked once they were out of earshot of the others.
    “I did some checking,” Lars said. “Wes, the guy in the newspaper picture was the pilot of the plane.”
    “You’re sure?”
    Lars nodded, a sympathetic smile on his face. “I talked to some of the search-and-rescue team, reread through all the reports; there’s no question. It was Adair.” He paused. “Look. It’s completely understandable. You were under a lot of stress. It’s a wonder you remember seeing anyone at all.”
    “You’re one hundred percent positive?”
    “Absolutely. Multiple ID verification.”
    Wes sighed. “Guess I was wrong.”
    Lars put a hand on Wes’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you asked me to check. Better to know the truth than to just assume, right?” He paused. “Listen, when do you leave town?”
    “Wednesday,” Wes said.
    “So you’re here this weekend?”
    Wes nodded.
    “Will you be shooting or do you get some downtime?”
    “No. A couple people have to go back to L.A. for the weekend, so we’re off.”
    “Then come over tomorrow afternoon. We’ll barbecue and talk about old times. What do you think?”
    “Maybe,” Wes said.
    “I’ll take that for a yes. Four-thirty, and bring beer.”
    Wes remained silent as they turned to head back.
    “Don’t beat yourself up. You went above and beyond yesterday for Adair. You should be proud of that.”
    “I was so sure.”
    “I told you, stress likes to mess with your mind.”
    “That photo … I could have sworn it was wrong.”
    “Hope this has made you feel a little better. Always good to get things settled.”
    “I guess.”
    “At least now you can stop wandering around bars looking at pictures.”
    Wes stopped walking. “What?”
    Lars let out a resigned breath. “I heard about your visit to the bar last night. I didn’t realize how seriously you were taking this.”
    Wes eyed his friend. “You didn’t just come out here by chance, did you?”
    Lars hesitated a moment, then shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
    “How did you find us?”
    “I work for the Navy, Wes. If we can find a specific submarine in thousands of square miles of ocean, finding a film crew in Red Rock Canyon isn’t difficult.”
    Wes paused a moment. “Then why the lie? And what about the pilot? Are you lying about him, too?”
    “Whoa. I just came out here because I knew it was bothering you and thought it would be nice to clear your mind as soon as I had some info. I didn’t come to get into an argument.”
    Wes took a breath and allowed himself to relax a little. He glanced toward the crew vehicles, then back at his friend. “What if I could prove I’m right?”
    “Right about what?”
    Wes hesitated, unsure if he should go on. But this was Lars, his old friend. They had trusted each other once. “We shot video of the accident, including a shot of the pilot’s face. It’s not Adair. I’ll show you and you’ll see.”
    Lars stared at him. “You have video? I thought the investigators had all your footage.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “I already told you, I read the reports. So how can you possibly have video if they’ve got your original source?”
    Wes silently cursed himself for saying more than he should have. “I just do.”
    Lars frowned. “Did you look at it?”
    “Yes. Why? Are you afraid I might have seen something I