“And you just abandoned an expensive boat anchored at Fort Jefferson?”
“I didn’t feel I had a choice; my grandfather needed me. I locked it, and when the seaplane arrived, we took the small rubber dinghy from the stern locker and used it to paddle to the airplane. The plane couldn’t come alongside without a wing hitting the superstructure.”
“Did you lock the stern locker after removing the dinghy?”
“No, there was no padlock for it. The old one had corroded and was no longer workable, and I had not yet replaced it.”
“What else was in the locker besides the rubber dinghy??
?
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“Just fenders and lines for the boat, and a second anchor. Miscellaneous boat stuff, nothing else.”
“And you did not lock the stern locker before you departed?”
“No, I had no lock for that purpose.”
“You didn’t have a combination padlock?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“While you were anchored at Fort Jefferson, did another boat approach yours?”
“No, we didn’t see another boat for the whole time we were there, which was, I guess, around eighteen hours. We did see an airplane once, shortly after sunrise, flying low—sightseeing, I suppose.”
“What kind of airplane?”
“A small Piper, I think, something like the Warrior.”
“A seaplane?”
“No, I didn’t see any fl oats. It circled the area a couple of times, then flew away in the direction of Key West.”
“Did you see anyone at Fort Jefferson when you went ashore?”
“Not a soul. The circling airplane was the only sign of life we saw out there, until the seaplane arrived for us.”
“What happened to your rubber raft?”
“It’s still at the Key West Airport, I suppose. I haven’t had time to retrieve it.”
Stone was impressed with Evan’s composure and the clarity of his responses. “Agent Corelli, Evan is willing to take a polygraph test, if it would be helpful to you.”
Corelli glanced at Myers, who shook his head almost imperceptibly. “Thank you, that won’t be necessary at this time,” Correlli said.
“Maybe later.”
“Is there anything else, gentlemen?” Stone asked.
“Yes,” said Myers, speaking for the first time. “I have some questions about Evan’s relationship with Charles Boggs and the death of Mr. Boggs.”
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