Free Fall at Angel Creek, page 15
Dee saw veins bulging in his neck and stepped into Moore’s field of view, just behind River’s shoulder, feeling for the secure presence of her weapon next to her breast.
“Don’t you dare threaten me, you bit—”
Dee quickly moved between them, put her hands out to block him, then gave him her biggest Texas smile and said, “Hey. No need for raised voices. Everyone’s a professional here. Let’s just figure out what we have to do to get the documents we all need. Mr. Moore, who would we need to contact to obtain those records?”
He relaxed his posture slightly. “Well, I suppose we could put in a request with the Chinese embassy in DC. I can call my boss.”
“Great idea. Would it be faster if we routed the request through the Chinese Consulate office in Portland? I have a contact there who could help.”
“That would be very helpful. I’ll get that request written up right now. Thanks.” He turned and walked away from them.
She turned to River. “Could you please tell me what’s going on between you two?”
“Let’s get out of here, and I’ll tell you the whole story.”
They drove back to the hotel, ordered room service, and River went to her room to shower. Dee listened to the water running, closed her eyes, and wondered what River looked like with her wavy, blond hair slicked back and rivulets of soapy water rolling down her back. She felt a tingle deep within. Hmmm. That’s nice. I haven’t felt that in a while.
The water shut off, ending Dee’s lovely vision, and she heard a knock at her front door. She retrieved their room service food and set River’s tray on the desk. She sat on her bed, leaning against the headboard, her tray on her lap. “Food’s here, River.”
“Be right there.”
River walked into Dee’s room wearing baggy gym shorts, a sleeveless USAFA tee shirt with a few holes in it, and her damp, golden hair slicked back.
Oh, my. The deep tingling became more noticeable. Down, girl. Down.
River ate her food at the desk, set her tray aside, then came and sat next to Dee on the bed. “Here’s the issue with Ronald Moore. I’m a better investigator than he is, and he can’t stand it, so he likes to be as difficult as he can with me to try to get even and to show dominance.”
“He sounds like a very insecure guy. I’ve had to work with my share of those guys in the army and the police department.”
“He is, and he’ll do anything to cover his ass, including throwing team members under the bus. When we both worked for the NTSB, he tried to rush an investigation and came up with the wrong cause factors. I couldn’t let my name be attached to an aircraft safety investigation that I knew was wrong, so I went over his head and gave my findings to the US Secretary of Transportation, who directed that the investigation be reopened and the report be revised. I knew I’d burned a bridge with him, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. In this business, your reputation is everything.”
“Did you get fired?”
“No, but I knew it was time to go. He’d created a toxic work environment, and I was definitely no longer welcome. The good news is, I saved a big insurance company millions of dollars in damage awards, so they hired me as an independent accident investigator, and I started my own business.”
Dee remembered Moore’s threatening body language earlier. “Can he still cause trouble for you?”
“No. He can’t. He has to send the completed report to all parties, and the insurance company won’t pay out any money until I say the report is complete, so he can’t touch me.”
“All the same, you need to be careful around him, River. He has a violent temper. I recognize it.”
River looked at her for a long moment. “You’re right. He does have an ugly temper, and thank you for warning me.”
River smiled at her, resulting in more tingles.
Dee hopped off the bed and went to the minibar for a Coke. “So, more searching tomorrow?”
River’s dark-blue eyes twinkled. “No. I think tomorrow we should go on a field trip instead.”
Chapter Twenty
Day 7
River and Dee were on the road at six a.m. heading to the Portland airport. Dee was driving her car through the winding mountains and set her large coffee cup in the holder.
“I’ve had my morning coffee, so you can speak to me now. Where are we going?”
River tried not to laugh at grumpy Dee, who was clearly not a morning person. “We can’t do anything more with the investigation until we get the rest of the maintenance history, and I can’t figure out what I’m not seeing, but I’m sure it has to do with that missing underbelly section. So we’re going to look at an intact DC-10 to try to see what puzzle piece we’re missing.”
“And where are we going to see a DC-10?”
“We’re flying to Tucson, Arizona, to the Pima Air and Space Museum. They have a DC-10 freighter we can look at. Maybe you’ll be able to see something I don’t.”
River had first-class tickets waiting for them at the main ticket counter at the airport. They were flying from Portland, through San Francisco, to Tucson. River went through regular security while Dee proceeded to the law enforcement checkpoint.
As they were finding their seats on the plane, she asked Dee, “Do you prefer the window or the aisle?”
“Doesn’t matter to me. Which one do you like?”
River indulged herself. “I always like the window seat.”
“I figured as much, fly girl. You enjoy your window seat, and I’ll indulge in a few zzzs.”
Dee plopped down in her seat and promptly closed her eyes. River hoped she wouldn’t snore. It was a smooth takeoff and climb out, with another beautiful summer day in Portland. Sunlight sparkled on the Columbia River, and she watched the puffy white clouds out her window. She looked back inside to tell Dee something, then stopped herself.
She had such a peaceful expression, and River didn’t want to disturb her. Her companion, who was also her team member, her new friend, and her fellow survivor, was beautiful when she wasn’t stricken with PTSD or immobilized by grief.
As River studied her, she became fully aware she was attracted to Dee. The feeling had been slowly building for the last several days, but now she knew the warmth around her heart was for Dee. If they’d met under different circumstances, and not in the midst of destruction, she would have pursued her, or at least told her how she felt. For now, she’d have to keep her feelings to herself. Dee was in no condition for any romantic entanglements.
She would have to be content with trying to help Dee get through this and stealing glances at her when she could. She was drawn to Dee’s full, expressive lips and her beautiful smile, which was especially effective when she was pouring on the Texas charm. River was impressed with how easily she’d disarmed Ronald Moore. She was quick, smart, and could read people well. She could stare at Dee’s intense, dark-green eyes, freckled nose, and strong jaw all day. Auburn highlights caught the sun in her tousled brown hair. Her fingertips ached to run through it. Dee was strong and wiry and appealed to the deepest part of her. The warm sensation in her chest drifted lower and spread throughout her belly. This is going to be difficult.
* * *
Dee woke up at the sound of the landing gear coming down and found River looking at her.
“We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
She glanced out the window, sat up, and saw they were over water, with another airplane right next to them. “Why is that plane so close to us?”
“They’re doing visual approaches to parallel runways today. That’s just another airplane landing on runway 28 Right, and we’re landing on 28 Left. As long as the pilots of both aircraft can see each other, it’s perfectly safe. I think it’s kind of cool, almost like formation flying.”
“I’m happy you think it’s cool, but after everything I’ve seen in the last week, I wish we weren’t quite so close.”
“Are you nervous about flying? I’m sorry. I should have thought about that.”
“No. Not really. Flying in any airplane is better than sitting on a nylon jump seat in the back of a C-130 cargo plane, freezing your ass off.”
After they landed, River took her to her favorite sourdough bread place on the way to their Tucson flight. “If Texas has the best brisket in the world, then Boudin Bakery in San Francisco has the best sourdough bread. You’ll thank me for this later.”
It was nice to see River away from the intensity of the investigation. She seemed happy at the simple act of buying bread. Dee hoped she would see this look more often. They boarded the flight to Tucson, and Dee was enjoying her nice first-class seat again. “I could get used to traveling like this.”
“I’m glad you enjoy it. We should have a good view of the Grand Canyon today, and maybe Hoover Dam.”
Dee chuckled at how nerdy River could be at times. It would be fun to play with her. “So what kind of airplane are we in, and tell me everything you know about it.”
River was excited. “This is an Airbus 319, its nickname is The Short Bus, and it’s a very popular airliner, built in Toulouse, France. It uses a side stick instead of a yoke to fly it, and see those little things sticking up on the wingtips? That’s called a sail, and it reduces drag from the wingtip vortex, which saves six percent fuel burn.”
Dee burst out laughing. “You can stop. I was just kidding.”
River smiled at her. “Well, I’m glad I can entertain you with airplane minutiae.”
“Seriously, River, are you required to memorize all this information about different planes for your job? Or do you have some kind of photographic memory?”
“Yes. I have a freakish memory for all kinds of information, not just airplane-related, but this work also fascinates me. No two days are ever alike.”
“Why’s it so fascinating? I would think it could very difficult to be around massive casualties.”
“That part’s certainly hard, but it’s rewarding in other ways. This is a very interdisciplinary field, where you have to understand not only how an airplane flies, but also meteorology, human psychology, metallurgy, electronics, structures, aviation regulations, and pilot procedures. I find it extremely challenging.”
Dee really wanted to understand why River did what she did. “Is that why you do this, because it’s challenging?”
River looked deep in her eyes. “I do this because I love flying and don’t want anyone else to go through what you and I have been forced to.”
“I get that. It’s kind of how I feel about police work. I want to protect people too and, hopefully, get some justice for the bad guys.”
Maybe she and River weren’t so different from each other after all.
* * *
After they landed in Tucson, River got a rental car, and they drove toward Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
“This is the US Air Force Boneyard, where all military airplanes no longer in service are stored.”
She drove past a huge, fenced area of desert with row after row of B-52 bombers, F-4 fighters, trainers, cargo planes, and reconnaissance jets, spread out for acres in every direction.
“That’s a lot of hardware. It kind of looks like an airplane graveyard.”
River changed the subject. “Here we are, the Pima Air and Space Museum.” She pulled into the parking lot, drove past airplanes on display pedestals, then they walked over to the main museum building. The cool air in the building was a welcome relief from the Arizona summer heat.
Dee wandered around the large building looking at the aircraft on display. “This is so cool. Look at the planes hanging from the ceiling, like they’re flying overhead. Oh, I like this one. It’s very sleek. What’s this?”
“That beauty is a Lear jet, one of the early business jets.”
Dee was like a kid at an amusement park, running from plane to plane. They went into another big hangar. “Oh, my gosh. Look at that.”
“That’s one of my favorites, the B-29 Superfortress, the largest bomber of World War II. It’s magnificent, isn’t it?”
She led Dee up to the giant gleaming, silver bird that filled the entire hangar. She wished she had time to give her a full tour, but she had a mission to accomplish. “Let’s go outside to see the rest of the planes, and one in particular.”
It was late afternoon, and most museum guests had left for the day, which was good for what River had in mind. She led Dee past a section of military fighters, then through the attack helicopters, and finally toward the back of the large outdoor area, where the biggest planes were on display.
“Here’s my baby. Dee, let me introduce you to the amazing KC-10.”
Dee had to lean back to take in the whole airplane. “This thing is the size of a building. How in the world do you get this beast into the air?”
“By magic and mirrors, and a whole lot of power. Look at these massive engines, and this is the air refueling boom under the tail section.”
“So gas comes out of this boom, which looks like a giant pipe with wings on it, and goes into another airplane in midair?” Dee asked.
“Yes. After we rendezvous with the receiver airplane, which is a thousand feet below us, the boom operator, who’s in the back of the plane, lowers the boom and flies it into the receiver’s receptacle. Then we pump fuel into the other aircraft, which can take up to thirty minutes for a big plane.”
“Damn. That sounds crazy. Do you do it at night?”
“Yes, and in the weather too. That gets very sporting.”
“So, other than reminiscing with your baby, why are we here, River?”
“This airplane is in the freighter configuration of the DC-10, like our plane. I want to see if we can discover any clues as to what’s in that missing section of the accident jet, from seeing an intact plane.”
They walked to the center of the airplane, looking all around it, hoping to recognize anything.
“I can’t see anything missing from the outside. Could we possibly see inside this section?” Dee asked.
“Maybe, but I’ll need your help. Come over here to the center landing gear. There’s a maintenance hatch we might be able to open. Make sure no one can see us.”
In front of the center gear, River found a silver handle recessed into a small square door on the underside of the plane, just big enough for a mechanic to crawl through. She had to reach high over her head to push a button, which made the handle move down. Then she rotated the handle, and the hatch popped open. The door swung downward, toward the ground, held in place by a hinge on one side.
“Give me a boost.”
River put one foot on the tires of the center gear, grabbed the edge of the hatch, and, with Dee’s hands pushing up on her bottom, pulled herself up into the darkened compartment. She turned around, leaned out through the opening, and extended her arm to Dee.
“Just do what I did, and I’ll pull you up.”
Dee looked suspicious but complied, and River pulled her into the compact space.
“Where are we?”
River turned on the light in her phone for a flashlight. “This is the center accessory compartment, called the CAC. The aircraft batteries are in here, plus radios, coax cables, and other electrical components.” She shone her light throughout the section and took photos. “Nothing too exciting in here.”
“What’s this big pipe for?”
“That’s the air refueling manifold. It’s the part of the fuel system where we transfer fuel from our various tanks through the manifold, out the boom, to the receiver aircraft. The KC-10 has five fuel tanks and can pump different types of gas out of any of those tanks through the air refueling boom. Want to see the rest of the airplane?”
“Sure, but aren’t we going to get busted for breaking and entering?”
“Hopefully not. Follow me.”
River climbed up a metal ladder in the CAC compartment, then opened another hatch in the ceiling above them and went through it. They emerged into a dark, cavernous space with only dim rays of light coming through a few small windows. River took her hand so she wouldn’t trip in the unfamiliar place.
“We’re in the main cabin, where the cargo pallets are loaded and secured to the floor. We can also take rolling stock, like jeeps and trucks, plus seventy passengers in this section. The boom operator’s station is at the back of the plane. Let’s check out the flight deck.”
It was almost a hundred-foot walk across the metal floor from the CAC to the cockpit, and the interior was hot, like being inside a giant oven. They couldn’t stay in here much longer, or the heat would be deadly, but she did want Dee to see the flight deck, her former office. White protective film covered the big cockpit windows, so they could move around freely, unseen from the outside. Dee stood in the middle of the flight deck, looking at all the dials and buttons.
“Would you like to sit in the captain’s seat?” River asked.
“Of course I would.”
She reached down by the side of the left seat, moved a lever, and pulled the tall seat out and over so Dee could climb in. “Have a seat, Captain.”
Dee smiled at her like a little kid as she climbed into the seat. River reached down for the manual seat lever, just under Dee’s thigh, then pushed her forward.
“This is very comfy. I like it,” Dee said.
“Put your left hand on the yoke and your right hand on the throttles. Now you’re ready to fly.”
It made River happy to see the big grin on Dee’s face, finally. She was having fun turning the yoke and pushing buttons, then making engine noises when she pushed the throttles up. But River saw beads of sweat on Dee’s face from the heat. I need to get her out of here before she gets heat stroke.
