It's not worth the Marines' lives!" Susan declared and gripped his arm tighter. "Can't you do something?"
"You're right," he conceded while the two adversaries yanked their helicopters into a tight, low-speed turn. "I'll call him off and have the Air Guard scramble some armed fighters."
Wickham was on the verge of running for his SecTel when the two helos appeared to collide. The JetRanger's tail rotor blade struck the gunship's right landing skid, then shattered into a dozen pieces while the Cobra pulled up and moved off to the side of the damaged helo.
"He's going in. He's losing it," Steve said stiffly while the fuselage of the civilian helicopter slowly began to rotate under the main rotors.
Without the stabilizing tail rotor to counteract the powerful main-rotor drive torque, the helo turned increasingly faster in the opposite direction of the main blades.
The pilot of the JetRanger was desperately trying to salvage an autorotation to a crash landing, but the aerodynamic forces induced by the unique situation were causing the helo to oscillate out of control.
Steve and Susan witnessed the craft tumble over and plummet nose-first toward the ground near the coast highway.
Holding his bleeding shoulder, Marcus staggered up to them as the helicopter impacted with a spectacular explosion of jet fuel.
"Judas Priest, how did things get out of control?" Callaway asked while he panted for breath.
Chapter 16
There was a hushed sense of excitement in the rustic, woodsy restaurant nestled alongside a winding brook. The President of the United States was going to have a late lunch at the unpretentious cafe before he and his entourage continued their tour of northwestern Montana.
Two Secret Service agents closely watched the preparation of the food and beverages in the kitchen, while other agents interviewed and carefully selected several "customers" who would have an impromptu, spontaneous chat with their Commander in Chief.
CNN and NBC elected to tape the folksy luncheon for their prime time newscast. The combined noise of two generators, coupled with the rows of cables and the battery of satellite dishes, spoiled the otherwise tranquil valley.
As the President's motorcade approached the quaint eatery, a Cable News Network reporter hurried over to one of the stone-faced security agents. After a short pause, the unsmiling agent walked straight to the President's limousine and informed him that CNN was preparing to broadcast a special report about the Pearl Harbor incident.
The President smiled broadly and waved to the small crowd before he entered the CNN truck to view the news report with his top aides. A technician quickly slid a chair on rollers to the President as the "CNN Special Report" graphic flashed on the television screen.
The familiar anchorwoman fumbled with her earpiece and looked into the eye of the camera. "Thanks for joining us. We have a breaking report just in from Honolulu, Hawaii. At least two helicopters have crashed during a joint exercise involving the FBI and the military. The details are sketchy at the moment, but we will update you as quickly as we receive the information.
"I'm being told," the reporter continued, "that a team of agents from the CIA and FBI located the helicopter that was allegedly used in the assault on the tour ship at Pearl Harbor. During the attempt to capture the pilot and his passenger, a Marine Cobra helicopter crashed, killing its two-man crew. The names of the two crewmen have not been released pending notification of next of kin."
Out of habit, the woman cleared her throat while the news director talked to her. "We now go live to David Kaiulani in Honolulu. Dave."
The native Hawaiian correspondent was standing near the blackened wreckage of the JetRanger. The crash site had been roped off, and armed guards surrounded the mangled helicopter.
"Loraine, I'm standing by the remains of what authorities believe was the helicopter used in the assault on the Star of Honolulu. Both people aboard the JetRanger perished in the fiery crash after their helo collided with a Marine gunship that was accompanying the downed military helicopter."
The reporter turned sideways to allow the cameraman a good shot of the accident site.
"Everyone is being cautious about what they say," Kaiulani continued, "but officials at the scene, who wish to remain anonymous, have told me they are certain this is the chopper that was used in the attack."
Rising from his chair, the President thanked the CNN team and stepped outside with his Secretary of State and Scott Eaglehoff, his recently appointed Chief of Staff. The President waved everyone away while the three men walked to the edge of the street.
"Scott," the President said with a grim set to his face, "I want all the particulars on this goddamn mess as soon as you can sort it out. Who was the pilot? Who owned the helicopter? And what the hell went wrong?"
Eaglehoff nodded. "I'll turn the screws."
Swarthy and morose, Scott Eaglehoff was by nature a reserved man, but the plump, pigeon-toed former federal judge enjoyed a unique reputation in Washington. He made things happen.
Bureau laboratory personnel and photographers documented and analyzed everything in and around the estate before Steve and Susan were allowed to explore its interior.
Marcus had been transported to the hospital and was reported to be undergoing surgery.
The Bureau experts found that an entire section of the guest wing had been constructed with hinged walls.
One person could quickly and easily swing the high wall partitions open, move the light pieces of furniture, then cover the wooden parquet floor with a heavy canvas.
The final step in the transformation required two people to open the cleverly constructed entrance to the combination hangar/guest quarters.
When the civilian helicopter was not concealed in the guest wing, the rooms looked perfectly normal, including the large, immovable bathing suite. Because of plumbing constraints, the bath and water closet were built long and narrow to allow room to work on the JetRanger.
After the luxurious home — sans guest quarters — had been built by local crews, a special team of Indonesian construction workers was hired to build the hangar and make it appear like part of the original structure.
The trio of men and their female interior decorator disappeared after a postconstruction drinking party. A week after the group was expected to return to Indonesia, law enforcement authorities in Jakarta asked the Honolulu Police Department to investigate. The HPD looked into the matter, assuming foul play, but they never found a single clue.
Only two men knew the last whereabouts of the construction. workers. By the time the authorities were consulted, the foursome was a long way from where they had last been seen. Sharks make unpredictable course changes in their ongoing quest for food.
"Well," Steve observed as he inspected the interior of the guest quarters-cum-helicopter hangar, "they were in a helluva hurry to get out of here."
"Max panic mode," Susan deadpanned and looked behind one of the numerous drop cloths that was used to protect the walls, furniture, and fixtures during the hasty repainting of the JetRanger. "They apparently sprayed the camouflage design directly on the other paint scheme."
"A quick makeover and out the door," Steve mused while he looked at the spray gun and paint containers. "They must have been on the verge of slipping the helo out of here when we paid our first visit."
"No question about it."
He glanced at her and then frowned. "Why do I have a feeling they knew we were on our way here?"
"I don't know," Susan replied, careful not to jump to conclusions, "but I think you're right. And there's something else that puzzles me."
"Me, too," Wickham confided, then turned to his attractive friend and focused his attention on her eyes. "I want to know where they planned to hide the helicopter."