She picked up her duffel bag and purse. Inside the bag, she had everything she would need, so there was no sense in waiting around.
Twenty minutes later, Jesse was leaving the gray air of the L.A. basin. She drove northeast along highway 15, up through the San Gabriel Mountains and on to the high desert plains. This road would eventually take her to Las Vegas. But she wouldn’t stop there. Instead, she would continue to drive for another fifteen miles, until she reached Nellis Air Force base, which lay just east of the glittering lights of the city.
Jesse drove quickly through the desert. The dry miles went by in a monotonous blur. She set her cruise control on sixty-nine miles per hour until she crossed the Nevada state line, then pushed the speed up to seventy-four. Traffic was light. She didn’t pay much attention to her driving, and she never noticed the gray Toyota that flickered in and out of her rearview mirror.
THIRTEEN
Although she had the article practically memorized, Jesse read the tiny news item one more time, carefully mulling over each word.
KOREAN FIGHTER LOST IN YELLOW SEA
By Steven Little, Air Force Times
Osan Air Force Base, Korea, — The Fifty-First Fighter Wing lost its second F-16 of the year late Wednesday night when a Fighting Falcon abruptly burst into flames and exploded over the Yellow Sea. The pilot, Captain Richard Ammon, was attempting to air refuel with a KC-135 from Kadina AFB, Japan, when the incident occurred.
Despite an intensive search and rescue effort, the downed pilot was never recovered. Late Thursday morning, rescue forces retrieved a life raft that was floating near the crash site. Further rescue efforts were called off when investigators confirmed the raft was from the missing F-16. According to Air Force spokesman Lt Jason White, the accident investigation board is focusing on the possibility of a fuel leak that may have occurred during air refueling. However, he conceded that, due to the lack of physical evidence, plus the fact that pieces of the wreckage were unlikely to ever be recovered, the Air Force may never fully understand what caused the downing of the F -16.
A final accident investigation report is due within thirty days. Meanwhile, the Fifty-First Fighter Wing continues to fly a normal schedule.
Jesse carefully tore the article out of the Air Force Times and placed it inside her purse. She stared at the hole that she had torn in the center of the newspaper, then pushed her finger through the two inch opening and out the other side. Too many holes, she thought. There arc too many holes in my life.
She was sitting in a small study cubicle in the library at Nellis Air Force Base. The library was small and silent, with only a few airmen quietly studying for their upcoming promotion tests. The metal building occasionally vibrated and rumbled as combat aircraft took off on the runway that was located just one mile away. For the last two days, Jesse had spent most of her time here, scanning all of the publications that she felt might carry the news of any aircraft accident that happened overseas. Then, on the second day, as evening shadows were forming outside, she finally found what she had been searching for.
The article confirmed what Richard had already told her. It was what she had expected from the day he called and left her the code. No one else would ever believe that, but Jesse knew it was true. She had already accepted his disappearance with at least some degree of inner assurance. Someday he would return. He had promised her he would, and she believed him. Of all the people in the world, Jesse trusted Richard the most.
Now the only question left was, what she should do now? She considered for only a moment, then realized she didn’t have much of a choice. She would wait. That’s all she could do. She would go back to the cabin and wait. At least for a few more days. She really didn’t have any choice.
Jesse picked up her purse and thanked the librarian who had been so helpful, then hastily walked out of the lonely building. As she made her way through the parking lot, she heard an awesome thunder. Looking up into the sky, she saw two F-16s taking off into the evening’s darkness, their wing tips almost touching as they flew in tight formation. Their afterburners spewed a hot blue flame behind them as they quickly climbed and turned out toward the north. Ten seconds later, they were followed by two more F-16s. It only took a moment for the four fighters to climb and disappear. Jesse stood and watched them as they faded into the darkness, thinking all the time of Richard Ammon. She pictured him inside one of the fighters, his broad shoulders cramped in the tight cockpit, smiling from the pure joy of flight. As she watched the lights from the fighters blend into the starry night sky, she missed him even more. She turned and walked quickly toward her car.
Passing by an old gray Toyota, she heard a voice. The window was rolled down, and a man stuck out his head. “Excuse me, ma’am, can you help me?” he asked. She studied the man for a moment, then cautiously answered.
“What can I do for you?”
Jesse shivered as she looked into the man’s eyes. They seemed to stare right through her. She quickly glanced around. By now it was completely dark. The tall lamppost cast dim shadows through the empty parking lot. She glanced toward the library. Not another soul in sight. Jesse’s instincts kicked into high gear. She hadn’t spent the past ten years in southern California without developing an acute sense of imminent danger. And right then, her instincts were very clear. Something was not right about this man.
“I’m looking for one of the fighter squadrons,” the man continued. “An old friend of mine works there. Can you tell me how to get to the F-16 fighter building?”
“I’m new to base myself,” Jesse answered cautiously. “Perhaps the security police can help you.” The man watched Jesse very closely.
“Yeah, but if you could just show me where we are, then I could probably find it myself.” Clyde said, pointing to a map he had laid out across the steering wheel of his car. Jesse didn’t move. Clyde shifted anxiously in his seat. It wasn’t working. He swore at her under his breath as he caught a whiff of the soaking rag of chloroform that lay in the seat next to him. He glanced across the parking lot to the blue sedan where Nadine sat watching. He was growing anxious. His eyes darted around. He could be patient, but only for so long.
Jesse took a step away from his car. “I don’t think I can help you. As I said, it’s my first time on base.”
The man grunted. Jesse turned and briskly walked away. Heading back toward the library, she jumped up the flight of stairs, taking them three at a time. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the man’s Toyota start to pull away with a kick and sputter. As she pulled on the thick glass doors, she knew he was gone.
Jesse waited in the library, watching the parking lot carefully for any signs of the old gray car. She didn’t know why. She shouldn’t have been so suspicious. But over the years she had learned to trust her instincts, and so didn’t consider it wasting her time.
Half an hour later, she walked quickly to her car and climbed in, locking all of the doors before even starting the engine. Pulling out of the parking lot, she maneuvered onto the main boulevard that would lead her off base, merged with the traffic, and headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Weaving in the traffic behind her, in a rented blue sedan, was Nadine. She always stayed at least three cars behind the red Mazda, leaving her enough time to change lanes and follow Jesse off the main highway if her target ever turned. Steering with her left hand, she reached down onto the seat and picked up a cellular phone.