He felt the helicopter shudder slightly as Harv tossed the duffel into the luggage compartment. Fifteen seconds later, he applied power. When the helicopter became light on the skids he executed a maximum performance takeoff. At 200 AGL he flipped on the navs and beacon and flew west toward I-5.

Harv secured his helmet and plugged in the audio jack.

Nathan continued to climb and turned north, paralleling the freeway. He made sure to stay well right of the centerline. The airspace above freeways served as helicopter flight routes.

Harv folded his aeronautical chart into a twelve-inch square and clipped it to his right kneeboard. “We’ll have to use the twenty-four-hour self-serve pumps at Fresno.”

“I know where they are.”

A comfortable silence expanded between them for a time.

“I’ve been thinking about Holly’s call,” Harv said at last.

“Me too. I don’t like it. I wish she’d given me, I don’t know… something.”

“Whatever it is, it’s got to be important. It could have something to do with your father’s Senate committee.”

“Yeah, I thought about that, but she would’ve told me.”

“I’m glad you’re back on speaking terms with him. He running for another term?”

“What’s six more years to a career politician?”

“Are you okay with it?”

“And if I’m not?”

Harv didn’t respond.

Nathan dialed Palomar Field’s frequencies into the NavCom—they’d be entering Palomar’s airspace in a few minutes and were required to make contact.

“How’ve you been sleeping?” Harv asked.

“Not great.”

“Holly?”

“She deserves a commitment.”

“I think it’s safe to say she’s not looking for that.”

“It just feels like I’m preventing her from finding someone else.”

“If she felt that way, she’d tell you.”

Nathan scanned the sky, looking for aircraft beacons.

“Don’t worry,” Harv said. “I’m sure she’s not calling it off.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Holly heard the helicopter before she saw it. 2:25 am. Nathan had called it pretty close. Its rotor noise careened off the surrounding hangars as the ship passed directly over her sedan and settled onto the tarmac a hundred yards distant. It took them several minutes to complete the engine shutdown. After the main rotor stopped, they climbed out, removed their flight helmets, and stretched. She watched Nathan give the helicopter a pat on the fuselage before starting over. Using her cane, she limped toward them. A pang of guilt raked her for asking him to drop everything and fly up here, but it had to happen this way. Still, as Nathan approached, everything she’d planned to say suddenly felt wrong.

“Hi, Holly.”

She started forward, but stopped.

“Well,” Harvey said, taking her cane, “don’t just stand there, hug each other.”

They did, for a long moment. When she let go, Nathan asked, “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“I’ll show you.”