“The people are nice. Air-conditioning is a given. And you always know someone who has a swimming pool.”
Danny had snorted.
“I don’t know,” Alison had said from the back. “I kind of like it. Looks homey.”
“It was,” Wes had said.
Now that the sun had set on a day none of them could have ever expected nor would ever forget, Wes wondered if there was any way he could just return to Los Angeles. Not even back in his hometown for twenty- four hours, and a fighter jet-an F-18, he’d learned from the medic who’d patched him up-nearly killed him.
If that wasn’t an omen, he didn’t know what was.
He had just stepped into the shower when someone pounded on the door to his room. He tried ignoring it, but whoever it was wasn’t giving up.
“I’m coming!” he hollered as he climbed back out and threw a towel around his waist.
He pulled the door open. Danny was standing there, his arm in the air ready to knock again.
“What?” Wes asked, pissed.
“Uh … hey. Just wanted to let you know we’re all meeting at the cars in ten. Going to grab something to eat.”
Wes stared at him, saying nothing.
“I … uh … I thought you’d like the heads-up. Maybe we can get a drink, too. Don’t know about you, but I could sure use a beer or three.”
Wes shook his head and shut the door without replying.
“Does that mean you’re coming or not?” Danny called through the door.
Wes got back into the shower, letting the hot water stream over his head. He knew the others were going to want to know what he’d seen. They’d want to hear details. And if it didn’t happen tonight, it would happen tomorrow.
Better to get it over with now.
He finished his shower, pulled on some clothes, and was at the SUVs only a few minutes late. With the exception of Monroe, everyone was already there. But that wasn’t surprising. She seldom joined the crew after hours.
Dione looked at Wes. “So, where should we go?”
“What do you mean?”
“To eat,” she said as if he were dense as a brick.
He shrugged. “Hell if I know.”
“Come on, Wes, we’re starving,” Tony Hall, the crew’s production assistant, said. Dione had kept him running errands all day, so he’d missed all the fun at the Pinnacles.
“It’s been seventeen years since I’ve been here,” Wes said. But no one in the group seemed very sympathetic. He dug deep into his memory. “Uh … if it’s still there, John’s Pizza’s not too far away.”
“John’s it is,” Dione said.
John’s was still there. Unfortunately, though, the beer and the pizza didn’t last long enough for Wes to finish telling them about the crash. So, at Danny’s suggestion, they stopped off at a bar within walking distance of the motel named Delta Sierra.
“That booth’s empty,” Alison said, pointing across the room.
Danny laughed as they sat down. “Check this out.” He pointed at the table. It was glass topped, and underneath was a large piece of paper with the words pilot lingo in bold on top. Term number one, printed larger than the others, read:
DELTA SIERRA-Dumb Shit
The aviation theme didn’t end there. The walls were covered with framed pictures of pilots and planes and hangars. And prominent on the list of drinks were a Bogey Shot, a Flattop Martini, and something called a Hornet in a Cage.
Alison touched Wes on the arm. “Maybe we should have gone somewhere else.”
“Why?” Danny asked. “This place is great.”
“That’s because it was obviously named after you,” she scoffed. “I was just thinking that after the day we’ve had, maybe someplace a little less
Anna smiled at Wes. “We don’t have to stay.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It’s fine. Besides, Danny’s buying.”
Laughter all around.
Danny grinned. “I don’t believe I actually promised that.”
“I don’t care if you promised or not, it’s what’s going to happen.”
More laughter.
When things settled down again, Danny said, “I’ll tell you what surprised me most out there today. I thought that plane was part of the Air Force, then all of a sudden we were surrounded by all these Navy people … sailors … whatever you call them. Since when is the Navy in the middle of the desert?”
“China Lake’s a naval base, Danny,” Alison said.
“Yeah, but where’s the water? Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Navy’s thing boats?”
“The Navy needs a place to test its planes and weapons,” Wes said. “So they set up out here a long time ago. Nothing better than the empty desert to drop a bomb in. And it’s ‘ships,’ not ‘boats.’ ”
“Seriously, Danny,” Dione said. “It was all in the episode brief.”
“Like I’m the only one who never reads those.” He looked around the table for support, but everyone stared back at him like he was an idiot. “Okay, fine. Sorry.”
“I think it’s time for that first round?” Dione suggested.
“Right.” Danny climbed out of the booth.
“Take Tony with you,” Alison said. “So they won’t card you.”
“Ha-ha,” Danny said, glaring at her. Though he was twenty-seven, he had one of those baby faces that made him look like he was barely out of high school. By comparison, Tony, a couple of years younger, actually looked like he was in his late twenties. As Danny turned for the bar, he motioned Tony to join him. “You can help me carry the drinks.”
As soon as they were gone, Alison and Anna decided to make a pre-drink trip to the ladies’ room, leaving Dione and Wes the only ones still at the table.
“Don’t spread this around yet,” Dione said, “but the office wants us to try to make up the time without adding a day.”
“Did you expect anything less?”
“I was looking at the schedule, and I think if we cram two of Tuesday’s interviews into Monday, we’ll be able to do it.” She gave Wes a hopeful look. “Might mean working an extra hour, though.”
Wes shrugged. “I could always use the overtime.”
“It’s just an hour.”
“Easy to say with your cushy staff job. Freelancer rule number one: Get paid for every hour you work.”
She gave him her best puppy-dog eyes, which only caused him to sneer. With a chuckle she shrugged. “Hey, it was worth a try. I guess it’ll be cheaper than shooting an extra day. I really should charge the Navy for the lost time.”
“Seriously, Dione. We saw someone die today.”
“I know, I know. I don’t really mean it. It’s just that officer taking our footage pissed me off.”
“He didn’t
“Ha! If we hadn’t, I’ll bet he would have taken it.” She looked around. “Get this. I talked to the office, expecting them to be as upset as I was, but they were all like it was no big deal, and that we’d done the right thing handing it over. Come on. Doesn’t anyone have any journalistic integrity?”
Wes stared at her, smirking. “Uh, not sure you know this, but we shoot vacation spots. We’re squeezed between a show called
As Dione scoffed, Danny and Tony returned carrying several drinks. They weren’t alone, either. Behind them
