Hangar 13

by Lindsay McKenna

  “It will be dangerous, but your spirit-guide animals will protect you. Go carefully, my sister.”

  Ellie thanked her. She found herself flanked with a number of animals that existed in the spirit realm of the fourth dimension. A shamaness had no defenses of her own, so had to rely upon a vanguard of soldiers, who took the shape of animals, to be her protectors. Ellie saw her gray wolf and leaned over and patted the animal, who wagged her tail in joyful acknowledgment. A golden eagle sat nearby, her yellow eyes fierce, and Ellie went over and patted her lovingly on the head.

  Her third friend and protector was a mountain lion, who rubbed and purred against her legs. Ellie thanked Yona and asked her spirit guides to take her to the corner of Hangar 13. Ellie would never undertake a journey without direct permission; to do otherwise indicated disrespect for the situation.

  It was easy to move in the fourth dimension. In the blink of an eye, she was standing in the corner of the hangar, far above the floor. Ellie looked around. She could see herself sitting in the chair, and she could see Mac beating the drum. Hearing the growl of her mountain lion, Ellie turned, startled. Her heart began beating harder. In the corner, she saw a dark, churning cloud, looking like an approaching thunderstorm. The roiling black-and-gray cloud wove in and out, like hundreds of snakes slithering quickly in and around one another. The sensation was one of pure danger. Instantly, the cougar placed herself between Ellie and the approaching menace.

  “Stop,” Ellie shouted, and threw up her hand. The cloud was at least ten feet high and twenty feet wide. She felt the anger and hatred and shock. The storm stopped. The cougar growled warningly.

  “Whoever you are, come out of hiding. I’m Iya, and I’ve come to speak to you. I mean you no harm.”

  She stood there, feeling the wolf on her left and the eagle on her right. Out of the thick, moving clouds, she saw a dark shape emerge. It hung there, only partly visible.

  “I come in peace,” Ellie told the spirit, which took the vague shape of a human.

  “Go away!”

  The voice, deep and furious, buffeted Ellie. She took a step back, feeling scorched by the spirit. “I can’t. I need to find out why you’re here in this hangar. Why are you throwing tools at the people who work here? They are innocent. What can I do to help you and them?”

  The dark shape moved out of the clouds, drifting to the left. Ellie tried to see its face, but there was none to see. She sensed it was male. “Will you speak with me?” she pleaded.

  “No! Get out of here! This is my place! You have no business coming here! If you don’t go, I’ll kill you!”

  “I’ve only come to help you if I can.”

  “Help me?” roared the spirit. “Find my killer!”

  Stunned, Ellie stood there, feeling the spirit’s utter fury. “You were murdered? By whom? Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Bah!”

  “First, you must promise me you will leave these people alone. Will you?” She felt his malevolent glare. “Well?” she goaded.

  “Yes! I will not harm them while you hunt for my murderer.”

  The spirit slipped back into the roiling clouds.

  Ellie stood there for a long time. The cougar remained crouched, her tail twitching, and she knew it was a sign that the spirit was capable of attacking her.

  “Spirit, can you tell me your name?”

  There was no response. Ellie turned to her spirit guides. “Will he come out and talk to me?”

  The eagle shook her head. “He thinks you are coming to take his territory from him. He’s dangerous. Let us go from here.”

  Ellie always listened to her spirit guides; they possessed wisdom she did not and were there to help her understand the sometimes-confusing energy found in the fourth dimension.

  “Okay. Thanks, gang. I’ll see you later.” She patted each one of them and saw herself coming back to where she was sitting in the chair. Ellie saw herself slipping back into her physical body, and as she did, she felt heavier. Gradually, as she returned to the third dimension, the beating of the drum became louder. The feeling of heaviness remained, and she knew she was back to the here and now. Lifting her lashes, she raised her hand and signaled to Mac to stop drumming.

  Mac stopped and set the drum aside. He studied Ellie’s eyes. They were out of focus, but within a minute they became sharp and lively looking once again. He stopped himself from demanding to know what had gone on—if anything.

  Ellie sat up in the chair, rubbed her hands along her thighs and took a long, deep breath of air. “The spirit promised to stop hurting people if we did one thing for him.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do you know if someone was murdered here in Hangar 13?”

  The question caught Mac completely off guard. “Murdered?”

  “Yes.” Ellie motioned toward the corner. “Mac, this spirit is male. He wouldn’t let me see his face. All I saw was a dark shape of a man. He’s very angry, and he’s dangerous. When I asked what happened, he said, ‘Find my murderer.”’ She tilted her head and saw the shock in his expression. “How long has Hangar 13 been here?”

  “It was built six months ago. It’s the newest hangar on Luke.” Mac shook his head. “Murder? I don’t know what I expected, Ellie, but not that.”

  She stood up and stretched. “Sometimes when a person is killed suddenly and without warning, his spirit remains in the spot where his life was taken.” She looked around the hangar. “Do you know of any murders that took place on base?”

  “No…”

  “Are you sure? How about an accidental death?” Ellie walked over and picked up the drum. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be murder.”

  Mac got up and folded both chairs. He carried them back to the office where he’d gotten them. Ellie followed along silently. Inside the office, he placed the chairs in the corner and turned to her. His expression was thoughtful.

  “I guess I can give the provost marshal a call tomorrow and check it out.”

  “Okay.” Ellie could see him struggling with the information. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get more from the spirit, Mac.”

  He shrugged and cupped her elbow. Guiding her out of the office, he asked, “How are you feeling?”

  “A little lightheaded, but that’s normal after coming back,” Ellie assured him.

  “Does it last long?”

  “Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. I don’t drive during that time, believe me.”

  “Sort of like taking eight or nine g’s,” he murmured, opening the outer door of the hangar for her. “Those are units of gravity a pilot is often exposed to taking off in a high-speed aircraft.”

  “Oh?” Ellie enjoyed walking beside him. The peaceful night seemed such a contrast to the turmoil she had just witnessed. The sky overhead was dark and sparkling with stars. She heard a couple of jets taking off in the distance, the silence broken by their ominous, powerful rumble.

  “I ought to take you up in my bird someday soon,” he said. “You could get a taste of my world.” Grinning, he added, “I won’t make you take eight or nine g’s, though.”

  “I’ve never flown except in a commercial jet,” Ellie admitted. She saw the light in Mac’s eyes, a light of joy.

  He led her to the car and opened the door for her. “Would you?”

  Ellie halted at the door and looked up into his darkly shadowed features. “What?”

  “Fly with me?”

  “Well…”

  “We’re always flying media types for public relations purposes. Just last week we had the Thunderbird flying team in here. How about it? I’d like to show you a little of what I do.” Never had Mac wanted a woman to say yes more than now. He saw the wariness come back into Ellie’s eyes. Was she comparing him to her ex-husband? His hand tightened on the door, and he unconsciously held his breath.

  “I don’t know….”

  “Is this reverse prejudice?”

  Ellie shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. I’m still jumpy about B
rian—about men in general, I guess.”

  “Look, even if you’re wrong about what you saw in there tonight, it doesn’t make any difference to me.”

  Was Mac telling her the truth? She probed his warm, dark eyes. A yearning started, low and deep within her, and it caught Ellie by surprise.

  Mac tried to remain patient. “How about it? I’ll trade you a ride in my jet for what you did for me tonight?”

  “Is that just another form of a date?”

  Mac grinned. “Maybe it is.”

  She felt heat climb into her cheeks. “If I didn’t know any better, Major Stanford, I’d say you’re an ace at handing out lines.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. So, will you fly with me?”

  How could she say no? Ellie murmured, “All right.”

  “Great.” Mac felt ten pounds drop off his shoulders. As he watched Ellie sit down and arrange the folds of her white cotton skirt, he was again drawn to her simple honesty, the way she lived her life. Shutting the door, he dug the keys out of his pocket, whistling softly. Tomorrow he’d drop over to the provost marshal’s office, and then he’d arrange a flight for this lady who had the warmth of the earth in her.

  Mac picked up the phone in his office. It was nearly 1700, quitting time for the day. Glancing out his window toward Hangar 13, he dialed Ellie’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Ellie, this is Mac.”

  “Hi.”

  He smiled and relaxed back into his chair. Cradling the phone between his ear and his shoulder, he said, “I thought you’d like to know that I was over at the provost marshal’s office this morning.”

  “Really? What did you find out?”

  He heard the wariness in her voice. “Nothing yet. But an interesting fact came up. Five years ago a Sergeant Tim Olson disappeared from the base. At first, he was considered AWOL, but they left the case open, because Olson never showed up at his home in Nebraska, or anywhere else.”

  “Why would you pinpoint Olson?”

  “An interesting coincidence, Ellie. Olson used to work in a small building on the very site that Hangar 13 was later built upon.”

  “Oh…”

  “What do you think?”

  “Well, could Olson have been murdered here where the hangar was built?”

  “You tell me.”

  “I really don’t know. The spirit wouldn’t give his name.”

  Mac sat up straight. “I think it’s an interesting piece of evidence…. How are you doing today?”

  “Fine. I’ve done four journeys for clients and I’m getting ready to call it quits for the day.”

  He smiled, liking Ellie’s laughter. “How would you like to meet for dinner? There’s a nice little Italian restaurant about halfway between your home and mine. What do you say?” Mac held his breath, hoping she would finally say yes.

  “I can’t, Mac. I’m sorry, I have a speaking engagement tonight….”

  He heard the apology in her tone. “If you didn’t have this talk, would you have said yes?” he teased.

  “I don’t think you take no for an answer, Major Stanford.”

  With a smile, he said, “You’re right.”

  “Is this kind of behavior intrinsic to military men? Or just you?”

  It was his turn to laugh. Mac had missed Ellie acutely throughout the day. He had known her just a few days, but already she seemed an integral part of his life. “I think it’s kind of endemic with our breed, Ms. O’Gentry. Once you get to know us, though, we’re not a bad lot.”

  “That’s your viewpoint, Major. I think I’d like a second opinion.”

  “You can have one. Just say you’ll go to dinner with me sometime this coming week.”

  “I think you should have been an attorney.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Maybe…”

  He flipped open his appointment book. “Mark down May 15.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s when you get to fly with me.”

  “Really?”

  Mac liked the excitement he heard in her voice. “That’s a roger.”

  “What time?”

  “Oh-seven hundred. We’ll fly in the early morning when the air is smoother. I don’t want you getting airsick on me.”

  With a laugh, Ellie said, “Okay, May 15. I’ll be there.”

  “Good.” Mac felt the tension draining out of him. “Listen, getting serious here for a minute, I’m going to snoop around some more on this Olson angle.”

  “Even if you don’t believe in ghosts?”

  “Yes.” He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you, Ellie, about your beliefs. And I remembered when I was a kid, I would get these thoughts. A few minutes later, my mother would say what I’d just thought.”

  “Mental telepathy. I’m impressed.”

  “You ought to be. The point is, I’ve been racking my brain for other instances of mysterious, unexplained behavior.”

  “Besides something throwing wrenches at your people and a screwdriver at me.”

  He liked her ability to tease; Ellie gave as well as she got. “I think I had that coming. I’m willing to concede that there are some unexplained phenomena in this world.”

  “My heart be still!”

  Mac laughed. He didn’t want to get off the phone, but he had to. “If I find anything more on Olson, I’ll give you a call.”

  “Okay, but Mac?”

  “Yes?”

  “Just be careful in that corner of the hangar.”

  “I’ve already rearranged the work areas in the hangar. That corner is now liberated from any activity.” He grimaced, glancing out onto the floor of the hangar, where several crews were working on the jets. “We’re a little crowded in this end, and my people are grumbling about the tight quarters, but I don’t care.”

  “Have any of them guessed what is happening?”

  “No, only my master sergeant. He knows I’ve contacted you, but we haven’t discussed it.”

  “I think I should try to journey again and see if I can get some more information from the spirit. Maybe if we tell him we know about Tim Olson, that might help. He was acting as if he expected me to know a lot more than I did.”

  “Then,” Mac said lightly, “I’ll do some more snooping around at the PM’s office and see what I can find.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Ellie tried to still her excitement as she waited at the visitor’s entrance of Luke Air Force Base. She had worn pale green slacks, comfortable tennis shoes and a white blouse. Mac had told her to wear pants because of all the gear she’d have to don. She stood at the window that overlooked the main base area. Even at seven in the morning, it was busy with vehicles and personnel, and jets taking off. There was always the growl and vibration of jets in the background, and it thrilled Ellie, although she couldn’t have said why.

  Her heart pounded a bit harder in her breast when she saw Mac drive up and park next to the building. She hadn’t seen him in nearly two weeks, and it seemed like forever. How handsome and self-assured he looked in his olive green flight suit, with the dark blue, silver-trimmed cap cocked on his head at a rakish angle. There was nothing not to like about Mac Stanford, Ellie decided. She realized with a start that her palms were damp. Damp, of all things! At her age, she’d thought such reactions to a man were things of the past. But not with Mac.

  She tried to look composed as she watched him walk confidently toward the door. His hair was dark and gleaming, and his face was free of that dark beard that always seem to shadow his features in the late afternoon. As he drew closer, Ellie swore she could see gold sunlight dancing in his hazel eyes. More than anything, she liked his hands. They were long and strong looking, almost artistic in appearance, save for the large, rawboned knuckles. Mac possessed strong hands, and more than once, Ellie wondered almost foolishly what it would be like to have them caressing her shoulders.

  She had tried to keep Mac at bay within her heart—but it was almost impossible. She thought of h
im constantly while she was working, and his face would appear every night when she was getting ready for bed. Mac made her heart pound and her pulse flutter; like a rare, beautiful perfume, he had scented her life in a way no man had ever done before.

  As Mac entered the visitor’s office, he automatically took off his cap and turned in her direction. His smile was blinding, filled with undeniable welcome, and Ellie felt his warmth envelop her. She felt heat nettling her cheeks and groaned to herself. She was blushing! Without thinking, she touched her left cheek as Mac approached. How could she have denied him dinner these past weeks? It was crazy to keep turning him down, Ellie’s heart told her. But her head was always lurking in the background, whispering to her to be careful.

  “Hi, stranger,” Mac said in greeting. He held out his hand toward her as he closed the distance between them. How beautiful and simple Ellie looked amidst all the hustle and bustle of the base. Her white blouse had long shirttails that swept across her hips and emphasized the rounded curves of her body. Her hair was pinned up and tamed in a bun at the nape of her neck. What a shame, Mac thought, as he saw her shy smile. Never had he been so intrigued with a woman’s hair. He longed to ease his fingers through it, feel its sleekness, bury his face in it.

  “Hi…” Ellie said awkwardly as she slipped her hand into his. Mac’s hand was dry and warm. As his fingers folded gently around hers, Ellie felt a frisson of heat fly up her arm. Her heart beat dangerously fast as he halted only inches from her. Being around Mac was like being around Father Sun, Ellie decided, as she was gently snared by his dancing eyes. His mouth was curved with genuine pleasure, and she wondered abstractly what it would be like to kiss that mouth. There was such strength and power surrounding him. Did he realize it? Ellie didn’t think so.

  “Well, are you ready to become an eagle today?” he teased. He was determined to keep things light. But his wild, almost insatiable urge to sweep Ellie into his arms and feel her ripely curved body against his was nearly his undoing. When he took a step back, he saw the relief in Ellie’s warm brown eyes. He saw fear there, too. He supposed it would take more time to gain her trust. But he intended to do it. In the two weeks they’d been apart, Mac had realized that he wanted to know Ellie better, no matter what their differences.