Purgatory
Chapter 5 - Roadtrip
The trip to Whidby Island Naval Air Station in northern Puget Sound was uneventful. As usual, an Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo plane chauffeured them from Joint Base Andrews to the island base about 90 miles north of Seattle. McGee managed to keep himself occupied with his laptop computer during most of the flight, undoubtedly working on the case. EJ had slept, mercifully, for most of the trip, the thrumming of the plane's props lulling her into slumber – the best sleep she had experienced in weeks.
As she stepped down from the cargo ramp onto the tarmac she inhaled the salt breeze drifting in off the sparkling bay poised at the eastern most edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the major waterway flowing out to the Pacific Ocean, one hundred miles away. Looking northwest across the wide expanse of water the islands of the San Juan archipelago glistened emerald green in the morning sun.
Her breath caught for a moment as she looked southwest across the straight toward the jagged and still snowcapped mountain peaks of the Olympic National Park. Turning southeast the massive dome of Mt. Rainier, 14,000 feet high and one of the largest peaks in the continental US, loomed over the horizon like a giant, majestic guardian watching over the entire northwest region of Washington state. Completing her 360 degree turn and looking northeast she saw Mt. Baker at over 10,000 feet in elevation posting sentry duty for the North Cascades Wilderness area.
It had been several years since EJ had visited the Puget Sound and she had forgotten the breath-taking natural beauty of the region. If one turned and looked in any direction they could not help but be confronted by nature parading herself in all of her splendid beauty. It was a magical place; clean, refreshing, full of life. She took in another deep breath of clean salt air and felt a smile curve the corners of her mouth.
She glanced over at McGee and realized he had put his carryon and computer case on the tarmac and just stood, looking at her.
"What?" she said in a sheepish tone. She was beginning to feel a little self-conscious around him.
"Nothing," he smiled back at her.
"Don't 'nothing' me, Tim. What are you thinking?"
"You just look … happy," he said, his smile widening.
"Yeah," she said, pausing to think about his comment. "Yeah … I guess I do feel a little happy right now."
"It's just good to see you smile," he said. "You up for a drive and a ferry ride?"
"Yep. Sounds good. Let's get moving," she said with energy in her voice. She did feel good. Yes, this is just what the doctor ordered, she thought.
After a thirty minute drive south in a sedan checked out from the base motor pool they pulled into the small town of Coupeville and drove onto the ferry for the 35 minute crossing westward over the waters of the Sound to the town of Port Townsend. Parking the car in the lower deck they exited and climbed to the passenger deck. The ferry was large, with a capacity of up to 100 vehicles and several hundred passengers. But the passenger traffic during this mid-morning crossing was light and the deck was relatively empty.
EJ wandered outside to the bow observation deck. Although the sun was out bouncing sparkling diamonds off the surface of the water, the breeze was cool, forcing her to pull her coat up around her neck. She stared out across the water, her mind and body mesmerized as all five senses were bathed in sensation. The sound of the water slapping against the hull danced with the powerful and almost inaudible thrum of the ferry's engines as the behemoth pushed along the surface of the water. The breeze carried with it almost imperceptible droplets of salt water that tingled her face, leaving the bitter taste of sea salt on her tongue. Her eyes were still overwhelmed by mountains and water and islands and the sheer beauty of, what some of the locals called, the Salish Sea.
Lost in the beauty of her surroundings it took a while before she noticed that McGee had walked up next to her, leaning against the railing, looking out over the water.
"This is amazing," he said, awe in his voice.
"Sure is," EJ responded.
"It's different here. Not as crowded as home. Feels cleaner, the air is fresher." McGee observed.
"It is pretty awesome. I wonder if ….," her voice cut off as the sound of a helicopter engine speeding toward them filled their ears.
Looking up and toward the stern they saw it, flying low and at an angle that would take it over and past the ferry on a southern heading as opposed to the ferry's southwesterly course. EJ couldn't take her eyes off of it. Thoughts of it crashing into the water filled her mind. Flashbacks of her nightmares exploded into her awareness. As the helicopter drew closer she felt a chill engulf her body, quickly turning into a coursing anxiety and finally exploding into panic. Her body started to shake involuntarily and she gripped the railing, gasping for breath as it passed overhead.
McGee watched EJ as she almost jumped out of her skin. Just before she couldn't take it any longer and was about to bolt from the deck back inside the ferry, Tim gently placed his hand on hers. She released her grip on the railing and grabbed McGee's hand in return, holding on for dear life as she swallowed hard, struggling to bring her breathing under control. As the helicopter passed overhead and faded into the distance her body calmed. She looked up at Tim, nodding to him with gratitude.
"Sorry," she croaked, still trying to regain her breath, looking back at the water.
"Nothing to be sorry about," he said softly.
A few moments of silence passed and EJ looked back at Tim who had turned his gaze forward again. As she took in his features she noticed a tear running down his cheek. A wave of guilt engulfed her and in that moment she realized she had been so selfish, so self-absorbed. She had forgotten that others who loved Gibbs were also grieving his death. And right now McGee's grief was seeping through his calm exterior. She gave his hand another squeeze and gently pulled his arm so he turned to face her. The anguish on his face was heartbreaking. She looked into his eyes and then gently pulled him to her in an embrace. He didn't hesitate, accepting her comfort and returning it to her as they stood holding each other. After a few minutes they parted and both turned to look back out over the water.
"I only know he was in a helicopter," McGee sighed. "We didn't get much other information."
"I don't know much more either," EJ said. "From what I was told, he was working on a case with a client who happened to own a helicopter and was flying the two of them across the bay to Newport News. No one knows why it crashed. They found the wreckage, but never found the …, "her voice choked off.
McGee looked at her and shook his head, letting her know she need not go on.
Their hands stayed clasped for a few more minutes as the ferry dock came into view. Parting silently they turned and walked from the observation deck.
As she descended the stairs to the car deck in the bowels of the ferry EJ felt her heart and spirit spiraling down as well, descending into a pit of grief of which she was intimately familiar. Like a drowning woman desperately grabbing at a life preserver she tried to hold onto the happiness she had felt for such an unfairly brief amount of time since landing at Whidby and gazing at the beauty of her surroundings. She could feel her grip loosening, the happiness slipping away and the darkness of despair returning to imprison her yet again. As she climbed into the passenger seat she struggled to keep tears from welling up in her eyes, turning away from McGee so he would not witness the pain that had returned to her face.
McGee estimated the drive from Port Townsend to the Bremerton Naval Yard would take about 90 minutes. Even though EJ had seemed happy at the air base he had noticed the change in her demeanor since the helicopter flew over the ferry. It had upset her and she was having a tough time bouncing back. He doubted she would be able to regain her relaxed attitude anytime soon.
As they drove they traded comments about the unique and beautiful scenery. The area was sparsely populated, mostly covered by thick forests of Douglas Fir. Every now and then the trees thinned along the side of the road and they could see past them out into the wide waterway of the Hood Canal as their road paralleled the salt water channel.
"This sure is isolated out here," EJ said quietly, as if speaking to no one in particular while she gazed out the car window.
"Probably why they decided to locate the submarine base out here," he said.
She nodded, staring silently out the window watching the lines on the pavement flash by as they drove down the two lane road. Eventually EJ broke the silence again.
"Got any ideas what the hackers might have been looking for?" she asked, looking over at McGee.
Glad for some conversation McGee launched into the particulars.
"Not a clue," he replied. "The logs from the server at the sub base show it was hacked and files were downloaded. The weird thing is that the files copied don't have any critical information."
"I thought you said the information was classified," she said.
"Yeah ... well …, it's an inter-continental, nuclear ballistic missile, submarine base. Everything is classified, even how much toilet paper they order every month. By the way, that information was included in the material that was copied."
"What information?" she asked, a questioning frown on her face. "You mean their supply requisitions for toilet paper?"
"Yeah," McGee grinned. "Betcha who ever's responsible for that firewall breach is gonna be in the crapper." He chuckled at his pun and EJ rolled her eyes trying to look annoyed. But he could see the smile she was trying to hide. He felt a little more hopeful. EJ might bounce back on this trip after all.
As they approached a major highway cut-off EJ stared at the directional sign. They were to take the southeast cutoff toward the town of Poulsbo, on the way to Bremerton. According to the sign the cut-off going due south would take them to the town of Quilicene about 10 miles from their current location.
"Quilicene. Hum …," EJ said thoughtfully, her eyebrows arching and her eyes turning upwards as if trying to see something inside her mind just behind her forehead.
He glanced over at her, the concentration on her face apparent. He could tell her brain was going a mile a minute. "What about Quilicene?" he asked.
"I know that name. I've heard it or read it somewhere before. I can't remember ...," her voice trailed off as she was caught up in her thoughts again.
"It's a pretty unusual name. I think it's Native American and specific to this region," McGee said. "Are you sure?"
"That's just it," she said as her brow furrowed, "it's unusual, and that's why I remember it. I know I don't have it mixed up with something else. But damned if I can remember."
"Just wait," McGee said. "When you're not thinking about it the memory will pop right into your head."
EJ nodded her agreement.
They continued on their journey to the Bremerton naval yard, chatting about the case and appreciating the beauty surrounding them. Even with their casual conversation it was clear when he looked over at her that she was still thinking about the name, trying to tease out the memory. The harder she tried the more her mood soured and McGee's hope of a pleasant partner for the duration of this assignment began to sour too.
###