The screw wouldn't turn and no amount of cajoling or swearing was going to get it to turn. His hands were too big and when his hands were too big for a job, there was only one person he could call.
"Cai. . ." He stopped in the middle of the name. Caitlin couldn't help him tighten a screw or fix the rotors on a helicopter. She couldn't be anymore. Horn had seen to that.
Hawke stepped off the ladder and went around the jet ranger. Dominic was coming out of the office. "I heard you yelling. What's wrong?"
Hawke threw the wrench in the toolbox and took a seat at the desk in the hangar. A map was strewn out on the desk with red circles and 'x's' on it. There was one quadrant unmarred by circles or 'x's'.
The phone rang. Hawke grabbed it on the second ring. "Santini Air," He said with less enthusiasm than normal.
"Hawke, it's Michael. The last area Airwolf found is clean. The hole turned out to be where somebody buried some tin drums."
The heat on Hawke's neck rose to his cheeks. He gripped the phone tighter. "You already dug it up. You were supposed. . ."
"Hang on, Hawke," Michael said. "You and Dom have been out here every day for the past five days digging the places Airwolf marked with no success. I didn't want you to be here if it was another disappointment and if it was Caitlin then I would have been here with her. The search has been called off, Hawke. I'm sorry."
That's all Hawke wanted. After Michael's guys disposed of Horn's body, Hawke and Dominic began the arduous task of gridding the area around the ranch house and marking freshly dug areas of sand. Four had turned out to be empty and the other had the remains of a coyote or a wolf. Hawke was going to dig up the last one tonight when the sun went down. He was hoping he would find Caitlin.
"Thanks, Michael." Hawke hung up and ran his oil stained hands over his face.
"What did Michael have to say?" Dominic asked as he leaned on the desk.
"The search is over." Hawke took the red pen and drew a large 'x' over the empty grid. Then stood up, kicked the chair over, and walked out.
If not finding Caitlin's body was hard, then what Caitlin would want him to do next was going to be excruciating.
The End