Navy Blue - A Second Chance Romance (Complete)

Navy Blue: Chapter 10

As it turned out Lieutenant Casey was easy to like.

In a windowless room, Emily sat at a steel table across from the helicopter pilot. "Did anything seem out of the ordinary that morning?"

With Finn and Airman Randall's accounts, combined with Lance's notes from his interview with Lieutenant Casey, Emily had a full picture of the events of the day and the night before. But details mattered and she needed to hear the story firsthand.

The woman before her didn't look like she'd been confined to the base for weeks. Cool and collected, the officer had answered all her questions as if relaying the details of a dictionary. "No Ma'am, the pre-flight check went as expected. The onboard system took a little time to boot up but that's common these days."

Emily created a new bullet point on her document and typed pre-flight system. "This was a Sea Hawk correct?"

Lieutenant Casey's lips curled like her sister Beth's did when proudly announcing what Ben drew that day. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Was the slow..." Emily referred to her note "system boot normal?"

"Ever since the upgrade? Yes."

"How long ago was the upgrade?"

"Two weeks before the accident."

Emily noted that Lieutenant used the word accident. It would make testimony prep easier as they got closer to the hearing date if her client already was in the habit of using the right terminology. "Nothing else out of the ordinary?"

"As I said, Ma'am, no." Casey's clipped tone reminded Emily of Finn's yesterday in the boardroom. He'd been cool and distant again, perhaps even more so. Her intent had been to keep things professional, not wanting to do anything to jeopardize Lieutenant Casey's case or her own career.

Yet the moment she walked into the conference room she'd been thrown back in time. The rain, her wet clothes, Finn's expression. They combined to echo the sweet first night she'd spent with Finn. A fever flared and her body ached for his touch. To touch him as she had that night. She'd almost flung herself across the room and into his arms.

Not that he would welcome the afront. Fortunately, she caught herself in time, before she could make a fool of herself. But the illusion stirred up old sensations she'd only let exist in her dreams. They wrapped around her and clung on like a web of desire mixed misery. To defend against any repeat of such foolishness, she'd buried her emotions under the cloak of business, keeping every move, every gesture reserved. She resisted even glancing at Finn in fear she might break down.

Emily set her shoulders, packed away the past and focused on the present. "You started the flight to the ship. What happened next."

"We'd been in the air for a few and once over water and clear, I turned on the auto pilot. We were cruising along with touchdown expected in less than thirty minutes."

"The alarms started ringing." Emily quoted Finn.

"Not quite, Ma'am." The lieutenant's dark eyes didn't blink. "There was a flock of birds incoming and the system was slow to respond. I attempted to override the autopilot, banking to the left. That's what set the alarms off."

Emily's finger hovered over her keyboard. "Both Petty Officer Finn and Airman Randall didn't mention this in their account. Why is that do you think?"

For the first time, the Lieutenant's gaze wavered, landing on the steel slab between them. "Airman Randall was in the back with Seaman Anderson. They were...having a discussion."

Max had mentioned this in his retelling of the events. There had been an disagreement between them over an earlier incident at the bar. "And Petty Officer Wainwright?"