Mattie nodded, making sure not to break eye contact with Leo in her utter excitement. “That means if you program a radio on the airplane to a public radio station...”
Leo cupped her elbows as understanding flashed across his moonlit face. “Then you know your antenna is pointing directly toward or away from that city when the radio goes silent.”
“Precisely, and it’s reliable data. More accurate than a compass.”
Leo sank down in the sand. “That’s brilliant, Mattie!”
“Sadie told me to start simple. To think about the existing technology. I won’t need to create anything new for this to work.”
“Are you considering using two or more radio stations to triangulate the point?” Leo asked.
Mattie shook her head. “That would work with a navigator on board, but it would be too hard for a single person to do while flying a plane. It’s not just the math but fiddling with the radio itself.”
Leo pushed more sand toward the center of their structure. “It always takes me several attempts to tune in to a station.”
“The best method would be if the aviator could adjust the radio before takeoff.” Mattie paused in her selection of shells to consider this.
“You wouldn’t be able to determine an exact location with just one point,” Leo said.
“No.” Mattie tapped two smooth pebbles together. “But itcouldindicate the right bearing.”
“Well, when the radio went silent, you’d know if you were winging straight toward the station or straight away from it but not much more than that.” Leo eased back on his haunches as he considered it.
“Not if I connected it to some sort of a light system on the console.” Mattie clicked the rocks faster and faster as her mind churned through idea after idea.
“An indicator?” Leo asked.
“Exactly.” Mattie rubbed a stone between each thumb and forefinger. Then she dropped them and launched herself at Leo for a second time. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gazed up at him. “It may have taken me weeks, but I did it! I finally figured it out!”
“No shock there.” Leo’s grin was surprisingly easy as his white teeth flashed in the pale light. “You always do.”
“The antenna could rotate slowly, and a light could flash on for the duration of radio silence as the antenna is pointed directly at the source of the signal. I could set up twelve lights to reflect the bearing. Twelve o’clock, one o’clock, two o’clock...general directions, just like you fighter pilots love. Then, every rotation, pilots could see the direction of the radio station relative to the heading of the aircraft. Before they took off, the pilots could map out their course and calculate the bearings and time intervals so they could double-check to make sure they were on track.”
“And since we do that anyway, it is no added work. It will just be more reliable and precise. Pilots won’t get lost trying to find a city through darkness or under a cloud or while trying to figure out which town the blob of light ahead of them actuallyis,” Leo said with uncharacteristic excitement. “Mattie, you’re a genius!”
He kissed her then, and she tasted his jubilant celebration of her success, his thrill forher. It was intoxicating, his support for her. But even as they stood there in the shadow of a fairy-tale castle, a part of her wondered how long this euphoria would last. She’d trusted Leo before, cared deeply for him as a friend all those years ago, but it had all gone sideways once before. When she’d needed his faith in her the most, neededhimthe most, he’d not only withdrawn from her, but he’d betrayed her flight plans to her brothers on the eve of Alfred’s memorial service.
Chapter Twelve
A hero both in the air and on the ground, Mr.Leo Ward, the Flying Lion, defended his lady love’s honor at a local Chicago club. Witnesses say that he pitched another man into a nearby table while shielding Miss Mattie McAdams. It is rumored that another ace from the Great War, Earl “Quick” Crenshaw, was fighting in the opposing group and was at one point unmanned. It is unknown what could have caused the bad blood between the two former squadron comrades.
—Harvey Weston,Lake Michigan Times
“I wish I had better news to report,” Jake said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.
Mattie squeezed her eyes shut, as if she could will her older brother’s next words away. It didn’t work.
“I mentioned that I had a sister who was coming up with some brilliant use of radio to help with navigation.” Jake spoke slower than usual, as if he was picking out each word in an attempt to soften his message.
“And?” Mattie asked. She dug her nails into the palm of her free hand. “Don’t mince words. It’s easier if I know the truth.”
“You want me to tell you exactly what my bosses at the Airmail Service said?” Jake asked skeptically.
Mattie swallowed. Most of her didn’t, but she needed to understand what she would be fighting against in order to sell and profit from her idea. “Yes.”
“Let me just say that I don’t agree with their reaction,” Jake hedged.
This time Mattie clenched her teeth. “I know you’re trying to sugarcoat what they said to protect me, but you’re only making it worse by dragging it out.”
