Chương 9
Marisol came down the aisle.
Her face was controlled, but she walked too quickly.
“They’re boarding from the forward door.”
“Who?”
“Customs, airport police, and corporate security.”
“Anyone from FBI?”
“Not that I saw.”
“Good.”
She leaned closer.
“They asked that nobody approach Mrs. Sterling.”
“Is she still in 2A?”
“Yes.”
“Keep her there.”
“She’s crying.”
I looked toward the curtain.
“That doesn’t change the instruction.”
Marisol hesitated.
“No.”
Then she added, “She asked for you.”
“I’m staying here until they ask for me.”
“You don’t want to see her?”
“Want is not useful right now.”
Marisol gave me the same look Owen had earlier.
“That thing again.”
“What thing?”
“The face.”
I almost smiled.
“Apparently it’s contagious.”
The forward door opened.
Cold air moved faintly through the cabin.
Boots sounded on the entry floor.
Passengers twisted in their seats until the crew told them to face forward.
Two uniformed Customs officers entered first.
Behind them came Daniel Reyes.
He was fifty-two, broad-shouldered, usually calm, and wearing a charcoal suit that never seemed to wrinkle no matter how many airports he crossed.
He did not look at me immediately.
That was deliberate.
He spoke with the lead officer near the galley, then moved toward first class.
Another man followed him.
Dark suit.
Federal credentials.
I recognized him before he reached row five.
Samuel Ortiz.
Customs investigative liaison.
We had worked together twice after I left government.
He saw me in row thirty-eight and gave no sign that he had.
Good.
Procedure first.
People second.
They entered first class.
I could not hear the beginning.
Then Victoria’s voice rose.
“No, I am not giving you my phone unless you show me something in writing.”
A male voice answered calmly.
She spoke again.
“I said no.”
Owen whispered, “Is she going to make this worse?”
“Probably.”
“Shouldn’t someone tell her?”
“She has counsel available if she wants it.”
“You sound like you don’t care.”
“I care enough not to advise her about a federal interview.”
That quieted him.
Several minutes passed.
Then Daniel emerged from first class and walked down the aisle.
Every eye followed him.
He stopped beside me.
“Ms. Vance.”
“Daniel.”
“Agent Ortiz would like to speak with you.”
“Here?”
“Forward galley.”
I unbuckled.
Harold touched my sleeve.
“Your laptop.”
I looked at him.
He held it carefully in both hands.
“You told me not to let anyone take it.”
“That instruction has expired.”
He handed it over.
“Good.”
Then, quieter, he said, “Whatever this is, don’t forget you were just trying to get to New York.”
I looked at him for a moment.
There were entire intelligence committees that had given me less useful advice.
“Thank you.”
I walked forward.
Nobody spoke.
The atmosphere had changed from curiosity to recognition, though most passengers still understood almost nothing.
At the curtain, I saw Victoria.
She sat in 2A with both hands wrapped around her phone.
Her mascara had run slightly beneath one eye.
Two officers stood nearby without touching her.
She looked up at me.
“Eleanor.”
I stopped.
“I didn’t know.”
“About what?”
“Any of this.”
One of the officers glanced toward Ortiz.
Victoria continued anyway.
“Richard told me the cargo business was legitimate.”
I said nothing.
“He said the customs problems were paperwork.”
Still nothing.
Her breathing quickened.
“I swear I didn’t know.”
Ortiz stepped between us gently.
“Mrs. Sterling, please don’t discuss the investigation with other passengers.”
“I’m not another passenger.”
“You are right now.”
She laughed bitterly and wiped at her face.
“I suppose that’s the first true thing anybody has said to me today.”
I followed Ortiz into the galley.
Daniel remained behind us.
Ortiz closed the curtain.
He looked older than I remembered.
More gray around the temples.
Same careful eyes.
“You attract uncomplicated travel days, Eleanor.”
“Apparently.”
He did not smile.
“Marcus Vale regained consciousness.”
My grip tightened around the laptop.
“Can he speak?”
“Barely.”
“What did he say?”
Ortiz glanced toward Daniel, then back to me.
“He said Chad Mercer was not working for Richard Sterling.”
I waited.
Ortiz continued.
“He said Chad was supposed to move you into the rear cabin before takeoff.”
The sounds of the aircraft seemed to disappear.
“Why?”
“We asked.”
Ortiz’s voice became quieter.
“Vale said the instruction had nothing to do with Victoria.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
I felt the old pressure behind my ribs return.
Ortiz held my gaze.
“Someone wanted to know exactly where you would be sitting when the aircraft landed.”
I did not answer immediately.
Ortiz had known me long enough not to mistake silence for confusion.
“Rear cabin,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Specific seat?”
“Vale said row thirty-eight.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Not just economy.”
“No.”
Ortiz folded his arms.
“He claims the instruction came through NorthStar management, but he won’t name the person yet.”
“Won’t or can’t?”
“He’s medicated, frightened, and drifting in and out.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have.”
The galley suddenly felt smaller.
I looked toward the curtain separating us from first class.
Victoria was still speaking quietly with one of the officers.
The idea that her arrival had been incidental did not make her harmless.
It made the structure underneath the day more complicated.
“Why move me?” I asked.
Ortiz shook his head.
“We don’t know.”
“Then what exactly was supposed to happen when we landed?”
“We don’t know that either.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“We found something else.”
He opened a secure tablet.
The screen showed a cargo loading diagram for our aircraft.
A red outline marked the lower hold beneath the rear third of the passenger cabin.
“Container position fourteen,” he said.
“Directly under rows thirty-six through forty.”
I looked at him.
“What was loaded there?”
“That’s the problem.”
He enlarged the manifest.
“Officially, medical imaging components.”
“Declared by?”
“NorthStar handled documentation.”
“Shipper?”
“Larkspur Biomedical Logistics.”
I recognized the company name only vaguely.
Daniel continued.
May you like
“The container seal recorded at origin does not match the seal number scanned during loading.”
Ortiz said, “The aircraft has to be unloaded under controlled conditions.”
