“Was hers altered?”
Richard was silent.
That silence told me enough.
“Richard.”
“We believe so.”
“Who is she?”
“Victoria Harrington.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Does she work for Northstar?”
“No.”
“Then why was she assigned my seat?”
“We're investigating.”
“Investigate quickly.”
“I agree.”
Then he lowered his voice.
“Daniel, there's something else.”
“What?”
“The person who changed your reservation used an executive-level authorization code.”
I stared at the floor.
“So someone inside Northstar did this.”
“We believe so.”
“Why?”
“We don't know.”
I looked through the opening toward first class.
Victoria was laughing with another passenger.
She had no idea that the entire situation might be connected to something much bigger.
I handed the phone back.
Sarah stood frozen.
I said:
“Let's go back.”
She followed me.
When I reached row one, Victoria looked up.
“Finally.”
I stopped beside her.
“Ms. Harrington.”
She smiled.
“Yes?”
“I think we need to talk.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I don't think we do.”
“Oh, I think we do.”
She leaned back.
“About what?”
“Why your name appeared in my seat.”
She laughed.
“Because it's my seat.”
“No.”
I looked at her.
“It was mine first.”
The Recording
The teenage girl who had filmed the confrontation was still recording.
Her name was Mia.
She was sixteen.
She had been traveling with her grandmother.
She hadn't expected to capture anything important.
But she had.
When Victoria shoved me, Mia's camera had recorded the entire incident.
Not just the words.
The boarding pass.
The coffee.
The crew ignoring it.
Everything.
After the aircraft doors closed, Mia's grandmother quietly asked me:
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
She looked toward Victoria.
“I saw what happened.”
“So did a lot of people.”
She lowered her voice.
“Sometimes people assume they can treat others badly because they think nobody important is watching.”
I smiled.
“Someone was watching.”
She glanced at Mia.
Mia looked embarrassed.
“I didn't mean to—”
“You don't have to apologize.”
“But I filmed you.”
“You filmed what happened.”
She nodded.
Then she looked at her phone.
“Can I show you something?”
She played the recording.
The moment Victoria shoved me appeared on screen.
The audio was crystal clear.
“Get your black ass out of my seat, boy.”
I watched without expression.
Then Mia paused the video.
“Look.”
She zoomed in.
Behind Victoria, a man in a dark suit was standing near the galley.
He had been watching us.
I recognized him.
Marcus Reed.
Northstar's vice president of security.
He shouldn't have been on this flight.
He had no reason to be there.
I stood.
“Excuse me.”
Sarah approached.
“Yes?”
“Who is the man in the dark suit?”
She looked.
“I don't know.”
I pointed.
“He's with Northstar.”
Sarah's expression changed.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
I had met Marcus three times.
He had always been polite.
Professional.
Careful.
Now he was staring at me.
Then he walked away.
I followed.
Not physically.
I simply watched him.
He disappeared through the forward lavatory door.
Five minutes later, he returned.
His phone was in his hand.
He looked at me.
Our eyes met.
His face didn't change.
But his thumb stopped moving.
That was enough.
I sent Melissa a message.
Find out why Marcus Reed is on Flight 718.
Her reply came less than a minute later.
Already checking.
Then another message appeared.
Daniel, this is strange. His calendar says he's supposed to be in Chicago today.
I looked toward Marcus.
He was now sitting in the last row of first class.
Near Victoria.
And suddenly, the stolen seat looked less like a random act of arrogance.
It looked like a distraction.
Turbulence
The plane began climbing through heavy clouds.
The cabin shook.
The seatbelt sign illuminated.
I watched Marcus.
He watched me.
Victoria continued talking.
She had no idea she might be sitting in the middle of something dangerous.
The captain announced turbulence.
Everyone tightened their seatbelts.
Then the plane dropped suddenly.
A gasp moved through the cabin.
Victoria grabbed the armrest.
Her handbag fell from the overhead compartment.
It struck the floor.
The contents spilled out.
Lipstick.
Keys.
A tablet.
Two phones.
And a black envelope.
The envelope slid toward my feet.
I picked it up.
Victoria immediately reached for it.
“Give me that.”
I looked at the front.
There was no name.
Only a Northstar logo.
I handed it to her.
But something had fallen from inside.
A printed document.
I saw one line.
FLIGHT 718 — BOARDING CONTROL
Victoria snatched it.
Her face had changed.
For the first time since I met her, she looked frightened.
“What is that?”
I asked.
“Nothing.”
Marcus suddenly stood.
“Give it to me.”
I looked at him.
“Why?”
“It's confidential company material.”
“Then why was it in her bag?”
Victoria glared at him.
“Marcus.”
He stopped.
That was interesting.
They knew each other.
She hadn't reacted to his name.
She had reacted as though she expected him to help her.
I sat back.
The plane continued shaking.
Then the captain made an announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing unexpected turbulence. Please remain seated.”
Another drop.
This time, a service cart rolled slightly.
Sarah caught it.