A mother was sharing crackers with her daughter.
No one cared who he was.
And Daniel realized something.
This was the company he had promised to protect when he became CEO.
Not the executives.
Not the boardroom.
These people.
The passengers.
The crew.
The people who trusted Northstar to get them home.
He returned to his seat.
But before the flight landed, Daniel made a decision.
He wasn't going to fire Steven Parker.
Not yet.
He wasn't going to confront Richard Cole.
Not yet.
He was going to find out how deep the problem went.
Because a captain who believed he could remove a passenger without cause was one problem.
An organization that had taught him he could do it was another.
The Meeting
The next morning, Daniel walked into Northstar headquarters wearing the same gray jacket.
His receptionist almost didn't recognize him.
“Mr. Mercer?”
“Yes.”
She stood immediately.
“I thought you were in Chicago.”
“I was.”
She blinked.
“Welcome back.”
“Thank you.”
Daniel walked toward the executive elevators.
Before he reached them, Richard Cole appeared.
Tall.
Silver-haired.
Perfectly dressed.
“Daniel.”
Daniel stopped.
“Richard.”
Cole smiled.
“I heard about yesterday.”
“Already?”
“News travels quickly.”
Daniel studied him.
“What did you hear?”
“That Captain Parker removed a difficult passenger.”
“And?”
“I understand it was handled.”
Daniel smiled.
“Do you?”
Cole's smile disappeared.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel stepped closer.
“It means I think we should talk.”
They entered a private conference room.
Cole closed the door.
“I assume this is about Parker.”
“Partly.”
“Steven is a good captain.”
“Is he?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know about his complaints?”
Cole sat down.
“People complain about everyone.”
“Four complaints in six months.”
“That's not unusual.”
“One involved a family.”
“Daniel.”
“One involved an elderly man.”
Cole sighed.
“You can't judge a captain based on complaints.”
“I agree.”
Daniel placed his black folder on the table.
“But we can judge an organization by what it does with those complaints.”
Cole stared at him.
“What are you suggesting?”
“That we investigate.”
“Internally?”
“Yes.”
Cole shook his head.
“That would create unnecessary disruption.”
Daniel leaned back.
“Unnecessary?”
“Steven has an excellent safety record.”
“I'm not questioning his technical ability.”
“Then what are you questioning?”
“His judgment.”
Cole became defensive.
“Yesterday was an isolated incident.”
“No.”
Daniel's voice was calm.
“It wasn't.”
He opened the folder.
“Someone sent Parker a message about me before boarding.”
Cole froze.
“What message?”
“You tell me.”
Daniel slid a copy across the table.
Cole read it.
His face changed.
“I didn't send this.”
“I know.”
Cole looked up.
“You do?”
“The wording doesn't sound like you.”
Cole exhaled.
“Then why am I sitting here?”
“Because the message was sent using your credentials.”
Cole stared.
“That's impossible.”
“Can someone access your account?”
“My assistant.”
“Who?”
“Laura.”
“Anyone else?”
“No.”
Daniel closed the folder.
“Then we need to talk to Laura.”
Cole stood.
“This is absurd.”
“Maybe.”
“But someone deliberately manipulated a captain into confronting you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel looked at him.
“That is what we're going to find out.”
The door opened.
Laura Greene stood outside.
She was thirty-two and had worked for Cole for five years.
“Mr. Cole?”
Cole looked at her.
“Laura, come in.”
She entered.
Daniel watched her carefully.
“Laura,” he said, “did you send this?”
He showed her the message.
She read it.
Her face went pale.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Did you access Mr. Cole's account yesterday?”
“No.”
Cole turned toward her.
“Then who did?”
Laura shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Daniel closed the folder.
“That's enough for now.”
Laura left.
Cole remained silent.
After a moment, he said,
“You think someone is targeting you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
Cole looked at him.
“Daniel, there are people in this company who don't like you.”
“I know.”
“You changed too much too quickly.”
“Maybe.”
“You replaced executives.”
“Because they weren't doing their jobs.”
“You cut unnecessary expenses.”
“Yes.”
“You challenged long-standing contracts.”
“Yes.”
Cole's voice lowered.
“You made enemies.”
Daniel nodded.
“That's possible.”
Cole leaned forward.
“But I am not one of them.”
Daniel studied him.
“I hope you're right.”
Before Cole could answer, Daniel's phone rang.
It was Elena.
“Daniel,” she said, “we found the source.”
“Where?”
“Airport security footage.”
“What does it show?”
“A man meeting Captain Parker before boarding.”
“Who?”
“I'll send you the image.”
Daniel's phone vibrated.
He opened the photograph.
His expression changed.
The man standing beside Steven Parker was someone he recognized.
Not a Northstar executive.
Not an employee.
A board member.
Victor Lang.
The chairman of Northstar's board.
Daniel slowly looked up.
Richard Cole was watching him.
“What is it?”
Daniel turned the phone around.
Cole stared at the image.