Dead and Gone by Jack Patterson (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📕

of the men peeled off toward the restroom, leaving Cal to determine which of the two men it was. He spotted a trashcan that provided a clear enough reflection. He made his way toward it before stopping a few feet short of it. Cal dug out his ticket from his bag and glanced at the reflection. One of the men kept moving, while the other stopped and made a phone call on his cell phone over a hundred feet behind him. Cal glanced over his shoulder to see the man pacing about as he chatted on the phone. It was either a phone call to report on Cal’s whereabouts or a ruse to avoid being noticed. Either way, it didn’t work.

Cal seared the image of the man into his memory—about six-foot-one, two hundred pounds, goatee, black sweatshirt, red baseball cap, jeans.

Time to fly.

He procured his boarding pass and headed toward the terminal. Upon entering the security line, Cal turned around to see if the man was still following him. He chuckled to himself as he noticed the man had purchased a newspaper and was peering above it in Cal’s direction.

I hope this works.

Cal followed security protocol and was standing on the other side of the checkpoint in a matter of seconds without incident. Another quick glance. The man was still there.

Cal checked his watch. Forty minutes until the flight was scheduled to take off. He hustled toward the gate and almost immediately his zone was called to board.

Once he showed his ticket to the gate attendant, he lumbered down the jetway until it stalled out a few feet from the door.

“Happens every time,” a passenger in front of him grumbled.

“Excuse me?” Cal said.

“Oh, these lines. Nobody ever pays much attention to the announcements on how to help expedite the boarding process. It’s ridiculous.”

Cal nodded and smiled. “Are you a Panthers’ fan?” he asked, pointing to the man’s hat.

“You know it. You headin’ home, too?”

“Can’t stay away from the Queen City for too long,” Cal answered.

Moments later, the line resumed moving as the passengers plodded toward their seats.

Cal stole a look at the man’s boarding pass. He was seated in a center seat on a row of three, while Cal had the aisle seat on the emergency row.

The line stalled again and Cal’s new friend turned over his shoulder and said, “Another genius trying to cram his carry-on in the wrong way. How difficult is it for people to understand what ‘wheels first’ means? Geez.”

Cal bobbed his head. “First they make us cram our stuff in here, then they shoehorn us in. Crazy. Where have they got you today?”

“Middle seat,” the man said before groaning.

“Well, how about I make your day?”

“Oh?”

Cal grabbed his shoulder. “I recently injured my arm while golfing and know that I’d be absolutely worthless in the event of a water landing where I’d have to open the door for everyone. I’m in the emergency row. Wanna trade?”

The man turned all the way around. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“Well, if you’re offering, I’m totally down for it. I’ve been dreading this flight all week for that very reason.”

“I don’t mind—and I’d feel terribly guilty if I couldn’t get the door open for anyone.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Cal offered his boarding pass to the man, who gave him a quizzical look. “Just in case the flight attendants question us.”

They swapped boarding passes and continued to their new seats.

Cal’s original seat was farther back than his new one, but he doubted the guy minded since Charlotte was his final destination—and they had a four-hour flight ahead of them.

For the next fifteen minutes, passengers finished filing on the plane until it was full. One of the flight attendants made the announcement that the doors were about to close.

It’s now or never.

Cal pressed his call button and swung into action—short breaths and flailing hands, followed up with a dramatic outburst.

“I’m gonna die. We’re all gonna die. I need to get off this plane,” he shouted.

Two flight attendants rushed toward him. “Sir, are you all right?”

“Do I look all right? I’m going to die if I stay on this plane.”

“Sir, I can assure you that these planes are safe.”

“I can’t do it. I can’t do it. Get me off of here right now!”

“Grab your stuff and follow me,” one of the flight attendants said.

Cal grabbed his carry-on suitcase and computer bag and followed her. He continued the charade until he was standing outside the gate.

“Sorry, ma’am. I have a fear of flying. My doctors said I was cured, but I never believed them. Sorry to cause so much trouble.”

The woman shook her head and touched his arm. “It’s okay, honey. You keep seeing that therapist. You’ll make it back on one day without incident.”

Cal nodded and mouthed “thank you” again to the woman before heading toward the exit.

***

THE MAN ADJUSTED his red cap and stared at the woman behind the counter. “I was wondering if you might be able to help me,” he said. “I’ve got a friend who was supposed to be on a flight headed for Charlotte. Can you tell me if he got on the plane?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t divulge that kind of information due to privacy laws.”

He slammed his hands on the counter. “I’ve got a brother who has a severe phobia of flying and I wanted to see if he actually made it on a flight tonight.”

The agent sighed. “Which one?”

“Flight 362 to Charlotte.”

“Just a second.” She typed furiously on the keyboard before her screen revealed something. “What’s the name?”

“Cal Murphy.”

“Let me see.” She banged away on the keyboard until she scribbled down a few notes. “It’s a full flight and every seat is taken.”

“And he’s on there?”

The man glanced over his shoulder. He thought he’d noticed Cal walking past. He did a double take and he was gone.

“Yep.”

He started to leave before she blurted out something else.

“No, wait. Oh, yes. He’s on there. Someone else got off the flight with a panic attack, but it