The cockpit door remained closed.
Instead, the purser was waiting near the galley.
“I need to inform you that an internal security review has been initiated,” he said.
Daniel frowned.
“On what grounds?”
“Your reservation triggered an alert.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“What alert?”
The purser looked uncomfortable.
“A restricted-access notification.”
Daniel laughed once.
“You keep saying security without explaining anything.”
“I am not authorized to provide details.”
“Then you're asking me to trust a system that already moved me from my paid seat and falsely labeled me a security risk.”
The purser's expression tightened.
“Mr. Brooks, please cooperate.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Who authorized the investigation?”
The purser didn't answer.
Victoria suddenly stepped forward.
“Was it Richard Cole?”
The purser froze.
Daniel looked at her.
The purser looked between them.
Then he said quietly, “I can't answer that.”
That was answer enough.
Daniel returned to his seat.
Victoria followed.
“Why did you ask that?” Daniel said.
“Because he was the one who told me you were dangerous.”
Daniel opened his laptop again.
“Then Richard Cole is probably behind this.”
“Probably?”
“We don't have proof.”
“Then how do we get proof?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Your phone.”
Victoria frowned.
“What about it?”
“Show me the messages you received before boarding.”
She hesitated.
“Why?”
“Because if Cole contacted you, there may be metadata.”
Victoria slowly handed him the phone.
Daniel didn't read her private messages.
He opened the one she had mentioned.
It came from an unknown number.
Your father is in danger. Do exactly what the gate agent tells you. Sit in 2A. Do not speak to Daniel Brooks.
Daniel looked at the timestamp.
4:16 a.m.
One minute before his seat was changed.
He showed Victoria.
Her face went pale.
“I didn't see that message until after I sat down.”
“Why?”
“I was rushing.”
Daniel scrolled slightly.
There was another message.
If Brooks confronts you, make sure the crew handles him.
Daniel stared at it.
Victoria whispered, “I didn't follow that instruction.”
“You did sit in my seat.”
“I thought the airline had upgraded me.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Fair.”
Then another message appeared.
Do not allow Brooks to reach Seattle before 11:00 a.m.
Daniel's expression changed.
“What time is the meeting?”
Victoria shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Daniel checked Emily's message.
The original meeting had been scheduled for 10:30.
Then changed to noon.
But Emily had warned him not to go to the hotel.
Daniel suddenly understood.
“They don't want me at the meeting.”
Victoria stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because something happens before 11.”
“What?”
“I don't know.”
His phone vibrated.
Emily.
Daniel answered immediately.
“Talk.”
Her voice was tense.
“Daniel, I've found something.”
“What?”
“The Seattle meeting wasn't just moved.”
“Where is it?”
“Pier 17.”
Daniel frowned.
“That isn't a hotel.”
“No.”
“What is it?”
“A private aviation terminal.”
Daniel's blood ran cold.
“Whose?”
There was silence.
Then Emily said, “Hale International.”
Daniel looked at Victoria.
She was watching him.
“What happens at Pier 17?”
Emily's voice dropped.
“I don't know. But Richard Cole has booked the entire terminal.”
Daniel stood.
“Can you track the reservation?”
“I can try.”
“Do it.”
“Daniel, there's more.”
“What?”
“The airline system shows a second passenger attached to your booking.”
Daniel froze.
“Who?”
Emily hesitated.
Then she said, “Jonathan Hale.”
Victoria's face went white.
“My father?”
Daniel nodded.
Emily continued.
“But here's the strange part.”
“What?”
“Your father's seat was never purchased.”
Daniel stared at Victoria.
“Jonathan Hale isn't supposed to be on the plane.”
Emily's voice became urgent.
“Daniel, someone added his name to the manifest after boarding.”
The line went silent.
Daniel looked toward the cockpit.
Then at Victoria.
“Your father is not on this flight.”
Victoria whispered, “Then why is his name on the manifest?”
Daniel closed his laptop.
“Because someone wants the airline to think he is.”
Victoria's face drained of color.
Daniel suddenly realized the real purpose of the entire scheme.
The stolen seat.
The coffee.
The security warning.
The fake upgrade.
None of it had been designed simply to embarrass him.
It had been designed to create confusion.
And while everyone was arguing about seat 2A, someone was manipulating the passenger manifest.
Daniel turned toward Maria.
“Can I see the captain?”
Maria shook her head.
“Sir—”
“Now.”
Something in Daniel's voice made her stop.
Before she could answer, the cabin lights flickered again.
Then every passenger's seatbelt sign illuminated.
The aircraft began descending.
Much earlier than scheduled.
The captain came over the speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, due to an operational issue, we will be making an unscheduled diversion.”
Daniel looked at Victoria.
“Where are we going?”
The captain didn't say.
But Emily sent another message.
DANIEL: I just accessed the flight routing.
Daniel stared at it.
EMILY: You aren't going to Seattle.
A second message appeared.
The aircraft is being diverted to Portland.
Daniel felt his pulse rise.
“Why Portland?” Victoria asked.
Daniel showed her the screen.
She looked confused.
Then her phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
This time, it was from her father.
VICTORIA, DO NOT TRUST ANYONE ON THAT PLANE.
She stared at it.
Daniel read the message.
Then another appeared.
Especially Daniel Brooks.
Victoria looked at Daniel.
Neither spoke.
Because they both understood the problem.
If Jonathan Hale had really sent the message, why had someone told them to distrust Daniel?
And if he hadn't sent it—
Who had his phone?
The descent toward Portland changed the atmosphere inside the cabin.
Passengers whispered among themselves.
Flight attendants moved faster than before.
The captain gave no explanation beyond the phrase “operational issue.”
Daniel had heard that phrase enough times in business to know it often meant someone didn't want to explain the real problem.
He sat beside Victoria.
Neither had spoken for several minutes.
Finally, she said, “My father would never send that message.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He never calls me Victoria.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does he call you?”
“Vicky.”
“That could be insignificant.”
“It isn't.”
“Why?”
“Because he only writes ‘Victoria’ when he's angry.”
Daniel considered that.
“Is he angry with you?”
“No.”
“Then someone has his phone.”
Victoria nodded.
“That’s what I think.”
Daniel looked at the message again.
DO NOT TRUST ANYONE ON THAT PLANE. ESPECIALLY DANIEL BROOKS.
It was too obvious.
Too convenient.
Whoever was behind the scheme wanted them suspicious of each other.
Daniel opened his laptop.
He connected to the aircraft's public Wi-Fi.
The connection was weak, but enough.
He searched for the flight's manifest information.
Nothing.
He tried another route.
Nothing.
Then he remembered something.
Three years earlier, Brooks Security had helped an airline consortium build a secure passenger authentication system. The system used cryptographic tokens rather than simple names.
Daniel still remembered the architecture.
He entered a sequence of commands.
Victoria watched.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for the ghost passenger.”
“What?”
“Your father.”
“You think you can find him?”
“I think I can find whoever added his name.”
The system returned an error.
Then another.
Daniel frowned.
Someone had disabled external verification.
That was impossible.
Unless the system had been compromised from inside.
He tried one more method.
A hidden audit endpoint appeared.
Daniel smiled.
“There you are.”
“What?”
“Someone accessed the manifest using a legacy administrator account.”
Victoria leaned closer.
“Who?”
Daniel's screen displayed a username.
RCOLE_ADMIN
Victoria stopped breathing.
“Richard.”
Daniel nodded.
“He used an old account.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We keep him thinking we don't know.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You're actually calm.”
“No.”
“You look calm.”
“I've had practice.”
The aircraft shook slightly.
A flight attendant announced that passengers should remain seated.
Daniel noticed something else.
The same crew member who had refused to help earlier was now standing near Victoria's row.
Watching them.
Daniel leaned toward Victoria.
“Don't look at her.”
Victoria immediately looked.
Daniel sighed.
“I said don't.”
“Sorry.”
“She has been watching us for ten minutes.”
“Maybe she suspects something.”
“Maybe.”
The woman walked away.
Daniel waited.
Then stood.
“I'll be right back.”
He followed her toward the galley.
She turned around.
“Can I help you?”
Daniel smiled.
“You can tell me why you're watching us.”
“I wasn't.”
“You were.”
She folded her arms.
“Sir, please return to your seat.”