Chapter 6 - The Name on the Manifest
Laura returned to the cockpit carrying more questions than answers.
Mercer listened as she explained what Cole had revealed.
He went silent when she mentioned his brother.
"Thomas never told me about an onboard package."
"Could he have arranged something without you knowing?"
"Yes."
"Would he?"
Mercer stared ahead.
"Absolutely."
Laura looked at the cockpit clock.
The countdown on the recovered device had shown twenty-nine minutes.
She didn't know what would happen when it reached zero.
But she knew she couldn't afford to wait.
"Can we divert?"
Mercer nodded.
"We've been working toward that."
"Nearest suitable airport?"
"That depends on which navigation information we can trust."
"Have you established communication?"
"Intermittently."
He explained that they had managed to transmit an emergency call but had not yet received a reliable response.
Laura studied the weather information available to them.
The Atlantic was black beyond the windows.
Clouds stretched across the horizon.
She thought of the ocean below.
Cold.
Empty.
Unforgiving.
"Keep flying the airplane," she said.
"I'll work with the cabin crew."
Mercer glanced at her.
"You sound like my brother."
Laura almost smiled.
"Was he annoying?"
"Unbearably."
"Then he and Nathan would have gotten along."
For a moment, the cockpit felt human again.
Then Elena called from the cabin.
"Laura, we found something."
"What?"
"The man we restrained had two boarding passes."
Laura frowned.
"Two?"
"Different names."
"Same flight?"
"Yes."
"Bring them forward."
Minutes later, Elena handed Laura the documents.
The first boarding pass belonged to Marcus Reed.
Seat 22D.
The second belonged to Andrew Hale.
Seat 19F.
Laura examined the names.
"Who is sitting in 19F?"
Elena hesitated.
"A woman."
Laura looked up.
"What woman?"
Elena checked the passenger information.
"Rebecca Vance."
The world seemed to tilt.
Laura grabbed the seatback.
"That's impossible."
Mercer turned.
"Who is Rebecca?"
"My sister."
Laura could barely get the words out.
"She's in Madrid with my daughter."
Elena shook her head.
"According to the manifest, she boarded in New York."
Laura stared at the boarding pass.
Then she remembered something.
Rebecca had called her from Madrid before the flight.
Sophie had been in the background, laughing.
Laura had heard the apartment's old wall clock chiming.
She knew that sound.
She knew her sister's voice.
Rebecca couldn't be in both places.
Unless somebody had used her identity.
Laura looked at Elena.
"Show me the passenger in 19F."
The flight attendant swallowed.
"That's the problem."
May you like
"What problem?"
"She's missing."
