Chapter 3

The next morning, Daniel brought up the call from the night before on

his own.

"Rachel just wanted to confirm the details for the next flight, " he

said. "She's only recently gone back to long-haul routes. There are

still a few things she's getting used to. "

I was pouring coffee and didn't look up.

"How long were you on the phone?"

"Ten, maybe fifteen minutes. "

Then he added, "Flight times, crew arrangements. Nothing else. "

I hadn't asked what they talked about.

I set the coffee pot down.

"Where did you overnight last Friday?"

Daniel paused.

"Seattle. "

"You're sure?"

He looked at me. "Of course. "

I didn't ask anything else.

Later that morning, while I was working, I opened the family calendar

Daniel and I had always shared so I could check his schedule for the

next few days.

Friday still showed the layover itinerary the airline had synced.

Denver.

I stared at the city for a few seconds, then checked the days before and

after it.

No update.

I opened the itinerary Daniel had sent me himself.

Denver.

I took a screenshot.

That evening, when Daniel came home, I slid my phone across the table.

"Which one is real?"

His expression changed for half a second when he saw the screenshot.

"What?"

"You said Seattle this morning. Your itinerary says Denver. "

Daniel picked up my phone and looked at it.

"Last-minute reassignment. "

"When?"

"That day. "

"Then why does the system still say Denver?"

He put the phone back on the table. "Maybe it didn't update properly. "

"You remembered going to Seattle, but somehow forgot to tell me your

layover changed?"

Daniel frowned.

"Claire, my schedule changes all the time. "

"I know. "

"Then what exactly are you trying to prove?"

"I'm not trying to prove anything, " I said. "I'm asking why the city you

told me doesn't match the itinerary. "

His voice sharpened.

"What do you want me to do? Have dispatch call you every time something

changes?"

"No. " I looked at him. "I want my husband not to give me a city that

doesn't appear anywhere on his schedule. "

Daniel was quiet for a moment.

"I already told you. It was a last-minute reassignment. "

Then he picked up his phone, ending the conversation.

The next afternoon, I stopped by the airline's administrative offices to

confirm the photo-release paperwork from the brand shoot.

I was leaving when I saw Rachel in the hallway.

She smiled first, as polite as always.

"Claire. "

"Rachel. "

We had nearly passed each other when she stopped.

"Daniel explained last Friday, right?"

I stopped too.

"Explained what?"

Rachel looked at me.

The smile faded from her face.

"So he didn't tell you. "

I didn't take the bait.

But she added, almost casually,

"You really don't know where he was that night?"

Then she turned and walked away.

I sat in my car without starting the engine.

The screenshot was still on my phone.

Denver.

Daniel had told me Seattle.

I opened my files, moved the screenshot out of the folder labeled

Schedule, and created a new one.

Daniel.