Chapter 5
Before Daniel left, I stood in the bedroom doorway and watched him fold
his uniform shirts into his suitcase.
"Rachel is flying with you again?"
He didn't stop packing.
"She's my first officer. Of course she is. "
"Did you make things clear with her?"
Daniel zipped the suitcase and looked up at me.
"I did. Outside of work, there's nothing else. "
I didn't answer.
He seemed to know I was still waiting for more. After a couple of
seconds, he added, "Claire, there's really nothing going on. "
I held his gaze.
"Then don't make me find out otherwise. "
Daniel frowned but didn't argue. He picked up his suitcase and left.
That afternoon, I was working on a client proposal when my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
No greeting. No explanation.
Just one line.
Harbor Airport Hotel. Room 1716. L/O tonight.
I stared at the screen.
The same number from the notification Daniel had deleted from his
tablet.
I didn't recognize the last two letters, but the message looked like
something written by someone used to crew shorthand.
I didn't reply.
Instead, I opened Daniel's shared itinerary.
He was scheduled to overnight that night in a nearby airport city. The
hotel name wasn't listed, but the arrival time matched the message.
Then I checked the itinerary Daniel had sent me himself.
Same city.
This time, the two versions matched.
I called him.
No answer.
Three minutes later, a message appeared.
Daniel: Busy. Call you later.
I didn't call again.
My client proposal was still open on my laptop, exactly where I had left
it. I sat there for a few minutes, then closed the screen.
On my way through the kitchen, I saw the medication Daniel usually
carried for his stomach sitting on the counter.
He had forgotten it that morning.
I put the bottle in my bag and picked up my keys.
Harbor Airport Hotel was less than an hour from home. I didn't message
Daniel again on the drive.
When I got there, I went straight to the seventeenth floor and followed
the room numbers until I reached 1716.
I checked the message on my phone one more time.
The room number was right.
The bottle of stomach medicine clicked softly against my keys inside my
bag.
I raised my hand to knock.
Before my knuckles touched the door, I heard a woman laugh inside.
Rachel.
My hand stopped in midair.
A second later, I heard Daniel say her name in a low voice.
"Rachel. "
It didn't sound like the polite tone he used at company events, or the
brief, clipped way crew members spoke to each other at work.
There was a short silence.
Then Rachel said, "You're really going to leave it there?"
Daniel answered, "In a minute. "
I had no idea what they were talking about.
I only knew Rachel was inside Room 1716.
And Daniel was in there with her.
My hand was still raised in front of the door when Rachel laughed again,
softer this time.