Flight Into Fantasy - 002

Chris was waiting in the operation's office, talking to Bill, when they heard the jet engines outside. They both rose and headed to the terminal, looking out the windows as the plane stopped, and the engines shut down. The ground crew rolled the stairway to the plane as the hatch opened. Chris caught a glance of a uniform in the doorway, and then Isaac stepped out onto the platform. Behind him, Chris saw the first of the six executives who had been on the flight.

Last off the plane was Fiona and the last two of their charter passengers. Fiona was in her uniform. Chris recognized the two men as Jack and Mason. Fiona had an arm in each of the men's arms and was walking between them, laughing as they came down the stairway. Chris didn't bother to go outside. He elected to remain in the terminal and watch through the tinted glass. He knew that no one outside could see him inside. Before the trio got to the door, Chris turned and spoke to Bill.

"I'm going to the office and then home. Don't tell Fiona I was here."

"Are you sure?"

"Hell yes, I'm sure."

Chris departed through the office and out the back door before Fiona and her companions came into the terminal. Isaac came in behind them and went immediately to the desk to finish the flight paperwork. Fiona, chattering and laughing, walked with Jack and Mason through the terminal and out the door to where they parked. Bill lost sight of them and headed to the operation's desk.

"How was the flight?"

"Routine. Nothing unusual."

Bill reached over and picked up the post flight log and looked at it.

"You were in the right seat on the way back."

"Yes. But Fiona spent most of the flight in the cabin with the passengers. I only saw her when we took off and about 30 minutes before we landed."

"What was going on?"

"I do not know. I was busy with the plane, and they shut the door to the cockpit."

Bill nodded.

"Anything else?"

Bill saw Isaac was considering whether to say anything else.

"Come on Isaac. Cover nothing up. It'll come back to bite you in the ass, eventually."

"Fiona spent a lot of time with those guys. Almost every evening going out to eat and staying out really late. They were almost too chummy. She even went with them one day to their meetings."

Bill sighed.

"Ok. Isaac. Finish up and get your ass out of here and go home. Natalie is waiting with the kids" "

Issac nodded as he finished the paperwork and signed his logbook. He started out the door and then stopped, looking back at Bill.

"That group is trouble. If I were you, I wouldn't take any more charters from them."

"Why?"

"I have nothing solid, but there is something hinky in the way they operate. To be honest, I won't take a flight with them anymore."

Bill nodded and waved for Isaac to be on his way. He had a lot to consider now.

&&&&&

Fiona pulled her BMW into the driveway and on into the garage. As the garage door shut, she pulled her bags from the car and headed into the house. Passing Chris's Range Rover, she could tell the engine was still warm, so he had just gotten home. Inside, she headed to the master bedroom, dropped her bags and headed back looking for Chris. She found him on the patio drinking a beer.

She moved up behind him and as she bent over to kiss him on the top of the head, he spoke. His voice was flat and unemotional.

"Did Jack and Mason have a pleasant flight?"

She stopped and muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you coming off the plane with them. It looked like the three of you were having a good time."

"We were just celebrating. They had a good trip. They came back with a tremendous deal that is going to almost double the size of their company."

"Interesting. You seem to know a lot about their business and what is going on."

"Well. It was interesting, and I tried to pay attention."

Chris still had not looked at her. His focus seemed to be somewhere across the pool.

"Does that include entertaining everyone when there was no business going on?"

"Just what does that mean?"

Chris could hear the tension in her voice. Standing, he turned to face her.

"Something about that bunch isn't right. I don't know what it is, but my spider-sense is tingling like crazy. I am going to ask Bill to not take any more contracts from that bunch."

"CHRIS! That is absurd. They are just hot shot alpha male entrepreneurs. They work hard and party hard, but nothing else. They treat me like a queen."

Fiona saw Chris's eyes harden and narrow.

"Treat you like a queen? For Christ's sake, Fiona, you are supposed to be their charter aircraft captain, not a participant in their retinue."

She dropped her eyes before she spoke.

"I'm going to bed and get some rest. We will talk about this tomorrow."

She spun on her heel and disappeared. Chris stood for a moment looking at where she had stood a few seconds before. Moving stoically, he retrieved another beer from the refrigerator and sat back down in the patio chair.

&&&&&

On Monday, Bill was waiting at the operations office when Fiona came in. She saw him and smiled. Before she could do anything, he motioned toward his office. Fiona followed him in.

"Shut the door and have a seat. We need to talk."

Fiona shut the door and sat down as instructed. Bill didn't hesitate.

"I want to know what is going on with this InPreTech bunch? Isaac tells me you were fraternizing with them and that you spent most of the return trip in the cabin instead of the cockpit?"

Fiona was a bit taken back but recovered.

"I wasn't fraternizing. Well. Maybe a little. I went out with them one night, and they invited me along on the inspection trip of the manufacturing plant they were looking at. It was interesting and more fun than sitting in a hotel room all day."

"That's not what we do. You know the rules. We are there to fly the plane. You get paid well to sit in a hotel room when you are on the ground. I don't want you out running around with the clients. It's not professional."

Suddenly, Fiona bowed up.

"Bill. You put me in charge of operations. If you have a problem with the way I am running things, tell me, fire me, or let me do the job the way I see fit. InPreTech is about 20% of our charter business right now, and I don't think you want to give that up. They are almost the sole charters of the Embraer. If we lose them, that plane will sit on the tarmac. We need to keep them happy and keep that plane in the air."

Her attitude and her aggressive behavior surprised Bill.

"I am telling you. No more fraternizing with the clients. No more parties, field trips, or social situations. Fly the plane. Take care of business, and that's it.

"I want you to do the operations job. Put some else on the InPreTech charters. Don't fly them anymore. That display you put on coming off the airplane Friday was poor business. Chris saw it, and he wasn't happy at all."

"It's not going to happen. Jack told me on the way back that their flying time was about to take a big jump, and he wanted me to cover all their charters."

"Does he know you are married?"

"Um... I assume so."

"You better make sure. Even then, you need to be wary of that one."

"Bill, you and Chris are making more of this than exists. It's all business and I can handle it."

Bill leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head.

"Fiona. I have watched your courtship and marriage with Chris from the beginnings. He is not a jealous type, but he knows when things are not right. Chris has made a career of spotting trouble before it happens. He sees trouble in this, and I think he is right. If you value your relationship with him, I suggest you take my advice and get yourself out of this loop. We have plenty of pilots who can handle these flights."

Bill watched Fiona shake her head.

"You are both out of bounds on this. We need this business, and we need to keep this company happy."

"Just be careful what you have to do to keep them happy."

True to what Fiona said, the increase in charters from InPreTech increased significantly. Where the charters had averaged once every six weeks for several months, the frequency of the InPreTech's charters rose to almost one a week. Fiona pulled back and was only flying about one out of every four charters in the Embraer. Still, since the length of the trips was now about six days, it put her out of town about once a month. Chris approached Bill about it.

"What the hell is going on. I thought you were going to talk to her about dropping these flights?"

"I did. I got a call from Jack, and he specifically requested Fiona is on the crew for those flights. Currently, I can't afford to lose that contract."

Chris kept track of the charters to see what he could find out. He also hired a PI firm to gather information on Jack and Mason and the InPreTech employees. It was almost six weeks later that he got the first parts of the PI report. The report did nothing to ease his worries.

Reading the summary of the report, he found Jack was a serial philander. He also had a history of alcohol and drug abuse. It wasn't debilitating, but he used both heavily. There were some questions about the company, InPreTech. Several analysts questioned whether the company was really as financially sound as their reporting made them seem. Together, the information made Chris even more suspicious of the whole situation.

It all came to a head when Fiona announced InPreTech had chartered the Embraer for a company trip to Mexico. They were flying to Cancun three days before Thanksgiving and staying for seven days. She was going to handle the charter, so one of the other crew didn't have to be away on Thanksgiving.

Chris was livid. They had planned to invite both of their parents to their house of the holiday.

"You intend to be gone over Thanksgiving, and we have already planned to have our parents here. What the hell?"

"I'm sorry. We can reschedule with our parents, but this is a big deal. The entire board of directors is going on the holiday jaunt. I don't want to keep one of our other pilots away from their families, so I will do the charter."

Chris growled as he drummed his finger on the counter in the kitchen

"Well. If that is the case and our holiday is going to take the hit, I will fly as your second seat so no one from the company has to miss Thanksgiving."

"No, you won't. You can stay here and entertain our parents. Mickey Butz, the guy we hired a couple of months ago, is single, and he has volunteered to take the charter with me."

Chris turned and looked at Fiona. She was sure she had never seen such anger in his eyes.

"No. If you are going, I am going, and that's that. I will call our parents and beg off. I was going to take one of the planes and pick them up anyway, so it won't cost anything to cancel. We can at least be together in Cancun for the holiday."

She seemed to accept his decision and let the matter drop. Things around the house were chilly for a few days, but eventually things were mostly back to normal. Then Fiona hit him with another bombshell.

"Jack called and requested that Mickey fly as part of the crew instead of you. He claims that some of the other board members don't like your attitude and don't want you around."

Chris exploded.

"Who the hell is running this charter service. You or them?"

Fiona bristled and spat back at him.

"I run the operations. You can call and talk to Bill about it. It's decided. Mickey and I will crew the charter."

Apparently, the discussion was over when Fiona turned and left Chris still fuming in the kitchen. It was only three days until the flight was due to depart. Chris went to his office and was on the phone in minutes.

"Bill. What the hell is going on. Fiona just sprang this whole deal on me about the Thanksgiving charter. Now she tells me that the InPreTech bunch doesn't want me around because I have a poor attitude."

"Chris. You know as well as I do we can't afford to lose InPreTech's charter business right now. Things are slow, and they are about our only consistent customers. I'll talk to them and to Fiona. We will work something out."

Chris took a deep breath.

"I hope so."

Chris was to learn that the only thing that got worked out was the trip extended for two days. Mickey was to fly second seat and Fiona as Captain. The plane would be at capacity with the Board members, their wives and significant others, and a week's worth of luggage for each of them. As the day approached when the trip was to depart, Chris approached Fiona one more time.

"Call someone else in to take this trip."

"No. I can't. Everyone has their holiday plans all set. I couldn't do that to any of them."

"You can do it to us?"

"That's different. We are part owners of the company. It's our responsibility to put our employees first."

Chris had a hard time arguing that point.

"I don't like it, Fiona. I will fly down on a commercial flight and meet you there. I don't have to associate with that bunch of assholes. You and I can have Thanksgiving on the beach."

"Don't be silly. It's just one holiday. You need to be here. Get one of the planes and fly down to see your folks. They would love it."

Unconvinced, Chris was at the terminal as everyone arrived. He noted, immediately, that Jack and Mason were alone. Bill was not there because he was suffering with a severe case of the flu. Chris hung back behind the operations counter and watched through the windows looking into the terminal.

Eventually, everyone was on board, the luggage stowed, and the stairway pulled back. Chris watched the sleek jet aircraft pull away. He stood at the window until it lifted off the runway.

At home, Chris was still both angry and worried. He tried working on some projects but couldn't keep his mind focused. He finally took Fiona's advice and visited his parents. Instead of flying, he opted to drive, doubling the time the trip would take. It took him an hour to pack before he was on the road.

Two days later, Chris had decided his decision was a good one. He was thoroughly enjoying the time with his parents. Two of his siblings had come along and brought their families. The disappointment that Fiona was having to work over the holiday dampened the celebrations, but most were understanding.

Thanksgiving at home was much like Chris remembered. The feast his mother and sisters-in-law put on was wonderful. He, his dad, and his brothers watched football. Chris was as relaxed as he could get. Thoughts of the problems with Fiona and the charters seemed forgotten. It was a good Thanksgiving.

The day after Thanksgiving started phenomenally. The four men had scheduled a tee time and headed to the golf course. It was early in the morning. The weather was perfect, and they were all looking forward to a nice round of golf and lunch at the club. However, at the 5th tee box, Chris's phone rang, and he saw it was Bill's number. He stepped off the tee box and took the call.

"What's up Bill?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm on the 5th tee box with my dad and brothers, why?"

"We have problems. I need you back here as quickly as possible. I have little information yet, but I can tell you that the Mexican authorities impound the plane in Cancun. Everyone on the charter, including Fiona and Mickey, are in custody with no communication."

"I'm driving, so it's going to be at least 6 hours before I get there."

"It needs to be faster than that. We must get ahead of this thing."

"Let me make some calls."

Chris explained the situation to his family, and they all agreed that he had to get back to Pasadena. As his dad drove the golf cart toward the clubhouse, Chris was on the phone. Within minutes, he had found a lease plane at a nearby airport. He made the arrangements and had his dad drop him off before going home. He would get his car and other gear later. In two hours, he was rolling down the runway in a Cessna 182 Turbo with retractable gear. The plane would have him at his home airport and the operations center in just over 3 hours.

The Cessna rolled to a stop in front of the terminal. Before the prop had stopped turning, Chris was on the tarmac and headed into the operations center at full speed. He slid to a stop at the counter. Bill set behind the operations desk with a morose look on his face.

"What the hell?"

"I have been on the phone to Mexico since I talked to you almost 4 hours ago. I have found out little else. The plane his impounded and is being searched. Everyone on the charter at the local police station in the custody of the federal police. I know nothing else."

"How did you find out?"

"The manager of the fixed base operator in Mexico had all of our information, since we were being billed for the service to the plane. He called and let me know what had happened when the police impounded the plane. I called the hotel to talk to Fiona, and the desk clerk told me the police had taken away them in handcuffs."

"Jesus Christ. What do we do now?"

"I don't have a clue. I was hoping you would."

Chris leaned on the counter and thought. He had two possibilities. His pulled out his cellphone and stabbed a number on his quick dial list. The phone rang, and he heard a male voice.

"Charley. Chris Padgett."

"What's up Chris."

"I need some legal advice. Put on your cap and put me on the clock."

"Ok. What's the problem."

Chris outlined what he knew about the events in Mexico. Charley asked several questions and told Chris to fax a copy of the passenger list, the charter contract, and all the information on the plane. He then instructed Chris to contact the state department with the same information. Then he gave Chris some advice.

"Don't go overboard. Do nothing without calling me first. This is more than likely drug related. The Mexican government is getting hard core about cracking down on smuggling. I will tell you right now, if they find anything on that plane, you will probably lose it. If anyone in that group is holding anything like drugs, guns, or something else, It's going to be a long and excruciating ordeal. The whole thing will get expensive. I know you own the plane. What do you know about the passengers?"

Chris explained it was the Board and guests of InPreTech. Then he told Charley that Fiona was the pilot in charge, and they had one other employee on the plane."

"Chris. Just between you and me, this sounds like there was a tipoff. It that is true and Fiona is in any way wrapped up in this, she could be in deep shit. Let me get off the phone and make some calls. There are some lawyers in Mexico that I feel comfortable approaching about this. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

The phone went dead. Chris looked at Bill.

"This is going to turn into a shitshow. I knew that something wasn't right about this whole deal."

Bill looked sickened. He spoke and only got a couple of sentences out.

"I'm sorry, Chris. I never thought something like this would happen. I hate it that Fiona is in the middle of it."

Chris watched Bill suddenly gasp and fall face forward onto the desk. Vaulting the counter, Chris pulled Bill back into the chair. Yelling at one of the ground crew to call an ambulance, Chris pulled Bill onto the floor and began CPR. When the paramedics arrived, they pulled Chris away. Whisking Bill into the ambulance, the paramedics left Chris sitting on the floor, staring numbly into the corner.

Chris was sitting in the chair in the operation's office. Everyone else had gone home. The lights were off and only the dim light of the computer screen illuminated Chris's face. His call to the state department had not given him any hope. They promised to notify the closest embassy but didn't offer any other support. Chris jumped when his cell phone vibrated on the desk. Grabbing it, he saw it was Charley and answered.