Chapter 2 - THE REPORT THAT DISAPPEARED
Naomi had expected the flight to become quiet after takeoff.
It didn’t.
Nobody confronted Preston Hale directly.
That almost made the tension worse.
He sat rigidly in 2D, typing messages on his phone until the flight attendant reminded everyone to switch devices into airplane mode.
Daniel Cross remained across the aisle.
Naomi finally asked the question burning inside her.
“What did Mr. Hale change?”
Daniel looked toward the cockpit.
“Your father never told you?”
“No.”
“That means he had a reason.”
Naomi hugged the rabbit.
“I’m eleven, not five.”
Daniel almost smiled.
“Your mother used to say the same thing when people underestimated her.”
He lowered his voice.
Rachel had worked for AeroDyne Systems, a company manufacturing electrical isolation units used on several commercial aircraft.
Three months before Flight 417, laboratory testing showed one unit could overheat under a rare combination of moisture and sustained load.
Rachel filed an internal report recommending immediate inspections.
“What happened?” Naomi asked.
“Management didn’t want delays.”
“Mr. Hale?”
“He was vice president of compliance.”
Naomi looked across the aisle.
Hale pretended not to hear.
Daniel continued.
“Rachel’s original report classified the risk as critical.”
“And then?”
“When it reached the airline, the word critical was gone.”
Naomi felt cold.
“What did it say?”
“Monitor during scheduled maintenance.”
That sounded completely different.
“Did Mom know?”
“She discovered the change two days before Flight 417.”
Naomi stopped breathing.
“She confronted Hale.”
Preston suddenly turned.
“That is enough.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Is it?”
“You signed confidentiality agreements.”
“Those expired when the company dissolved.”
Hale leaned closer.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Daniel reached into his leather bag.
“I kept copies.”
Hale’s expression disappeared.
Naomi looked between them.
“You have Mom’s report?”
“Not the complete one.”
Daniel removed a sealed plastic sleeve.
Inside was a photocopy covered in Rachel’s handwriting.
Naomi recognized it immediately.
Her mother always wrote lowercase R’s strangely, almost like V’s.
At the top:
ELECTRICAL ISOLATION UNIT - THERMAL FAILURE RISK.
Near the bottom was a handwritten note:
Preston—
If this reaches an aircraft before inspection, someone could die.
Naomi’s chest tightened.
Hale stared at the paper.
“You stole company property.”
Daniel laughed without humor.
“I copied evidence.”
Before Hale could respond, a flight attendant approached.
“Mr. Hale, return to your seat position and stop leaning into the aisle.”
His face reddened.
But he obeyed.
Naomi studied Daniel.
“If you had that for six years, why didn’t you show anyone?”
His expression filled with shame.
“I tried.”
“When?”
“The week after the crash.”
“What happened?”
Daniel glanced toward Hale.
“My attorney received a threat.”
Naomi’s stomach twisted.
“What kind?”
“A lawsuit that would have destroyed my family.”
“That stopped you?”
Daniel flinched.
“Yes.”
Naomi looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said quietly:
“My mom still got on the plane.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
The truth hurt.
That was obvious.
After a while he whispered:
“I know.”
A soft chime sounded.
The captain announced they had reached cruising altitude.
Naomi looked out the window.
Clouds stretched beneath them like white mountains.
Then Daniel slipped the copy back into his bag.
“There’s something else you should know.”
“What?”
“Your mother didn’t leave only one safety report.”
Naomi turned.
Daniel looked at the worn blue rabbit in her lap.
“She left a voice recording too.”
Naomi stared at him.
“Where?”
“That is the problem.”
May you like
Daniel’s eyes moved toward Hale.
“The recording disappeared the same night your mother died.”
