Chapter 3 - THE VOICE RECORDING
Naomi’s father had never lied to her.
At least, that was what she had always believed.
But now she wasn’t sure.
When Captain Reynolds came out of the cockpit during the scheduled cruise break, his relief at seeing Naomi safely in 2A lasted only until he noticed Daniel Cross.
“Daniel.”
The single word carried six years of history.
Daniel stood.
“Ethan.”
Naomi looked between them.
“You know him.”
Her father’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
“You knew he worked with Mom.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ethan glanced toward Preston Hale.
“Not here.”
Naomi folded her arms.
“Everyone already knows everything except me.”
That stopped him.
Ethan sat beside her briefly while the relief pilot remained in command.
“Your mother recorded a message the evening before Flight 417.”
“For who?”
“Me.”
“Did you hear it?”
“No.”
Naomi frowned.
“Then how do you know?”
“Rachel left me a voicemail saying she had made a longer recording and stored it separately.”
“Where?”
“She never told me.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“She told me.”
Ethan stared.
“What?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Rachel said she put it somewhere Hale’s lawyers would never search.”
Hale immediately looked over.
“I am done listening to defamatory accusations.”
Ethan’s voice became cold.
“Then don’t listen.”
Hale went silent.
Daniel continued.
“Rachel didn’t trust corporate servers anymore. She stored the recording on a small digital memory card.”
Naomi thought for a moment.
“How small?”
“Tiny.”
“Like something that could fit in a toy?”
Daniel stared at her.
So did Ethan.
Naomi looked down at the blue rabbit.
Her father had given it to her the morning after her mother died.
She had always believed he bought it at the airport gift shop because she wouldn’t stop crying.
“Dad.”
Ethan’s face changed.
“What?”
“Where did Blue come from?”
Her father looked at the rabbit.
“I found it in your mother’s carry-on.”
Naomi’s heartbeat jumped.
“You told me you bought it.”
“I told you I gave it to you.”
That technical distinction did not impress her.
“Mom owned it?”
“No.”
Ethan frowned.
“She bought it for you during the trip.”
Naomi turned the rabbit over.
Its fur was faded from six years of sleepovers, road trips, tears, and being carried by one ear.
A seam along the back looked slightly uneven.
Daniel leaned forward.
“May I?”
Naomi hesitated.
Then handed it over.
Daniel touched the seam.
“This has been opened before.”
Ethan immediately called the lead flight attendant.
Within minutes, they were inside the front galley away from the other passengers.
Nobody cut the rabbit.
Naomi refused.
Instead, the attendant found a tiny hidden zipper beneath the stitched fabric.
Naomi had never noticed it.
Inside was old cotton stuffing.
And something hard.
Daniel reached carefully.
A tiny plastic case slid into his palm.
Inside was a microSD card.
Ethan stopped breathing.
Naomi stared.
“Mom put that there?”
Nobody answered.
They didn’t need to.
The rabbit she had hugged every night after losing her mother had been carrying Rachel Reynolds’s final message all along.
Daniel looked toward the cabin.
“We need to secure this immediately.”
Ethan nodded.
Then a voice came from behind them.
“You have no idea what’s on that card.”
Preston Hale stood at the galley entrance.
His face was no longer pale.
It was terrified.
And that was the moment Naomi understood something.
May you like
Hale had not taken Seat 2A simply because he was rude.
He had seen the rabbit before.
