Chapter 1 - THE FLIGHT LOG
The first thing Camden tried to do was smile.
It was almost impressive.
His face had already gone pale when Nora mentioned archived security footage, but nine years of marriage had taught him how to recover quickly.
He straightened his coat.
“Fine,” he said. “If this is a compliance issue, we’ll review it tomorrow.”
“No.”
One word.
His eyes narrowed.
“No?”
“We’ll review it now.”
Lila looked between us as though she had accidentally walked into the wrong movie.
“Camden?”
He didn’t answer her.
That told me something.
For seven months, Lila had been confident because Camden had given her confidence.
He had clearly told her I was irrelevant.
Maybe decorative.
Maybe dependent.
Maybe too timid to confront him.
Whatever version of me he had sold her, it was dying under fluorescent hangar lights.
Nora opened the black folder.
“Aircraft N718AM departed Teterboro at 7:12 Friday morning,” she said. “Destination Palm Beach.”
Camden interrupted.
“Board-related travel.”
Nora did not look at him.
“No board meeting appears on the corporate calendar.”
I almost smiled.
Nora had worked for me for six years.
She had perfected the art of making facts sound more dangerous than accusations.
She continued.
“Aircraft remained in Palm Beach for forty-eight hours, then continued to Nassau.”
Lila’s posture changed.
Nassau.
Camden had told me Boston.
Apparently, he had told other people something else too.
Then Nora read the passenger list.
Camden Pierce.
Lila Monroe.
No additional passengers.
No authorized clients.
No executives.
No documented business purpose.
Camden crossed his arms.
“So I used the jet.”
“Yes,” I said.
“It’s not exactly a crime for the CEO to use a company aircraft.”
He had made his first major mistake.
Captain Rhodes looked at him.
So did every executive in the room.
Camden saw it too late.
I tilted my head.
“You’re not the CEO.”
Silence.
Lila actually turned toward him.
“What?”
Camden’s jaw tightened.
“I run Pierce Aero.”
“You’re president of business development.”
He stared at me.
I continued calmly.
“Operational authority rests with Malcolm Reed. Fleet authorization rests with me and the aviation committee.”
Lila whispered, “You told me—”
“Not now.”
Camden’s voice cut across hers.
Too sharp.
Too public.
Her face changed.
I watched it happen.
The first crack.
Nora turned another page.
“There are seventeen unauthorized flights over the past seven months.”
Camden stopped breathing.
Not metaphorically.
Actually stopped.
“Seventeen?” I repeated.
Nora nodded.
“Fourteen appear personal.”
I looked at Camden.
Seven months.
Exactly how long I had known about Lila.
But this was already bigger than an affair.
“Cost?”
“Preliminary estimate: four hundred eighty-six thousand dollars.”
Lila’s lips parted.
Camden snapped:
“That number is absurd.”
Captain Rhodes finally spoke.
“It’s conservative.”
Camden turned on him.
“Excuse me?”
“Crew time. Hangar fees. fuel. positioning. maintenance hours.”
Nobody defended Camden.
That frightened him.
Then Nora placed another document on top.
“One more issue.”
I looked down.
An internal aircraft authorization form.
My electronic signature appeared at the bottom.
VIVIAN A. PIERCE.
I had never signed it.
My stomach went cold.
“Where did this come from?”
Nora looked at me.
“The authorization system.”
Camden said nothing.
I examined the date.
Six months earlier.
Three days after I had privately told him I knew something was wrong with our marriage.
I looked up.
“Camden.”
His eyes did not meet mine.
“Who authorized this aircraft using my name?”
No answer.
Then Lila quietly said:
“He told me you approved everything.”
Every person in the hangar heard her.
Camden turned toward her with murder in his eyes.
May you like
And suddenly, the stolen scarf was the least important thing she was wearing.
Because around Lila’s wrist was a diamond bracelet purchased through one of my corporate accounts.
