Chapter 7 - The Call to DavidI couldn't stop staring at the stranger.
His words were monstrous.
But the certainty in his voice made them difficult to dismiss.
Denise escorted Victoria toward a seat where two crew members could watch her. The stranger remained near Row 14, refusing to answer further questions.
Once the cabin manager was satisfied that I was safe, she allowed me to call David.
He answered after the second ring.
“Claire? Everything okay? You should be in the air by now.”
I looked at Maya.
She was holding Leo's tiny hand.
“David, I need you to answer something honestly.”
His tone changed.
“What happened?”
“Someone on this plane says you changed Leo's hospital records.”
Silence.
Not the ordinary silence of a poor connection.
A long, terrifying silence.
Then David exhaled.
“Claire, listen to me very carefully. Don't let anyone take Leo from you.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“What does that mean?”
“Where are you sitting?”
“Why?”
“Tell me your row!”
“Eleven. But we're sitting farther back now.”
I heard something crash on his end.
“Get away from Row 11. Stay with the flight attendants. Don't trust that woman, and don't trust the man carrying the black bag.”
My mouth went dry.
“How do you know about the black bag?”
“Claire, I can't explain everything over the phone.”
“You'd better start explaining something!”
He lowered his voice.
“Six weeks ago, when Leo was born, someone accessed his medical records. A nurse told me there had been a mistake in the system. I thought it was a billing issue.”
“And you changed his records?”
“No. I paid a private investigator to find out who had accessed them.”
“Who?”
“I don't know his real name. He called himself Cole.”
I looked toward the man in Row 14.
He was watching me.
David continued.
“The investigator disappeared three days ago. Yesterday, I received a photograph of Leo and a message telling me to keep him away from airports.”
I felt my knees weaken.
“You knew there was a threat, and you let us fly?”
“I thought they'd stopped watching us!”
Then David said the words that shattered what remained of my trust.
“Claire, the investigator wasn't looking for the people who threatened Leo.”
He paused.
“He was looking for the person who hired them.”
“And who was that?”
May you like
David's answer came in a whisper.
“Someone from your family.”
Related Stories
