Chapter 10 - THE BOARDROOM
By 6:00 p.m., Flight 418 had become the biggest story in the country.
Northstar’s board met by emergency video conference.
Every director attended.
Andrew Mercer joined from corporate headquarters.
Martin Vale joined with his lawyer.
I joined from the airport conference room with Evelyn.
Outside the room, Denise and Tessa waited.
The meeting started badly.
Andrew immediately denied instructing anyone to contact Rachel.
“My assistant acted independently.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Your assistant randomly offered a passenger a hundred thousand dollars for a video involving you?”
Andrew’s lawyer interrupted.
“We caution against inflammatory characterization.”
I leaned back.
“Then give me a non-inflammatory explanation.”
Nobody did.
Martin’s attorney spoke next.
“My client also denies any involvement in document deletion.”
Evelyn shared the security image of Parker at Martin’s computer.
Martin looked at it.
“You see Steven Parker. Not me.”
“Using your access credential,” Evelyn said.
“I didn’t give it to him.”
Then we played the recording.
Martin’s own voice filled the boardroom.
“Reed is taking 418 next month…”
His face changed.
His lawyer immediately said:
“We need a recess.”
“No,” one of the independent directors said.
Her name was Susan Grant.
Former federal transportation official.
Seventy-one years old.
Sharp as broken glass.
“You’ve had eighteen months to give us the truth. You can sit another ten minutes.”
I almost smiled.
Martin didn’t.
We played the second recording.
The maintenance discussion.
When Andrew’s voice said, “If the maintenance review opens again, all three of us are finished,” nobody interrupted.
When it ended, Susan Grant asked:
“What exactly were you afraid would be discovered?”
Andrew stared into his camera.
“I need to consult counsel.”
“You have counsel sitting beside you.”
“I am invoking my rights under my employment agreement.”
Susan looked disgusted.
“You were remarkably talkative when the company belonged to somebody else.”
The board voted.
Andrew Mercer was placed on administrative leave.
Martin Vale was suspended pending investigation.
Neither man would have access to company systems or employees.
Then one director asked about Parker.
“What are we doing with the captain?”
Evelyn answered.
“He is suspended from flight duty.”
“Why not terminate him?”
“Because we are going to follow procedure.”
The director frowned.
“After what we saw?”
I spoke.
“If we fire people before completing the process, then we become exactly the kind of company that can bury a complaint because somebody powerful wants it buried.”
That ended the argument.
We would investigate.
Every complaint.
Every retaliation claim.
Every maintenance record.
Every altered document.
Every executive decision.
No shortcuts.
After the board meeting, I walked outside.
Denise stood when she saw me.
“Am I fired?”
The question shocked me.
“Why would you think that?”
“I refused a captain’s order in front of passengers.”
Evelyn answered.
“That will be reviewed.”
Denise nodded.
Her face fell.
“But,” Evelyn continued, “you are not being terminated or disciplined tonight.”
Denise exhaled.
Tessa smiled.
Then the security officer returned.
“We’ve got a problem.”
I was getting tired of those words.
“What now?”
“Parker disappeared from the hotel.”
“His phone?”
“Still off.”
“Vehicle?”
“Rental car is gone.”
Evelyn frowned.
“Where would he go?”
The officer held up his tablet.
“We think we know.”
A traffic camera had caught Parker’s rental entering Northstar’s old records facility on the south side of the airport.
A building scheduled for demolition in two weeks.
I looked at Evelyn.
“What’s stored there?”
She answered slowly.
“Archived personnel files.”
“Complaints?”
“Some.”
“Maintenance records?”
Her face changed.
May you like
“Yes.”
Then the fire alarm system at the records building went offline.
