Hard Landing Read Online Free
day you're shipping her ashes home."
He sank back into his chair, dropped his head back, and closed his eyes. He looked as if he never wanted to get up again.
"Why all the mystery? Why not put her name on the manifest?"
"Because I didn't want the scumbags downstairs stubbing out cigarettes in her ashes."
"Tell me you're exaggerating."
"We're talking about the same guys who screwed over almost a thousand passengers last night just to send a 'fuck you' message."
I sat back in my chair, and felt my excitement about the new job and being back in the field drain away.
"I should have been here," he said, his head still back, eyes glued to the ceiling. "But I had to-I just should have been here."
He didn't actually say it, but that sounded as close to an apology as I was going to get. "I'm sorry about Ellen, Dan."
"Did you know her?"
"No."
His head popped up. "Then why would you be sorry?"
"Because you knew her."
This time when he bolted up, I couldn't have stopped him if I'd tackled him.
"Debrief is at 0900 sharp," he said, throwing the door open. "It's your meeting if you want it."
I sat and listened one more time to the sound of his footsteps fading down the long corridor. The door to the concourse opened and closed, and I knew he was gone. Eventually, I pulled myself up and went out to meet my new assistant.
"Don't take it personally," she said when she saw me. "He's that way with everyone."
Molly had a flop of dark curls on her head, big brown eyes, and full red lips that occupied half her face. Her olive complexion suggested Hispanic blood, or maybe Portuguese, this being Massachusetts. She was probably in her late fifties, but her dainty stature made her seem younger. She was thin, almost bird-like, but judging from the hard lines around her eyes and the way she'd spoken to Dan, she was more of a crow than a sparrow. At least she had a voice like one.
She squinted at me. "You're the new GM."
"And you're Molly."
"Danny's been a little upset these past few days."
"Judging from my first"-I checked my watch- "fifteen hours in this operation, he's got good reason."
She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and took a long, deep sideways drag on a skinny cigarette, all the time looking me up and down like girls do in junior high when they're trying to decide who to be seen with in the school cafeteria. She might not have been inside a junior high school for over thirty years, but she still had the attitude.
"So they sent us another woman," she said, eyebrows raised.
"Apparently."
With a swish of nylon on nylon she rose from the chair and sidled around to my side of her desk. It's possible I'd passed muster, but more likely she couldn't resist a golden opportunity to dish.
"He found her, you know."
"Who?"
"Ellen."
"Dan found Ellen's body?"
"When she didn't come in that morning, he's the one who drove up to her house. She was in the attic." Molly reached around to the ashtray on the desk behind her and did a quick flick. "When he found her, she'd been hanging there all night."
I reached up instinctively and put a hand on my own throat, which was tightening at the thought of what a body looks like after hanging by the neck for that long. With my thumb, I could feel my own blood pumping through a thick vein. "It must have been horrible for him. Were they friends?"
She nodded as she exhaled. "He won't talk about it, but, yeah, he hasn't been the same since. Like I said, we don't take it personally." She reached behind the desk again and opened a drawer, this time coming back with a big, heavy ring chock full of keys. "I'll let you into your office."
She went to the door, and I stood back and watched her struggle with the lock.
"How's everyone else around here taking it?" I asked. "What's the mood?"
"Mixed. People who liked her are upset. People who didn't are glad she's gone. It's that simple. More people liked her than didn't, but the ones that didn't hated her so much, it made up for all the
He sank back into his chair, dropped his head back, and closed his eyes. He looked as if he never wanted to get up again.
"Why all the mystery? Why not put her name on the manifest?"
"Because I didn't want the scumbags downstairs stubbing out cigarettes in her ashes."
"Tell me you're exaggerating."
"We're talking about the same guys who screwed over almost a thousand passengers last night just to send a 'fuck you' message."
I sat back in my chair, and felt my excitement about the new job and being back in the field drain away.
"I should have been here," he said, his head still back, eyes glued to the ceiling. "But I had to-I just should have been here."
He didn't actually say it, but that sounded as close to an apology as I was going to get. "I'm sorry about Ellen, Dan."
"Did you know her?"
"No."
His head popped up. "Then why would you be sorry?"
"Because you knew her."
This time when he bolted up, I couldn't have stopped him if I'd tackled him.
"Debrief is at 0900 sharp," he said, throwing the door open. "It's your meeting if you want it."
I sat and listened one more time to the sound of his footsteps fading down the long corridor. The door to the concourse opened and closed, and I knew he was gone. Eventually, I pulled myself up and went out to meet my new assistant.
"Don't take it personally," she said when she saw me. "He's that way with everyone."
Molly had a flop of dark curls on her head, big brown eyes, and full red lips that occupied half her face. Her olive complexion suggested Hispanic blood, or maybe Portuguese, this being Massachusetts. She was probably in her late fifties, but her dainty stature made her seem younger. She was thin, almost bird-like, but judging from the hard lines around her eyes and the way she'd spoken to Dan, she was more of a crow than a sparrow. At least she had a voice like one.
She squinted at me. "You're the new GM."
"And you're Molly."
"Danny's been a little upset these past few days."
"Judging from my first"-I checked my watch- "fifteen hours in this operation, he's got good reason."
She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and took a long, deep sideways drag on a skinny cigarette, all the time looking me up and down like girls do in junior high when they're trying to decide who to be seen with in the school cafeteria. She might not have been inside a junior high school for over thirty years, but she still had the attitude.
"So they sent us another woman," she said, eyebrows raised.
"Apparently."
With a swish of nylon on nylon she rose from the chair and sidled around to my side of her desk. It's possible I'd passed muster, but more likely she couldn't resist a golden opportunity to dish.
"He found her, you know."
"Who?"
"Ellen."
"Dan found Ellen's body?"
"When she didn't come in that morning, he's the one who drove up to her house. She was in the attic." Molly reached around to the ashtray on the desk behind her and did a quick flick. "When he found her, she'd been hanging there all night."
I reached up instinctively and put a hand on my own throat, which was tightening at the thought of what a body looks like after hanging by the neck for that long. With my thumb, I could feel my own blood pumping through a thick vein. "It must have been horrible for him. Were they friends?"
She nodded as she exhaled. "He won't talk about it, but, yeah, he hasn't been the same since. Like I said, we don't take it personally." She reached behind the desk again and opened a drawer, this time coming back with a big, heavy ring chock full of keys. "I'll let you into your office."
She went to the door, and I stood back and watched her struggle with the lock.
"How's everyone else around here taking it?" I asked. "What's the mood?"
"Mixed. People who liked her are upset. People who didn't are glad she's gone. It's that simple. More people liked her than didn't, but the ones that didn't hated her so much, it made up for all the
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