Grace Takes Off(29)
Evelyn blinked a couple of times as she processed this. Her head tilted. “There’s been a misunderstanding,” she said. “Obviously.”
“No misunderstanding.” He held a finger in the air as though suddenly remembering something. He dug into the pocket of his uniform jacket and pulled out a folded set of papers. “Here are my orders.”
Evelyn’s body language was like that of a feral cat’s facing an adversary. She puffed herself up to her greatest height, clearly wary of this stranger, yet poised to strike if he continued to threaten her authority. She took the pages out of his hands and scanned them quickly. As her shoulders relaxed, she began to frown. “Well,” she said briskly, “it seems as though your story checks out. You’ll understand if I call the office and verify.” She didn’t phrase it as a question as she moved for the phone.
Rudy appeared momentarily perplexed, though not the least bit put out. “You wish me to begin preparation for takeoff?”
Wound tight already, Evelyn didn’t like being interrupted from her call. She held up a finger and spoke through clenched teeth. “Just. Stay. Right. There.”
Rudy faced us, smiling. “Hello,” he said while Evelyn completed her call. “You are going home?” He barely waited for our acknowledgment before continuing, “This airplane visits your North Carolina and also New York, yes?”
I exchanged a glance with Bennett as we both shrugged. Up to this point we hadn’t known the plane’s ultimate destination. “We’re getting off at the first stop,” I said. “Charlotte.”
Evelyn returned to tap Rudy on the shoulder. I could tell from the consternation in her eyes and the tight set to her smile lines that she was following orders she didn’t agree with. “Welcome aboard, Rudy,” she said. “I didn’t realize that you and I were going to be a team.” She pointed to the rear of the plane. “Why don’t you get yourself settled in the crew area in the back galley, and I’ll be with you just as soon as I finish going over safety protocols.”
Rudy’s wide smile was back. “It will be my pleasure.”
Evelyn caught my eye. “The more the merrier, I suppose,” she muttered.
I watched Rudy make his way to the rear of the plane, wondering what was up with that.
Chapter 9
AFTER THE PILOT AND CO-PILOT CAME through to say hello and to assure us of a safe flight home, we were off. The guy with the drumsticks had pulled them out and maintained a constant, albeit quiet, rhythm on his thigh, nearby pillows, whatever he had handy. Bennett tuned him out, and I was surprised to find the patter rather soothing. Drunken Jeff managed to remain sound asleep—as evidenced by his cabin-shattering snores—but only until we reached an altitude where seat belts could be undone.
Awakened by the pilot’s announcement, he gripped the back of my seat to pull himself up to standing. I turned to see his florid face hovering over my headrest. “Where are we?”
His warbling cry and yellowed, bloodshot eyes told me he hadn’t actually sobered up yet.
“Sit down,” Adam called from farther back. “And be quiet. I’m trying to read.” I twisted to look. Adam leaned back in his oversized chair, one arm braced behind his head, his free hand holding a fat hardcover, reading glasses perched on his nose. If I didn’t know he was the leader of a rock band, I would have taken him for a dad on vacation, or a college professor enjoying a little downtime.
Rudy hurried over to Jeff, easing the bewildered man back into his seat as his companions laughed among themselves then resumed whatever quiet conversations they’d been enjoying before the interruption.
Evelyn came around behind Rudy to talk to me and Bennett. “We’re serving dinner on this flight, as you know.” She handed us each a printed menu card from a small stack she held close to her chest. “We have a wonderful menu, and all I’ll need is for you to make your preferences known.”