The Ghost Pattern

…12

Alex took her seat on the restaurant’s patio, enjoying the warm April sun, the happy chirping of the birds, and the fresh green of the palm trees. Although almost irrelevant to talk about spring in southern California, Alex still enjoyed the tiny differences between seasons, bringing new flavors and new sounds to the landscape with each season.

She’d arrived a little early for her lunch with Claire Isaac, Tom’s wife and her best friend. She and Claire had become close after Alex had joined The Agency. She found in Tom and his wife a new family, support, encouragement, and warm friendship.

There she was, walking with a spring and looking happy and full of life. Alex admired Claire’s looks, from her fit body, to her hairstyle, her choice of elegant yet casual clothing, and her overall demeanor. She hoped she’d look that good at Claire’s age.

“Hello, darling,” Claire greeted her, and then gave her a warm hug and a kiss on her cheek.

“Good to see you,” Alex replied cheerfully. “I’ve got some stories to tell.”

They both chuckled as they took their seats at the table. A waiter appeared and took their drink orders.

“So, how did it go?” Claire asked. “Your team self-defense training.”

“It was hilarious. You should have seen them all protesting. It was fun to watch. Steve and Brian said they never get in fights, which, for the most part, is actually true. But Tom was the best. He didn’t want to be there at all, but he had no way out. Lou wouldn’t let him off the hook!”

They both laughed, then Claire said, “It was about time you all did this, you know. As Tom’s wife and den mother for this crew, I have spent many hours worrying for your safety. Things could go wrong in so many ways, I can’t even—”

“Excuse me just a second, Claire, look!” Alex pointed in the direction of the restaurant’s TV, displaying Stephanie Wainwright’s familiar face under the headline, “Disappeared over the Pacific,” while the “Breaking News Alert” sign was rolling at the bottom of the screen. “Let me see what that’s about.”

She waved at a waiter and asked him to turn up the volume on the TV.

Stephanie’s voice came to life. “Disappeared while in flight above the Pacific. The aircraft, a Boeing 747–400 operated by Universal Air, presumably crashed into the ocean with 423 passengers and 18 crew onboard. Search teams have been dispatched from Tokyo and Sapporo, Japan, to search for the missing aircraft. The flight’s transponder was last recorded at these coordinates, putting XA233 at least four hundred miles out to sea.”

Alex turned her attention back to Claire.

“I’m sorry, Claire, I interrupted you,” she said, a little absentminded, a deep frown lingering on her forehead.

“It’s all right, my dear,” Claire replied. “Such a tragedy… Did you know anyone aboard that flight?”

“No, I didn’t. I don’t think so.”

“Then what’s on your mind?” Claire probed.

Alex frowned and fidgeted a little before answering.

“Umm… I was just thinking. How is it possible that these aircraft don’t even have the GPS and remote-tracking system that an OnStar has, for example? If we can have it in our cars, how come we don’t have it on our planes? They should be able to know precisely where it crashed, and what went wrong.” She stopped talking for a few seconds, deep in thought, then added quietly, “Probably no one will find that wreckage for years to come, no matter how hard they’ll look. What a waste, in the age of technology.”