Джордан Шор - The Search

“Have you talked to this Gregorian fellow about the complaint?”

Michael Williams tilted his head, and his eyes appeared as they were about to fall out of his eye sockets. “He’s the co-pilot, George.”

George quickly scanned the document once more, and then focused on the name at the bottom of the sheet.

“I thought the co-pilot’s name was Gregory.”

“Isaac Gregorian.” Mike sounded annoyed.

George noticed the envelope didn’t have a stamp on it.

“Tell me you got this in the mail, Mike.”

“No, it was delivered to the office reception on Friday morning, seemingly by Mr. Gregorian himself,” Mike said, and exhaled deeply. “Opening internal mail hasn’t been on my agenda for the past week. Especially not any mail addressed to Jeff—until last night, that is.”

“As long as the complaint was delivered on the same day the plane crashed, then we couldn’t have acted any differently. Besides, the co-pilot never claimed Captain Daniels was suicidal. He just wrote he was uncomfortable working with him. This doesn’t change much. I think we’re all right here, Mike.”

“What do you mean we’re all right?”

“I mean, the terror angle is still intact,” George said, and shrugged. “Did you tell the feds about the complaint?”

“Of course, I did,” Mike responded. “I called them yesterday evening, as soon as I read the letter.”

George placed the envelope and the letter on the desk. “How did they react?”

“They requested a copy, but they didn’t seem that interested.”

“Well, there you go. They’re probably still focusing on the Imam.”

“Blaming the Imam certainly seems to be the consensus in the media,” Mike said.

“Thank God for prejudices, am I right?”

Mike Williams suddenly looked infuriated. George got the feeling his boss was about to leap over the desk and strangle him.

“I beg your pardon,” Mike said in a lethal tone.

George wondered what part of the last sentence had provoked his boss the most. Was it that he’d used the Lord’s name in vain? Or because he might have insinuated religion was a source of prejudice?

“It’s fortunate that everyone is focusing on terrorism,” George said.

Mike didn’t seem pleased with George’s response, but he did however, lean back against his chair, which made George feel more at ease. He dismissed the thought of his boss leaping over the desk.

“This whole thing could still be a coincidence,” George said, and tried his best to keep a straight face. “Perhaps the captain did buy the tickets for his ex-wife out of the goodness of his heart, and the co-pilot misinterpreted the experience of going through a divorce as signs of depressions.”

George reached for the letter on the desk.

“He wrote that the captain showed signs of depression, and that he gave the co-pilot the creeps.” George shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, what does that prove?”

The CEO didn’t make any attempt to answer George’s rhetorical question.

“Wait a minute. Didn’t you say they hardly ever flew together?”

“They flew together fourteen days prior to the crash. Same route, Seattle, Anchorage. And a few times, during the summer holidays,” Mike said in a low voice. The man sounded as if he was still struggling to rid himself of the insult.

“And the co-pilot is the only one who noticed the signs of depression?” George asked. Again, the question sounded rhetorical, and he didn’t get any response from the man across the desk. “Wait a minute. When did Captain Daniels buy the tickets for his ex-wife?”

Michael Williams quickly located the paper from the day before. Then suddenly, his face shifted. He didn’t look angry anymore; instead, he looked humble.

“The same day that they flew together. Fourteen days prior to the crash.”

“Well, there you go. Captain Daniels probably was blowing off steam for having to buy the tickets for his ex-wife, and…”

What was his name again?

“The co-pilot probably misinterpreted it as signs of depression. This could just be coincidence, Mike. Perhaps the Imam is responsible for the crash.”

“Do you believe that, George?”

Of course not .

“Let the authorities do the investigation, Mike. It’s not our job to speculate.”

George didn’t believe in coincidences. He was convinced Captain Daniels had crashed the plane on purpose. But even though his opinion of what had happened was firm, he was determined to keep it to himself. For some reason, he felt Trisha Boyle’s welfare was more important than the possibility of justice. Something about Trisha and her ability to support her handicapped son made George forget about the other aspects of the tragedy.

“I called you in this morning because I want you to help me prepare a press release, and to announce a press conference today,” Mike then said.

George was about to concur when he suddenly realized that his boss wouldn’t have called this meeting simply to ask him to release the usual nonsense to the press. Mike Williams must have something else in mind. George’s heart rate accelerated.

“And say what, Mike?”

“The truth.”

“What truth might that be?”

“That Captain Daniels showed signs of depression, and he was aware that his ex-wife would be on this particular flight.”

George shook his head. “You can’t say that, Mike.”

“I’m a Christian, George. I believe in telling the truth.”

“You’re also the CEO of this company, and you have a responsibility to its employees and shareholders. If you share that information with the media, then you might as well file for bankruptcy at the same time,” George told him, and thought he sounded like a lawyer.

Mike Williams leaned forward, and once again, George got the feeling that his boss was about to leap over his desk.

“You’re right about one thing,” Mike said and stared George in the eyes. “I’m the CEO of this company.”

George just realized why the two legal representatives had such a look of defeat when they left the office, and he imagined that he had the same look on his face right now. He decided on a different approach.

“What about his mother, Mike. This will destroy her.”

The idea of Mrs. Daniels suffering seemed to have struck a nerve. The CEO leaned back in his chair with a look of shame.

“I’m not passing any judgment on her son. I’m merely stating the facts.”

“But the media will pass judgment, for sure, and so will the public,” George said. “When I visited Mrs. Daniels, she wasn’t interested in any potential insurance claims or money. All she wanted was for us to know what a great man her son was.”

Mike diverted his eyes toward his desk.

“Besides, how do you expect the feds to react when we release potential evidence to the press the day after we provided them with a copy,” George said, and then cautiously added. “Didn’t the feds tell you not to interfere with the investigation?”

George seemed to have struck another nerve, although Mike Williams made no attempt to answer his question.

“Let’s at least wait until the plane is located, and we know more about what actually happened.”

“The ELT isn’t providing a signal, George. It could be months until the plane is finally located.”

George saw an opportunity to change the subject, and hopefully get Mike’s mind off the press conference.

“Are the victims’ families still up there?” he asked.

The CEO seemed surprised by the sudden change in the conversation.

“They had a ceremony yesterday,” Mike said hesitantly. “Janet is traveling home today, and I imagine most of the families will do the same.”