Grace Takes Off (10 page)

As though she understood, Millie whimpered again, nuzzling Matthew’s hand.

Propelled by anger, embarrassment, and probably one too many Death in the Afternoons,
Pinky slung her purse over an indignant shoulder. “Stupid dog. She should be riding
in the cargo hold.”

“What is wrong with you?” Matthew asked.

Evelyn came by at that moment with a treat for Millie. “Here you go, girl,” she said
before turning to Pinky. “We do have a few extra seats in back, if you’d prefer to
sit there.”

Pinky turned her back to Matthew, Millie, and the rest of us and marched to one of
the open seats. Evelyn leaned forward to pet Millie, making eye contact with Matthew
as she did so. “Where did you pick that one up?” she asked quietly.

Matthew scowled. “I’m too old to be falling for this sort of thing, but . . .” He
sent a venomous glare toward the back of the plane. “She latched on to me last night
and made me feel like I was being some knight in shining armor by getting her back
to the States. I’m an idiot.”

I dropped my voice. “You don’t think she’s on the run? I mean, from the authorities?”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Nah. The attendant back at the airport ran a quick
check on her. Adam insisted on it.” He jerked a thumb toward his reading friend. “When
Pinky’s in a good mood, she seems okay. Too bad she hasn’t been in a good mood since
she came on board.”

Bennett asked a question about Millie’s lineage and the two men began discussing dogs
they’d had as pets. Evelyn took her leave, explaining that she needed to get back
to preparing dinner. I participated in the conversation for a while then excused myself
as a thought took hold. Evelyn had been incredible thus far. It couldn’t be easy to
keep a drunk man, two indifferent women, a dog owner and his dog-hating girlfriend,
two eye-rolling friends, and two strangers happy. But from the moment we’d arrived,
she’d worked tirelessly to ensure everyone’s comfort, even that of her unwelcome assistant.

I thought about how much Antoinette, Nico Pezzati’s chef, had appreciated our kind
words about breakfast, and I decided to make an effort to thank Evelyn when I had
a chance to catch her alone.

Rudy had taken a position in the business area at the front of the plane, but I’d
lost sight of Evelyn. I assumed she was at work in the other galley. This was as good
a time as any, I thought and started back. I passed the two chattering women, who
didn’t pay any attention, and Jeff, who had turned on his side and was again fast
asleep. Across the aisle from him, the man who had helped him aboard, whose name I’d
discovered was Carl, wore headphones. He kept up a beat with those never-ceasing drumsticks
and didn’t look up as I passed.

Adam did, glancing up from his book to make eye contact. His dark brows raised and
he smiled slightly. I nodded a return greeting.

A set of cubicle-type walls separated the cabin of the plane from the rear area, with
the side of the lavatory on my right and a floor-to-ceiling storage cabinet configuration
on my left. They served as a clear separation between the two sections. I made a sharp
right into the galley area, which was a lot more spacious than I’d expected. There
wasn’t a door, or any other sort of barrier to stop me from entering the work space,
but as I drew closer, I could see that the lighting was different, as was the floor.
No soft carpeting, no fancy fixtures; this section was purely utilitarian.

The smell of dinner was strong here. Garlic, tomatoes, and a hint of basil floated
around the
L
-shaped space. I moved along next to the stainless steel countertop and heard Evelyn
working around the tight corner to the left.

“Evelyn—” I began as I reached far side, then: “You’re not Evelyn.”

My brain took a full three seconds to process what was going on.

Pinky stood in front of four dinner plates, all of them heaped with steaming pasta
primavera. I noticed several things at once. Her eyes were wide, her hands were filled,
and all the color slid from her face as her bottom lip dropped open.

I took a step closer. “What are you doing?”

Evelyn came up behind me. There wasn’t enough room for her to navigate around us,
but she was close enough for me to feel her breath when she demanded answers of her
own. “What are you two doing back here? I looked up and saw Grace wander in. And you’re
here, too?” she said to Pinky. Then to both of us: “This area is off-limits to passengers.”

I didn’t wait for Pinky to reply. I stepped forward and grabbed what was clearly a
bubble sheet of medicine from her hand. The almost empty ten-tablet foiled blister
pack reminded me of the dispenser for the medication I occasionally used when my cat
allergies kicked up. But these weren’t tiny antihistamine tablets. These were bigger,
and orange. “What is this?” I asked, shaking the packet in her face, noticing at the
same moment that she had crushed several of the tablets and sprinkled them into the
food on one of the dinner plates. She hadn’t, however, crushed them well enough—I
could still see tiny flecks of bright orange coating that hadn’t yet been mixed into
the sauced entrée.

“What are you putting into the food?” My pitch rose with biting anger. “Are you drugging
all of us?”

It took only a moment for me to comprehend the scene more clearly. She’d targeted
only one entrée. When I realized whose, my knees went weak.

She’d added the drug to the only plate that didn’t have asparagus.

Bennett’s meal.

My entire body reacted. Adrenaline and fury narrowed my field of vision. I saw her
as though through a telescope. Her face was pale, her eyes panicked and wide. Sweat
bubbled through her thick makeup.

I stepped in, closing off any chance for her to escape. “What. Are. You. Doing?”

Behind me, Evelyn’s voice rose in her own version of alarm. “What is that? Poison?”
Her voice grew ever more panicked as she cried, “Who are you?”

Face flushed, Pinky tried to shove past me. Where she thought she’d be able to go
on a plane this size, I had no idea. I was taller and younger, and I hadn’t had four
heavy-duty drinks to weigh down my brain. I spun her around, banging her against the
plane’s fiberglass wall as I did so. Holding her arms shoved against her squirming
back, I called for help.

There was no need. By this time, just about everyone had made their way into the cramped
galley. I heard Bennett’s voice above the others’ exclamations. “Gracie, are you all
right?”

“I’m fine,” I managed through clenched teeth. Pinky was trying to fight her way out
of my grasp. “I need someone to hold this woman down. She’s got some serious explaining
to do.”

PINKY FOUGHT, BUT WITH ADAM’S AND RUDY’S
assistance, we managed to get her back into the passenger cabin, where the two men
pushed her into a seat. I’d kept the blister pack tight in my hand and had the presence
of mind to grab the tainted food as well. I studied the serving platter: Rectangular-shaped
and as delicate as fine china, it nonetheless bore tall edges to prevent spillage.
High-end airplane dinnerware. Who knew there was such a thing?

For her part, Pinky looked ready to leap out the nearest door, parachute or no. Rudy
held her in place with a grip on her bare upper arm, squeezing so tightly it looked
as though he might break the skin. She winced as she wriggled against his grasp. Tiny
tears formed at the corners of her eyes. “Stop,” she said, “you’re hurting me.”

He pulled her upward, making her cry out. “Why were you attempting to harm these passengers?
What is your reasoning?” Rudy’s free arm came up as though he planned to backhand
her across her jaw. Without thinking, I dropped the blister pack and grabbed his hand.

“Easy,” I said. “We don’t want to knock her unconscious.”

Reluctantly, Rudy lowered his arm and released his hold on her bare skin. His fingernails
had left deep indentations in her soft flesh. Balancing the dinner plate, I bent down
to retrieve the blister pack, ignoring the chatter going on around me. The band members
and the two girls had turned on Matthew, chastising him for bringing her on board.

Evelyn was beside herself. “I should never have left the food unattended. I didn’t
expect to be gone more than a minute.” She sat, fingers massaging her temples. “My
fault. My fault. But no one ever goes back there. I never thought . . .”

I tuned them out. All I cared about was why Pinky had targeted Bennett and exactly
what it was she’d been attempting to do. I read the foil covering over the medication,
my anger at a new high. “Thorazine?” I exclaimed.

Pinky looked away.

The noisy conversation around me stopped dead. “Thorazine?” Adam repeated, taking
the blister pack from my hand. “That’s an anti-psychotic medication.” He sent Matthew
another disdainful glare. “Did you know
anything
about this woman before you decided to invite her along?”

Matthew worked his jaw. “She said she needed my help.”

“Your help to kill one of us, that is.” Adam examined the blister pack. Eight tablets
were missing. “All of us have been drinking. You mix alcohol with this much Thorazine
and it’s good night, sleep tight. Permanently.”

“It was Bennett’s dinner,” I said. “She’d broken up the tablets into his food.”

Evelyn gasped. Bennett met my eyes. His gaze was alarmed, but steady.

“How do you know?” Adam asked.

“Asparagus.” I offered the savory dish for examination. “There’s none on this plate,
the one she was working on when I caught her. And Bennett was the only one of us—that
I know of—who requested no asparagus.”

Adam turned to Pinky. “What were you doing?” he asked. “Spit it out. Or I swear even
though we’re miles above the ocean we’ll toss you out of the plane right now.”

He was bluffing and Pinky knew it. She made eye contact long enough for me to see
contempt simmering there, then squared her shoulders and looked away.

Adam tried again. “What’s your real name?”

She didn’t acknowledge him.

“How do you know Bennett?” I asked.

That got her attention. She glared up at me. “I don’t.”

“Then why—”

Matthew interrupted. “Millie,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Millie won’t
eat asparagus either and you knew it.” He shook a finger at Pinky. “You don’t like
her. Admit it.”

He faced the group to explain, “Thorazine is sometimes used to sedate dogs for air
travel. I wouldn’t ever let anyone give that stuff to Millie, but it’s clear Pinky
was jealous.”

Next to him, as always, Millie nuzzled Matthew’s leg.

But I’d been watching Pinky as he talked. Her demeanor had shifted the minute Matthew
mentioned sedating the dog. Though it was subtle, I caught the change in her expression.
Relief. Matthew had just given her an out. She jumped on it.

“Okay, fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re right. I was upset that you spent
more time with your dog than you wanted to with me. I didn’t think a little sedation
would hurt her, though.” She lifted a shoulder as though absolving herself. “I didn’t
mean any harm.”

“No,” I insisted, my words coming out fast and hot. “Those drugs were meant for Bennett.
If he would have eaten what was on the plate, he wouldn’t have made it home. I want
to know why you want him dead.”

“I told you,” she said, gripping her armrests with both hands, “I meant it for the
dog. Can I get up now?”

“Absolutely not,” I said, pushing her back when she’d almost risen to her feet. “I
don’t believe you.”

Adam crossed his arms. “I’m inclined to not believe you, either. Last night at the
club, you wouldn’t have known that the dog was coming with us. Yet you brought the
drugs. Why?”

Her mouth opened, bottom lip quivering. I’d put money on it being an act. “But . . .
I did know. He . . . he talked about the dog. That’s all he talks about, right?”

Adam turned to Matthew. “Well?”

He blew out a breath. “I don’t remember if I mentioned Millie. Last night’s kind of
a blur. I don’t even remember inviting Pinky. Not specifically. She sort of invited
herself along.”

Adam looked to me, but I didn’t know where else to take this until we landed. “Should
we notify the pilot?” I asked. “Aren’t there protocols for this sort of thing?”

Rudy cleared his throat. “She is American. As is everyone here, I believe, except
for me. I do not think that becoming involved in foreign politics is a good maneuver.
Especially,” he added, “if all she had hoped was to quiet the dog.”

“Fine,” Adam said, as though we’d come to a consensus. “We’ll wait until we’re in
US airspace then ask the pilot to radio ahead. We’ll turn her over to the authorities
then.”

“No!” Pinky shouted. “You can’t. Seriously. Please. I didn’t mean anything. I can’t
be arrested. Please.”

The sullen, angry woman was gone. Perched at the edge of her seat now, she stared
up at us with pleading eyes. “Listen, you can’t do that. I’m not going to cause any
more trouble. I swear.”

Adam turned to me again. “What do you think?”

Bennett and I exchanged a glance and I knew we were both in agreement. “There’s no
way for us to know what she had planned, but it’s entirely possible she was trying
to harm Bennett,” I said. “We can’t discount that. We can’t pretend that isn’t a possibility.
I say we turn her over to the police the minute we touch down.”

Murmurs from those surrounding us probably helped Adam to make up his mind. “Makes
sense,” he said. He turned to Evelyn as he consulted his watch. “We’ll still be in
the air for a long time. We should take turns keeping an eye on her. I don’t trust
her. Not one little bit.”

I exhaled, relieved that I wouldn’t have to go up against Adam on this one. Although
I understood that he was the leader of the band, the one everyone else looked to for
direction, if he’d disagreed with my reasoning, I would have fought him every remaining
minute of our flight. Fortunately, we seemed to be on the same page.

Evelyn piped up. “I don’t know about serving dinner,” she said uneasily. “I can’t
be certain that she didn’t gain access to our entire food supply.”

“I didn’t touch anything,” she said. “Except for the dog’s food.”

One of the two women who’d kept up the relentless chatter, and whose names I still
didn’t know, said, “If she was only working on the dog’s food, then I don’t see why
we
can’t eat.”

Adam beat me to answering. “Do you really want to take that chance?”

The woman looked at her friend for support. She squirmed. “I guess not.”

I turned to Evelyn. “Do you have any prepackaged snacks on board? That might be enough
to get us through.”

Awakened by the ruckus, Jeff stumbled to his feet. His black T-shirt had ridden up
and half his hairy belly was exposed. “Something smells good,” he said, sniffing the
air. “I’m hungry. What do we got?”

Evelyn said she would check in a minute.

Jeff noticed that were all standing in a crowd around Pinky’s seat. “What’s going
on?” he asked. “She get airsick or something?”

“Or something,” his friend Carl said, leading Jeff back to his chair. “I’ll tell you
about it.”

Adam settled himself next to Pinky. “I’ll take the first watch. We’ve got a long ride
ahead of us.”

“Count me in,” I said. “I’ll take over after you.”

Rudy patted him on the shoulder. “I will help, too,” he said with a glance toward
Evelyn. “If you can spare my assistance.”

She gave a terse nod, her expression at once analytical and relieved. “I’ve never
encountered a situation like this before,” she said to me. “This is highly irregular.
I’m not sure I approve of keeping the pilot in the dark.”

In a low voice, I agreed with her. “I’m hoping I’m able to get some answers out of
Pinky when it’s my turn to babysit.”

Bennett joined us. “I’m not sure you will,” he said. “Look at her. There’s more going
on behind those eyes than she wants us to realize.” He gripped my shoulder. “Be careful,
Gracie.”