Flying Too Close to the Sun, George Jehn [freda ebook reader txt] 📗

“Why did she do it, greed?”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure. She told me about paying lots in alimony and child support, but apparently she also had epilepsy. If the FAA finds out about that, you can’t fly. She probably needed money ‘cause of that.”

“Why didn’t you report this to your boss or the cops?”

“I considered doing that, but decided not to. First, I’d still owe the money. That wasn’t going away, meaning my job remained on the line. Of course, she’d have denied it all. Who do you think they’d believe, and if they wanted to set up a sting, I didn’t know if I could play out my role knowing the cops were watching. I’m a pilot not an actor. Also, her boyfriend is this big guy, David a baggage handler at the airline who looks like he takes steroids and he might’ve come after me.” He stopped, sipped some water and continued. “Also, the idea of being labeled a turncoat didn’t sit well. The other pilots would shun me when word got out, so I didn’t know if I could continue at Shuttle Air.” He stopped to gauge her reaction, expecting to see tears brimming up. But she seemed as composed as a seasoned captain conducting an instrument approach. “Her plan almost worked. The first part did. Juni got the money, over two million, but then someone hit him over the head and took it.”

“Two million?” she whispered, raising her eyebrows. “Hit him? Took it?”

“That was his story and I also had doubts.” Erik paused and sipped more water to moisten his throat, which now felt as though he had been eating volcanic dust at thirty-three thousand feet. “But I knew it was true when I saw his injuries. I kept mulling it all over and over but couldn’t figure out what happened.”

“You mentioned this guy Juni and Shepard,” she interrupted, trying to put the pieces together. “Anyone else involved? What about the copilot?”

“We agreed that we didn’t need him. It would be only the three of us. But the copilot, Woody Montgomery turned out to be the guilty party. An accomplice of his hit Juni, in the process laying all the suspicion at our feet. Montgomery’s a former Air Force maintenance officer who oversaw repairs on lots of Boeing-built jets. He probably became suspicious why Shepard and I were speaking in the cockpit. So, he got a hold of the voice recorder that had our entire discussion on it.”

“How do you know this?”

Erik filled her in on all the details.

“What about the money?” she asked still wearing outward sorrow.

“I went to Montgomery’s house and saw the guy who hit Juni. After he left, I rang the bell, told Montgomery and his wife, who was also in on it that I knew what happened and demanded the cash. I made up a story, told them if they didn’t cough it up Juni would come after their family. They delivered it this morning. Right now the money’s locked up in a musty closet in my apartment basement.” He waited a moment. “I’m sorry I lied,” he pleaded, heart still pounding, “and kept this from you. But I didn’t know how to tell you or how you’d react.” His stomach clenched. “Prior to meeting you I never came close to knowing the true meaning of the words love or trust. I figured strutting around in my uniform and flying a big jet would fill the terrible void previously known as my life, deliver all the needed happiness. But that myth died and for the very first time you released an undefined inner peace. Prior to that I was just passing time, living in the hell my parents created. It was like I was waiting for you to spring me from my prison on Violet Lane, which should have been more appropriately named Violent Lane. But now it’s our turn to live, together. All I ask is that you try to understand my position.” Sensing they were at the crucial point where their relationship would go from darkness to hope or in the other direction, for emphasis he made a fist and placed it in her hand. This time she didn’t pull away.

“Then tell me, what exactly do you want from me?” She asked. Although still appearing as delicate as a newly-blossomed flower he sensed an invisible aura of inner strength in her more akin to a power lifter with total confidence. She appeared cool, but Erik wasn’t. His palms were like sponges and he rubbed each alternately on the knees of his trousers in a futile attempt to dry them, all the while keeping one hand in hers. When she looked at him, splinters of hope began to bloom. He saw a donut where others saw a hole.

Staring into the eyes she had come to love, she told him, “Look, you might not realize it, but we’re at a crucial juncture between the rapidly closing jaws of your past and the still open door of what I believed was our promising future. Your secrecy’s creating a knife of conflicting emotions that’s slicing at me. Love is like exercising, the more you work at it the larger it becomes, meaning continually working on the trust and honesty drills.” She knew he carried a lot of pain inside and whispered, “Maybe I can understand why you did this? But, the time for trying to understand is like your captain friend, gone and never to return.”

He began to speak, but before he could utter a word she held up her hand. “The brave had his say. Now it’s time for the squaw to come out of the teepee, so please shut up. I’m very unhappy you kept this from me. But I’m also in love with you, rough edges and all, meaning we share everything.” Her expression seemed to soften across her flawless face. “This is no one-way relationship. You were also an answer to my prayers when you literally flew into my