CORA by A. L. Hawke

Author:A. L. Hawke [Hawke, A. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-73295-632-2

14

Disturbance on Departure

Gabriel’s flight to LaGuardia was delayed, so he had to wait at the airport terminal, Gate 9, sitting on a bench and staring out into the darkness at the lights from the departing planes. That was when Mina called. He listened to her talk about their daughter, Jordan, and how she needed to be enrolled in a summer preschool reading program. Gabe said it was expensive and unnecessary. There was a long silence on the phone.

“Look, I don’t want to fight,” she said.

“Who’s fighting?” Gabe had asked. “I just don’t think we need to put Jo Jo through this right now.”

“You don’t want to because we don’t have the money.”

“No. She’s doing fine.”

“You’re always thinking she’s fine, but we can’t let her get behind … Well, I’m enrolling her anyway.”

“The hell you are,” Gabe said. “And yes, we don’t have money to tutor a five-year-old.”

“It’s not tutoring and she’s six.”

“She turns six in June, Mina.”

“Look, I don’t want to fight,” she said with a sigh.

“We’re not fighting. Just don’t waste our money on—”

“I don’t want to fight.”

This was precisely why he had booked a hotel in New York for an extra night. He liked business trips. It helped free him—free him from everything. And her.

He also felt distracted and upset. His visit with his client had gone well. Too well. She was gracious and polite. She was a complete pleasure. He would have loved to see her again.

That was what he could do. Maybe he could tell Mina his flight was delayed again?

“We have to ready her for kindergarten,” his wife said. “You don’t know how hard it is for her to adjust.”

“Come on, Mina! This is ridiculous. Look, I have to —”

And that was when it happened. Gabriel heard two loud pops and then an explosion before passengers jumped up and started scrambling down the large walkway to the exits. His terminal was close to the TSA baggage metal detector and exit, and the noise had come from there. He watched as black smoke rose and then heard a skirmish erupt with some shouting. Then Gabriel clearly saw two officers grabbing a man and hauling him from the walkway into one of the duty-free shops. Few others noticed in their panic. Stupidly, Gabriel hadn’t left his bench. He was looking for his phone, which had flown out of his hand from the shock of the explosion.

Gabriel crouched down to grab it from under the bench.

Airport guards started shouting for everyone to evacuate. Over the airport intercom, a voice asked everyone to calmly exit the airport.

Through the smoke, he saw officers throw the man in the shop violently against a wall. Then another man—a very large, tall bald man in a dark suit with a goatee—lifted him up by his neck. They exchanged a few yells—and blows—and there was a flash of light from something metallic—maybe a knife. A knife—yes, it was a knife. And he could swear the tall bald man took the knife and thrust it into the man’s chest.

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