Papyrus by Ruth Hartzler

Author:Ruth Hartzler [Hartzler, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Artifacts Press

17

EGYPT

Abigail clutched Riley’s arm, but before she could speak, a flight attendant appeared beside them. “When you’re given the signal, put your heads down and brace for landing. Try it now so I can see if you’re doing it right.”

Abigail and Riley did as she suggested.

“That’s fine,” the flight attendant said before moving onto the next person.

A flight attendant who was standing at the front called for attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, the flight attendants are coming through now to make sure you are prepared for landing. Fasten your seat belts at once. Remove ties, eyeglasses, and scarves, and loosen your collars.”

“Everything will be fine,” Riley whispered to Abigail.

“How can you say that?” she said, her voice rising to a high pitch. “We have to crash land.”

Riley shook his head and patted her hand. “No, I don’t think we do. I didn’t hear a sound. There’s been no smell of burning, and there’s no smoke in the cabin. Besides, the plane hasn’t lost height or done anything unusual.”

“But it did bank sharply,” Abigail protested.

Riley patted her hand once more. “That’s only due to the fact that it changed course.”

Abigail leaned close to Riley and whispered in his ear. “What if Vortex agents have put a bomb on board?”

“They wouldn’t have had time and they don’t know where we’re going,” Riley said. “Plus, we think they need either you or your friend alive.”

His words gave Abigail a small glimmer of hope. “So then, why don’t you think there is genuinely something wrong with the engines?” Then a worse fear replaced her earlier fears. “Or do you think there is genuinely something wrong with the engines?”

Riley shook his head once more. “No, like I said to you, we didn’t hear anything that would suggest anything was wrong with the engines. If you look out the window, that engine looks perfectly fine and I don’t see any passengers looking out the other window.”

Abigail was puzzled. “Then why do they think there’s something wrong with one of the engines?”

“I imagine that’s protocol if there’s been a threat,” Riley said. “A false threat,” he hastened to add. “Maybe Vortex made a threat saying there was something on the plane, and the pilot has to follow protocol and divert to the nearest major airport.”

Abigail digested what he said. “For what purpose?” she asked, although she had already figured most of it out for herself.

“Maybe they were still following us and knew which plane we had boarded, and they wanted the plane diverted to the El Arish International Airport for whatever reason. It gives them time to put a tail on us, which they wouldn’t have been able to do if we had landed in Istanbul. They will expect us to fly out from here.”

“You don’t think we’re going to crash?” Abigail asked in a small voice.

Riley put his arm around Abigail and held her to him briefly. “I’m sure we won’t.”

Abigail had been glancing at the back of Charles’s head from time to time. He didn’t appear perturbed, as far as she could tell from the back of his head.

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