Airframe by Michael Crichton

11/18/76
    HARRIET KING, FLIGHT
    ATTENDANT 10/10/75
    B. CHOI, FLIGHT ATTENDANT 11/18/76
    YEE CHANG, FLIGHT ATTENDANT 1/8/74

    It was an international crew, of the kind that often flew for charter companies. Hong Kong crews had often flown for the Royal Air Force and were extremely well trained.
    She counted the names: eighteen in all, including seven flight crew. Such a large flight crew was not strictly necessary. The N-22 was designed to be flown by a two-man crew, just a captain and first officer. But all the Asian carriers were expanding rapidly, and they generally carried larger crews for extra training hours.
    Casey went on. The next telex was from the FSR in Vancouver.
    FROM: S. NIETO, FSR VANC TO: C. SINGLETON, QA/IRT
    FYI FLIGHT CREW TPA 545 DEADHEAD ON TPA 832, FROM LAX TO VANCOUVER, FIRST OFFICER LU ZAN PING TAKEN OFF THE AIRCRAFT AT VANCOUVER MEDICAL
    EMERGENCY DUE TO PREVIOUSLY UNRECOGNIZED HEAD INJURY. F/0 COMATOSE IN
    VANC GEN HOSP, DETAILS TF. REMAINING CREW OF TPA 545 TRANSIT BACK TO HONG
    KONG TODAY.

    So the first officer had been seriously injured, after all. He must have been in the tail when the incident occurred. The man whose cap they had found.
    Casey dictated a telex to the FSR in Vancouver, asking him to interview the first officer as soon as possible. She dictated another to the FSR in Hong Kong, suggesting an interview with Captain Chang on his return.
    Norma buzzed her. "No luck on the kid," she said.
    "Why not?"
    "I talked to Maria in Travel. They didn't make Richman's arrangements. His trips were charged to a special company account, a set-aside for foreign, off-budget stuff. But she heard the kid ran up a hell of a big charge."
    "How big?" Casey said.
    "She didn't know." Norma sighed. "But I'm having lunch tomorrow with Evelyn in Accounting.
    She'll give me everything."
    "Okay. Thanks, Norma."
    Casey turned back to the telexes on her desk. They were all other business: Steve Young, from the FAA's Certification office, asking about fire-retardant test results on 50
    seat cushions the previous December.
    A query from Mitsubishi about burnouts of then- five-inch displays in the first-class section of American N-22 widebodies.
    A list of revisions to the N-20 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (MR 06-62-02).
    A revision of the prototype Virtual Heads-Up Display units, to be delivered in the next two days.
    A memo from Honeywell advising replacement of die D-2 electrical bus on all FDAU units numbered A-505/9 through A-609/8.
    Casey sighed, and went to work.

    GLENDALE
    7:40 P.M.
    She was tired when she got home. The house seemed empty without Allison's lively chatter.
    Too tired to cook, Casey went into the kitchen and ate a cup of yogurt. Allison's colorful drawings were taped on the refrigerator door. Casey considered calling her; but it was right around her bedtime, and she didn't want to interrupt if Jim was putting her to sleep.
    She also didn't want Jim to think she was checking up on him. That was a sore point between them. He always felt she was checking.
    Casey went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She heard the phone ring, and went back into the kitchen to answer it. It was probably Jim. She picked up the receiver. "Hello, Jim—
    "
    "Don't be stupid, bitch," a voice said. "You want trouble, you'll get it. Accidents happen. We're watching you right now."
    Click.
    She stood in the kitchen, holding the phone in her hand. Casey had always thought of herself as levelheaded, but her heart was pounding. She forced herself to take a deep breath as she hung up the receiver. She knew these calls happened sometimes. She'd heard of other vice-presidents getting threatening calls at night. But it had never happened to her, and she was surprised at how frightened she felt. She took another deep breath, tried to shrug it off. She picked up her yogurt, stared at it, put it down. She was suddenly aware that she was alone in a house with all the blinds open.
    She went around the living room, closing