Alice hurried through the terminal in her bare feet, her clothes soggy, but there was no one around to see. The hallway was deserted, and she hustled past a janitor pushing a trashcan on wheels. She hustled around a corner, her messenger bag heavy with wet money, the gun in her purse. She didn’t have to go through security because she was flying private, having charged the trip on Bennie’s Amex, which nobody had thought to cancel yet.
She hustled to the gate, manned by a female flight attendant in ared RentJet uniform. The cops were probably at the Philly airport, but she’d skipped the flight booked to Miami, called a private company from the cab, and chartered a jet out of this regional airport, in Jersey. The Philly police didn’t have jurisdiction here, even if they’d had the time to notify the area airports.
“Hi, I’m Bennie Rosato.” Alice flashed ID at the flight attendant, who barely looked at it, instead eyeing her clothes.
“I’m Willa. My goodness, you really did get caught in the rain, didn’t you?”
“Yes, it’s awful tonight.”
“I picked you up a complete set of clothes, per your request. A simple T-shirt, shorts, sweatsocks and sneaks. You know, you could have driven right up to the plane.”
“I didn’t know. I don’t fly private that much.”
“Well, we’re glad to have you tonight. In weather this bad, people cancel and fly commercial. One was a Bahamas route, so we didn’t have to file a new flight plan. Please, come this way.” The flight attendant led her out the door under a red canopy and gestured toward a handsome African-American man running toward them, also in a RentJet uniform. “Here’s my crewmate to take your bags.”
“I don’t have any. This trip is impromptu.”
“Then he’ll help you on board and we’ll get underway.”
“Good, because I’m in a hurry.” Alice smiled at the man, who came toward her, opening a red umbrella.
“I’m Knox,” he said, in a Ca rib be an accent.
“Where are you from, Knox?”
“Nassau. That’s why I work this route. Shall we go?” Knox took her heavy messenger bag, swung it effortlessly to his shoulder, and offered his arm. Alice let him walk her to the jet and help her up the stairway, holding the umbrella over her head. He closed the umbrella as she boarded the jet, stepped through a privacy curtain, and entered the passenger cabin, which was paneled with dark burled wood and had cushy beige leather seats. A low table held a huge tray heaped with roast beef, sliced cheese, and fresh fruit, next to a bottle of champagne cooling in an ice bucket.
“Yum.” Alice glanced back at her messenger bag. “Oh, I’ll keep the bag with me.”
“As you wish.” Knox smiled and stowed the bag on the carpeted floor, near her seat. “Would you like to change your clothes now, or would you rather we take off?”
“Let’s get into the air. I’ll tough it out for a while. I need to get going.”
“Fine, I’ll be right back.” Knox closed the curtain and left, and Alice sank into the plush chair. She listened to the throaty sound of the jet engine, then the door closing, and the attendants talking to each other. She’d had to improvise since Bennie came back from the dead, but she had done well. Plan C was already taking shape. She looked outside the round window into a black hole of night.
Knox stuck his head into the cabin, through the curtain. “We’re clear. Fasten your seat belt, please.”
“Okay.” Alice clicked the belt into place. “I don’t have to wait to have a drink, do I?”
“Not at all, Ms. Rosato. Allow me.”
“Please, call me Bennie.” Alice watched him pluck the bottle from the craggy ice and wipe the sweating nozzle with a red napkin. The plane began to taxi, the champagne cork popped, and they both laughed.
“Ready, Bennie?” Knox picked up a glass.
“After you close that curtain,” Alice answered, masking her thoughts with a smile.