Chapter 16 - DANIEL'S SECRET
By the time police reached Erin's apartment, the door was open.
Erin was safe.
Daniel was sitting on the kitchen floor with blood running from his forehead.
The attacker had escaped down the fire stairs.
"I'm sorry," Daniel said when Maya arrived.
"For what?"
He looked at her like a man who had been carrying a body for years.
"I signed the release on Jonah's aircraft."
Maya stopped breathing.
Daniel shook his head quickly.
"Not the final release. I signed the operational acceptance after maintenance told us the brake fault was cleared. I was the reserve captain that morning. Jonah called me before pushback. He said the numbers didn't feel right."
"What did you tell him?"
Daniel's eyes filled.
"I told him maintenance had signed it and we couldn't refuse every airplane that gave us a bad feeling."
Maya turned away.
"He trusted you."
"I know."
"And he died."
"I know."
Daniel reached into his pocket and handed her an old voice recorder.
"He left me a message before takeoff. I was too ashamed to give it to investigators."
Maya pressed play.
Jonah's voice filled the room.
"Dan, if this goes bad, don't let them call it pilot error. Something is wrong with this airplane."
Maya closed her eyes.
Then Jonah said one final sentence.
May you like
Erin later described the attacker as a man who never spoke. He had rushed Daniel the moment she opened the door, struck him once, then searched his coat pockets. He had not come to kill anyone. He had come for the recorder. Daniel had protected it by dropping it behind the refrigerator during the struggle. Maya looked at his blood on Erin's floor and felt her anger split in two directions: at Daniel for his silence, and at the people who had taught him silence was safer than truth.
"And tell Maya she was right about Langston."
