Total Control by David Baldacci Read Free Book Online Page A

soothing.
    He smiled again and rubbed his hands to return the circulation.
    "You're absolutely right... ma'am."
    "Sidney, Sidney Archer."
    "George Beard is what they call me. Glad to know you, Sidney."
    They firmly shook hands.
    Beard abruptly looked out the window at the puffy clouds. The sunlight was sharp and penetrating. He slid the window shade down partway. "I've flown so many damn times over the years, you'd think I'd get used to it."
    "It can be nerve-racking for anyone, George, no matter how often you've done it," Sidney replied kindly. "But it's not nearly as frightening as the cabs we're going to have to take into the city."
    They both laughed. Then Beard jumped slightly as the plane hit a particularly stubborn air pocket and his face once again became ashen. "Do you go to New York often, George?" She tried to hold his eyes with hers. No mode of transportation had ever bothered her in the past. But ever since she'd had Amy, little cells of apprehension appeared when she boarded a plane or train, or even got in her car. She studied Beard's face as the old man tensed again while the plane bumped along. "George, it's all right. Just a little turbulence."
    He took a deep breath and finally eyed her squarely. "I'm on a couple of boards of companies headquartered in New York. Have to go up twice a year."
    Sidney glanced back at her documents, suddenly remembering something. She frowned. There was a mistake on the fourth page.
    That would need to be corrected when she got into town.
    George Beard touched her arm. "I guess we're all right today at least. I mean, how often do they have two crashes in one day? Tell me that."
    Preoccupied, Sidney did not answer right away. Finally she turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Pardon?"
    Beard leaned forward in a confidential manner, his voice low.
    "Took one of them puddle-jumpers up from Richmond early this morning. I got to National about eight o'clock. I overheard two pilots talking. Couldn't hardly believe it. They were nervous, I can tell you that. Hell, I would be too."
    Sidney's face evidenced her confusion. "What are you talking about?"
    Beard bent even closer to her. "I don't know if this is public knowledge, but my hearing aid works a lot better now with the new batteries, so those fellows might have thought I couldn't hear." He paused dramatically, his eyes glancing sharply around before settling once again on Sidney. "There was a plane crash early this morning.
    No survivors." He looked at her, his white, bushy eyebrows twitching like a cat's tail.
    For an instant, Sidney's major organs collectively seemed to cease all functioning. "Where?"
    Beard shook his head. "I didn't hear that part. It was a jet, though, a pretty big one, I gathered. Fell right out of the sky, apparently.
    I guess that's why those fellows were so nervous. I mean, not knowing why is just as bad, right?"
    "Do you know what airline?"
    He shook his head again. "Guess we'll know soon enough. It'll be on the TV when we get to New York, I would bet. I already called my wife from the airport, told her I was okay. Hell, of course she hadn't even heard about it yet, but I didn't want her to start worrying if she saw it on the TV or something."
    Sidney looked at his bright red tie. It suddenly took on the image of a large, fresh wound gaping at his throat. The odds--it couldn't be possible. She shook her head and then stared straight ahead. Looking back at her was a quick resolution to her worry. She inserted her credit card in the slot in the seat in front of her, grabbed the plane phone from its niche and a moment later she was dialing Jason's SkyWord pager. She didn't have his new cell phone number; in any event, he normally turned his phone off during flights. He had been reprimanded twice by airline personnel for receiving cell calls during flights. She hoped to God he had remembered to bring the pager. She checked her watch. He would be above the Midwest right about now, but bouncing its signals off a