Chapter 9 - The Name Hidden in Noah’s Emergency File
I wanted the answer immediately.
Why was Linda in Rachel’s recording?
Had she lied again?
Was she part of whatever happened?
Dana refused to speculate.
“The video is being reviewed.”
“Did Linda know she was being recorded?”
“Unknown.”
“What is she doing in it?”
“We cannot discuss evidence during an active investigation.”
“She was my cabin lead six hours ago.”
“I know.”
“She almost moved Noah.”
“I know.”
“That seems relevant.”
“It is.”
That was all I got.
Linda remained inside the interview room.
Jenna and I were released separately.
I booked a hotel near JFK because my return assignment had been canceled.
At 1:14 a.m., I was still awake.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Noah in 2A.
My dad told me not to move.
At 2:03, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
“Hello?”
“Ryan?”
A man’s voice.
Weak.
“Who is this?”
“Aaron Parker.”
I sat up.
“Mr. Parker.”
“Just Aaron.”
“How are you?”
“Apparently difficult to kill.”
I laughed once from pure relief.
“Your son takes after you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
His voice was hoarse.
Hospital sounds in the background.
“I wanted to thank you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“My six-year-old was alone on an aircraft under a protection order, and someone tried to move him. You stopped it.”
“Jenna verified the record.”
“And you stopped Linda long enough for her to do that.”
I did not know what to say.
Aaron continued.
“Noah told me about the rabbit.”
“Investigators opened it.”
“I know.”
“Did you know what Rachel put inside?”
“No.”
“You knew something was there.”
“I suspected.”
“The photograph they found with you?”
Aaron went quiet.
“That was shown to me before they hit me.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know his name.”
“The man from the gate?”
“Maybe.”
“What happened?”
“I left Noah with the child-services agent, then went to the garage.”
“To catch your flight?”
“Yes.”
“A man approached me near the stairwell.”
“What did he say?”
“He called me by name.”
“Did you recognize him?”
“No.”
“He showed you the picture?”
“Yes.”
“Of Rachel sewing the rabbit.”
“He asked where the rabbit was.”
My skin prickled.
“What did you tell him?”
“That I didn’t know.”
“Was that true?”
“Yes.”
“You sent the rabbit with Noah.”
“Because it was his.”
“You didn’t know it contained evidence?”
“I knew Rachel had repaired it shortly before she died. I didn’t know why.”
“Then why give Noah the instruction about handing it over?”
Aaron breathed carefully.
“I found one of Rachel’s old notes three days ago.”
“What note?”
“Inside a legal file.”
“What did it say?”
“If they come for me, keep Noah still. The rabbit moves only when he is safe.”
I felt cold.
“Why didn’t you tell police?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“They increased protection.”
“That’s where the PRT-7 came from?”
“Yes.”
“So seat 2A was deliberate.”
“Everything was deliberate.”
“Why first class?”
“Visibility.”
Exactly.
“Two crew positions could see him. Limited traffic. Immediate door control. No need for him to walk through the cabin.”
“And separate flight?”
“If someone followed me, Noah kept moving.”
“Aaron…”
“I know.”
His voice broke.
“I put my six-year-old on a plane without me.”
“You put him inside a security plan.”
“I put him alone.”
“He wasn’t alone long.”
Silence.
Then:
“Thank you.”
I stared at the hotel ceiling.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“Linda.”
Aaron said nothing.
“You know investigators found her in Rachel’s recording?”
“Yes.”
“You knew?”
“I found out tonight.”
“Was she involved?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Rachel ever talk about her?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
Aaron hesitated.
“She loved Linda.”
That surprised me.
“They were estranged.”
“Rachel was angry with her. That isn’t the same thing.”
“What happened between them?”
“Linda believed Margaret when Margaret claimed Rachel’s father had mismanaged the estate.”
“So Linda sided with Margaret.”
“Yes.”
“Then why would Rachel meet with her later?”
“Maybe she was trying to warn her.”
“About Charles?”
“Probably.”
I heard movement on Aaron’s end.
A nurse.
Then his voice returned.
“Ryan, there is one thing nobody has told you.”
“What?”
“The protected file wasn’t created only because Margaret might take Noah.”
“What else?”
“Rachel named someone in an emergency affidavit before she died.”
“Who?”
“The affidavit was sealed.”
“You know the name?”
“Now I do.”
My pulse picked up.
“Who?”
“Linda Mercer.”
I sat upright.
“Why would Rachel name Linda?”
“Not as a threat.”
“What then?”
“As Noah’s emergency witness.”
I did not understand.
“Witness to what?”
“Rachel wrote that if Aaron Parker became unavailable, Linda Mercer could authenticate a statement regarding Charles Vale.”
My mind raced.
“Why would Linda be able to authenticate it?”
“Because she was there.”
The video.
The meeting.
“What meeting?”
Aaron exhaled.
“The night Charles threatened Rachel.”
I got out of bed.
“What did he threaten?”
“I don’t know the exact words.”
“But Linda does.”
“Yes.”
“Then why has she hidden all of this?”
“That’s what you need to ask her.”
“I’m not allowed near her.”
“You may not have to.”
“What does that mean?”
Before Aaron could answer, someone entered his hospital room.
His voice changed.
“Who are you?”
Silence.
Then muffled movement.
“Aaron?”
No response.
“Aaron?”
The line remained open.
I heard a man’s voice in the background.
Too distant to understand.
Then Aaron said:
“Get out.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Aaron, call security.”
The man said something.
Aaron’s breathing changed.
Then he spoke directly into the phone.
May you like
“Ryan, tell Noah I love him.”
The call disconnected.
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