by Chris Pike
Dillon was bursting with excitement and had to share the news with somebody.
That somebody was his daughter, the only family member he had left.
Chapter 2
Cassie Stockdale and her best friend Vicky sat near the number one through thirty line at the Houston Hobby airport terminal, waiting for their numbers to be called for the short jaunt to New Orleans. They had signed in online at the earliest possible moment so they could get a good seat, and also to be the first to deplane.
She had a backpack looped over her shoulders containing the needed items like a large bottle of water, an energy bar, a flashlight, extra cash, a bag of pretzels, a chocolate bar with almonds, a laptop, and a change of clothes. The items she packed, sans the laptop, she had been drilled into her head by her safety conscious father, Dillon Stockdale.
Friends since they were in elementary school, Cassie and Vicky looked remarkably alike, with the same length and color of hair, same build, and they laughed about how they were dressed alike, wearing the same dark green Tulane t-shirt and jeans. People who didn’t know them mistook them for sisters.
As Vicky rambled on about something, Cassie recalled her father’s wise voice about the items she packed. He had been adamant regarding the reasons for carrying those items, for example in case there was a zombie outbreak or she was stranded in some godforsaken city without food, water, and clothes. Assuming the zombie outbreak was a humorous metaphor for an actual catastrophe such as a category 5 hurricane, Cassie heeded her father’s advice.
Even though she wouldn’t admit it to her father that she actually listened to him or fess up to packing the items he told her to, she was glad her father cared about her and had taught her to be self-sufficient.
“God helps those that help themselves,” he would always say. It wasn’t until she got older that she understood what that meant.
“Do you mind if I take the window seat?” Vicky asked. “You know how claustrophobic I get with so many people crammed into such a small space, not to mention the germs. I don’t like strangers touching me either. Last time I was on a plane some huge fat guy sat next to me and his flab touched me.” Vicky shuddered at the memory. “I forgot to ask, did you bring any hand sanitizer? I read an article about how germy planes are, especially the toilet and the—”
“Oh my God, will you stop!” Cassie said. “You can have the window seat. I don’t care.”
“Why so touchy?” Vicky asked, rolling her eyes. “Geez, it’s not a long flight so I’ll manage if you really have to have the window seat.”
Cassie stared at Vicky.
“What?” Vicky said, eyes darting around.
“I already said you can have it. I really don’t care.”
“I’m sorry.” Vicky put a hand on Cassie’s arm. “I get nervous before flying.”
“I know you do,” Cassie said. “It’s only a short flight from here to NOLA. And this is one of the safest airlines around. Besides, what could possibly happen on such a short flight?”
“Plenty of things, but I won’t go there,” Vicky said. “I’m sorry for being such a, you know… I’ll buy you dinner when we get to NOLA. Gumbo at your favorite place?”
“Deal. I could use some good gumbo.”
“Come on,” Vicky said, “time for us to board.”
Vicky pushed her way around a woman taking up the aisle and darted to the row she had her eyes on. While she struggled with the overhead bin, a man about the age of her dad asked, “Can I help you with that?”
“Sure,” Vicky said.
“These things are tough sometimes,” he said. “You remind me of my daughter.”
“That’s nice. Thank you,” Vicky said.
The man said it was nothing and that he was glad to help, then squeezed his way down the aisle looking for a good seat.
“Come on, Cassie,” Vicky said breathlessly, “let’s sit in this row.” Vicky quickly hopped over the first two seats and plopped down in the window seat. “Sit here before anyone else does.” She motioned for Cassie to take the middle seat next to her.
The man who had helped Vicky with the overhead bin sat down two rows behind her. He mused how she reminded him of his daughter, and after his trip was over he planned to take his daughter out to dinner to celebrate her birthday. Buckling his seat belt, he looked up and noticed that Vicky had taken the window seat. Another passenger excused herself when she squeezed between him and the window seat. Distracted, he didn’t see Cassie sit down next to Vicky.
After Cassie sat down, Vicky opened the window shade and checked the weather. It was a little overcast, a light breeze out of the south, which were excellent conditions for the pilots.
Cassie took off her backpack, retrieved a novel she had bought at the airport, and started flipping through it. With a shove of her foot she kicked the backpack under the seat in front of her.
Vicky kept an eye on the people entering the plane. There were the standard business types with suits and white shirts, a loosened tie, and lace-up black shoes. A mother holding a child walked down the aisle, another one hanging onto her pants followed behind clutching a toy. A team of what looked like soccer players arrived and promptly went to the back of a plane. More business travelers took seats until the plane was almost full.
“I guess you got lucky,” Vicky said. “It looks like the flight attendant is getting ready to close the door.”
Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t like sitting next to strangers either. Why the airplane had such small seats, she could never guess.
A flight attendant walked by, checking the overhead bins, securing them. She nodded at Cassie and said, “We’ll be taking off soon.”
“Thank goodness,” Vicky said, leaning back in her chair. “I’m ready to get going.”
Cassie opened the paperback and began reading. It was a break from the tedious material she had to read for the statistical class needed for one of her grad classes at Tulane. Soon she was immersed in the novel, completely forgetting about where she was and the noisy atmosphere of the cramped cabin. She was vaguely aware of someone standing next to her, asking her a question. She looked up.
“Is this seat taken?”
“Uh, no,” Cassie said, eyeing the guy standing next to the empty seat. He had on loose-fitting jeans, hiking boots, and a t-shirt that appeared to have been worn more than once. She gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Nobody is sitting there.”
“Thanks,” he said.
Cassie pretended to read the paperback but she couldn’t help noticing how good looking the guy was. Tall, brown wavy hair, the t-shirt looked a little tight, but maybe that was from working out. He obviously worked out.
He sat down next to her and fiddled with the seat belt.
“I think you’re sitting on it,” he finally said.
“Sorry,” Cassie said, lifting one side of her body. “There you go.” She handed the seatbelt to him.
Vicky leaned into Cassie and whispered, “You have all the luck.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
Cassie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “You’re the one that wanted the window seat, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Vicky said. Digging around in her purse, she pulled out earbuds, plugged them into her iPhone, tapped the phone a few times, then closed her eyes.
Good, Cassie thought. She’d finally have some peace and quiet and an easy 45 minute trip.
She couldn’t even imagine how wrong she was.
Chapter 3
Finally the plane took off. Cassie dog-eared the paperback she was reading and placed it in her lap. She glanced out the window as the plane gathered altitude. Pockets of neighborhoods dotting the landscape raced by. A swimming pool here, one there. An undisturbed tract of pines among the four lane major streets, cars going in every direction.
Further the plane climbed and soon it was like the plane was floating on air. Sound became unnoticeable, time slowed. The higher
the plane climbed, the smaller the land got, and the more peaceful it became.
For some reason she turned to face the aisle and when she did, she almost butted heads with the guy sitting next to her.
“Oh,” Cassie said, putting a hand to her cheek. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“No problem,” the guy sitting next to her said. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t realize I was so close to you. I like to look out the window when the plane takes off because it grounds me. I like to know where I’m going.”
“Me too,” Cassie said. “I can’t read until the plane has reached cruising altitude.”
“What are you reading?”
“This?” Cassie said, somewhat embarrassed because it wasn’t exactly thought provoking. “Something I picked up at the airport. It beats what I need to study when I get back to my apartment.”
“You in school?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m getting a master’s degree.”
“At Tulane?”
“How did you know?”
“We are headed to New Orleans, and you do have on a Tulane shirt.”
“Right,” she said. “I forgot. And you? Where are you going?”
“Back to Tulane also.”
“Small world,” Cassie said.
“I just came back from a camping trip in Big Bend National Park. Sorry if I’m a little grungy,” Ryan said.
“No problem.”
“Me and a couple of buddies decided to get in a hike during the fall break before med school finals.”
“You’re in med school?”
“Yup.”
“No kidding?”
“Nope.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a flight attendant asking if they wanted something to drink, to which Cassie requested a Coke. “And you, sir?” the flight attendant asked.
“I’ll have a Coke, too. Good for the digestion.” He cracked a smile. There was a moment of silence until he said, “I’m Ryan Manning.”
“Cassie Stockdale.”
“Nice to meet you, Cassie,” Ryan said. “Is that your nickname?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your real name?”
“I don’t really like my real name.”
“It’ll be my secret,” Ryan said.
Cassie waved him off. Vicky took her earbuds off, leaned in and said, “Calista. It means beautiful one.”
Ryan said, “I like it.” He thought about her name for a second and repeated it. “Calista. It is a beautiful name.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said, the heat in her cheeks rising. She elbowed Vicky and shot her a stare that meant business.
“What?” Vicky said. “Only trying to help.” She rolled her eyes and put the earbuds back in her ears.
“Sorry,” Cassie said. “She gets nervous flying.”
“A lot people do,” Ryan said.
“So,” Cassie continued, “what kind of doctor do you want to be?”
“For right now I’m in internal medicine. This is my second year of med school so I still have time to decide. What are you studying?”
“Disaster Management.”
Ryan nodded his approval. “After what happened to New Orleans after Katrina, I’m guessing you’ll have no problem landing a job.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for. Besides, my dad always made sure we were prepared for the hurricane season, so it comes second nature to me. I’m from Houston and have lived through several hurricanes and tropical storms.” Cassie nervously fanned the pages of the paperback she was holding trying to think of another question. “What made you want to become a doctor?”
“After I finished undergrad in biology I couldn’t get a job, so I took a few courses to qualify as an EMT. I found out I liked helping people so decided to go whole hog and apply for med school.”
Cassie laughed. “Whole hog! That’s what my dad says.”
“Sounds like my kind of guy,” Ryan said. “Maybe someday I could meet him.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Cassie said, understanding the subtle connotation of that statement, which was fine by her because she’d immediately felt Ryan’s presence the moment he sat down. Not something that was intimidating, rather a confidence he had in the way he talked, the way he carried himself. What little she knew about him she already liked. She guessed he was a little older than she was, perhaps by a couple of years. He had a casual way about him that made her feel at ease.
There was a lull in the conversation, the plane’s engine droned on, and Cassie peered out the double-paned window.
The plane’s flight path hugged the coast of Texas before crossing the Sabine River, which was the border between Texas and Louisiana. The Gulf of Mexico was to the right, and to the left, the Louisiana swamps and back country came into view.
“It looks so peaceful down there,” Cassie said.
“Yeah, as long as you don’t have to walk through it,” Vicky said. She removed the earbuds, leaned into Cassie, and lowered her voice. “You have all the luck getting to sit next to a good-looking guy. If I had been sitting there some fat guy would have taken the seat.”
“You were the one that wanted the window seat. Not me,” Cassie reminded her again.
“Bad luck on my part,” Vicky said. “I’m always getting the bad luck. Look out the window all you want. There are miles and miles of swamps and alligators. Stinky muck, full of leeches.” She shivered. “There are things that can eat you in the swamp. I even read on the internet that someone spotted a black panther!”
“Oh, please,” Cassie said. “You believe everything you read?”
“Florida has cougars,” Vicky harrumphed, “and the ones from Colorado and New Mexico have already moved south to Texas.”
“Texas doesn’t have cougars. That’s ridiculous.”
“They’ve been caught on game trail cameras.”
“Maybe so. If I’m ever trapped in a swamp, or in the wilds of Texas, I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for cougars,” Cassie said.
“They’re there. Mark my words,” Vicky said. She opened the fashion magazine she had been holding and started flipping pages.
“Oh no,” Cassie said. “I forgot to call my dad. I was supposed to have called him from the airport. I wonder if I could make a call this high up?”
“Try it,” Ryan said. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.”
Cassie scratched the back of her head hoping that he hadn’t heard all the conversation.
“Just don’t let one of the flight attendants catch you because we’re descending now,” Ryan said.
Cassie tapped Dad in her contact list, brought the phone up to her ear, and waited for her dad to answer the phone.
A few rings later, she heard his familiar voice. “Hello?”
“Hey, Dad,” Cassie said. “How’s it going?”
“Hi, Pumpkin! I was about to call you. Have you landed yet?” Dillon asked. He was standing in the hallway of the Harris County courthouse, taking advantage of the ten minute recess.
“Not yet. About fifteen more minutes. We just crossed the Sabine River. We’re over Louisiana now.”
“Good girl, aware of your surroundings. I taught you well. I’m glad you called, I’m already missing you. The house is always so quiet without you.”
“Dad, you’ve got Buster to keep you company. If you get…hey, wait a minute. There’s a bunch of soccer players in the back that are making a lot of noise and I can barely hear you.” Cassie looked back. “Okay, I think they’ve settled down. What I was saying…if you get really bored, you can always come visit me in NOLA.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was thinking about taking a short vacation and heading your way for some fishing. I’m about to wrap up a case at work. I could rent a boat and we could go out fishing like we used to when you were little and—”
“Dad! I’m not little anymore, and it’s not the same without Mom. Put Buster in a kenn
el, I’ll make you a hotel reservation nearby, and we’ll go eat in the French Quarter somewhere.”
“You know I don’t like putting Buster in a kennel.”
“Then bring him along. I’ll make sure the hotel accepts pets.”
“I’ll think about that, and we’ll talk later.” Dillon paused. “Good timing on your call because I was about to call you and tell you something.”
“What?”
“I’m about to win the big case! The verdict was being read a few minutes ago when the defendant started a fight, and the judge called a short recess. I know it…can feel it that the clerk was going to announce guilty.”
“Really? That’s awesome! Congratulations. I’ve been reading about the trial in the papers. Well, maybe not the paper but on the internet. The guy’s from New Orleans, right?”
“Yes. Not for long. He’ll be in a Texas jail soon, so it won’t really matter where he’s from. We got ‘em, though. We made a deal with one of the gang members getting him to turn state’s evidence in exchange for immunity and the witness protection plan. No honor among thieves anymore,” Dillon said.
“Still, Dad, be careful. What was his name?” Cassie asked, snapping her fingers.
“Cole Cassel.”
“I saw his picture online and he looks like a bad dude.”
“He’s not that tough.”
“Hey, getting back to your trip—”
“Ma’am,” a woman’s voice said sharply.
Cassie looked up at the flight attendant standing in the aisle, arms crossed, with a Texas sized scowl on her face.
“Yes?” Cassie said, her voice barely audible.
“Your phone,” she motioned. “We’re descending so turn off your phone off and put it away.” When Cassie didn’t answer, the flight attendant said, “I’m not giving you a second warning. If I tell you again you’ll be arrested when we land.”
“Okay, okay,” Cassie mumbled. “I’m talking to my dad. Let me say goodbye to him.”
“Ma’am,” the flight attendant said more sternly.
“I have to go, Dad. We’ll talk more when you get home tonight, and we’ll make plans to—”