A String of Beads

“You too?” said Chelsea. “They don’t know you.”

 

“Two is better. Stay with me, and keep your face down. Don’t look for those two men, just stare ahead and get through security as quickly as possible.” Jane stepped out of the ladies’ room with the carry-on bag over her shoulder, and Chelsea followed.

 

The security area took up the first part of the terminal after the ticket counters, but at this hour of the morning the crowds were very thin and the stanchions and straps were arranged to keep the route to the first checkpoint direct. First Jane, then Chelsea showed her boarding pass and driver’s license to the woman at the podium. They moved to the conveyer belt where they put their shoes in plastic bins and set them with the carry-on bag on the belt, and then stepped into the x-ray machine and out the other side.

 

Jane and Chelsea picked up their shoes and the bag and hurried on around the corner to the first waiting area where they were shielded from the view of people outside the secure area before they put them on. Jane watched the people who walked by. “Don’t take off the scarf just yet. Those two may still figure out that the place to see who’s flying out is here.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Tell me their names.”

 

“Bill Thompson is the tall one and Wesley Harriman is the other one.”

 

“And they worked with Nick. In other words they work for Dan Crane.”

 

“Yes.” Chelsea moved her eyes to the stream of people coming past, as though talking about them might make them come.

 

“I guess the others must have called them, and said you were probably running.”

 

“Couldn’t it just be a coincidence? There’s only one airport, and one of them might be flying somewhere today, not looking for me at all.”

 

“I’m not a big believer in coincidences. Either way, we don’t want them to see you, even by accident. What I want you to do is go into the ladies’ room down there by gate six. Wait until I get there or you hear the second announcement that your flight to New York is boarding.”

 

“All right.” Chelsea got up and walked off toward the ladies’ room.

 

Jane watched the people coming out of the security area for a few minutes. Then she got up and went to gate six to wait. Most of the waiting areas were nearly empty, but gate six was full of people. There were going to be a lot of Buffalo people in New York City this morning. She kept her eyes on the concourse most of the time to be sure Thompson and Harriman didn’t show up.

 

After about ten minutes she saw the two men come around the corner onto the concourse. She stood up and walked to the ladies’ room. She had almost convinced herself that they had been fooled or given up, but they hadn’t. They must have bought tickets to get this far, and in a moment they would notice that gate six was the only waiting area that was full. The New York flight was going to be the first flight out, and it was the one to watch.

 

Jane found Chelsea waiting for her and told her what she’d seen. “We can’t let those men follow you onto a plane or even see which one you take.” She took off her scarf and set it on the shelf below the mirror.

 

“What are we going to do?”

 

“First we change clothes. I saw a pair of gray pants and a blouse in your bag. Put them on, and give me what you’re wearing now.”

 

They changed clothes quickly, and then Jane retied the two hijabs, with Chelsea wearing Jane’s. She put her own clothes in the trash. Next she opened her purse and took out a stack of hundred dollar bills, held it up, and put it into Chelsea’s bag. She took out a credit card and handed it to Chelsea.

 

She looked at it. “You’re Gail Stein?”

 

“Sometimes.” She held out her boarding pass and plucked the other from Chelsea’s hand. “We need a change of plans. You’re going to fly to Albany. They’ve already checked our IDs for the last time, so you can use my boarding pass. When you get there, use some of the cash to buy your ticket to Manchester.”

 

“What’s the credit card for?”

 

“The unexpected. The card’s limit is twelve thousand and Gail Stein pays her bills, so don’t be afraid to use it if you need to.”

 

The loudspeaker in the ceiling blared, “United flight twenty-four thirty to JFK New York City is ready for boarding at gate six.” As the female voice launched into its repetition Jane said, “That’s it. We’ll stay here until they call for the Albany flight.”

 

The flight to New York was announced again and again, and Jane could tell they were trying to get the missing woman passenger to show up. Finally there was a “last call” message. Jane and Chelsea waited. Now other women were coming in and out, so they pretended to be freshening their makeup. After a few minutes Jane put their scarves on again, arranging them carefully to cover their hair.

 

At last, they heard the call. “Flight fifty-seven eighty-two to Albany is boarding at gate number three. Flight five seven eight two is ready for boarding at gate three.”

 

Jane took Chelsea aside. “That’s your flight. Wait for them to give the final call for boarding, and then come out of here fast and straight into the line. Keep your eyes down and get into the boarding tunnel as soon as possible.” She hugged her, then released her. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

“Good-bye.”

 

Jane stepped out of the ladies’ room, kept her head down, and walked quickly past gate 6. There were two airline employees stationed at the desk, and one of them typed something into her computer to make the display change to show a flight leaving for Chicago. She heard a male voice far behind her say the word “Chelsea,” but the other man said something that silenced him.

 

Jane increased her speed, moving quickly back toward the security area. She turned the corner, stepped into the space beside the security area into the clear corridor for arriving passengers to leave the secure area, and kept going. She edged into a group who seemed to be just off one of the first flights to land, and kept with them. She knew the two men were following her at a distance, thinking she was Chelsea. They probably couldn’t believe their luck. As soon as she was alone, they would move in and try to take her.

 

Jane reached the open part of the terminal and kept going. She stepped into another ladies’ room. As soon as she was inside, she took off Chelsea’s scarf and put it into her purse. She tied back her hair, retied her running shoes, and slung her purse across her chest.

 

She waited until she heard the announcement for the flight to Albany, and then heard it again a few minutes later. She heard the voice warn that this was the final call. After ten more minutes, she was sure the flight had left. She took two deep breaths, and then stepped out of the ladies’ room.

 

She walked past the ticket counters and along the glass front of the terminal, and caught her own reflection. It would have been hard to look less like Chelsea Schnell than Jane did. She was taller, her hair was longer and jet black, and her skin was olive. Near the doors there was a glass panel at right angles to the others, and she saw the reflection of the two men, now waiting outside the ladies’ room she had just left, watching the door and expecting the blond Chelsea to appear at any second.

 

In a moment Jane was out the automatic doors and making her way across the short-term lot to the Passat. As she walked, she took out her phone and called the cell phone she had left with Jimmy Sanders. She heard his “hello.”

 

“Hi, it’s me. She’s on a plane to Albany, so she’ll probably get to Manchester quite a bit later than we expected.”

 

“We’ll check to see what flights there are, and be there.”

 

“Is everything still okay?” Jane asked.

 

“We’re fine.”

 

“Good. Try hard to stay that way. Got to go.” She hung up, got into the Passat, and drove to the exit from the lot. As she paid the parking fee, she looked into the rearview mirrors and verified that no car was following her.

 

 

 

 

 

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