“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We’re currently second in line for takeoff, and we’re looking at smooth skies ahead.”
“Flight time to Dallas should be about three hours and 15 minutes. We’ll be cruising at an altitude of 35,000 feet, and the weather looks beautiful all the way home.”
Melissa’s eyes flew open.
That voice.
Her heart began to pound against her ribs as she sat perfectly still, straining to hear every word.
It couldn’t be. After 20 years, how could she possibly recognize someone’s voice?
But something deep in her chest told her she wasn’t wrong.
“We appreciate you flying with us today, and we’ll do everything we can to make this a comfortable flight.”
“Sit back, relax, and we’ll have you on the ground before you know it. This is Captain Evan. Thanks for choosing us.”
Evan.
The name hit her hard.
Her hand tightened around the armrest, her knuckles going white.
“Mel?” Robert’s voice seemed to come from far away. “Honey, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She turned to face him.
“Robert, I think I know who the pilot is.”
He lowered his book, concern creasing his forehead.
“What do you mean? How could you possibly know the pilot?”
“That voice,” she whispered. “And the name. Evan. I had a case years ago. A boy who came into my courtroom.”
Robert studied her face.
“Are you sure?” he asked gently.
“No,” she admitted as her mind raced. “But I think so. I really think so.”
She sat back in her seat as the plane lifted into the sky, her vacation calm now completely shattered.
All she could think about was a terrified 16-year-old boy standing in her courtroom, his whole future hanging in the balance.
She’d made a choice that day, a choice she’d wondered about countless times over the years.
Had she been right?
Perhaps she was about to find out now.
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