forming on his face.
She started the engine, taxied off the apron, and turned right on the taxiway. She put the headset on and motioned for Khalil to do the same.
He didn't want to listen to this woman any longer, but he did as she instructed. Her voice came through the earphones and she said, 'I took a Coke and put a buck in the fridge. You tell him?'
'I did.'
'Protocol. You understand? Lots of protocol in the flying game. You can borrow what you need without asking, but you have to leave a note. You can take a beer or a Coke, but you have to leave a buck. What does this guy Grey do for a living?'
'Nothing.'
'Where'd he get his money?'
'It is not my business to ask.'
'Yeah. Me neither.'
They continued taxiing out to the airfield, and when they reached it, Stacy Moll glanced up at the wind sock, then taxied to the end of Runway Twenty-three. She then reached across Asad Khalil and closed and locked the door.
She made a broadcast to other aircraft, visually checked the skies around her, then ran up the engine. She released the brake, and they rolled down the runway.
The Piper lifted off and at five hundred feet, she began to turn to the north, back toward Craig Municipal Airport in Jacksonville.
They stayed low for the first few minutes, then resumed a climb. The Piper settled into a cruise altitude of thirty-five hundred feet at one hundred forty knots. Stacy Moll said, 'Flight time to Craig, thirty-eight more minutes.'
Khalil didn't reply.
They flew on in silence awhile, then she asked, 'Where you headed after this?'
'I have an early afternoon flight to Washington, then back to Athens.'
'You came all the way here just for this?'
'Yes.'
'Jeez. I hope it was worth it.'
'It was.'
'Maybe I should get into the Greek vase business.'
'There is some risk involved.'
'Yeah? Oh, like-like, these vases aren't supposed to leave your country.'
'It's best if you discussed this flight with no one. I have said too much already.'
'Mum's the word.'
'Excuse me?'
'My lips are sealed.'
'Yes. Good. I will be back in a week. I would like to engage your services once again.'
'No problem. Next time, stay awhile, and we can have a drink.'
'That would be pleasant.'
They flew in silence for the next ten minutes, then she said, 'Next time, just call from the airport, and someone will pick you up. You don't have to take a taxi.'
'Thank you.'
'In fact, if you want, I can drive you back to the airport.'
'That's very kind of you.'
'No problem.' She said, 'Just fax or call a day or two before you come, and I'll be sure I'm available. Or make the reservation when we get back to the office.'
'I will do that.'
'Good. Here's my card.' She took a card out of her breast pocket and gave it to him.
She made conversation with her passenger as they flew, and he made appropriate responses.
As they began their descent, he asked her, 'Did you make contact with your friend at Spruce Creek?'
'Well… I thought about calling him and telling him I was a couple of blocks away… but then I said to myself, Screw him. He doesn't deserve a call. Someday, I'll fly in low and drop a live alligator in his pool.' She laughed. 'I know a guy who did that once to his ex-girlfriend, but the gator hit the roof and died on impact. Waste of a good gator.'
Khalil found himself smiling at this image.
She noticed he was smiling and chuckled. 'Good one, right?'
They approached Craig Municipal Airport, and she radioed the Tower for landing instructions.
The Tower cleared her for landing, and within five minutes they were lined up with the runway, and a few minutes later they were on the ground.
They taxied back to Alpha Aviation Services, and Stacy Moll cut the engine fifty feet from the office.
Khalil retrieved his bag, and they both got out and began the walk to the building. She said, 'Enjoy your flight?'
'Very much.'
'Good. I don't always talk so much, but I enjoyed your company.'
'Thank you. You were a pleasant companion. And a very good pilot.'
'Thanks.'
Before they reached the office, he said to her, 'Would it be permissible if I asked you not to mention Spruce Greek?'
She glanced at him and said, 'Sure. No problem. Same price as Daytona Beach.'
'Thank you.'
They entered the office, and the woman at the desk stood and came to the counter. 'Good flight?'
Khalil replied, 'Yes, very good.'
The woman examined some paperwork on a clipboard, then looked at her watch and made some notations. She said, 'Okay, three-fifty should cover it.' She counted out one hundred fifty dollars and handed it to him. She said, 'You can keep the five-hundred-dollar receipt-for business.' She winked conspiratorially.
Khalil put the money in his pocket.
Stacy Moll said, 'I'm going to run Mr. Poulos back to Jacksonville Airport, unless you have something for me.'
'Nope-sorry, honey.'
'That's okay. I'll take care of the Piper when I get back.'
The woman said to her customer, 'Thank you for using Alpha. Gall us again.'
Stacy asked Khalil, 'You want to reserve for next week?'
'Yes. The same time, one week from today. The same destination. Daytona Beach.'
The woman made a note on a piece of paper and said, 'You got it.'
Khalil said, 'And I wish for this lady as the pilot.'
The woman smiled and said, 'You must be a glutton for punishment.'
'Excuse me?'
'She can talk your ear off. Okay, see you next week.' She said to Stacy Moll, 'Thanks for taking Mr. Poulos back.'
'No problem.'
Asad Khalil and Stacy Moll went out into the hot sunshine. She said, 'My car's over there.'
He followed her to a small convertible with the top up. She unlocked the doors with a remote control and asked him, 'Top up or down?'
'The way it is.'
'Right. Stay here until I get it cooled off.' She got inside, started the engine, and turned up the air conditioner, waited a minute, then said, 'Okay.'
He got in the passenger seat and she said, 'Buckle up. It's the law.'
He buckled his seat belt.
