“Okay. I’ll get him.” Farah hesitated for a second. “Thank you, Pierce.”
“All in a day’s work, Princess,” he teased so she would laugh and she did.
“What’s wrong?” Jacquie asked, bringing him another coffee.
Pierce turned to look at her, struck by a thought. “Isn’t your daughter in London?”
“Maddy?” Jacquie grimaced. “Yes. Why?”
“When’s she scheduled to come back?”
“June. When I talked to her last week, she insisted she wanted to stay there.” Jacquie shook her head. “She’s on a one-year assignment and wants a promotion from adding to her experience.”
Pierce’s thoughts were flying. “If she wants to come sooner, I could maybe make it happen today. Check with her..”
Jacquie didn’t ask questions, just got her phone and called her daughter. Meanwhile, Pierce discussed the situation with the pilot of the chartered private plane, then reached out to a couple of his old contacts. Jimmy made some calls as well, and with some discussion, things came together. By the time they had a flight plan approved, Jacquie returned to his side. Pierce knew immediately that she was concerned.
“Maddy said she’s been trying to get a flight home but there aren’t any. She was trying to solve it and didn’t want to worry me.”
That strategy had obviously failed. Jacquie’s gaze was filled with concern.
“We disagreed about her staying there just last week.”
Pierce had already searched for current information on the virus and how it spread, knowing he couldn’t put any of those depending on him in danger. Infected persons showed signs within four or five days. “When was she last at her office?”
“A week ago Friday. She works from home for a week every month and that was last week. That’s the thing. She should be going back to the office Monday but they said they were closing down, letting everyone work from home. She’s alone.”
Pierce was reading, and spoke to the pilot. “The passengers should go into a 14-day quarantine once they return stateside,” he said. The pilot confirmed that he’d quarantine on his own as would his co-pilot.
Pierce sent a message to Mack, checking on the accommodation she was arranging for Farah and her friends. There was room for one more.
“Can you take one more passenger?” he asked the pilot.
“Depending on weight and when that person gets here,” the pilot said. “I want to leave as soon as we can. I don’t want to give anyone time to change their mind in the tower.”
“What does Maddy weigh?” Pierce asked Jacquie.
“A hundred and forty pounds, more or less.”
Pierce would have guessed that from the picture at Christmas. “Two hundred pounds total,” he said to the pilot, who agreed, then handed the phone back to Farah to do his pre-flight check.
“Only fifty pounds of luggage, including purse and laptop bag,” Pierce stipulated to Jacquie. She nodded. “Tell her who I am, please. She’ll have to follow directions.”
“She’s my daughter,” Jacquie said. “She’ll do what she’s told if it means getting home.” Pierce could believe that.
“I can hear you, Mom,” came the wry voice through the phone.
Pierce plucked the phone from Jacquie’s hand. “Maddy? This is Pierce Aston. I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I tell you. Give me your passport number, please, and your current address.” He was typing and listening, his fingers flying over the keyboard. He gave her the speculations for her baggage and Maddy agreed immediately, sounding a lot like her mom. “Bear in mind that anything you leave behind may be forfeit. I’m not sure you’ll be able to go back there soon. Do you have a face mask? No? I’ll ensure you get one and some gloves.” He was aware that Jacquie perched on a stool at the counter, listening and worrying. “How much charge does your phone have? Plug it in and put in on speaker, so you can pack and listen. You’re going to go immediately to Luton and board a private jet that will be waiting for you.”
“I can get the train,” Maddy began.
Pierce interrupted her firmly. “We’re eliminating variables here because time is of the essence. I’m sending a private car for you.” Jimmy was arranging the vehicle, sending Pierce updates in email. “I’ll tell you when it arrives, and give you the make, model and license plate number. You will only get in the right car. And you’re going to keep talking to your mom, as long as your phone works.”
“Okay,” Maddy said, sounding a little scared.
Pierce was still typing. “You’ll be fine. I know that. You should believe that. Your mom still needs to be convinced.” He tried to sound like he was smiling. “That’s why you need to talk her through it.”
“Okay.” Maddy’s tone was more confident.
“So, you’ll talk to her for as long as you can,” Pierce repeated. “If you’re disconnected, she’ll call you back. If your phone dies before you get to the jet, you’ll use Farah’s phone once you get there to call me before take-off. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“This is my number. Write it down, on paper.” He considered the information in front of him. “We’re arranging accommodation for the other passengers on the plane to quarantine for two weeks in a hotel once they get back. Do you want to join them, Maddy?”
“I’d rather come home,” she confessed.
Of course, she would. One look at Jacquie told him that she wanted the same. It was a compromise, but he thought it would work out. “Then you will wear your mask and gloves for the entire flight. You will not touch your face. If you use the facilities, you will wash with hot water and soap for a full minute—which is longer than you think.”
“The Happy Birthday song,” Maddy said and Pierce nodded. “Cole told me.”
“I’ll pick you up at Teterboro and take you to your mom’s. You’ll have to put everything in the washer when you arrive, then have a hot shower before continuing into the apartment.”
“Okay.”
“The plane is trying to leave, so the drive will be a quick one. Here’s the registration number for
