Suzie Coltrane Saves the Day

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Meanwhile, high up in the air, the two girls were riding in style. They had already eaten a big lunch (their first meal in about eighteen hours), had their fill of soda (each had had three or four cans), and now we're watching the in-flight movie.

​"I love the first class!" Said Gwen, reclining back and propping her feet up on the chair in front of her.

​"Oh yeah, this is unreal." Suzie sighed as she closed her eyes to sneak in a quick nap.
​She didn't wake up until Gwen nudged her with an elbow to the ribs.
​"Sorry," She whispered. "But we're about to land."
​"Thanks." She said with a big yawn and stretch.

​Sitting back upright and wiping the sleep out of her eyes, Suzie started to think about their next move. It was hard since her brain was still half-asleep. She was trying to decide if there was any chance at all that these men who were following them could know where they were.

She knew they didn't trail them to Newark that was for sure. There were too many taxis in New York for them to search and besides, they would never have let the girls get on the plane if they had been at the airport. There was one other concern, what if they had someone on the plane with them? Suzie had not thought about that. What if someone was waiting for them somewhere in the back of the aircraft? There was only one way to find out.

​"Gwen, we need to be the last people off of this plane."
​"Why?"
​"We have to see everyone getting off to make sure that none of those guys are on the plane with us."
​"Oh, good thinking. Alright, we'll wait until the end."

​As the plane landed and taxied over to the terminal, Suzie craned her neck to try and see as many of the other passengers as she could. From what she could see, there didn't seem to be anyone dangerous-looking back behind them. But she could only see about half of the plane. That left plenty of room for error.

​After a few minutes, the plane taxied to the gate and opened the door. Everyone was jockeying for position to get out as fast as they could. However, Gwen and Suzie were slumped down in their chairs with magazines hiding all of their faces except for one eye each. They were peeking out from behind their hiding place, looking at everyone as they passed by.

Finally, the last passengers on the plane—a mom and dad toting three kids, two strollers, and a baby seat trudged past the flight attendant who was saying 'bye-bye' with a fake bubbly voice. The flight attendant noticed the two girls still slouched in their seats as she walked toward the back to get her suitcase.

​"Excuse me, misses, can I help you with anything?"
​"Oh, no ma'am." Said Gwen. "Our aunt and uncle are meeting us, and they told us to wait for everyone else to get off. That way we'll be easier to find."
​"Okay, well, that's everyone. We need you to depart so that we can clean the plane if you don't mind."

​"Oh, yes ma'am." Replied Suzie. "We just need to grab our bags."
​"Well, thank you for flying with us, and I hope you have a pleasant stay."
​"Thank you." They both said.

​They pretended to stand up until the flight attendant had moved out of sight and into the back of the plane.

​"Let's take as long as we can, in case someone's outside the gate."
​"Right." Said Gwen.

Waiting in the terminal outside the gate, two men in suits and wearing sunglasses were scanning the passengers as they came out of the jetway. They knew exactly who they were looking for, but they hadn't come out yet. All of the first-class passengers had left the plane long ago—you could always tell the first class from the coach. They somehow seemed happier.