Just Try It

Chapter 56- The Airport?

Friday, February 17th 11:00pm

Backseat of car driven by Tony Salvador

Even though she didn't feel she could talk, she quickly slid her hands into her purse to make sure the sound was off on her phone.  Only then did she text Danica, "Tell Moe that I am sorry, but I couldn't let him stand in front of me again."

Then, Sondra sent a couple of more messages to Paul and Libby, before she put her phone to the side.  Once those few tasks were done, she finally felt her voice was steady enough to ask questions.  "Mom, do we have tickets already?"

"Yes, but we aren't using them," bragged her mom with a cryptic grin.

So, she wanted to play games.  Sondra didn't feel up for that, and just said, "Okay," without even trying to figure out what her mom meant.  The game her mom wanted to play would get old quick, and soon her mom's teasing would turn to annoyance.  No point in aggravating her mother when she would find out soon enough. 

Instead, Sondra stared out the window quietly as she ignored the text messages pouring in.  There should only be a little time before they reached the airport and were on to the next part of her plan.  There were lots of ways it could go wrong, and she knew that she should review her plan.  Her heart wasn't in it though, and instead she filled that time by remembering her date with Moe. 

Even though it felt like a step back when Moe tried to veto her plan, she understood that he just wanted to protect her.  When it was all over, she just hoped that he would understand her side too.  Engrossed in her own thoughts, it took Sondra awhile to realize that they should have reached the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport long ago. 

When Sondra realized that, she started paying attention to where they were.  The only problem was that she didn't recognize any of the area.  There weren't even any signs pointing the way to the airport.  She was about to ask if they had to make a detour before leaving when they pulled up to a small airstrip outside of Dallas.  Suddenly, Pamela's comment made sense.  Tony had purchased some tickets that he had no intention of using.  The police would go there, while they left from this little airstrip on their real flight.

While Sondra was working this out, Tony pulled up to the small office door and a man had come out to get their bags.  Within minutes, they were inside, and Tony confidently strode up to the desk.  He said he wanted three tickets to Atlanta with the "special layover" in New Orleans.  Sondra hung out close by and tried to figure out what a special layover meant.  They didn't say any more about it though.  However, Sondra was glad she was there when Tony brought out a debit card to pay with.  She had wondered how he would access his money if the police had frozen his accounts.  Her mom had said that he had another account, and now she realized her mom was right.

Sondra leaned on the counter like her feet were hurting.  She didn't even have to pretend as she rubbed her aching feet.  The real reason that she had chosen that spot was so she could get a good look at the card number, expiration date, and the three digit number on the back. 

She got a good look when Tony held the card and hesitated as he gave a mean smile at the greasy haired man behind the counter and said, "You will lose the account after the money is there and say that it was a cash purchase, right?"

The man's grin widened into a large smile as he nodded.  "They won't be able to figure it out unless they can look at my bank account," the man rumbled.

Tony conveniently flipped the card over as he asked, "Is it our regular pilot?  He knows how to work the "layover" in New Orleans, before continuing on to Atlanta?"

The man nodded again and said, "He knows.  He loves it when you fly. It gives him a chance to visit his girlfriend.  He will go on to Atlanta afterward, and it's in the books as a trip to Atlanta.  He will make sure it takes at least fifteen minutes to fill up, and he will keep everyone's attention on the plane."

With that, Tony smiled and finally handed over the card.  When the men glanced her way, Sondra  rubbed her feet a little more before taking a step back. Tony was trickier than she had given him credit for.  Already, she knew that Paul was at the wrong place.  Her fingers itched to send the next round of messages, but she didn't want to make Tony suspicious.  She doubted that her mom even remembered that she had an eidetic memory, let alone tell Tony about it.  However, it would be better to wait a little longer.  She had gotten the numbers she needed, and waiting would dampen any suspicions.  Besides, there was no way the police could get here before take off. 

In less time than Sondra would have thought possible, they were all seated on the small airplane.  Luckily, the plane was so small that there was just the pilot.  After he went up front and Tony and Pamela were making out behind her, Sondra slipped out her phone.  A quick message to Paul filled him in on how it had gone wrong and what the plans now were.   Before taking off, she managed another message to Sean where she asked for Colton's number.  Just knowing that she would have someone to contact if things went wrong made her feel better.  Before she could get caught, she turned off her phone.  From the giggles behind her, she was probably safe from discovery, but she also didn't want to do anything that would increase the chances of this tin can with wings falling out of the sky.

She slipped her shoes off and closed her eyes while she tried to ignore the sounds Pamela and Tony were making behind her.  Instead, she tried to remember details from the dance.