Free Airframe by Michael Crichton Page B

to Casey. "The Fizer in Hong Kong phoned three times for you, but he's gone home now. Fizer in Vancouver was on 47
    the horn half an hour ago. You can probably still get him."
    Casey nodded. It was not surprising that the Flight Service Representatives in the major hubs would be checking in. The FSRs were Norton employees assigned to the carriers, and the carriers would be worried about the incident.
    "And, let's see," Norma said. "The Washington office is all atwitter, they've heard the JAA is going to exploit this on Airbus's behalf. What a surprise. Fizer in Dusseldorf wants a confirm it was pilot error. Fizer in Milan wants information. Fizer in Abu Dhabi wants a week in Milan. Fizer in Bombay heard engine failure. I straightened him out. And your daughter said to tell you she did not need her sweatshirt."
    "Great."
    Casey took the faxes back to her office. She found Richman sitting at her desk. He looked up in surprise, and rose quickly from her chair. "Sorry."
    Casey said, "Didn't Norma find you an office?"
    "Yes, I have one," Richman said, walking around the desk. "I was just, ah, just wondering what you wanted me to do with this." He held up a plastic bag with the video camera they had found on the plane.
    "I'll take it."
    He gave it to her. "So. What happens now?"
    She dropped the stack of telexes on her desk. "I'd say you're through for the day," she said.
    "Be here tomorrow at seven."
    He left, and she sat down in her chair. Everything seemed to be as she had left it. But she noticed that the second drawer on the desk was not quite closed. Had Richman been going through her desk?
    Casey pulled the drawer open, revealing boxes of computer disks, stationery, a pair of scissors, some felt-tip pens in a tray. It all looked undisturbed. But still...
    She heard Richman leave, then went back down the hall to Norma's desk. "That kid," she said, "was sitting behind my desk."
    'Tell me," Norma said. "The little twerp asked me to get him coffee."
    "I'm surprised Marketing didn't straighten him out," Casey said. "They had him a couple of months."
    "As a matter of fact," Norma said, "I was talking to Jean over there, and she says they hardly ever saw him. He was always on the road."
    "On the road? A new kid, a Norton relative? Marketing would never send him on the road.
    Where'd he go?"
    Norma shook her head. "Jean didn't know. You want me to call Travel, and find out?"
    "Yeah," Casey said. "I do."
    Back in her office, she turned to the plastic bag on the desk, opened it, and pulled the 48
    videotape from the shattered camera. She set the tape to one side. Then she dialled Jim's number, hoping to talk to Allison, but she got the answering machine. She hung up without leaving a message.
    She thumbed through the telexes. The only one that interested her was from the FSR in Hong Kong. As always, he was way behind the curve.

    FROM: RICK RAKOSKI, FSR HK TO: CASEY SINGLETON, QA/IRT NORTON BBK
    TRANSPACIFIC AIRLINES TODAY REPORTS FLIGHT 545, AN N-22, FUSE 271, FOREIGN
    REGISTRY 098/443/HB09, FLYING FROM HK TO DENVER EXPERIENCED A TURBULENCE
    UPSET DURING CRUISE FL370 APPROXIMATELY 0524 UTC POSITION 39 NORTH/170
    EAST. SOME PASSENGERS AND CREW SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. AIRCRAFT MADE
    EMERGENCY LANDING LAX.
    FLIGHT PLAN, PASSENGER AND CREW MANIFEST ATTACHED. PLS ADVISE
    SOONEST.

    The telex was followed by four pages of passenger manifest and crew list. She glanced at the crew list:

    JOHN ZHEN CHANG, CAPTAIN 5/7/51
    LEU ZAN PING, FIRST OFFICER 3/11/59
    RICHARD YONG, FIRST OFFICER 9/9/61
    GERHARD REIMANN, FIRST
    OFFICER 7/23/49
    HENRI MARCHAND, ENGINEER 4/25/69
    THOMAS CHANG, ENGINEER 6/29/70
    ROBERT SHENG, ENGINEER 6/13/62
    HARRIET CHANG, FLIGHT
    ATTENDANT 5/12/77
    LINDA CHING, FLIGHT
    ATTENDANT 5/18/76
    NANCY MORLEY, FLIGHT
    ATTENDANT 7/19/75
    KAY LIANG, FLIGHT ATTENDANT 6/4/67
    JOHN WHITE, FLIGHT ATTENDANT 1/30/70
    M. V. CHANG, FLIGHT
    ATTENDANT 4/1/77
    SHA YAN HAO, FLIGHT

    49
    ATTENDANT 3/13/73
    YEE JIAO, FLIGHT ATTENDANT