Free Reckless Endangerment by Graham Ison Page A

studied it for a moment or two. ‘That’s what it says here, Harry. According to the latest roster I’ve got, Sharon Gregory’s not flying until Wednesday, LHR to MIA.’ He paused and then explained. ‘Heathrow to Miami International.’
    ‘That’s exactly what she told us,’ I said. ‘But is there anyone here who could tell us if that’s been changed?’
    ‘I could try the duty room. I don’t know the girl personally, I’m afraid,’ said Richie. ‘We’ve got a lot of cabin crew working out of here, but to tell you the truth I don’t have much to do with them. My job’s more one of dealing with security on the ground: baggage that’s been nicked, light-fingered baggage handlers, that sort of thing. Anything that’s up in the air, to coin a phrase, is dealt with by the aircraft captain. That’s the law; just like the captain of a ship. But occasionally I get involved, for theft on an aircraft in flight or thieving by the crew.’
    ‘Must keep you busy, Ted,’ said Dave, but I thought I detected a hint of sarcasm.
    ‘You can say that again,’ said Richie, ‘and they always want me to use my contacts to short-circuit the system if someone’s snuffed it in flight. You’d be surprised how many people die in transit; must be something to do with the cabin pressure. The powers-that-be want me to get in touch with the coroner’s officer and smooth the wheels.’ He sat down behind his desk. ‘I had a word around and if it’s of any interest, airport chit-chat suggests Sharon Gregory’s got a bit of a reputation for sleeping around, usually in Miami. It pays to keep your ear to the ground in this job. But like I said, I don’t know her personally.’
    ‘We’ve heard that much, Ted. The people we’ve spoken to so far have suggested that she might not be averse to having a fling.’
    ‘Anyway, to answer your question about her duties,’ said Richie, ‘first of all, I’ll have a look through my memos to check that they haven’t been changed. That’s if they bothered to tell me. These girls sometimes do a mutual swap and the duty room doesn’t always let me know.’
    Having spent a few moments ploughing through the untidy pile of papers on his desk, he looked up. ‘They haven’t advised me of any change, Harry, not that that means a damned thing. As far as I know, what she told you still stands. The last I heard was that she should be flying out at fourteen thirty-three Zulu time this coming Wednesday bound for Miami. D’you want me to make a few enquiries?’
    ‘Yes, please, Ted. And perhaps you could get someone to check if her car is in the staff car park.’ Dave gave him the details of Sharon Gregory’s Mini Cooper.
    Ted Richie made a couple of calls, one to a member of his staff and another to the duty room. Twenty minutes later he got the first reply. ‘The duty room guy said she hasn’t shown up there, Harry, which is where she has to report for duty, and her schedule remains the same: fourteen thirty-three Zulu departure on Wednesday. What’s more, no one in the duty room has seen her at any time today.’
    The second reply came five minutes later.
    ‘My guy says that her car’s not where she usually parks it, Harry,’ said Richie, switching off his mobile and tossing it on to the desk.
    ‘Thanks, Ted. It looks like she’s done a runner.’
    ‘Anything else I can help you with, Harry?’
    ‘No thanks. I’ll get our port watch people to make some enquiries. Oh, there is one thing: where does Sharon Gregory usually stay in Miami?’
    Richie delved into his pile of paperwork once again. ‘The crew always spends stopovers at the Shannon Hotel on Miami Beach,’ he said eventually.
    ‘I don’t know whether it’ll help us,’ said Dave, ‘but I suppose there’s an outside chance that she’s gone there, even off duty. D’you have a phone number for the Shannon?’
    ‘Sure.’ Richie scribbled the details on a memo bearing the airline’s crest and handed it to Dave.