Page 34 of The Grizzly Situation

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Please come with me.”

I had no idea what was going on, but I followed him. He took me past the gates and up an escalator.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To the jet,” he said.

“But don’t I have to check in?”

He chuckled. “No, sir. That’s all been done already.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. None of this made sense. “Taken care of by who?” I demanded.

“Mr. Lockhart has made all the arrangements.”

“And who are you?”

He stopped and turned, flashing me a smile. “I’m the pilot.”

I shook my head, certain I’d misheard him. “What do you mean?” I reached into my pocket and withdrew my ticket and held it up so he could see it. “I have a flight already.”

“Yes, sir. You’re booked on Ursine Air.”

But that wasn’t what the ticket said. It clearly said American Airlines. “No, that’s not right.”

He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a phone. He pressed a button and held it to his ear.

“I told you. Here.”

He handed it to me. “Hello?”

“Uly, get on the damn plane. We only have the runway for a short time.”

“But—”

“I sent the jet for you, okay? Get on the plane!”

He sent a jet for me? Who did that?

“Are you ready, sir?”

I was dazed is what I was. The guy grabbed my bag with one hand and my elbow with another. He guided me to a far corner of the airport, where we went down a well lit hallway. When we got to the end, we were met by a woman who held open the door.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. McNamara. Please, come on board so we can get underway.”

This jet was nothing at all like the ones I’d taken in the past. There were six dark leather seats that surrounded a woodentable that had been polished to a bright shine. The floors had black and red carpeting that was so thick, I wanted to slip off my shoes and feel it squish between my toes. I gave myself a little pinch, certain that I was dreaming, but nope. Wide awake, and probably bruising.

“Please take a seat and buckle in. We’ll be departing shortly. I’ll be around with a beverage about ten minutes after we’re airborne. Did you want some lunch? We have chicken tetrazzini over whole wheat pasta, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, fish with tartar sauce—which Mr. Lockhart asked to be added to the menu. If you’d prefer something else, our chef will be more than happy to?—”

“Stop. Please. Just… stop.”

She stepped back, looking as if I’d smacked her. “Is something wrong?”

I turned back to the man. “Why is he doing this?”

“I told him he was doing it wrong, but he gets so hardheaded at times.” He held out a hand. “My name is Cullin Davies, and I do what Mr. Lockhart needs done. This past week it was finding his friend, Chaim. This week it’s escorting you to Ursine.”

“Oh, you found Chaim for him? I’m so glad.”