He could lie to me while perhaps believing he was protecting us.
And Adrian could be considerate while still carrying secrets I didn’t understand.
Maybe growing up meant accepting that people rarely arrived in clean categories.
Maybe strength meant learning to see complexity without surrendering your own judgment.
I looked at Lily.
She had syrup on her cheek.
At least some things were simple.
I wiped it away.
“Okay,” I said. “Tell me what you found.”
Daniel opened the laptop.
“Your booking was made nine days ago.”
“I know.”
“Mr. Prescott changed onto your flight yesterday afternoon at 2:14 p.m.”
Adrian nodded.
“And fourteen B?” I asked.
Daniel turned the screen toward me.
“The seat had been occupied.”
My heart began to pound.
“By who?”
“A passenger named Claire Ellison.”
Adrian stopped moving.
I looked at him.
“Claire?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Daniel did.
“Mr. Prescott’s executive assistant.”
