"Nance, John J. - The Last Hostage" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nance John J)

Judy Smith, the director of flight control, slipped in behind Verne
Garcia's chair and put her hand on his shoulder, feeling him jump
slightly at her touch.

"Verne, we're going to launch the replacement flight in about ten
minutes. Are you talking with Wolfe yet?"

Garcia looked around and shook his head. "He was supposed to call me on
a land line as soon as he got on the ramp in Durango. I just spoke with
the manager of the facilities there, and he says the copilot left the
airplane about ten minutes ago, but I haven't heard from him either."

Judy straightened up and pursed her lips in thought. "Okay. Well, when
he does decide to talk to us, tell him the cavalry is coming, and we're
sending two maintenance guys with the flight."

She began to turn away, but Garcia caught her arm.

"Ah, Judy?"

"Yeah?"

He glanced around in search of overt eavesdroppers, but all the other
dispatchers were engaged in their own telephonic battles. His eyes
shifted back to her.

"I noticed a few minutes ago you kinda reacted a little when I told you
Ken Wolfe was the captain. Is there a history here I don't know about?"

She regarded him in silence for a few long seconds. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged again. "Well, when I gave him his paperwork earlier, at the
counter, Wolfe looked a bit strange to me. I mean, I'm sure it's
nothing, but it was like he was somewhere else, you know? He had a kind
of distant, disengaged look. But, I've only been around here since last
August, and I don't know everyone's story."

Judy unconsciously drummed her fingers on the side of the cubicle as she
probed the dispatcher's eyes.

"He seemed distant, huh?"

"Very. Is that significant?"

She shook her head with unconvincing slowness as her eyes wandered to
the far wall of the room. "Ken Wolfe is a bit of a mystery around here,
Verne. He's a nice guy and a competent captain, but he has a strange
capacity to worry copilots. It's like he's three or four different
personalities, one light and friendly, another moody and unresponsive,